Our Mother went to Colombia from September 25 to October 14, 2024 to visit the three Communities present in this country. In this article, we share some excerpts from the letters that Sister Maria-Theresia adressed to our Sisters throughout the trip.
A Medellin
Last Friday, the boarders of the Hogar Santa Leoní had reserved a festive evening for us: songs, pieces of music executed by a small orchestra, sketches, everything was of great beauty. Sandra (music teacher) and our Sisters really have the gift of highlighting the hidden talents of these young people. What a beautiful evening we spent there. During the show, Sister Thérèse – Jacqueline told us that one of the little ones – who played her role brilliantly – had been very difficult when she arrived in Las Granjas as a boarder; her family environment was probably neither favourable nor easy for this child. However, since she started doing theatre, she has visibly transformed. Let us add that all these children feel loved and are stimulated to do well. Our Founders surely rejoice!
Sabaneta Community
With our Sisters at Sabaneta community we find something of the little paradise of Las Granjas. What a beautiful property, well maintained and rich in various fruit trees: banana trees of different kinds, orange trees, lemon trees, mandarin trees, guava trees and many others, to be the envy of all those who love the “fresh” products of the good God! Our Sisters even have a few coffee trees that they harvest. What a scent, once it’s in the cup, after a lot of work, of course. And what about the flowers! Those that we would buy at a very high price in our stores, thrive here with incredible freedom and generosity! A real feast for the eyes. Add to this the birds, of all sizes, with magnificent plumage and songs to which our European ears are not accustomed. How great God is!
On Thursday, October 3rd, we went to Mass at the parish church dedicated to Saint Ann. In this sanctuary there is an altar where the Virgin, Our Lady Help of Christians, is venerated; The Virgin Mary always attracts a lot of people. Every day the church is almost full already half an hour before Mass, for the recitation of the rosary. Mass is celebrated twice a day, in the morning and in the evening and always there are many people and not only seniors, far from it!
In addition, every Tuesday, from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m., a Eucharist is celebrated every hour, and each time, the church is full of people (!); it’s impressive. Piety is still alive here, especially devotion to the Virgin Mary – along the way – it takes half an hour to get there – a man asked us to bless him; This is not unusual here. People receive a blessing from a nun or a priest with great respect.
Manizales
Yesterday afternoon (October 13th) we arrived in this large university town of Manizales, nestled at 2160 meters above sea level in the middle of the mountains of Colombia. The city has nearly a million inhabitants and it is estimated that there are around 40,000 students. Our Sisters currently welcome 26 young students who find safety, meals, friendship and affection in this Foyer. They seem happy to be here.
Tuesday evening we had a great time with the boarders, all students in the different universities of this city. These young people, very friendly and very simple, are between 17 and 26 years old. Since March, when the large statue of “Mary untying knots” was installed in the reception hall of the house, these young people have been gathering once a week around her for a “Marian devotion”. This is how our meeting begins: songs to the Virgin Mary, litany prayer, etc. Then, each one introduces herself and we had a good exchange together. To conclude our meeting, each of these students wishes to receive, personally and with great seriousness, a blessing from our Mother. We are really touched by their participation in this evening! There is still a beautiful youth, sometimes a little hidden, but very present, and this, certainly, in all countries.
