Colegio Cristo Rey

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Colegio Cristo Rey
Address
941 Ygatimí
Asunción, Paraguay
Information
Type Private, Catholic, Jesuit
Established 1938; 86 years ago (1938)
Founder Fr. Ramón Lloverola
Principal Fr. Mariano García Díaz
Grades 1–12
Campus Urban
Color(s) Green, navy blue, and gray
Emblem Crest
Website

The Colegio Cristo Rey is a Jesuit elementary and secondary school located in the city of Asunción, Paraguay.

History

The school's history dates back to January 4, 1927, the day the Society of Jesus was allowed to reenter Paraguay after 158 years of exile. These "Jesuits" had been expelled from the Spanish colonies, including modern-day Paraguay, in the late 1760s. A luxurious estate home was donated to the Order but, because its opulence and location conflicted with the Jesuits' commitment to educate all socioeconomic classes, Fr. Felipe Lérida, then the Superior of the Jesuit Mission in Paraguay, decided to look for a more appropriate locale.

Construction of the home of the Cristo Rey community at its current location on Avenida Colón began soon thereafter. The cornerstone of the chapel was laid in January 1928 and it opened in October 1928 on the feast of Cristo Rey, Christ the King. Construction of the original buildings was not complete until 1936, and the school was officially founded in 1938.

In the following 30 years, the school expanded from 35 students and three classes in 1938 to over 2,200 students distributed among an elementary school, secondary school, technical school, parish school, and college of philosophy. These would be affiliated with the newly founded Universidad Católica Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, a Jesuit institution and today the country's largest private university. Cristo Rey operated on school grounds during its early years, while the school buildings underwent expansion and new buildings and wings were added. An all-male institution in its founding, the first female students were admitted in 1972, but it would be 1983 before the school saw its first co-ed graduation.

In January 1976, with Paraguay fully in the grip of right-wing dictator Alfredo Stroessner, the government intervened against the school's efforts at teaching critical thinking and civic participation. Its Director Father Bartolomé Vanrell and several teachers were expelled. Military personnel took control of the school after the government accused its directors, several of its teachers, and many student leaders of conspiring against the regime and aligning with a liberal or socialist agenda. Jesuit priests, teachers, and students alike were persecuted, arrested, tortured and, as in the case of teacher Mario Schaerer Prono, murdered. The intervention lasted one year and ended in January 1977.

In 1988, the school celebrated its 50th anniversary and founded the Cristo Rey Educational Community, an umbrella organization composed of the school itself, the APAC (Parents' Association), the ASOP (Teachers' Association), the ASEA (Administrative Staff Association), the Student Council, and the Alumni Association. The year was marked also by the visit of the Archbishop of Asunción, Msgr. Ismael Rolón, and of the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, Father Peter Hans Kolvenbach, who celebrated Mass in the school courtyard before a huge crowd. He unveiled a monument in the school gardens honoring three saints: Saint Roque González de Santa Cruz, a Jesuit and Paraguay's first Saint, Saint Juan del Castillo, and Saint Alonso Rodríguez.

File:Uniforme Colegio Cristo Rey Asunción.PNG
Official uniform for girls and boys.

Three years later, in 1991, the school hailed the opening of the Centro de Niños Especiales Cristo Rey, a specialized educational institution tailored to the needs of children and young adults with Down Syndrome. The center is one of the only specialized institutions of its kind in the country.

Uniform

The school uniform is required. Boys are required to wear a white shirt with the school's crest embroidered onto the front pocket, navy blue tie, and gray trousers. Girls must wear a white shirt with the school's crest embroidered onto the front pocket, navy blue tie, gray skirt, and white knee-high socks. For official events both girls and boys must wear a navy blue blazer.

Notable Alumni

See also

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