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Colombia |
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| The Legionaries of Christ arrived to Colombia in 1992, establishing a novitiate in the city of Medellin on March 10th. |
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| YTM missions in Medellin, Columbia, 2004. | |
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Within its first two years, the Legion began developing and
expanding, establishing the first groups of Regnum Christi members and
founding its first academic institution, "Instituto Cumbres" (The Highlands Institute)
in Medellin. Year after year, the Legion has been establishing
and advancing apostolates in various cities in Colombia. There has
also been a steady increase in the number of young
men from Columbia who wish to become priests in the
ranks of the congregation.
The foundation of the Legion
of Christ in Colombia began in the capital city of
Medellin.
Father Luis Garza Medina, LC, the current vicar
general of the congregation, arrived in Medellín on January 8th,
1992, sent to speak with Archbishop Héctor Rueda Fernández and
ask about the necessary permissions to establish a Legionary novitiate
in the city as well as a family and university
ministry center in the city. Archbishop Rueda reviewed the proposal
from the Legion with a great deal of interest and
with the hope that their apostolic charism would enrich the
life of the archdiocese.
A few days later, on
January 14th, the canonical licenses for the establishment of the
center were granted. The first Legionaries arrived to Medellin on
February 15th, and the Legion´s first center in Colombia was
inaugurated on March 20th.
Soon thereafter, the first Regnum
Christi teams were formed. Two years later, in response to
the need for a Catholic school that provided the kind
of integral education characteristic of Legionary schools, there was an
initiative to found a bilingual school with a strong Catholic
identity: the Colegio Cumbres (Highlands School). In February of 1995,
the school opened its doors with 134 students in a
temporary location under the direction of Miss Fidelma Grealy, a
consecrated woman of Regnum Christi. Two years later, the school
moved to its definitive campus and currently enrolls just over
one thousand students.
In February 1997, the Mano Amiga
(Helping Hand) school was founded for underprivileged children in the
town of Bello. Today it has more than 700 students
in grades one through eight.
At the same time
that these educational institutions and charities were being founded, the
Legion of Christ opened a novitiate and an apostolic school
(minor seminary) in the city of Rionegro for young men
who wanted to discern a vocation in a supportive and
appropriate environment. Thanks to the rich spirituality and religious tradition
of the region, this undertaking has continued to thrive, enriching
the Legion of Christ with the talent and fervor of
vocations from Columbia.
With the objective of forming adults
in the faith, the School of the Faith, a
catechetical institution, was established. Other apostolic works were also founded,
such as ANSPAC, which offers integral formation for working
women; Youth and Family Missions, which assists parish priests
in the arduous task of evangelization; Hombre Nuevo, which
evangelizes through mass media, Angel for a Day, an
apostolate that promotes solidarity between youth and those who are
less fortunate; "United Family", which spreads the Christian values of
marriage and the family; and "Youth Clubs", an apostolate
geared toward the integral formation of young people.
The
expansion to other cities began with Bogota, the capital, where
the first Regnum Christi teams were formed, followed by the
founding of the Cumbres (Highlands School) of Bogota. The school
currently enrolls almost 200 students from the first to fourth
grade. In Bogota, several apostolates for adults, youth, and children
are also flourishing. The wave of expansion has taken the
Movement to Barranquilla, Cali, Bucaramanga, Manizales, Pereira, and beyond. By
God´s grace, the future of the Legion and Regnum Christi
in Columbia is extremely hopeful in its support of the
Church.
There is still much to do. Contact us
and enjoy the experience of taking Christ to others.
Legionarios de Cristo (Legionaries of Christ)
Calle 9AA Sur n
37 - 20
Loma de los Balsos
El Poblado, Medellín
Colombia
Web sites:
www.demisiones.com
www.cywn.net
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