Verapaz The Catholic community was born when the first Dominican missionaries came to evangelize our ancestors. That happened in 1543.
Quiches The four leaders supported them, mainly Don Gaspar Rabinal.
But before it was necessary for FR. BARTOLOME DE LAS CASAS reached an agreement with the English authorities to come out all the English soldiers who had entered earlier.
These are the names of the first missionaries
"in a peaceful and Christian, with the noise of armies, with the sole weapon of the Word of Christ with humility and gentleness, we attracted some provinces tezulutanas faith. " P.
Houses
King of Spain gives the name of Vera Paz to this region, "... by this command now and hereafter the said provinces that were at war and that and those religious have brought and will bring peace, and entitled to be called the Vera Paz.
Year 1.555. First Martyrs Br
Domingo de Vico, Father Andrés López and 30 indigenous Acalan die when other groups of Lacandon Acal and burned the ranch where they were gathered.
Year1.560. Foundation of the Diocese of Verapaz:
+ Fray Pedro de Angulo was appointed first bishop. died two years later in Salama, where he is buried.
+ Fr Thomas Cardenas, third bishop, to encourage the development of the region introduced chickens, pigs, and cattle. Year
1.608
Forty-eight (48) years later, claiming poverty in the region, shortages of people and proximity to Guatemala, the diocese was abolished and became part of the Bishop of Guatemala.
During 327 years, these parishes depended on Guatemala.
are the years in which parents
• founded the majority of our people
•• instructed to build the temples
wrote the first catechism in our languages \u200b\u200b
After Independence, the Liberal governments of Mariano Galvez (1829 - 39) and Justo Rufino Barrios (1873 - 85) took the church property, expelled missionaries, closed convents and sent to call evangelicals. The Evangelization is stopped and the parishes were left abandoned for almost 100 years. Year
1.935
Until 1935, in times of Jorge Ubico, which returns to restore the Diocese of Verapaz.
| 1 º Bishop | Bishop Luis Montenegro y Flores (1935-1945). In his time came the Salesian Fathers. |
| 2 ° | Bishop Bishop Raymond Martin (1945-1957). In his time the Dominican Fathers returned |
| 3 rd Bishop | Humberto Lara Bishop (1957-1967). Benedictine Fathers came. |
| 4 th Bishop Bishop Juan Gerardi | , (1967-1973). Martyr for Peace. In his time he founded the Centro San Benito, PP. Benedictine (1972), where they formed the first hundreds of Catechists OR DELEGATES OF THE WORD. |
| 5 th Bishop | Bishop Gerardo Humberto Flores, (1974-2000). In his time the Diocese was organized in its present structure. Is the time of the great persecution of catechists. Bishop defended the lives of refugees and persecuted and gave special impetus to the Indigenous Pastoral and Social Ministry. |
| 6 º | Bishop Bishop Rodolfo Valenzuela Núñez , (2.000 - ;). Who is currently in charge of the Church of the Verapaz. |
With the return of the priests and nuns began a new evangelization and Catholic schools were founded, were prepared catechists and lay groups formed first, as Catholic Action and the Apostleship of Prayer.
Then, from the '70s, we formed the new catechists or delegates of the Word to give new impetus to evangelization and human rights ... Many of them sealed their life with the palm of martyrdom .
marked the first missionaries to our church with some features, a way of being, which give his personality, his way of being different from other particular Churches. Let's see.
"No clash of armies. With the single weapon of the Word of Christ. With meekness and gentleness. " PL Casas.
The missionaries learned the language of the region and the catechisms written in these languages \u200b\u200b
dramas, dances, parades ... were means of evangelization. Still preserved in our communities.
were founded by missionaries and lay organizations to promote the worship, doctrine and the maintenance of temples.
evangelized themselves workedcatechists, from the early years.
"The people of each neighborhood, come willingly and happily, they met every day in large numbers, for catechesis in procession singing and bringing the Blessed Sacrament with great devotion of all."
