Columban Fr Dan Harding celebrating Mass at The Winter School Holiday Children's Programme in Chile. - Photo: Fr Dan Harding
THE WINTER SCHOOL HOLIDAY CHILDREN’S PROGRAMME
For the first week of the winter school holidays in Chile, the Columban parish of San Matias in Santiago organised a special Children’s Programme based on the theme of “Caring for God’s Creation and all its Biodiversity”. San Matias parish is located in a socio-economically disadvantaged area on the southern periphery of the city of Santiago. It is an area known for its high rates of poverty, violent crime, unemployment, drug and alcohol use, etc.
The programme ran from Monday 23rd to Saturday 28th June 2025. This is a time of great cold, with early morning temperatures usually down around 0 degrees. The nearby Andes Mountain Range is covered in thick snow.
During the school holidays, many parents do not have anyone to look after their children while they work. Transport to and from the San Matias parish area to the principal employment areas of Santiago can take up to two hours each way each day by Metro or bus. This is why many parents were very happy to have their children participate in the parish Children’s Programme.
WHAT DID THE PROGRAMME INVOLVE?
The programme involved prayer and liturgies each day, with the Eucharist celebrated on three occasions. These liturgies sought to give thanks and praise to God for Creation and the whole web of life, with its many interconnected species of human beings, animals and plants, on the land, in the sky, in the oceans, in the mountains, in the wetlands, in the cities, and in parks and plazas.
Different workshops sought to create awareness amongst the children of the enormously rich biodiversity where they live, the dangers that threaten this biodiversity, and the need to take care of all of God’s Creation.
Columban seminarian Lydio Mangao (center back), on mission in Chile, with the children from the programme colouring native flora. - Photo: Fr Dan Harding
THE ORGANISERS
The steering committee from the parish that organised this Children’s Programme comprised several parents and catechists, the parish youth group coordinator, the parish secretary, and Columban priests, Frs Genovio Cho (the parish priest – from Korea) and Dan Harding – from Australia, along with Columban seminarian Lydio Mangao Jr, from the Philippines, who has been appointed to San Matias parish as a part of his First Missionary Assignment. The other Columban seminarian, Juan Pablo Ro, from Korea, also on his First Missionary Assignment, came down to Santiago from his parish appointment in Iquique, in the north of Chile, to participate in the Children’s Programme.
THE WORKSHOPS
Various workshops were offered to discuss with the children how biodiverse God’s Creation is and how the web of life that connects all of Creation needs to be protected from all kinds of dangers. Different interactive workshops on taking care of the web of life were given by “Greenpeace Chile” and also by the Chilean Government’s Ministry of the Environment. The participation of Greenpeace in the Children’s Programme was mentioned and praised on the Greenpeace Webpage the following week.
In order to help the children understand the importance of taking care of local biodiversity, a small Botanical Gardens consisting of 20 plants native to the planted on Monday, the first day of the programme.
These plants were donated by CONAF, Chile’s National Forestry Corporation, which administers and protects wilderness areas, including in national parks and reserves. The parish Youth Coordinator, who works for the Agricultural and Forestry Department at the University of Chile, conducted a workshop about the characteristics of each tree.
Also, on Saturday, the last day, the children helped plant 153 native trees in the nearby John Paul II park. This activity was organised by the local municipal council for the celebration of World Tree Day in Chile on June 28.
A Collective of Independent Artists offered the children workshops on music and art, while the Department of Culture and Sport from the local municipal council offered workshops on dance, Zumba and soccer.
THE EXCURSIONS
There were also two full-day excursions outside of Santiago. The first was to the Batuco Wetlands, north of Santiago. This large freshwater wetland is home to 143 species of birds, reptiles and iconic water mammals, such as the Coipo and the Quique. Here, the children participated in a workshop and received a guided tour conducted by members of the Batuco Sustainable Foundation, the NGO that administers the wetlands. The second excursion was to the Pacific Ocean at Algarrobo. Here, the Department of the Environment from the local municipal council gave the children a workshop highlighting the marine fauna and flora and the dangers they face. This was followed by a guided tour to see the habitats of sea lions, seals, sea otters and penguins.
THE CHILDREN WHO PARTICIPATED
Sixty children from the parish and its environs participated. The majority were children aged between 7 and 16 involved with their parents in the parish sacramental and other programmes.
Within the parish, there is a large, illegal shantytown, built on an old rubbish dump and populated by migrants to Chile. Around 12 Venezuelan, Ecuadoran, Colombian, and Haitian children living in the shantytown or nearby neighbourhoods also participated in the programme, along with their parents. In one of the poorer parts of the parish, there are several neurodiverse children and others on the autism spectrum, who participate with their parents in the parish sacramental programmes. These children, accompanied by their parents, came along too and had a wonderful time.
Children and adolescents with some of their parents watching, as they plant native Chilean trees in the John Paul II park, near the parish. - Photo: Fr Dan Harding
SUPPORT TO HELP FINANCE THE CHILDREN’S PROGRAMME
The overall costs of the Children’s Programme were reduced by 50% through parish fundraising and donations from the Archdiocese, local municipal councils, and private businesses. We are still looking for support to cover the remaining 50% of the costs.
During our one-week Children’s Programme, the children planted native tree species. They visited wetlands and the Pacific Coast to see and learn about native animal species. They attended a range of workshops on God’s Creation and the need to take care of it in all its biodiversity. The children grew in awareness of God’s Creation from a physical viewpoint. They also grew in spiritual awareness of it and the importance of a spirituality of creation.
Columban Fr Dan Harding lives and works in Chile.
Listen to "Raising awareness on God’s Biodiverse Creation"
Related links
- Read more from The Far East - September/October 2025
