our 50th Anniversary Newsletter from Bogotá

50 Years of LIFE in Bogotá!
50 years is a very l-o-n-g time! Take a moment to think back to 1962-63, and consider ALL that has
happened since then, both in our world and in your own life—that will give you some perspective
on what our local Bogota community has been celebrating all year long!
The great adventure of the Rochester Franciscan
Community’s presence and mission in Colombia began
when five brave women (Sisters Baylon (Edith) Zamboni,
Robaire Joswick, Mary Beth Modde, Consuelo Chávez, and
Maeve Cashman) ventured off to Bogotá, with its new
language and culture, to respond— in the name of all of
us—to Pope John XXIII’s call to share our human and
material resources with a disproportionately developed
southern hemisphere – and the rest, as they say, is
history— a history that deserves to be remembered and
celebrated!
And so, CELEBRATE we did, from the very opening of the Colegio Santa Francisca Romana school
year, in August 2012, all the way to its conclusion in June 2013. The theme chosen to guide the
year’s celebration was: “50 Years Educating Women Leaders Who Transform Society.” Each
individual celebration highlighted a different aspect of this challenging theme.
The Opening All-School Mass highlighted the reality of 50 Years – an incredibly long period of
time for 4-to-18-year-olds to grasp. The year began with frequent conversation-starters, prefaced
by, “Do you know what happened 50 years ago TODAY?” (This is the day the first Franciscan
Sisters arrived – this is the day Santa Pacha first opened its doors, etc.) The School Handbook
featured new memory triggers each
month, complete with then-and-now
pictures. Different classes developed
investigation projects and questionnaires
which had students of all ages scouring the
campus and doing countless interviews
with teachers and staff to gather more
concrete facts about our beginnings and
the whole 50-year trajectory. The school
newspaper, The Scoop, as well as the daily
website, featured numerous articles
sharing some tantalizing new detail about
our unfolding story. It became a fun game
to see who had the most “facts on file.”
The Feast of Saint Francis found us reflecting on
the meaning of transformation, with a powerful
dramatization of the transformation of Francis of
Assisi, from his carefree party days, to his
encounters with the poor and lepers, to his
invitation to others to participate in the
transformation both of themselves and the
society of their day. This was a striking message
with obvious applications to our own daily lives.
The holidays of Thanksgiving and the annual Christmas
Novenas also gave us ample opportunity to give expression
to the reality that it is more of a blessing to GIVE than to
receive – a “significant learning” for any Pacha student.
The Anniversary Year found its focal point in
February 2013, as special celebrations were
held not only for the school community itself
but for a broader audience of parents, alumnae,
former staff and various publics, religious and
lay, who have been directly connected with
Santa Pacha’s history. This special time was
additionally blessed by the presence of four
Rochester Franciscans who came to be a part of
the festivities: Sisters Marilyn Geiger (current
Congregational Minister and President),
Tierney Trueman (former Coordinator of the
Franciscan Mission in Colombia), Theresa
Hoffmann and Ann Redig (former teachers at
both Santa Pacha and CASFA – the Colegio
Anexo San Francisco de Asís).
On February 1st, a unique Anniversary Concert was held, featuring very gifted alumnae and staff,
as well as the 100+ member High School Chorus. In addition, the occasion was marked by a
glowing tribute to Santa Pacha in the name of the National Minister of Education, underscoring the
invaluable contribution that Santa Pacha and its alumnae have made to the city of Bogotá, the
country and the world. The evening concluded with a very elegant reception with drinks and hors
d’oeuvres, plus the surprise gift of a large ‘coffee table style’ anniversary book, To Be a Light in the
World, given to every family and guest present.
On February 8th, the Anniversary
Eucharist was celebrated in a
magnificent outdoor cathedral-type
setting, with approximately 1500
persons present. Upon arrival,
guests were led by our Senior class
students through a walkway
celebrating our patrons, Saints
Francis and Clare of Assisi, Santa
Francisca Romana, and, of course,
Our Lady of Lourdes, on whose feast
the Colegio opened its doors for the
first time in 1963. Constanza
Guzman, CSFR Rector Pro-Tem,
gave a stirring welcome to the
crowd. (This message was made all the more poignant by the fact that her beloved father had died
less than 24 hours before this event). Eleven brother priests and bishops joined us in spirited
concelebration; the High School Chorus outdid themselves when providing the liturgical music.
The vast crowd was so attentive that you could have heard a pin drop. The newest version of the
school symbol, a zarza (burning bush) with 50 candles, was displayed; the entire milieu was
decorated with hundreds of golden roses. It was a glorious site to behold! After the liturgy, there
were several testimonials by various dignitaries, followed by a lively shower of confetti over the
entire crowd. The event concluded with Birthday cake for all!
The next evening, on February 9th, the Alumnae Association,
ASOPACHAS, held a unique event which drew over 400 Pacha
graduates—some even came from the United States to attend!
The group held a starlit FIRE ritual in which they rededicated
themselves to the ideals of their original Zarza commitment to
“burn brightly without burning out,” as they offered their own
contribution to transforming the society. The evening went on
for hours, with storytelling, picture exchanges, lively
conversation and a delicious hors d’oeuvres buffet.
