Padre (Father) Minor, as he likes to be called, though he no longer is an ordained priest of the Catholic church, has returned, ever filled with God spreading his message now on Facebook.
In between his serving up meals at his restaurant La Casona de Cartago, in Barrio El Carmen of the ‘Viejo Metropolis’, Minor de Jesus Calvo Aguilar is reviving his “Un Encuentro con Cristo” (An Encounter With Christ) program that aired on channel 7 for more than 20 years.
Calvo, who was a Catholic priest and radio personality born (January 9, 1964) in Costa, says he is a person of faith in God.
“I believe in God, I have not lost my faith. I lived very difficult moments, after my jail period (he left prison on May 19, 2009 after five years behind bars), I honestly experienced a crisis of faith, very difficult.”
“But at some point in my life, some time ago, God touched my heart, filled me with his strength, his faith and his spirit. So now I feel very happy, animated and full of faith towards God. I think of those people who came to the restaurant and told me why I do not give some kind of message like I did before,” said Father Minor.
Calvo told La Teja that many come to his restaurant asking that he return again with his program. To his followers, he tells them he no longer has radio or television but had thought about spreading his message on Facebook.
“The only thing I hope is that many people can know a little more about the word of God, that is my interest. I do not look for fame or popularity with this because it does not make sense and it is not a commercial matter either. I do it from the Facebook of La Casona de Cartago because I do not have a personal account, it may come later (the personal account),” assures Aguilar.
As of Sunday, February 25, Father Minor’s Facebook page “Jesus: Ven a mi” had 206,438 views, 5.338 likes, 4,410 commentaries and shared 4.409 times.
The former priest says he is surprised at the numbers given that he has been out of the ‘business’ for a number of years.
Father Minor, who jumped into the public eye as a charismatic leader in the Catholic Church in Costa Rica,founded with the help of many entrepreneurs, but also monetary contributions collected in donation campaigns, through various events, the Radio Maria de Guadalupe radio station.
The Radio Maria de Guadalupe collected approximately ¢1,000,000 (about US$2,500 of that time) daily, which is a record in Costa Rican radio. However, criticism from a satirical radio comedy program, called La Patada conducted by the Colombian, Parmenio Medina (assassinated in 2001), created friction between the two programs, as la patada accused the Radio Maria de Guadalupe of alleged embezzlement. La Patada was characterized by a cutting sarcastic humor, and their jokes used to be topics about corruption, football, politics, and “Radio Maria de Guadalupe”.
Due to the highly controversial situation, Monsignor Román Arrieta Villalobos (who would die two years later), the highest Catholic authority in Costa Rica, decided to terminate the operations of the radio station. Several groups demonstrated against the closure. But the decision taken remained firm.
On July 7, 2001, Parmenio Medina was shot dead at the entrance of his home. This crime was perpetrated by hired killers.
Calvo’s involvement in the crime was suspected and confirmed when he was arrested on charges of masterminding the crime, along with businessman Omar Chávez.
On December 18, 2007, Calvo was sentenced to 15 years in prison for fraud in relation to the radio station, but was acquitted of involvement in the murder of Parmenio Medina. Moreover, Omar Chavez was sentenced to 35 years in prison for the murder of Medina and 12 years for fraud in relation to the radio station, while another defendant was sentenced to 30 years for the murder. In total, of the 9 accused, 6 were acquitted and 3 convicted, which had generated much controversy in the country.
