ABOUT THE FILM

HOPE FINDS A WAY.

During her 70 years as a nun, Sister Maria Rosa Leggol helped over 87,000 Honduran children escape poverty and violence through an ecosystem of social, educational and entrepreneurial projects, inspiring an international network of supporters to expand her work. In the midst of civil wars, economic collapse and natural disasters, she continued her charge to help young people, such as Maria and Rosa, break familial cycles of poverty and violence to create lives of their own. With This Light poetically interweaves the compelling present-day stories of these teenagers with the epic life and noble actions of Sister Maria Rosa.

The film follows two young women in Sister’s programs as they try to navigate the uncertainty and dangers of modern Honduras.

Rosa (18) has spent almost her entire life under Sister Maria Rosa's protection, living inside the sheltered environment of Sister's urban orphanage. As Rosa prepares for her senior exam and the potential to go to college, she must confront both her fears of the future and the ghosts of her violent childhood to create a life of her own.
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Living in one of the city’s most dangerous neighborhoods, Maria (14) risks her life to get a high school education and break free from the cycle of poverty and violence that traps the women in her family. She finds protection with Alfredo (18) and his family, struggling to balance her role of "wife" with her studies.
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With This Light poetically interweaves their stories with the almost miraculous story of Sister herself, a woman whose Catholic faith has sustained her through dictatorships, military coups, narco-states and natural disasters, all the while dedicating herself to society’s most vulnerable.

ABOUT SISTER

Sister Maria Rosa Leggol was a Franciscan nun who dedicated her life to giving refuge to the orphaned and abandoned children of Honduras.

For over 70 years, Sister Maria fought to eliminate childhood poverty in her country, helping over 87,000 children and their families by providing them with shelter, food, education and vocational training.

Sister Maria grew up in an orphanage, and at the age of six met two Sisters of St. Francis that changed the course of her life. She decided then and there that she would join them, which she did at 21. While working as a nurse, Sister’s passion for helping poor children in Honduras led her to open group homes for vulnerable children.

Sister Maria opened her first orphanage in 1964, and started the non-profit organization Sociedad Amigos de los Niños (SAN) in 1966. In time, her work grew to build over 500 homes across Latin America. She applied a holistic approach to impacting the lives of these children by creating job opportunities for their relatives and communities through a variety of visionary entrepreneurial and educational programs, as well as bringing healthcare to them through clinics and medical brigades.

Tragically, Sister Maria Rosa Leggol passed away in October 2020 at the age of 93, after contracting COVID-19, and she left a legacy unlike any other. It is no surprise that Sister, a woman who outlasted dictatorships, military coups, narcos and natural disasters, was unshakable in her faith to the very end.

A TIMELINE OF SISTER'S LIFE

“1926 | Maria Rosa Leggol is born in Puerto Cortes, Honduras on November 21, 1926.”

“1932 | As a 6 year old orphan, Maria’s interest peaks when a group of German nuns arrive in Puerto Cortes. She seeks to enter their congregation. She has found her calling. ”

“1948 | After much effort and persistence, Maria begins her formation in the novitiate of the School Sisters of St Francis in Milwaukee, WI. ”

“1949 | On June 13, 1949, Sister Maria Rosa Leggol officially becomes a Franciscan nun at the age of 21.”

“1964 | Sister returns to Tegucigalpa, Honduras and begins work in a hospital as a caregiver. She is especially concerned for the city’s poorest children, many of whom live with their jailed parents. She decides she must provide them with a better life and opens her first orphanage and group homes for vulnerable children.”

“1966 | Sister founds the nonprofit organization, Sociedad Amigos de los Ninos (SAN), in Tegucigalpa. ”

“1968 | Sister starts working with SOS Kinderdorff (Austrian) to open homes all over the country. ”

“1974 | After Hurricane Fifi kills nearly 10,000 Hondurans, Sister Maria and her staff go house to house. to evacuate people from the flooding. ”

“1977 | Sister receives The Good Samaritan Award in 1977, given by the National Catholic Development Conference in New York City. It is given to “individuals who have devoted themselves to good work through humanitarian love.””

“1989 | Sister separates from SOS villages and founds Nuevo Paradiso.”

“2001 | Sister and Reyes Irenes Valenzuela found the Reyes Irene Valenzuela School for Young Women. “We wanted to make a place where girls got a good education so they could provide for themselves and their families, and to have values and principles to live by, too,” Sister remarks.”

“2009 | On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of her vows, Sister receives honor causa from Marquette University “for exemplifying the spirit of magis and being a woman for others.””