While our U.S. guests were present, there were several other significant community events,
including a morning’s visit to CASFA, the primary “social work” of Santa Pacha (which gave Sisters
Marilyn, Ann and Theresa the opportunity to see the recently-finished construction and
unification of this school for approximately 350 PreKinder-through-Senior students from a
disadvantaged sector of the city). The local Baraj Community (13 Sisters, Cojourners and
committed laity) also held an anniversary
gathering out at Willkapampa (the
community’s eco-spirituality project 45
minutes outside of Bogotá), during which
Sister Carolina shared a PowerPoint
presentation tracing the presence and
ministries of ALL the Sisters and Cojourners
who have been a part of our 50-year history
in Colombia. It was a striking way to taste of
how many have contributed their life and gifts
to this meaningful enterprise!
On March 1st, to highlight the central aspect of the ‘Leadership of Service’ demonstrated by our
longstanding commitment to the Colegio Anexo San Francisco de Asís (CASFA), we held our third
Solidarity Banquet. This was a joint effort between our two schools to share an evening of
entertainment as a fundraiser to benefit CASFA. Students and teachers from both schools
prepared presentations of lively music and dancing, while CASFA students served the “banquet” of
a glass of wine and a Tau-shaped cookie to our benefactors present. The evening demonstrated
the value of both the arts and a spirit of collaboration between both schools, netting over $12,770
USD as a contribution to CASFA’s precarious operating budget.
The Anniversary year’s activities continued with a lively celebration of the patronal feast of Santa
Francisca Romana. The day began with a “flash mob” experience, with participation from the
entire school community (from preschool students to kitchen staff; primary students to
administrative personnel, gardeners and maintenance workers; high school students to faculty,
and even the Principal!) being led in an aerobics-style mass movement to feel the meaning of
being “ONE.” The entire community then gathered for Eucharist, which highlighted our long
history and heritage in the formation of
women leaders. Sisters Valerie Usher,
Carolina Pardo and Marg Kiefer gave living
testimony to this reality in their shared
homily, which invited all those present to
connect with their Santa Pacha “roots” and
continue in this formative process for the
good of a much broader context. The event
concluded with a “UNITY” photo of all 1200+
persons present!
One of the most popular events of the year was the Artistic Festival, a 3-night extravaganza in the
style of a musical, held April 24-26th. Each night featured an entirely different cast of actors and
dancers, accompanied by the High School Chorus and six different instrumental groups – imagine!
This year’s show was an adaptation of “Alice in Wonderland” and “Alice Through the Looking
Glass,” with a very well-developed theme about the
importance of dreaming. Each night’s show concluded with
the presentation of a giant-sized 50th Anniversary Cake as the
entire cast celebrated the fact that 50 years ago, five North
American Franciscan Sisters had a dream about what they
could offer to the future through their education and
formation of young women who could be ‘Leaders of Service’
for the betterment of Colombia and the world. It was a very
touching conclusion to a spectacular show, with many moved
to tears as witness to the results of what it means to DREAM!
As if all of these celebrations weren’t quite enough, June 1st found us celebrating a gala organized
by the collaborative efforts of our Parents’ Association, the Parents’ Council and the Student
Council as their way of saying a big “Thank You!” to the school community for its 50 years of
outstanding contributions to help transform society. The objective of the evening, in addition to
offering a wonderful concert, was to raise money to offer the school some much-needed funds to
improve the lighting and sound resources of the Coliseo (a multi-purpose center that is the only
building on campus large enough to accommodate the entire school community). The evening
featured several musical acts prepared by members of our Alumnae, followed by an amazingly
eclectic concert performed by a local group of professionals, known as Cosa Nostra.
In addition to the many social events of the year, the
Pastoral Team created special Anniversary retreat
experiences, both for the faculty and administration,
as well as the general services teams, which
provided the opportunity for the entire staff to
reflect upon their own experience in being a part of
Santa Pacha’s history and development. Judging by
the depth and quality of sharing that took place in
both events, it was clear that the entire staff not
only has a strong sense of “ownership” of the
school’s Mission, but is also deeply grateful for their
chance to be a part of it all!
To bring this unique year of celebration to a close, the last day’s All-School Mass brought the year
full circle by emphasizing Santa Pacha’s ongoing contribution to creating a more just and peaceful
society. As part of the liturgy, the Assembly experienced a silent procession of our entire work
staff of 60+ from the various departments of cafeteria, cleaning, maintenance, gardening and
security who were joined by representatives of the Faculty, Administration, Student Council,
CRISOL (a Catholic leadership group of senior high students) and Parents who entered— and
literally surrounded the student body and adults present—and then joined hands while
proclaiming in one voice, “We are all key parts of the same Community!” It was a very graphic and
moving way to, once again, experience that we are all in this together as we attempt to become
leaders capable of transforming our society, creating a better future for the generations to follow
us.
THANK YOU for the constancy of your interest and support of this graced Mission! We count on
your continued prayers as we “make the path by walking” into the ever-evolving future of this
communal endeavor.