In 1953, three Columban missionary priests were sent from Peru to manage the parish of San Andres in Santiago, Chile, in an effort to develop Christian communities in the continually growing, poor housing tracts on the outskirts of Santiago. The Columban Missionaries arrived in a Catholic Church experiencing a crisis common in much of Latin America - an acute shortage of priests and religious. Although Catholic, the people knew little of their faith and practiced even less.
Over a fifteen-year period, the Columban effort grew from one to seven parishes and from three to twenty-eight Columbans and priest associates caring for 200,000 people. They started with small wooden chapels that were gradually replaced by more substantial chapel community centers.
Fr. Martin visiting a Chilean family
In the mid-1960s, to cope with the increasing mass of people, a new pastoral plan to build basic Christian communities was adopted and a new catechetical program was introduced. The latter prescribed preparation courses for Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation and Marriage. This pre-sacramental preparation was put in the hands of trained lay people.
Where once the priest was the sole religious force in a parish, zealous lay men and women now provided for the spiritual needs of their brothers and sisters.
Fr. Napa blesses the palms on Palm Sunday
We had Columban Priests, Lay Missionaries and Students from Fiji who had served in Chile. We had Fr. Vincent, Fr. William Lee, Fr. Palenapa Tavo and Fr. Martin Koroiciri. We also had two groups of Lay Missionaries from Tonga and Fiji.
At present we have Fr Vincent Ratnam and Fr. Martin Koroiciri working in Chile.
