If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to minister in one of the poorest countries in the world...one devastated by civil war, dictatorships and natural disasters, have a chat with Dave Zywiec, 62-year-old auxiliary bishop of Bluefields in Nicaragua [a member of the Capuchin Vice Province of Northern Central America]. Dave arrived in Central America over 35 years ago and said he was unprepared for what he found there. His theology courses and priestly formation hadn’t addressed the violence and atrocities that most Nicaraguans live with on a daily basis. The territory Dave shepherds covers almost half of the country, including the Mosquito Coast. He has twenty-five priests, so relies heavily on lay leadership (known as delegados). “We have roughly 1,000 chapels and fourteen parishes,” he told a reporter during a recent interview with the Catholic Radio and Television Network. We train individuals to preside at Word services on Sundays, teach catechism and prepare couples for marriage. To read much more by Mark Riedemann, click here.