Between October 2025 and January 2026, Sisters Maria Teresa Cuervo and Maggie D’Costa will make the visit of the General Team to various countries of the Province of Vedrun America.
This is the first chronicle of their visit, from October 22 to November 3, 2025, during which they shared with the two Vedruna communities of Colombia: Consuelo-Oasis and Quibdó.
During our visit, we were always accompanied by rain, something typical of a tropical zone, both in Bogotá and in Quibdó. In Quibdó, the downpours were more intense than in the capital.
In the days leading up to the visit, our hearts were preparing to welcome, embrace and be surprised by the life in mission of the Vedruna Sisters in Colombia, in two small communities: Consuelo-Oasis and Quibdó.
Community meetings and Assembly in Bogota
During the visit we held two meetings in each community. The topics discussed aroused interest and contributed to the formation of all of them. In addition, we met with both communities in the full-day assembly in Bogota. We met to reflect on synodality and shared leadership, based on the chapter document “Born Again”, the Word of God and the notes of the Vedruna Charism. It was a very enriching space, for which the sisters of the communities were very grateful.
Some resonances of the Assembly were:
- Synodality is not only a discourse, but a concrete way of living.
- The method used by the General Team has helped us to recognize the relationship between the Word of God, the Charism and “Born Again”, illuminating our path.
- Living synodality impels us to follow the Gospel from the option for the poor, justice and listening to the Word. With the Vedruna style, we want to live our life as a mission, with meaning until the last moment, always communicating hope so as not to disappoint the dream of God.
- The Word of God is the one that guides us and gives us the light to make the right decisions.
Quibdó Community
Located in the department of Chocó, the sisters of this community have been sowing over the years an important sense of community in the neighborhood. Through visits and celebrations with the Christian community, they have been able to carry out an important work of evangelization that had not been possible before. The bond with the people of the neighborhood, the majority of whom are of African descent, is very important. The sisters are very much appreciated, and their company is highly valued. In some way, the community feels their support in the face of the various difficult situations in the neighborhood.
Although the rain did not allow us to visit the different sectors where the sisters accompany the Christian community, we were able to meet with the pastor and the representatives of the different sectors. Everyone recognizes and appreciates the work of the sisters, and we were very happy to feel and hear the appreciation they have for them, as well as the recognition of the contribution of Religious Life in the parish, in the Church.
One of the projects in which the sisters are involved is a small library, where they provide school support to children who have difficulties in the educational system.
We would also like to point out that Daniela, an Italian laywoman who has been sharing community life with us for 10 years, lives with us in the community. She offers the children a space for recreation, formation and, once a week, nutrition.
In addition to the vitality of nature and the heavy rains – which the children take advantage of as if they were a shower – we were struck by the fact that several neighbors take their stereos out into the street at the same time and play the music at such a high volume that it prevents us from hearing the conversations inside the houses.
Consuelo-Oasis Community
Located in Bogotá, this community is present in two presences.
El Consuelo
In El Consuelo, the sisters are employed in a library where they care for children who have been evicted from the education system. They provide reading, writing and homework support, as well as arts and crafts activities and artistic expression.
In addition, the community meets periodically with a group of older women, with whom they reflect on the Sunday Gospel, physical exercises and informal sharing about life.
Oasis
At Oasis, the sisters are dedicated among other tasks to the library, where they have a wide range of cultural expression with activities such as dance, music and painting. For young children, they offer school reinforcement and entertainment while their families are at work. They also provide a nutritious snack for those who need it.
One of their most interesting initiatives is the sewing workshop, in which they make bags, wallets or cushions with fabrics obtained as samples from fabric stores, which they then sell.
We highlight of these communities…
The effort of the sisters to contribute to the tasks of the mission according to their possibilities, age and abilities. We were happy and encouraged to see their dedication, that they do everything with pleasure, generosity and giving the best of themselves. Their missionary heart, their presence in the peripheries and among the most vulnerable – as Jesus invites us and Joaquina lived it – are a testimony that we are grateful for and that inspires us deeply.
We also value the awareness and realism of the Vedruna group in Colombia, which, while recognizing its fragility, keeps hope alive. That is why they look for alternatives and possible answers to the Project of the Kingdom.
On the other hand, we are happy to find that in Colombia we are living the experience of sharing community life and mission with Agnes, an African sister. Although this is not the first time this experience has taken place, it represents an important step towards interculturality, as the General Chapter “Born Again” invites us to do.
At the same time, we celebrate the decision to involve the laity in the missionary task. This participation prepares them to assume, with responsibility and formation, the missions that the sisters carry out today. Thus, we sincerely thank the laity, lay associates, neighbors and priests for their welcome, their details and their availability. We admire their commitment to the different stages of life: children, adolescents, adults and the elderly. On their part, the joint work with the parish, especially in Quibdó, is a source of joy and we hope that it will be long-lasting, overcoming the recent change of priests in Bogotá.
Finally, with joy, we recognize the valuable pastoral work for vocations and the openness of the group of sisters in Colombia to welcome young women who approach us with vocational concerns.
This is the first chronicle of this visit. The following ones will be available soon.
