Missionaries of the Sacred

On November 5, a few friends of the MSC, with strong interest in supporting the seminarian-education project in Colombia, accompanied by Fr. Joseph Jablonski, MSC,  visited the MSC mission in Bogota. Fr. Luis Segura, the local superior of the MSC Community in Colombia, met them at the airport. For the next three days, the group visited with MSC priests and seminarians, saw the some of the projects (and the need for a new seminary) firsthand, and had a chance to do some sightseeing and experience a few local traditions. It was a time of togetherness, sharing and witness to the lasting impact of the MSC presence in Colombia. During a visit to a housing development, a young man named Marlon recognized Fr. Jablonski and ran down to meet him. Several years ago, while serving in Colombia, Fr. Jablonski had baptized Marlon and given him First Communion. Marlon and his family are one of the over 40 families who live in housing that was built by the MSC community and the MSC-founded Fundación Justicia en la Verdad (Truth and Justice Foundation).

On Sunday, visitors and seminarians took a bus to the MSC farm and retreat center. The rain made the dirt road too muddy for the bus, so everyone had to walk the last 20 minutes of the trip. Luckily they arrived in time to help finish preparing a traditional Colombia meal (made entirely from products of the farm) complete with cuy, a dish popular in the southern part of Colombia (where many of our seminarians are from). Not only did the seminarians share some of their traditional dishes, but one of the visitors shared a traditional Mexican drink (which calls for fresh milk, chocolate and other ingredients) with the seminarians. Everyone had the chance to relax and to enjoy each other’s company.

Everyone returned to the United States on Monday, with the desire to visit Bogota again, and to bring more people who share the same interest of supporting the education of MSC seminarians. The trip was a great success. We are happy to have had the chance to share part of our mission with some of our friends. If you are interested in the project and the upcoming trip, please email Fr. Jablonski at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .