Community of Maracaibo

THE MISSION
Entering the area north of Maracaibo you can see the tall bell tower of San Marco di Venezia from afar. It signals from afar the presence of the Italian Rosminian mission in Venezuela, founded in 1960 for the assistance and spiritual care of the numerous Italian emigrants.
The Italian mission in Maracaibo through the work of closely united and collaborating Fathers and Sisters has developed in the three branches of charity, spiritual, intellectual and material.
The church of San Francesco and the entire mission complex offers its large spaces to people, fathers, nuns, ascribed as a lively and fervent work of evangelization for the city, in communion with the Diocese of Maracaibo. It is a point of reference for many, not only for Italians who find it a welcoming place in which to keep their language and origins alive but also for members and friends.


THE SCHOOL
Currently the school complex called Colegio Antonio Rosmini is considered one of the best educational centers in the city; includes nursery, primary, lower and upper secondary schools. Italian is taught there and even the little ones enjoy speaking it on special occasions.
The current small community of nuns is present for collaboration in the work of the Rosminian Fathers, youth ministry, liturgy, catechesis and social work.
Sister Maria Victoria is a religion teacher in primary and secondary schools. Sister Maritza teaches religion in nursery school and follows the families of four and five year olds.
In this time of Covit the school is closed, so nuns, fathers and teachers continue with distance learning. There was a time of preparation for everyone and now they are experiencing it. The pupils and their parents correspond well and a fruitful dialogue has begun. This has allowed the expansion of relationships to others and Sister Maritza teaches English in the same way.
EL BARRIO LOS PESCADORES
From the beginning, the evangelizing work of the nuns and Fathers has also been aimed at the inhabitants of the adjacent Los Pescadores barrio with visits to families, animation of liturgical times, preparation for the sacraments of Christian Initiation, summer camp and other free initiatives for children and teenagers.
The Christian-social work still continues and has intensified with the involvement of lay people who collaborate for the weekly distribution of food, medicines and clothing to the needy. Venezuelan friends who have emigrated abroad, former students, send help generously.
SOMOS PLATOS ROSMINIANO
“Platos Rosminiano” is a non-profit organization without government assistance. Our main objective is social action, that is, caring for the community. In this sense and with our Rosminian spirituality, we dedicate ourselves to carrying out work in the most needy sector, but also geographically closest to the area where the Antonio Rosmini SCHOOL COMPLEX is located in the city of Maracaibo. We state that as Rosminian Sisters of Providence we must serve our Lord by serving others and, although education is the main work, it is no less true that through it we can unite efforts to educate the people of the territory to be better citizens, in thus we teach our students to build a city, through the example of service.
For several years we have formed the group that calls itself Platos Rosminiano, which began with the intention of assisting and helping the poorest among the children and the elderly of the Barrio Los Pescadores, located north of Maracaibo, the group gradually became a brotherhood with the community, so much so that other projects have emerged that deserve the help and presence of the Rosminian Sisters. We bring food every Friday to share lunch with this community. We ventured into the neighborhood or sector catechism and so we go to the barrio school to impart training and education in the Faith.
We continue the work hand in hand with a team of volunteers who have normalized with alliances reached, sponsorships, students, former students and representatives of the Colegio Antonio Rosmini; collaborators, commercial activities and others. All this can be seen and is expressed in special activities: health days, oral hygiene sessions, delivery of toys, courses and conversations with the community, etc.
At present, and despite the crisis in the country, we have not stopped the work, but rather through humanitarian aid and people’s sensitivity, challenges have been taken on such as increasing the number of meals distributed, the delivery of milk, including distribution of food to sick children and infants; all this through the support of benefactors, institutions and organizations, as mentioned in the previous paragraphs. Over the last year, 250 people have been assisted (including children and elderly people), all with difficult economic situations, some in street situations, the majority with very low resources, which has also allowed us to understand that precisely for this need it is fundamental continue to help and echo this situation and in some way try to counteract the most marked traits of the poor with training in values.
The disasters that periodically recur in the barrio and throw the poorest of the poorest of the poorest into poverty and pain do not leave us calm. In the impotence and amazement of the moment, after the Mass and the visit to Chinita, our dear Madonna, we renew our commitment and relaunch new proposals to restore dignity and relief.
We try every time to arrive quickly on time: good cannot be expected: let’s do like Mary who visits and consoles her people.