By Sr Christine Masivo, CPS
Father Juan Felipe Quevedo was joined a few months ago by Father Carlos Olivero, known as Father Charly in the Our Lady of Sorrows parish, who came to Bogotá to serve at the headquarters of CELAM (Episcopal Conference of Latin America), developing initiatives to assist marginalized people across Latin America.
The approach of Father Charly is deeply rooted in the community-based methodology of the “Familia Grande Hogar de Cristo” network, which was born in Argentina through the work of the “Curas Villeros,” priests who lived and ministered in the slums of Buenos Aires.
Over the years, San Bernardo has become one of the city’s most visible drug hubs. Streets are lined with people who struggle with addiction, the homeless, and the forgotten—those without health care, documents, and without hope.
Beginning of the havoc
The transformation accelerated when residents of another poor neighbourhood were forcibly evicted to make way for urban redevelopment. Many displaced families ended up in San Bernardo, creating a massive concentration of need.
“In the second half of the 20th century, Bogotá underwent profound demographic changes that reshaped the city’s structure,” explains Fr Quevedo to the Vatican’s Fides news agency. “The result was neighbourhoods like San Bernardo, burdened with complex social problems.”
In the parish square, shouts are heard announcing arrival of new drugs for sale or warning of police patrols. The sight of homeless men and women, their bodies marked by street life and addiction, is endless.
Security at risk
“There’s a rapid increase in the number of homeless people in our area,” Fr Quevedo explained. “Social conflicts have worsened and transformed daily life in the neighbourhood, intensifying big numbers of school dropouts, robberies, and the consolidation of criminal groups.”
He echoes the influx of conflicts: “Traditional residents no longer see the homeless as part of the community but as a threat. Garbage piles up, crime increases, and people lose hope. The very name ‘Sanber’ has become synonymous with exclusion and violence.”
Father Charly, who spent years ministering in Argentina’s “Villas Miseria,” says what he has seen here surpasses even his earlier experiences: “A study speaks of 5,000 homeless people in this one neighbourhood, the scale is overwhelming. You feel the helplessness in the air, as if no one believes solutions are possible.”
Hope in despair, initial step
Yet, amid the despair, the priests and parishioners respond with small but powerful gestures. When they distribute food, people rush to them, desperate for bread.
“It is heart-breaking,” says Fr Charly. “But this is where we must begin, giving them food. At the same time, we must help the community see that those who live on the streets are our brothers and sisters. It could happen to any of us. Our task is not to replace the state, but to build bridges.”
For Fr Quevedo, the foundation of this mission is Christian hope. “Hope is not an escape from reality but a transformative force. We encounter the suffering face of Christ in our barrio, and He is not ashamed to draw near. Our parish must be a place of radical welcome, where patience and affection accompany each person’s journey. No abyss is deeper than mercy.”
Dreaming for a better tomorrow
This vision is taking shape in a new community space: not merely a shelter or service, but a place of encounter. Here, the most vulnerable can wash, receive medical care, eat, and, if they choose, begin to imagine life beyond addiction. Just as importantly, residents of the neighbourhood can meet them as neighbours, not strangers.
“When the community opens its doors to those who suffer the most,” says Fr Charly, “it grows. It discovers Jesus in new ways and receives His blessing.”
In San Bernardo, among the “broken people,” something new is indeed beginning bringing hope home. – Vatican News
