The date of birth of the Salesian Oratory of San Lorenzo can be considered March 1, 2001. It was 4 o'clock in the afternoon when a small group of children was invited to play a game on the multi-purpose field near the parish church. There were Salesian games, sports, a little prayer and a few words of greeting.
The first community was composed of five Salesians: Fr Luigi Bolla, stationed in Kuyuntsa, Fr Román Olesinski, Fr Diego Clavijo and Salesian coadjutors Daniel Coronel and Enrique Castillo. During this first year, they managed to get in touch with the population, especially the young people of the educational centers (Institute "Jesús Nazareno", National Institute - central branch), of the Inter-Ethnic Boarding School and in general with the youth of San Lorenzo, which then had about 6,000 inhabitants.
The Oratory was born as an alternative answer for the recreation and formation of the youth in their free time, and immediately was sought after by children and young people, and infact hand an average regular attendance of about 150 young people.
The Catechetical activities too were begun, with the assistance from the students & staff of the Lauretan Missionaries Pedagogical Institute. Teams were formed and the the oratory began to organize leagues, games and religious activities for the Holy Week, Easter, the feasts of Mary Help of Christians, St. John Bosco, St. Lawrence etc.,
At the end of the year, the renovated courtyard was inaugurated, with soccer fields and basketball courts. A hall for indoor games was built and regular picnics were organized with the young people.
It was during the school vacation periods (July-August and January-March) that more young people began to gather for activities such as leagues, educational trips, etc., The support of Salesian youth for activities such as school reinforcement, workshops, leagues and Salesian games, consolidated and strengthened the reality and presence of the oratory in the community.
For the feast of Mary Help of Christians, by now, about 300-400 children and young people gather already on the evening of May 22nd and participated in academy and religious performances besides sharing a moment of fraternal agape.
During 2019, oratory activities were expanded and strengthened in the neighborhoods of Carabanchel, Las Flores, La Union and Monzantes; and so was sacramental catechesis, in collaboration with other congregations.
In 2021, activities in the neighborhoods and catechesis of youth and adults are being taken up again. And little by little, efforts are being made to return toward normalcy.
