The day finally came to see one of our dreams come true since the first years we arrived in Chachapoyas: That a church in the capital of the Amazon Region be dedicated to St. Augustine.
Since his arrival in the diocese Augustinian Recollect Bishop Emiliano Cisneros has continued without interruption the construction of new churches to serve a continuously growing population. The churches of St. Peter the Apostle, Lord of the Miracles, St. Turibius of Mongrovejo and Our Lady of Fatima have been built over the past few years in different areas of the growing city.
The El Prado section is located at the edge of the city near the highway to Levanto. Most of the poverty-stricken settlers there are from the rural towns of Collacruz, Quipachacha and San Juan de Cáchuc. Now they have their own church where they gather as a community of believers to strengthen their faith through listening to the Word, celebrating the Eucharist and sacramental life.
The neighborhood committee, which had expressed for several years its desire to have a place for worship and Christian formation, acquired a parcel of land that was expanded. Construction began on April 24, 2012 and by the same date the following year, the project was completed.
Church, rooms, living quarters
The modern style church which houses statues of the Risen Christ, Our Lady of the Meadow (Virgen del Prado), St. Augustine, and St. Monica has forty four pews and a choir loft. During the day, the blue color that radiates from the cathedral glass creates an environment that invites contemplation and an encounter with mystery.
With the first phase of the project… construction of the church…the “St. Augustine Catholic Center” was established. Construction of the second phase will include the Pastoral Service and Social Promotion Areas as well as a housing area to establish a religious community that would be able to assume pastoral responsibility of the area.
Since 2000, five new Catholic churches have been built in the city of Chachapoyas, all on the outskirts of the city in areas populated by people from different parts of the region, many at the end of the sixties and others in the last several years in which large-scale immigration has been seen and many rural areas and towns have seen their population shrink in an alarming fashion.
The construction of these new churches has changed the panoramic view of the city. Chachapoyas is a very old city: the sixth founded by Spain. Its population has grown significantly in recent years, partly due to the building of a public university as well as the growth and development the country has been experiencing.