With This Light film review
Hitting select theaters on August 11 before streaming of platforms on August 15 is the story of a woman who was hailed as the Mother Theresa of Honduras. There is no other better way to say it. In ‘With This Light,’ co-directors Nicole Bernardi-Reis and Laura Bermudez have chosen to highlight this fascinating tale of Sister Maria Rosa Leggol, who dedicated seven decades of her life to helping the young, the poor and helpless in Honduras when no one else would. In showcasing Sister Maria’s upbringing along with the story of two teenage girls, the audience is there to witness what an extraordinary woman she was. It’s a film that educational, inspiring and uplifting.
Just like Mother Theresa, Sister Maria was a woman who felt the calling at a young age and used her conviction to help others as her lighting rod when adversity stared her in the face. When she needed houses to be built, they built them without knowing if they would get paid and without her superiors knowing until payment was needed. To be able to almost stop a plane from taking off just to talk to the richest guy in town for a donation is a story itself.
There are so many people, many of them young women and children, who are displaced because of the violence that has plagued the streets of Honduras and Sister Maria sought to find refuge for as many as she could. In interviews she did with the filmmakers before her death, Sister Maria talks about the many homes and schools she help build so that the young and poor have a place to learn and grow from.
The film also follows the lives of two young girls who attend the Reyes Irene School for Girls, which Sister Maria helped build. Each one is going through their own struggles. Maria is 14 and currently going out with a 17 year-old boy. Her relationship has affected her studies and it’s up to her counselors and family to help her understand the complexities of life at her age. Rosa, who suffered from home abuse and found shelter in one of Sister Maria’s homes, is hoping to attend university but has to get through exams first.
It is said that Sister Maria Rosa Leggol helped over 87,000 Honduran children escape poverty, violence and homelessness and her resilience to obstacles thrown at her over the years only made her stronger and an inspiration to many. Pope Francis has authorized the canonization process to begin for Sister Leggol. If it passes, she will be the first female saint in Central America. She deserves it.