The Community of Saint Paul is present in the Archdiocese of Bogota, where currently Fr. Martí Colom, a member of the CSP, is the pastor of La Resurrección—a parish located in the South of the city, in the Episcopal Deanery called “San Pablo”. The parish territory of La Resurrección includes three working-class neighborhoods (El Pesebre, Granjas de San Pablo and La Resurrección), with a population of around 15,000. These are popular neighborhoods, affected by a number of urgent social challenges, such as crime, the use of drugs by many youth, poverty, lack of job opportunities, overcrowded homes, the bad shape of many houses, the abandonment of some elders and the presence in the area of many immigrants from Venezuela, which usually have few resources and constitute a very vulnerable social group.
PASTORAL WORK
The pastoral work of the CSP in Bogota revolves around the parish of La Resurrección, which has a main church and two chapels where the sacraments are regularly celebrated. The parish also has a significant array of pastoral groups and ministries: CCD for the children, family-oriented groups, social outreach, youth groups, Communion ministries, prayer groups, a Bible study school, etc.
CASA GARAVITO
Regarding the work of human promotion, in 2018 the CSP established in El Pesebre neighborhood the “Casa Garavito” center, a space for community development where various services are currently offered: sewing classes for women, an after-school program for children, English and guitar lessons, general formation for older adults, and the services of a psychologist for those who need it. In addition to these, from Casa Garavito the CSP also runs a scholarship program to help young men and women from the area go to College and thus prepare themselves professionally for the future.
