Bogota
Intuition and missionary zeal of Mère du Calvaire guided the growth and development of the charism of charity of Marie Poussepin to the distant lands. The invitation for the Congregation to go out of France touched the missionary heart of Mère du Calvaire. She knew how to select, encourage, accompany and support the pulse, missionary zeal and professional quality of the first Sisters who were sent to Colombia in 1873.
The missionary presence was first established in St. John of God Hospital in the capital city of Bogotá, for the service of the sick, and the accompaniment of orphan girls. This was the first charitable initiative. Soon a new group of sisters arrived to work in a nursing home; then the sisters began the service of education, which gave birth to a new institution: Our Lady of the Presentation, school. The focus on missionary outreach spread admirably throughout the country, giving the Congregation numerous new and courageous vocations.
The difficulties of communication and the development of the mission led Mère du Calvaire to establish the first Province of the Congregation on May 30, 1874: the Province of Bogota, whose first Provincial Superior was Sr. Pauline, one of the first six Sisters who arrived in the country. Historically, many missionaries were sent within and outside the Colombian territory: Chile, Venezuela, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mexico, Cuba, Dominican Republic... Other sisters went to strengthen the missions in Iraq, Jordan and Africa, among others. The Province of Santa Fe was established on May 24, 1980, on the eve of Pentecost, under the leadership of Sister Inés Mercedes Mejía Toro, "with the strength of faith, certainty of hope and the dynamism of charity". This was to respond to the need to offer the Sisters a more personalized and integral care, strengthen the pastoral animation in the mission, promote a process of personal and community renewal, and to make the work of the leadership of the structure more agile and effective with suitable number of Sisters and communities that would truly make accompaniment possible. The Province began to write its history with a total of 47 communities and 445 Sisters, who carried out their missionary service in different regions of Colombia. Sr. Mary Plata Cordero was appointed Provincial Superior of Santa Fe by the General Government. In the same way, the Province of Bogotá continued to make progress in the foundation of new missionary presences.
In response to the call of the 55th General Chapter, the process of restructuration began as an urgency by Sisters Pastora Marín Vásquez and Nidia Beatriz Mesa Navarrete, Provincial Superiors of the two structures, in a common search with their respective Councils together, offered a road map to the two Provinces to follow.
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