Colombia: Between Two Oceans and the Andes
Bathed by two oceans and crossed by the Andes, Colombia is like a garden of 1, 141, 748 square kilometres in the far northwest of South America. Beaches on the Caribbean, Amazon rainforest, modern cities, flowers, gold, oil, emeralds, energy exports, culture and the arts make it a nation overflowing with richness. But its people, tough, filled with joy and initiative, are the real treasure of this nation which took its name from Christopher Columbus.
The history of the Focolare in this land begins in Bogota, a modern and cultivated metropolis of more than 9 million inhabitants, which lies on a magnificent plateau at 2, 600 metres. During the Eucharistic Congress in 1968 Lucero – a young Boy Scout who was doing community service at the Congress – met Fr Sotelo, a Franciscan friar who gave him a book that Chiara Lubich had written for youths of the Movement entitled, “Tappe Gen” (Gen Steps). Fascinated by what what he found written there, he began with other teenagers to live the adventure that the book proposed. Soon other people were drawn by the way they lived.
Meanwhile, in the industrialized and ever-changing city of Medellin, Salesian Father Luis Bonilla discovered in the pages of Ciudad Nueva, a Focolare magazine from Argentina, that vibrant Gospel life he had always been looking for. He began to visit the houses in the quarter where he was living, sharing the “Ideal” he had found. He began a correspondence with the publisher, and a few months later Anna Sorlini, an Italian focolarina arrived. She would then continue to visit the fledgling community on a regular basis.
Marita Sartori (centre)
The first “focolare” was opened in 1976 and a second in 1976. From these this Gospel spirit began to spread to 12 Latin American countries – from Mexico to Peru – finding an enthusiastic response. Two of the main players in this story are Marita Sartori, one of the early focolarina from Trent, Italy, who lived in Colombia from 1973 until 2002 and Carlo Casabeltrame from Piemonte, Italy.
During those years Bishop Libardo Ramirez attended one of the first gatherings of Bishop Friends of the Focolare and brought the spirituality of unity to his diocese in Armenia, Colombia. With the arrival of Fr Agostino Abate, a focolare of diocesan priests was begun. Men and women religious spread the spirituality and gave life to Focolare communities as they transferred from place to place in the Huila Valley, Santander, Narino, Atlantico, Choco, Antioquia and Cundinamarca. A Columbian edition of Ciudad Nueva magazine was also published.
From a socio-political and economic point of view the situation of the country becomes more and more difficult. Besides the poverty of more than 48% of the population that has generated armed struggle and guerrilla warfare, there is also the problem of drug trafficking violence and forced migration.
The Focolare communities find themselves continually called upon by these situations. In response to this, in 2002 Chiara Lubich suggested that the Focolare in Colombia work particularly at developing the new law and politics that emerge from a spirituality of unity. And this was an important development for the Movement in this land.
Currently the headquarters of the Movement are located at the “Gioia Mariapolis Centre” in Tocancipa (50 km from Bogota). It is a centre of formation in the spirituality of unity and of its spreading in the region. There are two “focolares” in Bogota and two more in Medellin. Several social projects have begun, such as “Unity Social Center” in the south of the capital, “Rising Sun School” in Tocancipa, solidarity-at-a-distance programs in Medellin and Bogota and some academic and development projects grounded in fraternity in politics.
It is estimated that there are 6,500 Focolare adherents in Colombia.
In the beginning the situation was quite desperate. To stay alive working meant digging into the hard earth of that region in order to make cement blocks. It is a tiring process, demanding physical strength and strong lungs that can support the gas pouring from the enormous ovens. It also means forgetting one’s dreams, because this work takes up every minute of one’s time. Even children of five years have to put aside their toys or invent new ones as they share in the work of making cement blocks. And it is normal to see them with their faces blackened by smoke, but happy to be helping their parents. Thirty years ago, inspired by
Today there is a social centre. In the midst of many difficulties this community is working to become a model of coexistence in which the practice of human and Christian values is the basis of each day’s work. At present, “Centro Unidad” offers scholarship aid to thirty-five children and teenagers, between the ages of six and seventeen. They are assisted by local youths and by others who work in the centre in cooperation with the social projects they are involved in. There is an instructional programme for twenty-four mothers who care for pregnant women and children between the ages of newborn and five years-old. There is a library service, cooking classes, health assistance with a medical doctor and dentist and computer training. . . One original idea was the “boutique” that offers home furnishings, home utensils, school materials, and whatever else is useful. There are also dance, theatre, and art workshops. The Centre is supported by the