Accompaniment: Colombia

30 August to 9 September 2024. Colombia is an MSC Section belonging to the Province of the United States.

Accompanying this MSC Section of Colombia again showed me the reality of Latin America, the continent with the most significant number of Catholics worldwide.

Listening to each of the nine MSC members and their sincerity in naming their strengths and vulnerabilities made me feel at home.

I found two parish communities (Sagrado Corazón in Fusagasugá and Santa Margarita in Ciudad Kennedy, Bogotá). These two parishes were full of life and commitment to the building of the Reign of God, and this witness was manifested both by our MSC confreres and the parish laity.

I could see the appreciation that our parishioners and the laity of the Chevalier Family have for the MSC. I was able to experience how good shepherds our MSC confreres have been over the years and continue to be in the different pastoral ministries in which they serve.

We also have a formation house, in which four formandi live the postulancy and/or pre-novitiate. This, together with the pastoral commitment of the other MSCs, is a sign of hope for this MSC community.

The Chevalier Family’s Laity groups are marvellous. They are very committed and close to living our charism and spirituality. Their commitment and sense of belonging to the MSC Charism is admirable.

After deep listening and working with the Communal Wisdom, this accompaniment was concluded with, among others, the following guidelines to continue the journey:

• with the hope to initiate processes to strengthen the MSC Community and the commitment to contribute to the process,
• happy and hopeful about being an MSC,
• reflecting on the challenging realities we face as individuals and as a community.
• with openness and expectations,
• trying fearlessly to go deep into our vulnerabilities and not just attending to the visible ‘symptoms,’
• with vision and hope to strengthen our sense of congregational belonging. It will help us, by living participative processes, to re-emerge with a New Heart.

Thanks to the MSC confreres, the MSC formandi, the Laity of the Chevalier Family, and our wonderful Parishioners for making me experience a sense of family during these days in Colombia.

Abzalón Alvarado, MSC