Sister Maria Rosa Leggol, ODF, helped more than 87,000 children in her native Honduras escape poverty and violence “through an ecosystem of social, educational, and entrepreneurial projects,” inspiring an international network of supporters to expand her work. She died at age 93 in October 2020 after contracting Covid-19, having served 70 years as a Franciscan nun.

On Wednesday, July 26, the Sheen Center for Thought & Culture in Lower Manhattan hosted a screening of “With This Light,” a 2023 documentary film that follows two young women in Sister Maria Rosa’s programs as they navigate the uncertainty and dangers of modern Honduras. The documentary is in Spanish with English subtitles, produced by Miraflores Films.       

Screening organizers noted that in the midst of civil wars, economic collapse, and natural disasters, Sister Maria Rosa continued her mission to help young people, such as Maria, 14, and Rosa, 18, break familial cycles of poverty and violence to create lives of their own. “With This Light” producers said the documentary “poetically interweaves the compelling present-day stories of these teenagers with the epic life and noble actions of Sister Maria Rosa.”          

“I’m super happy and excited to be here at the Sheen Center because it is performing arts for Catholics, for artistic expressions of faith,” Jessica Sarowitz, the film’s executive producer, who is Catholic, told The Good Newsroom in a brief interview at the Sheen Center before the screening. “It’s an important film. It connects to youth, it connects to various diverse audiences. It was important for me to make this film because I’m a social impact investor – and this is an extension of my work.” 

Sarowitz, born in Honduras and raised in Chicago, said she first met Sr. Maria Rosa when, at age 8, she accompanied her philanthropic parents on a mission trip to Honduras during which they distributed funds for the nun’s programs; the family remained in touch with the nun over the years. 

‍At one point during the film, Sister Maria Rosa, during a street news conference, tells the journalists, “Mientras hay un niño en la calle sufriendo, Maria Rosa no puede estar alegre.” (As long as there is a child in the street suffering, Maria Rosa cannot be happy).

The filmmakers noted that Sister María Rosa grew up in an orphanage and, at the age of six, met two Sisters of St. Francis who changed the course of her life. She decided at that moment that she would join them, and she did at age 21. While working as a nurse, her passion for helping poor children in Honduras led her to open group homes for vulnerable children.

Later in the documentary, she notes that her mission is to bring “hope and trust” to the children in her programs, adding that she lives “to serve my God” by serving the vulnerable among His children.

MaryLou Pagano, executive director of the Sheen Center, told The Good Newsroom before the screening, “We are so fortunate that the Sheen Center is hosting this event because it aligns so well with the mission of the Sheen Center – to bring to the forefront the beauty of life in very different ways. And this film certainly does that; it speaks to the beauty of this incredible nun.”

The film’s original song is “Todo Fue Por Amor” (Everything Was For Love) by Mexican singer-songwriter Carla Morrison. The film directors were Nicole Bernardi-Reis & Laura Bermúdez.