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MSC from the USA began working in the parish of Santa Margarita Maria, which is located in a poor, working class section of Bogotá, in 1969. Because the families in the area were very poor and schoolbooks were expensive, one of the MSC's first projects at the parish was establishing a library with all the textbooks children needed for school and where children could come to study. Since then, the MSC in Colombia have been involved in a variety of pastoral activities such as youth programs, teaching, family enrichment programs and social services. For instance, the MSC have a long history of volunteering at Fundación Vida Nueva (New Life Foundation), which works with prostitutes and their children to help them break the cycle of prostitution. MSC seminarians teach catechism classes to the children there.
At the MSC community house, which is located in a poor section of Bogotá, the MSC provide meals 2-3 times a day, every day, to everyone who comes to the door asking for food. A couple of years ago, the MSC also founded the Fundación Justicia en la Verdad (Truth and Justice Foundation) which builds houses and provides educational assistance for poor families in Bogotá and other regions of Colombia. Last year, through the Truth and Justice Foundation, the MSC were able to provide 43 families in Bogotá with the very first place they could call "home".
May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be loved everywhere!
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Monday, 15 December 2008 20:19 |
Following the call to go forth and preach glad tidings to the poor, MSC seminarians in Bogotá are preparing to go on missions to several remote and isolated communities in the Departments of Cundinamarca, Casanare and Cauca in Colombia. They will accompany community members during the Christmas Novena (Novena de Aguinaldos) and Christmas, and will also give preparation classes for couples and prepare religious education for children, young adults and adults.
We wish all the seminarians and priests who are leaving for these missions safe travels and we pray that this Christmas, Jesus may be born in the hearts of all people. |
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Sunday, 14 December 2008 00:00 |
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On December 10, the 60th anniversary of the United Nation's adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, thousands of Colombians in Bogotá lit paper lanterns and came together to create a "river of light" in support of internally displaced persons (IDP) who have been forced to leave their homes during years of armed conflict and violence. The lantern lighting was the final event of the UN Refugee Agency's campaign, Corre por la Vida (Running for Life), which was launched four months ago to raise awareness of and support for Colombia's estimated 3 million internally displaced persons. The issue of internally displaced people in Colombia is ongoing. The United Nations reports that currently, an estimated 25,000 Colombians are forced to flee their homes each month.
Read: Colombians light up to show solidarity for displaced people
Find out: Who is an Internally Displaced Person? |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 15 December 2008 20:16 )
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