Our Lady of Cuapa

Our Lady of Cuapa—Nuestra Señora de Cuapa—is a Marian apparition and Catholic devotion rooted in reported supernatural appearances of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the small town of San Francisco de Cuapa, in the Chontales region of Nicaragua. According to local tradition, the phenomena began in 1980 when a humble church sacristan named Bernardo Martínez noticed an unexplainable light emanating from a statue of the Virgin Mary in the parish church, marking the beginning of a series of visions in which Mary appeared to him with messages for the faithful. These apparitions occurred against the backdrop of Nicaragua’s civil unrest at that time and emphasized prayer, peace, and spiritual renewal amid social turmoil.

Those who witnessed or later recounted the events describe Mary as encouraging a reverent, meditative practice of the Rosary and a deeper engagement with Scripture, urging people not merely to ask for peace but to live it through forgiveness and love of neighbor. The messages reportedly included calls for devotion to the Rosary and the First Saturday observances, echoing themes from other well‑known Marian apparitions such as Fatima. The apparitions were recognized by local church authorities in the early 1980s, and the site at Cuapa eventually became a national shrine where pilgrims gather, especially on significant feast days tied to the events of 1980.

Today, Our Lady of Cuapa holds an important place in Nicaraguan Catholic spirituality, drawing both local and visiting devotees to reflect on her messages of peace, prayer, and conversion. The sanctuary at Cuapa stands as a focal point for Marian devotion in the country, with celebrations and masses held on key dates commemorating the apparitions. The devotion highlights the role of Marian apparitions in encouraging the faithful to deepen their faith and commitment to living out the core teachings of the Gospel.