The Augustinian Recollect Martín Legarra Tellechea (1910-1985) was a direct witness of several great events of the 20th century. He developed his ministerial service with optimism, sympathy and communication skills. His life as a missionary, educator and bishop could have served as a movie script.
In October 1963, Martín was called to the Nunciature in Madrid, where he reported that Paul VI wants to name him the first prelate of Bocas del Toro, in Panama. He alleges ill health and having a tropical climate discouraged, but before the insistence, he accepts. On November 21, 1963, it was made public.
The first moment was baffling due to the lack of reliable information. He comes to Panama on February 7, 1964. The Recollects of the Saint Augustine of Panama City presented him in society. At his inauguration, on February 29, All the bishops of the country attend, the Nuncio, the president, local authorities… He feels especially welcomed and loved by the people.
The territory of the Prelature coincides with that of the civil Province, there are 3,037 km 2 (like Alava in Spain or twice the size of Mexico City) and had with about 45,000 inhabitants (today there are just under 200,000).
In addition to the mainland, there are nine islands, 52 cays and thousands of islets, all very isolated from the rest of the country, with an indigenous population (40%) and Afro-descendant (10%). The Augustinian Recollects are entrusted to replace the Pauls of the United States and care for the new Prelature, a very young Church in an area with great evangelical presence and populations where more English is spoken than Spanish.
The first thing that Martín does is visit his people: “Regardless of their creed, or color, they are kind. I, the truth, I am happy in the midst of them. During six months, in a canoe, boat, vehicle, horseback or on foot, he has already been to all populations at least once.
Five Recollects from the Province of Our Lady of Consolation together with Martín start the new Prelature from scratch: there is a lack of missionaries, financing, education and health services, infrastructures…
Martín’s typewriter sounds again: he writes reports, asks for resources, updates his Recollect brothers, the civil authorities, the Legislature, the Holy See, to Propaganda Fide, to Adveniat and Misereor in Germany…
He attends the third session of the Second Vatican Council in Rome (09/14 to 11/21 1964). There they inform him that a gale has destroyed the church, the school and the residence of Bocas and obtains the necessary solidarity for the reconstruction.
Take advantage of the Council to learn and to weave an extensive network of relationships with the Central American episcopate and the Roman dicasteries. November 6 he intervenes in the council hall and asks that the Prelatures enjoy the same aid than the Mission Territories: “I have never felt my smallness so much.”
On his return, he passed through Madrid looking for resources (on November 22, 1964 he preached in 16 masses in the church of Santa Rita). And he visits the minor seminaries and elders of the Augustinian Recollects to promote the missionary apostolate.
On March 12, 1965, Pope Paul VI named Martin Bishop. He is ordered in the cathedral of Panama on June 6, the feast of Pentecost presides over the celebration the Nuncio, Antonino Pinci; the Archbishop of Panama, Tomás Alberto Clavel; and the Bishop of the Apostolic Vicariate of Darién, Jesús Serrano.
In addition to the works on the cathedral and the school in Bocas, he immediately began an intense apostolate with the indigenous people. A comment from a cacique encourages him: “Only one who loves us very much would come to visit us like you do.”
In the fourth session of the Second Vatican Council (09/14 to 12/07, 1965) he intervened in name of 77 bishops from mission areas to, among other things, make an allegation in favor of making contracts between bishops and religious institutes.
He closes agreements with the Missionary Sisters of Mary Immaculate and Saint Catherine of Siena (known as Lauras) to support her in the indigenist pastoral through the Saint Augustine Indigenist Vocational Center in Kankintú.
He himself goes to the region of Saint Catalina, where the Bogotás are, who still they live in enormous misery and abandonment, while with the teribes he puts on the run the Rural Community Development Program that has taken the Panamanian government. Martín combines opposites: jungle and asphalt, carpets and streams, offices and huts. Bocas del Toro enters the agenda, previously disappeared from newscasts and newspapers.
In October 1966 he went to Mar del Plata, Argentina, to the first meeting of the CELAM (Latin American Episcopal Council of Latin America and the Antilles). In it CELAM entrusted him with the presidency of the Department of Missions, responsibility that will take you through Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Costa Rica…
As a gift, he gets to see his sisters Martina and Eulogia after 44 and 39 years, respectively, emigrated from Navarra to La Pampa after getting married. The activity is constant in the Prelature where, at the most critical moment, ten Augustinian Recollects work, Lauras, Capuchins and USEMI (Secular Union missionary). He knocked on many more doors, albeit to no avail.
He inaugurates the new cathedral in May 1967, he rebuilds the temple of Changuinola after a fire in August 1968, as well as five other temples rural minors. He runs the joke that the bishop doesn’t care about gales and fires, since they allow you to build new and better infrastructures for the Prelature.
In Kankintú he builds a house for the religious sisters, another for the religious, a community center, a chapel and urbanization and layout of streets and sanitation. In Cricamola he builds five schools and in Changuinola the professional training center “Faith and Joy”.
In Panama City, his nickname is Monsignor “Meagarra”, something like “Monsignor Beggar”. He does not give up in his efforts to shout to the four winds the needs of the people. In the media he is a regular, as in the radio program “Arriba, sleepyheads” by Jorge Carrasco.
Everything continues as normal until April 1, 1969 when he must restart his life: he announces his appointment as Bishop of Veraguas:
“I have long been convinced that there is no better or safer formula for the peace of mind than to place oneself in the hands of God… Out of obedience I came to Bocas and out of obedience I will go to Veraguas.”
The people, the missionaries of Bocas feel bewilderment and sadness before the unexpected news, caused by a carambola: after the resignation of the Archbishop of Panama, Monsignor Tomás Alberto Clavel (1921-1988), succeeds him in the capital until then bishop of Veraguas, Marcos Gregorio McGrath (1924-2000). And Martín is sent by the Holy See to Veraguas.
NEXT PAGE: 10. Martin in Veraguas
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Introduction
- 1. An open mind to the unknown
- 2. Martin and religious life
- 3. Philippines, learning and new responsibilities
- 4. Even more open to the world
- 5. Chronicler of the greatest nightmare
- 6. Martin, educator
- 7. Martin, educator of religious
- 8. Martín is reunited with Spain
- 9. Martin in Bocas del Toro
- 10. Martin in Veraguas
- 11. Bishop emeritus, not retired
- 12. A Week of Easter