La Villa Capilla (The Slum Chapel)

Buenos Aires: Where Jesus isn't your only savior

Welcome to La Capilla María Madre del Pueblo in the Bajo Flores slum of Buenos Aires.

My article provides a fairly comprehensive summary of what's happening in Argentina's slums. The church is the only organization that's maintains a consistent presence there. I visited the Bajo Flores villa on July 3, 2009. It's also known as Villa 1-11-14. Back in the day the government numbered the villas, so Bajo Flores is essentially a mega-villa, three in one.

Father Carrara had to meet me at the corner across from a nicer neighborhood and escort me into the villa. Below is a brief podcast of the encounter.

Villa Capilla Podcast

What I hope people understand from the article, the podcast, and the photos from this and the previous post, is how amazingly difficult life is here, and how this difficulty produces amazing acts of compassion and courage.

Maté and Catolicsimo

Walls of la Capilla

Glass bottles decorate la Capilla

Father Gustavo Carrara