Colegio San Viator Goes All Out to Celebrate Its Patron

Celebrating the feast of St. Viator took many forms at parishes and schools around the world, but one that stood out was in Tunja, Colombia. After postponing events for two years during the pandemic, Viatorians at Colegio San Viator used the feast day for some of its holiest events of the year, conferring sacraments.

(L-R) Fr. Fredy Contreras, Fr. Pedro Herrera and Br. John Avellaneda

“It is our custom to celebrate these sacraments at the school on the feast of St. Viator,” says Fr. Pedro Herrera, CSV, Vice Rector, “partly because the school year is coming to an end and catechesis has been conducted since the beginning of the year.”

The feast day started with the sacrament of confirmation. Archbishop Gabriel Villa conferred the sacrament on 37 students from the colegio’s upper grades. The day also included 90 children receiving their first communion. Both ceremonies took place in the chapel of the Archdiocesan curia of Tunja, which is close to the school.

Br John Avellaneda, CSV, Br. Juan Ramirez, CSV, and Br. Diego Carajal, CSV were among the catechists who worked withmembers of the school’s pastoral team to prepare these children and young people for the sacraments.

The feast day celebration also included with an outdoor Mass the rest of the school community, which took place on the campus.

Colegio San Viator in Tunja celebrated its fifth anniversary last year, after Viatorians took over the school from a different religious community. Set amid the Eastern range of the Colombian Andes, the school features all the qualities of a Viatorian education, namely one that is faith-based, co-educational, bilingual and pastoral, with professed Viatorians on its faculty and staff.

Students compete in an online quiz about Viatorian history. What’s more, the colegio is on its way to achieving full recognition as an International Baccalaureate School, setting it apart from other private schools in the Boyacá region of central Colombia.

The Viatorian charism can be felt throughout the school, starting with Fr. Herrera. He attended Colegio San Viator in Bogotá and was the first graduate of the school to join the Viatorians. Joining him in the administration is Fr. Fredy Contreras, CSV, who serves as Rector of the school, with more Viatorians serving on its faculty and its pastoral team.

Br. Juan David Ramirez grades competitors.

Images of St. Viator and the Venerable Fr. Louis Querbes, are prominent throughout the school, and Viatorians continually work to reinforce the Viatorian identity with students and faculty.

As an example, as part of the recreational activities on the feast day, students competed in an online contest on Viatorian culture, in which teachers and members of the school administration also participated. It was all part of a worldwide effort to celebrate the patron, St. Viator, and learn what makes a Viatorian education – and parish life – different.