Juan Sinforiano Bogarín

Infobox Artist
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name = Juan Sinforiano Bogarín


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birthname = Juan Sinforiano Bogarín
birthdate = August 21, 1863
location = Mbuyapey, Paraguay
deathdate = February 25, 1949
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nationality = Paraguayan
field = Theology
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He was the first archbishop of the Paraguay.

He was born in Mbuyapey, a town of the Paraguarí Department, in August 21, 1863, son of Juan José Bogarin and Mónica de la Cruz González. Becoming orphans after the War against the Triple Alliance, Juan Sinforiano and his three siblings where raised by their mother-side Aunt María Pabla González.

His life

His parents were Juan Jose Bogarín and Mónica de la Cruz Gonzalez. Spent his childhood in Arecaya, Limpio. At the age of 16 he enters the Counselor Seminary of Asunción.

He was ordered priest the February 24, 1886 in the Cathedral, laboring there since 1887 when he is chosen as Bishop by the Pope León XIII in September 21, 1894 after the death of the Bishop Aponte en 1891. He was consecrated by the Main Bishop of Trípoli, Luis Lasagna, who came for the event the February 3, 1895.

Evangelist career

He entered the Counselor Seminary in 1880 from where he graduated six years later. Ordered priest by the Bishop Juan Antonio Aponte, he had very important positions in the Paraguayan Church: as rector churchman of the Cathedral and as general secretary of the Ecclesiastic Curia.

He was a man of simple manners and a very rigid affect to his religious commitments.

In 1891, after the death of the Bishop Aponte, he was on the list of postulated for the position of Bishop.

In September 21st, 1894, he was chosen by the Pope León XIII as Bishop of the Paraguay and consecrated as such the February 3, 1895, the Day of Saint Blas, patron of the Paraguay.

Fortiter et suaviter

This was the phrase of the episcopal emblem, a principle that he supported in his entire career: fortitude defending his ministry labor, and softness in relations with others. It was left on his hands to solve the irregularities of the uncontrolled ministry of the post-war, forgiving to the rebels and showing them the right path for their ministry.

Ordered priest to almost a thousand young people, giving a partial cover to the great ecclesiastic needs of a high number of churchs.

Promoted the organization of lay apostolates such as the Catholic Action, the Catholic Ladies League and the Catholic Youth Federation, in an effort to bring back the order and the social respect to the country.

He developed a long struggle against the liberal organizations that proposed the civic marriage, the divorce and the lay education. Also made a strong campaign against the masonry, the anarchy and the party fanaticism.

Along the history of Paraguay there was a long and tumultuous record of revolutions and coup d'états. He faced each one of those energetically through his Pastoral Letters, demanding the peace between the families and the cease of all of the tortures, taking care of the spiritual needs of their brethren.

The traveler bishop toured almost fifty thousand kilometers of the Paraguay encouraging the countryside people to socially organize to defend their lands and their rights, without forgetting his teachings about how to get closer to Christ.

The Bishop Hermenegildo Roa was his secretary and general vicar of the dioceses. In 1929 was created the Ecclesiastic Province of the Paraguay formed by the Archdioceses of Asunción, the dioceses of Villa Rica del Espíritu Santo and the dioceses of Concepción.

The August 15 of 1930 he received the archiepiscopal pallium and a time later, after three decades waiting, obtained the separation of the Archdioceses of Buenos Aires.

After a life fully dedicated to his evangelist labors, the archbishop deceased at the age of 85, February 25, 1949. The elder ones remember his pointy and noble silhouette riding the most distant towns of the countryside.

External links

* [http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Styx/6413/jsbogarin.html Paraguayos Inolvidables]
* [http://www.cabildoccr.gov.py/?pagina=artesacro Centro Cultural el Calbildo]

References

* [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bboga.html Catholic-Hierarchy]
* “"Forjadores del Paraguay"”. Raúl Amaral
* EVP - Wikipedia
* [http://www.evp.edu.py/index.php?title=Portada Enciclopedia Virtual Paraguaya - Portal]