See Our Colombia Apostolate Through the Eyes of a Priest

Dear Friends and Benefactors,

The challenge of evangelizing the mission territories continues. Since ordination, I have been assigned to mission apostolates, and as a mission priest of the FSSP I have come to realize that the work of evangelization not only consists in preaching the Gospel to non-believers, but also in reteaching the faith to Catholics.

Since my arrival at the FSSP mission in Colombia where we run a school, I have noticed that together with the rest of the world, Colombia, despite being a Catholic country, advances towards moral decadence. Many live their faith only in name, but not in practice.

Ignorance and errors are widely spread, and the family core crumbles gradually.  There is a need to teach new generations to love and live the faith according to the words of Our Lord: “Going therefore, teach ye all nations.” (Mt 28:19)

Many of our students come from dysfunctional families and most of them find a refuge within the walls of our school. I realize that this is no surprise since the staff and faculty give their all for the sake of the students. For them it is not just another work to do, but a mission to fulfill. Whether during school time or outside of it, they do a wonderful job. For instance, just today, we were transferring the library to another location outside of the school when it started to rain for hours. Despite the troublesome weather conditions, those children worked for hours until the end of the day.

Currently, we are preparing ourselves for the upcoming school semester. We will have new students and look forward to welcoming them to our school. There is much work yet to be done and many projects that are still unfinished. Being here I can see that this place has so much potential!

We have the spirit and the results, but not the adequate equipment.

We teach in a semi-built school that needs much repair. Comparing it to the U.S. standards, it would not be considered suitable for education. Nevertheless, it is good enough for our purposes, and the children love it. Eventually this school will need another wing for classrooms and offices for the teaching staff.

We need your support.

Evangelization is the work of the whole Church. It does not limit itself to just a few. Many of us will not see the fruit of our labor but let us remember that this work is the work of the Lord. This work is for the future generation of Catholics that will carry on with the mission of Christ in society. We also invite you to come and see the work for yourselves. Christ said: “Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me.” (Mt 25:40)

Father Jesus Valenzuela, FSSP