As this Friday marks 50 years since the passing of Monsignor Ricardo Rösch, the first diocesan bishop of Concordia, a plaque was unveiled at the roundabout located where the avenue bearing his name begins.
With the presence of mayor Francisco Azcué, Monsignor Gustavo Gabriel Zurbriggen, municipal authorities, representatives of educational entities, and residents, a tribute and recognition were paid to the figure and legacy that Monsignor Rösch left in the city.
When remembering Monsignor Rösch, Azcué remarked that “he was a fundamental figure in the institutional history of our city, arriving in the early years of the diocese and taking on the challenge of accompanying the growth of a community that still had much to build, and he did so with a vision that transcended the strictly religious, understanding that the development of a city requires education, training, institutions, and, primarily, committed people”.
After noting that “his legacy is present in various works he carried out in Concordia”, Azcué stated that “his true work was having contributed to forming generations and strengthening a society. Monsignor Rösch understood his mission from a deep closeness to people and the needs of the community. His pastoral work was accompanied by listening, support, and formation, ensuring that the church was present in the daily life of the people of Concordia, understanding, with simplicity, service as a concrete way of being close to others”.
For his part, Monsignor Zurbriggen maintained that “Monsignor Ricardo was a man full of love for Jesus Christ and the Gospel, living his episcopal ministry with great pastoral charity, with a great deal of action, with an immense interest in accompanying and helping those most in need, especially children, and that is how we remember him on this day”.
Representing the committee of friends of Monsignor Rösch, Mercedes Poenitz, a former student of the Modern Humanist Baccalaureate, one of the works founded by the first diocesan bishop of Concordia, stated that “it is a day of joy that is born from gratitude and memory. This is a city that he loved so much, for which he gave many years of his life, remaining in the works he promoted, in the institutions he helped create, in the people he accompanied, and in those who received his word and testimony”.
With the presence of mayor Francisco Azcué, Monsignor Gustavo Gabriel Zurbriggen, municipal authorities, representatives of educational entities, and residents, a tribute and recognition were paid to the figure and legacy that Monsignor Rösch left in the city.
When remembering Monsignor Rösch, Azcué remarked that “he was a fundamental figure in the institutional history of our city, arriving in the early years of the diocese and taking on the challenge of accompanying the growth of a community that still had much to build, and he did so with a vision that transcended the strictly religious, understanding that the development of a city requires education, training, institutions, and, primarily, committed people”.
After noting that “his legacy is present in various works he carried out in Concordia”, Azcué stated that “his true work was having contributed to forming generations and strengthening a society. Monsignor Rösch understood his mission from a deep closeness to people and the needs of the community. His pastoral work was accompanied by listening, support, and formation, ensuring that the church was present in the daily life of the people of Concordia, understanding, with simplicity, service as a concrete way of being close to others”.
For his part, Monsignor Zurbriggen maintained that “Monsignor Ricardo was a man full of love for Jesus Christ and the Gospel, living his episcopal ministry with great pastoral charity, with a great deal of action, with an immense interest in accompanying and helping those most in need, especially children, and that is how we remember him on this day”.
Representing the committee of friends of Monsignor Rösch, Mercedes Poenitz, a former student of the Modern Humanist Baccalaureate, one of the works founded by the first diocesan bishop of Concordia, stated that “it is a day of joy that is born from gratitude and memory. This is a city that he loved so much, for which he gave many years of his life, remaining in the works he promoted, in the institutions he helped create, in the people he accompanied, and in those who received his word and testimony”.