Steady Growth Continues at Viatorian School in Colombia

Colegio San Viator in Tunja keeps growing, both in enrollment numbers and in its campus facilities.

Viatorians are beginning their seventh year of running the school, after taking it over from another religious congregation in 2016. 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, bilingual and pastoral, with professed Viatorians on its faculty and staff.

“By the grace of God and with the constant work of our religious, the school continues to grow,” says Fr. Fredy Contreras, CSV, Rector, who works with these Viatorians: Fr. Pedro Herrera, Br. John Avellaneda, Br. Diego Carvajal, Br. Juan Carlos Ubaque and Br. Juan Ramirez.

Currently, the school has 780 students enrolled, and every year they register around 100 new students. Its sustained growth reflects the reputation the Viatorians have developed in Colombia, for their quality education offered in their schools in Tunja and in Bogotá.

“In order to better serve our students and the needs of our staff, we have been updating, improving, expanding and creating new services and places,” says Fr. Contreras.

outdoors, including soccer fields and basketball courts. When it rains – especially last year, 2022, it rained a lot – this was chaotic, with lots of breaks in our sports and physical education classes.”

Additional new spaces include offices for school counselors, administrators, teachers and admissions. School officials also enlarged the kitchen space, creating new storage rooms and providing modern equipment, while also replacing the roof of the dining hall.

The school employs 130 faculty, staff and maintenance employees. Consequently, renovation plans included providing a new dining room, instruction space and offices, as well as an adequate facility for meeting and break rooms.

The school’s pastoral team continues to be at the center of the colegio’s mission, organizing retreats, including going outside the city of Tunja to Moniquirá. The pastoral team also has started sacramental preparation courses for the first reconciliation, communion and confirmation, with the plan of celebrating these sacraments in October.

“As Viatorians, we continue to respond to our commitment to reach out to those accounted of little importance,” Fr. Contreras says, “by offering a scholarship program that supports the children of our employees, some families in need and through solidarity campaigns to other children, youth and immigrants in the city.”

Finally, the school has been consolidating its academic, sports, artistic and cultural fields, with the goal of being recognized as an International Bilingual School. Colegio San Viator also will graduate its second class of International Baccalaureate (IB) students.

He points to additional classroom space and specialized rooms for preschool students, as well as building new playgrounds for children for their physical development and recreation.

“Our school does not have a covered space for sports, we do not have a gym,” Fr. Contreras adds. “All sports activities take place

“As you can see, there are many challenges that we must continue to face,” Fr. Contreras says, “but with confidence in God, St. Viator and in Fr. Louis Querbes, we believe that everything we dream and do will always be for the glory of God and service to the Church.”