The Courier - November 2024

By ALEJANDRA FERNÁNDEZ VEGA, Rector of CASFA

The Colegio Anexo San Francisco de Asís (CASFA) in Bogotá, Colombia, is an educational institution founded by the Sisters of Saint Francis, Congregation of our Lady of Lourdes, in 1985. It offers high-quality education from Pre-Kindergarten to 11th Grade in the northeastern part of the city, in El Codito, to students from low-income families in socio-economic strata 1 and 2, who face significant economic, social, familial, and educational challenges. For this reason, CASFA, as we affectionately refer to ourselves by our acronym, is both an academic and social project aimed at improving the quality of life for children, youth, and families from vulnerable populations.

We are guided by Franciscan-Clarian Spirituality, which is grounded in peace, non-violence, justice, sisterhood, and reverence for all of creation. We educate individuals who demonstrate leadership within their own communities, who are autonomous in social, moral, and intellectual spheres, and who are committed to building a more just society by fostering cooperative work and pedagogical research.

The 270 families of our students belong to the 20% of the population that is unemployed and the 61% that works informally without access to healthcare, pensions, or paid vacations. The average family income is between one and two minimum wages challenges (US $300-$600 a month), which must be divided among an average of five family members. It is evident that our students’ quality of life is severely limited.

We have had almost 30 graduating classes, of which 75% of our alumni have continued their studies at the university or technical level, enabling them to improve their personal and family living conditions. All of this has been achieved thanks to the generosity of the Sisters of Saint Francis, and the many donors who fund this educational initiative, allowing families to pay only 10-20% of the educational costs.

CASFA is a family where each member is recognized and valued as a person. We believe that an educational institution can only thrive by building bonds of affection, where trust, recognition, and autonomy are the guiding principles that drive our pedagogical mission to educate and form critical citizens capable of transforming social realities. We work from the deep compassion each teacher carries in their heart to reach the hearts of our students, guiding them on the journey of building knowledge and developing as human beings.

Therefore, we invite you to support us in various ways, by joining the Godmother Plan as a regular contributor, or making individual donations, whether monetary or in-kind. For more information, please contact Brooke Stivers (brooke.stivers@ rochesterfranciscan.org) or Sister Carolina Pardo (pardomc@hotmail.com).

We firmly believe that education empowers individuals to take control of their own lives and contribute to the well-being of their communities. Today, we are witnessing the results of the work we have achieved so far, with the support of many institutions and individuals.

Do not hesitate to join this wonderful cause; let your heart connect with CASFA, feel the beat of ours, and support us in continuing the mission of transforming the lives of many children and youth in this vulnerable sector of Bogotá, Colombia.

A Note from Sister Tierney Trueman Congregational President of the Sisters of St. Francis, Rochester

I would like to acknowledge and thank Bishop Barron for allowing us to continue to participate in our annual Mission Cooperative, and further affirming and thanking parishioners who annually participate in this program. Many missionary activities count on this annual program to assist in carrying out their particular ministry/mission. In our case, we subsidize 93% of the costs to educate our CASFA students, and we are able to sustain these costs because of the annual donations we receive through the Mission Cooperative program. CASFA will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2025, and it is recognized by the Colombian Ministry of Education as one of the best schools in Colombia.