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From Xaverian Mission Newsletter - Interview by Fr. Angelo BertonAug. 2008
Father Giovanni Villa, from Milan, Italy, returned from Colombia recently for a short period of rest with his family. The following is taken from an interview with him on his work in Colombia.
What brought you to Colombia?
When I completed my theological studies and was ordained in 1985, I was
immediately sent to Colombia. I’ve been there ever since, except for a short
period when I worked with youth in Salerno and Taranto, Italy.
What was your impression of Colombia?
The Colombians, of multi-cultural ethnic backgrounds, are good and hard working
people, many of whom are quite poor. With the other Xaverian Missionaries in the
four centers we work in Colombia, I found the work difficult but important. Our
main work is with the poor who live in the periphery of the cities of Cali,
Medellin, Bogota, and Buenaventura.
How are things in Colombia?
Our most difficult problems lie in two areas: insecurity and violence. The
Xaverians are not in the war zones, but the sense of insecurity and fear is so
pervasive that it echoes throughout the country. For example, in the evening we
do not go out for fear of violence.
Which message would you like to leave to the youth?
Enthusiastic young people, who like to explore new things, will surely find
great challenges in their life in the work like what we do in Colombia. This
enthusiasm is a sign of a good heart and will...
But?
But Colombia is not the classic mission, where the basic structures like
hospitals and schools are lacking, much like what we see in Africa. In Colombia
these structures exist already and are run by the Colombians themselves. The
help we often ask for is primarily for the formation of the families and the
communities. The families often lack strong values and are disintegrating, to
the effects which create difficulties throughout society.
How does one become a missionary in Colombia?
The first thing one must do is learn the language, Spanish. Moreover, in order
to work effectively with the people, missionaries are required for a longer
period of time in order to guarantee some type of continuity. For this, we must
pray to the Lord to inspire young people to devote their lives to those of
others, sharing in their spiritual and social experiences.
At the same time, we become missionary too, not just in faraway lands, but in
our Christian engagement where we live. The missionary spirit is alive in every
corner of the earth. We do this through our parishes and organizations and give
the opportunity to work with the poor. We become missionaries when we open
ourselves to the others, and see the connections between our home communities
and those in other parts of the world, with a vision that embraces the entire
world. Without this, we remain isolated within the “walls” of our own countries.
