Want to know what Scalabrians all over the world are up to? Check out this article written about Scalabrinians in Colombia! English translation: The Scalabrinians Go Inside Impoverished District 7 Settlements By JENNIFER K. RINCÓN PEÑA | 07 DE JUNIO DE 2013 Under the hot Cucuteño sun, they went deep into a totally unknown land. Dressed in white shirts, they walked the roads west of Cucuta, where uncovered wooden shacks and plastic rose from the ground. The 10 Scalabrinian seminarians and community priest have spent the last ten weeks here, conducting an analysis of the problems and ways of living of the 1,000 families here in the settlements of Guadalupe, Villas de la Paz and La Conquista, which are located in District 7 within Northern Colombia . Father Berwanger, a Brazilian, along with several younger Scalabrinians from Mexico, Haiti, Peru, the Philippines and Colombia, arrived at the outskirts of the city. As if he was strolling home, Father Berwanger, accompanied by Father Héctor Aya, enters and exits each house without restriction. The residents welcome the priests with open arms and are eager to tell them about their lives. Lucy Gomez, 25, receives the unusual visit from her bed . She recently had an operation. She is cheerful at missionaries’ arrival; they greet her with familiarity and promise to see her again. They spend the morning greeting the residents. They venture into these families’ worlds, the majority of which are displaced and inhabit these clayey lands. Since the Scalabrinian philosophy is to help immigrant populations, the missionaries believe they have reached the appropriate place to work. "We found a very needy population neglected by the state. Poverty, lack of education, unreliable resources and hunger are the main issues we have observed,” said the Brazilian father. For the weekend, they plan to implement a door to door survey to establish the total number of families and record the difficulties that beset them. Currently, their greatest goal is to raise the funds necessary to expand school buildings and soup kitchens in the district. The dining room and the school nearest to the settlements are in Camilo Daza and directed by Italian priest Francesco Borticnon. His experience Berwanger has spent 30 years in the religious community. Nevertheless, he only now works directly with the poor. According to him, it is a strong and enriching experience. The missionary, who lived firsthand the phenomenon of immigration, felt from an early age the need to give his life in service to God and his fellow seminarians. After emigrating to Paraguay at age 18, Berwanger was presented with the opportunity to join the Scalabrinians. Without thinking, obeyed their call. “I have felt firsthand the scourge of migration and displacement, so I fell in love with the Scalabrinians’ work," said the clear-eyed priest. Berwanger is not the only religious leader who is familiar with this topic. Arcie Japitana, a 27 year old Filipino seminarian, lived through migration as a child. His mother had to relocate to Hong Kong to get better employment. After living in the Philippines, the second highest Christian country in Asia, he heeded God’s call and enrolled in seminary. After 11 months there, he arrived in Colombia. His first task was learning Spanish. Arcie had never heard of Colombia, not to mention Cucuta. The young man said he feels at home, while stressing the high rates of poverty found in settlements located near the city of Juan Atalaya. Haitians Jean Kesnel Metellos and Feliere Louis say they have found a place with many similarities to their country after its 2010 earthquake. “After the earthquake, many areas for housing were invaded; here, armed gangs have led to displacement and thus an invasion of the land," stressed the missionaries. Although come from a less developed country than Colombia, the Haitians say that the poverty they found in Guadalupe and the Conquest has no comparison. By the afternoon, the Scalabrinians will say goodbye to the community and prepare for a return visit. They still have a week in the city and many homes to visit.
Posted on: Mon, 10 Jun 2013 15:59:39 +0000
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