Some of the treasures of the history of the Province of Saint Nicholas of Tolentine of the Order of Augustinian Recollects and the environments and spaces where it has carried out its work throughout history and today.
Since 1965, the Province of Saint Nicholas has administered a socio-educational centre for youth in the surrounding areas of Cartago, the third most populous city in Costa Rica. Its objective has been to provide comprehensive care and to break the cycle of poverty for boys and adolescents from disadvantaged backgrounds. Many of these youths come from families of migrants, indigenous peoples, or from government institutions established to support children.
Spanning 127 hectares, the centre has all the necessary facilities to support the lives of more than 500 beneficiaries: 14 hostels, each designed to accommodate twelve first-year students and a host family; five residences (with a sixth planned), each intended for 48 students (twelve rooms with four occupants each) under a self-management system; the Colegio Técnico Agustiniano [Augustinian Technical Vocational School] with its classrooms, offices, teachers’ lounge, and technical and technological areas; professional workshops for carpentry, mechanics, electricity, metallurgy, agriculture, and livestock farming; a library and computer room; a recreation hall; areas for agricultural and livestock production; a sports complex and green spaces, including mountainous and forested areas; administrative offices, a health office, and a psychosocial centre; Our Lady of Consolation Church; and the residence of the Recollect community.
All services are provided free of charge. In addition to formal and professional education, the centre offers value education, healthcare and nutrition, psychosocial support, on-the-job company internships, and assistance for rapid integration into society and the job market. Over 15,000 students have benefited from this comprehensive education, with nearly a hundred graduating each year.
The centre is a place of complex administration, with a vast educational community comprising religious members, professors, monitors, psychologists, social workers, mothers, host families, and maintenance staff.
In addition to managing the centre, the Recollect community oversees the teaching of values and provides a wide and free range of spiritual growth opportunities for the students.
