A bit of history

Thanks to the interest of the bishop of San Felipe, Don Ramon Munita Eyzaguirre, in 1960, already in process was the arrival of the first dozen sisters to Chile, originating from the province of Bogota: ”San Felipe and Putaendo were two of the towns which together opened their doors to the daughters of Marie Poussepin.

To work according to the educational plan at the institution ”Abdon Cifuentes” and at the school “Dolores Otero” respectively (Sr. Romelia Martinez. “Life Became History.” Vice-province of Aconcagua 1960-2000.” Page 14).Only two years after the foundation in the diocese of San Felipe, new sisters arrived in 1962 at the technical school, Esther Bunster (presently the school of Our Lady of the Presentation) of Melipilla and at the parish school of Santa Maria Goretti at Concon.

In 1964, a space was opened to gather the young students at Santiago, the capital of the country.
A giant step: In 1969, Chile became a region of the province of Bogota, with 36 sisters distributed in five communities. The missionary dynamism and the witness of each sister resulted in the course of many years through the calls for new missionary presences.

• Mallarauco 1974
• Vallenar 1978
• Cauquenes 1981
• Casa de Formación (Santiago). Postulantado en Quilicura. Nociciado en Santa Mónica 1986
• El Cruce, Argentina 1986
• Junin, Argentina 1987

A new form of organization

After a process of discernment and preparation, the region of Chile which at that time was dependent on the province of Santafe was going even further in its rootedness in this part of the Congregation and on October 14, 1989, the vice-province of Aconcagua was established. The name derives from Mount Aconcagua, the highest peak of the mountain range of the Andes, a point of union between Chile and Argentina, the two countries in which the Congregation is present: 11 communities, and 42 sisters have given it life and made possible the service of charity in these lands.

The Vice-province is characterized by the simple lifestyle of its communities, the strong link between the communities and their work in the parishes, the zeal for the pastoral of catechesis, the sense of belonging to the Congregation, and the hard labor of the pastoral of the young, particularly according to the diocesan plan.

New missionary appeals

• Valparaiso 1989
• Bandera bajada Argentina 1990
• Queilen (Isla Chiloé) 1993
• La Favorita, Mendoza. Argentina 2004

Open to God's will

On August 15, 2007, in response to its actual existence, we went from a Vice-province to a Delegation of the general government, a new structure permitting an easier form of government in terms of functioning and organization. We have started a new stage full of challenges and projects which have allowed us the liberty of developing our participation and the sense of belonging, reinforcing our journey under the slogan ”Your future is full of Hope” Jer. 31:17

To respond to the needs of the reality and wanting to accompany in a special way the marginalized areas, a discernment of the situation was made and in 2009 the community of Vallenar was closed in order to open the community of Chanaral. According to this same objective, the missionary projection of a community in the southern part of the town was made in a house inserted in A working distric was the beginning of our presence in El Bosque in mid 2013.

A new challenge

On March 8, 2019, Sr. Maria Escayola Coris, General Superior, announced the changing of the juridical statute of the Delegation to that of a Vice-province of Aconcagua, resulting from a process of discernment and the consultation of the sisters.

Today, 59 years after the arrival of our first sisters to Chile, each sister by her personal reality and her missionary response pursues the way to continue together to weave the history that God had in mind for the Congregation in Chile and in Argentina.

Missionary reality

• 8 Colombians.
• 14 Chileans.
• 1 Sister of the Province of Bucaramanga who participates in the mission in Argentina.

We achieve the mission of the Congregation by following the pastoral directives of the local Church. In the area of education with presence in three schools:

• Marie Poussepin School(Putaendo).
• Our Lady of the Presentation School (Melipilla).
• Maria Goretti School (Concon).

- The parish pastoral on the works of: Chanaral and El Bosque in Chile,La Favorita in Argentina.
- In healthcare with alternative medicine, biomagnetism.
- The seat of the Vice-province and the welcoming community are situated in Santiago.

The pastoral service of the Communities of the Vice-province in 2019

• Diocese of San Felipe - Community: Putaendo. Mission: the pastoral of education and administration –Marie Poussepin School. Accompaniment of a group of elderly persons. The community of Presentation Missionaries.
• Diocese of Melipilla - Community: Melipilla. Mission: the pastoral of education and administration. Polytechnical School of Our Lady of the Presentation. Pastoral team for the youth. Zonal Conference (Conference of the Religious of Chile). The Community of Presentation Missionaries.
• Archdiocese of Santiago - Community: House of the Viceprovincial, El Bosque. Mission: the seat of administration of the vice-province. Pastoral work in the Sanctuary of Maria Auxiliatrice. Formation team of the southern region. The pastoral of youth at the Parish of Santa Cristina. The Christian Community Santa Elena. The Community of Presentation Missionaries.
• Diocese of Valparaiso - Community: Concón. Mission: the pastoral of education and administration of the parish. School of Santa Maria Goretti. The Community of Presentation Missionaries.
• Diocese of Copiapo - Community: Chañaral. Mission: family Catechesis. The Christian Communities: El Salado, airport of Flamenco. The Pastoral of education in a Municipal school. The Community of Presentation Missionaries.
• Archdiocese Mendoza - Community: La Favorita, Mendoza. Mission: the parish of San Jose Obrero. Family Catechesis. Catechesis for Confirmation. Infancy and adolescent missionary work. The missionary pastoral in the Quarter. The Community of Presentation Missionaries.

Our priorities

• The young and the work of vocation promotion among them.
• Accompaniment of the community of the laity since October 2018, who have publicly expressed their desire to live their baptismal commitment according to the spirituality of the Congregation in making their promises.
• The work in Justice, Peace, and integrity of Creation.
• The reinforcement of the Community of Presentation Missionaries who represent a richness for the Vice-province by reason of the internal dynamism of the community formed by young laity, adults, and Sisters who regularly support the mission in Chile and Argentina.

Some challenges

During the recent Capitular Assembly, following previous evaluations and work which we had done, certain preoccupations were raised and today they have become challenges for us:

• Creation of a protocol for prevention of abuse and creation of places that are safe and sound in response to the reality that we are living in the ecclesial plan, particularly in Chile.
• Elaboration of missionary projects, clear, solid, viable, durable in time for educational endeavors like those of pastoral insertions.
• To continue together the discernment for responding to the revitalization and restructuration of missionary life.
• Perseverance in the commitment of our presence in the marginalized areas and the opening of the community to this mission of insertion.
• Share our spirituality with the laity.

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