AN AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM AGAINST DRUGS

The Community of Saint Paul starts an after school program in Pesebre, a neighborhood in the south of Bogotá

Since last January, members of the CSP have worked in La Resurrección Parish, located in the southern part of Bogotá. The parish territory includes La Resurrección, Granjas de San Pablo and Pesebre neighborhoods: these are humble, working-class areas of the Colombian capital, mostly layer 2 on the socioeconomic classification of the City of Bogota (which lists the neighborhoods of the capital from 1 to 6, with 1 being the areas with least resources and 6 the wealthiest).

These sectors face a remarkable variety of challenges, from the overcrowding of people in homes of poor quality to the difficulties of families in obtaining quality health services; from the few job opportunities for young people to the abandonment of many elderly. However, after listening in various meetings to the population of these neighborhoods, we soon found that one problem concerns them more than any other: the insecurity prevailing in the streets, directly related to the consumption of narcotic substances by many young people, who commit crimes to obtain resources to be able to use drugs. Drug dependence, in turn linked to the lack of opportunities that many young people face, is a real epidemic in these neighborhoods, where everyone recognizes the existence of several "ollas"—literally, “cooking pots”, that is, spots where drugs are sold in the streets of the capital by the nets of trafficking.

Many people have told us about a dramatic new concern: increased drug use among children of progressively younger ages. If a few years ago those who fell into drug dependence were generally kids older than sixteen or seventeen, the need of the drug dealers to expand the sale of their substances has now made it common that children aged nine, ten and eleven may start using them.

While recognizing the magnitude of the problem, and that all our efforts will just be a drop of water in a great ocean, we considered what to do to help, even in a modest way, to curb this trend. We decided to offer tutoring classes in the evenings, on the premises of the parish in the Pesebre neighborhood. We started in late July: fifteen children between 8 and 12 years were enrolled on the first day, and we hope that this service will keep growing. Part of the problem is that many children who go to school in the morning are by themselves when they come home at two or three in the afternoon, since their parents are away at work, many until late into the night. These children then have no one to help them do their homework or to prevent them from leaving and wandering the streets until dusk, which obviously makes it easier for them to end up falling into the networks of consumption. Our proposal is very simple: to provide a space where these children can go after school, and where they will be helped to advance in their studies, with tutoring and room assignments, and thus perhaps prevent drug dependence from taking over their lives. We have just started. We hope that this becomes a long-term project that may bear some fruit!

A PILGRIMAGE OF FAITH TO A PILGRIM COMMUNITY

La Sagrada Familia Parish in the Dominican Republic receives visitors from Milwaukee

This year Catholics in Southeastern Wisconsin commemorate the 35^th anniversary of the twinning relationship between the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and La Sagrada Familia parish in Sabana Yegua, Azua, in the Dominican Republic. During all of these years, priests from Milwaukee have run the parish, sharing their faith and love with the people of Sabana Yegua and its surrounding rural communities. Since 2003, members of the Community of Saint Paul, lay and ordained, have been in charge of the parish on behalf of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

In order to commemorate these 35 years of partnership, different activities have been organized, so that people can participate and experience this partnership of faith. In late June and early July we have had two groups of pilgrims from Milwaukee visiting the parish.

The first was a group of 25 young adults, plus 7 seminarians from the archdiocese, who spent a week in the parish and were immersed in different activities with children, youth and the community at large. It was a great experience for the young adults coming from Milwaukee and the youth from the parish who came together to interact and share their talents and faith. The group was a coordinated effort put in place by the World Mission Office of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Catholic Financial Life Insurance company and, also, the archdiocesan office for Young Adult ministries. These three organizations came together and worked hard to make a wonderful pilgrimage of faith for the young adults participating on the trip. The seven seminarians held reflections and activities while sharing with the 25 young adults, who expressed that they were going back home transformed by this pilgrimage.

The second was a group of six men, five of whom are in training to be ordained permanent deacons in the archdiocese of Milwaukee. They visited La Sagrada Familia parish as part of their formation plan. They stayed with families in their Sabana Yegua homes, got to know the different ministries and then in the evenings reflected theologically about what they were seeing. It was a wonderful combination of theological reflection, prayer and sharing faith and love with the local community.

NEW APPOINTMENT IN THE ARCHDIOCESE OF MILWAUKEE

In June, Fr. Javier Guativa, from the CSP, became the new Administrator of two parishes in Racine, Wisconsin

After five years of pastoral work on the Southside of Milwaukee, Javier Guativa, a priest of the Community of St. Paul, was appointed by Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki as the Parish Administrator of Saint Lucy and Saint Sebastian parishes in Racine and nearby Sturtevant.

The parish of Saint Lucy, located in southeastern Racine, is the largest parish in Racine with 5,550 members and a school of 282 students. It has a variety of ministries for youth and adults as well women’s groups and a men’s Bible group that meets every Saturday to discuss the Sunday readings. Saint Sebastian parish is located to the west of Saint Lucy. It is a rural parish with 1,254 members, many of whom are local farmers.

The two parishes have been operating together as a cluster for the past two years, sharing the priest and the various ministries, which helps make the two communities grow together in faith.

We are pleased that Javier will now work pastorally in Racine, where Ricardo Martín and Antony Thomas, also priests of the CSP, are already pastors, and where our Community has its international headquarters.