On the occasion of the second anniversary of the death of Friar Corpus López de Ciordia, the community of Almirante (Bocas del Toro, Panama) paid an emotional tribute to his memory with the unveiling of a commemorative plaque in the Cincuentenario Park, in recognition of his extraordinary life dedicated to God and to those most in need.
The gesture not only remembers a man who built more than 71 roads, 36 churches, 28 schools, numerous bridges, canals, houses and even three villages, but also celebrates the testimony of a “daring” missionary, as he defined himself, who lived the Gospel with his hands in the mud and his heart in heaven.
“I am daring! Because I used to get into trouble, and this was for the community”, Friar Corpus used to say with humility and sparkle.
Arriving in Panama in 1958, after studying at Villanova University (USA) and later at the University of Panama, he dedicated 16 years to teaching, until in 1974 he was finally able to fully respond to the call he had felt since he was a child: to be a missionary.
Since then, his field of action was the province of Bocas del Toro, especially Almirante, Kankintú and Changuinola, where his vocation became a titanic work of transformation. His was an integral mission: to evangelize by educating, building, liberating, always promoting human development based on dignity and autonomy.
Miguel Ángel Ciáurriz, an Augustinian Recollect who shared life and mission with Corpus, in a moving testimony entitled “The Augustinian Recollect architect of roads”, describes his legacy:
“Corpus has lived his priestly vocation to the fullest and has lived it with an impressive simplicity and with a commendable joy. Evangelizing, forming the laity, teaching the students of St. Joseph’s School in Almirante… that is no longer measurable in any way.”
And although the “measurable” is impressive – more than400 kilometers of roads opened by hand, including the emblematic Almirante-Chiriqui Grande highway, which connected previously isolated villages – his deepest mark is spiritual. He was a pastor who knew his people by name and surname, who trained generations of local builders, and who never brought in outside workers: he always believed that the community should build its own future.
For his dedication, Fray Corpus was awarded the Order Manuel Amador Guerrero in the rank of Commander, the highest decoration of the Republic of Panama. But his true reward, as he himself sensed, was elsewhere:
“I have fought the good fight to the end, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. And now the crown of righteousness is ready for me” (2 Tim 4:7-8).
From his room in the Colegio San Agustin in the capital city – where he lived the last years for health reasons – he kept dreaming of new roads, projects and maps for his beloved Bocas del Toro.
“His mind is there and his heart is there too,” said Father Ciaurriz. The missionaries do not retire, they only become a seed.
Fray Corpus ended his journey on this earth, but his life continues to bear fruit in every bridge crossed, every classroom filled, every community empowered. The plaque in Almirante does not mark an end, but the testimony that when built with love, roads never die.