ROAD TRAVELLED AT THE DIOCESAN PROCESS OF RENEWAL AND EVANGELIZATION (PDR/E)

The current Archbishop, Monsignor Rubén Salazar Gómez, took hold of his office on May 15th, 1999. Immediately it became evident in the entire presbytery that there was a desire to unify pastoral criteria and actions in a Global Archdiocesan Plan. It was decided that the most appropriate way to celebrate the Jubilee of the Year 2000, for which the Archdiocese had been preparing itself with special care  was by means of the celebration of an ARCHDIOCESAN MISSION – concretion of the Global Plan- a harvesting of the previous evangelizing work and sowing of a new evangelization process.  

Starting Point

In October 1999, in a general meeting of the Presbytery, a starting point was drawn up for putting into operation the ARCHDIOCESAN MISSION, adopting the fundamental features of the Diocesan Process of Renewal and Evangelization Process (PDR/E). In this way we started the PRIOR STAGE of this process.

Prior Stage

»On December 26th, 1999, with a massive gathering at the Metropolitan Stadium of Barranquilla, the celebration of the Jubilee of the Year 2000 was formally inaugurated and the ARCHDIOCESAN MISSION was started.

 

»In January 2000, a restructuring of the parishes was carried out as well as a redistribution of the presbytery with the creation of 110 pastoral units made up of pastoral cells (already constituted parishes or parishes that were being developed). These pastoral units were grouped into deanships and the deanships, in turn, were grouped into territorial vicarships. Before this there existed 70 parishes in the Archdiocese.

»During the entire year 2000 the pastoral encouragement teams were organized in the units and cells (euap and ecap), and the parish sectors were created with their teams (ecos and messengers network). 

»In October 2000, again the Metropolitan Stadium opened its doors to the Church. This time in order to officially inaugurate the ARCHDIOCESAN MISSION with a large gathering of devotees.

»Beginning at that time and well into the year 2001, there happened the MISSION AT THE FAMILY ASSEMBLIES –that enabled the organizing of nucleuses with their respective encouragers-, the MISSION IN THE SECTORS, in the CELLS, in the PASTORAL UNITS and at the archdiocesan level. In this way the pastoral community foundations of the Archdiocese were placed, thanks to the creation of the fundamental structures.

»In the second semester of 2001 and in the beginnings of 2002, the MISSION IN SPECIFIC GROUPS was carried out (children, youngsters, elderly persons, teachers...). In this way we started the first specialized pastoral fronts. 

»While all this was happening, the pastoral agents and the community in general started to strengthen themselves in the spirituality of communion.  

First Stage

»On May 18th, 2002, the First Archdiocesan Assembly, was carried out, presided over by the Archbishop and in which the following participated: the presbytery, religious and secular delegates of all the pastoral units, as well as representatives of the archdiocesan commissions that existed until that time and the ecclesiastical movements. At this assembly, after evaluating the road travelled in the Archdiocesan Mission that was started in 1999, we decided to continue with the process started of a new evangelization, in other words, with the PDR/E.

»On July 7th, 2002, when the Archdiocese celebrated the 70 years of its creation, we started the FIRST STAGE of the global archdiocesan plan of new evangelization. 

»Of this FIRST STAGE, included from 2002 to 2011, we have travelled a FIRST PHASE of 3 years (2002-2005) which was a general summoning to RECONCILIATION. For a deeper reflection and one that really enables making the reconciliation value part of life, we worked on it from the point of view of the need to improve (July 2002-June 2003), to improve our communications (July 2003-June 2004) and to improve relations our living-together (July 2004-November 2005).

»Currently, we are in the SECOND PHASE (2005 – 2008) and we are working on the FRATERNITY value, understood from the point of view of respect (year 2006), justice (2007) and the solidarity (2008).

»In a special way this year 2007, year of justice, is within the framework of the Archdiocesan Jubilee Year.

• The THIRD PHASE is programmed from 2008 to 2011, and it will be the COMMUNION phase.