Colegio Cristo Rey

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

History

The school's history dates back to January 4, 1927, the day the Jesuits priests of the Society of Jesus were allowed to reenter Paraguay after 158 years in exile. The Jesuit order 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 conflicted with the Jesuits' vows of poverty, Father 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. This chapel was the first to be completed, and it was opened officially in October 1928, the eve of the feast of Cristo Rey, or Christ the King. By 1936, construction of the original buildings was completed, 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, a secondary school, a technical school, a parish school, and a college of philosophy. These would form part of the newly founded Universidad Católica Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, today the country's largest private university, which was also a Jesuit institution and operated on school grounds during its early years. During this period of growth, the school building also underwent expansion through the construction of new buildings and wings.

Until 1972, the school had been an all-male institution. That year, the school opened its doors to its first female students.

In January 1976, with Paraguay fully in the grip of right-wing dictator Alfredo Stroessner, the government ordered the intervention of the school because of its efforts in teaching students the importance of critical thinking and civic participation. The expulsion of its Director, Father Bartolomé Vanrell, and several teachers soon followed. 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 aliked 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 1983, the school's first co-ed class graduated.

In 1988, the school celebrated its 50th anniversary, and did so by founding the Cristo Rey Educational Community, an umbrella organization composed of the school itself, the APAC (the Parents' Association), the ASOP (the Teachers' Association), the ASEA (the Administrative Staff Association), the Student Council and the Alumni Association. The year was marked also by celebrations and the visits of the Archbishop of Asunción, Mons. 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 Saint Roque González de Santa Cruz, a Jesuit who is known as Paraguay's first Saint, Saint Juan del Castillo and Saint Alonso Rodríguez.

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 need of children and young adults with Down Syndrome. The center was, and continues to be, 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

• Horacio Cartes, business men and current president of Paraguay.
• Juan Carlos Maneglia, producer.
• Pedro Fadul, politician.
• Carlos Martini, journalist.
• Hugo Ferreira, musician.
• Carlos Peralta, journalist.
• Mario Ferreiro, journalist.
• Arnaldo Samaniego, politician.
• Antonio J. Vierci, business men.
• Lilian Samaniego, politician.
• Rocío Vallejo, prosecutor.
• Juan José Zapag, entrepreneur.
• Cesar Cataldo, musician.

See also

• List of high schools in Paraguay