Composting in Cochabamba: Victor Artaiz’s Ministries Post-FMS

This year of 2025 finds me still on mission. After living in community with FMS for three years in the city center of Cochabamba, I decided to live as an independent lay missioner living outside of the city. I chose to continue my various ministries serving men in prison and abandoned mothers and children while starting a new ministry serving abandoned and disabled men with the sisters of charity in the zona sur of the city. I now live in community with Maryknoll fathers, brothers, and seminary candidates. It is within this property of woodland, flower gardens, koi ponds, llamas, chickens, and rabbits that I find the peace and tranquility of creation that Saint Francis embraced and was inspired by. I continue to grow in my faith while learning more about the Bolivian culture and environment.

The Maryknoll residence is about four acres of woodland and manicured gardens of flowers and shrubbery, koi ponds, an apiary, and our own group of rabbits, cats, dogs, chickens and llama family! The property sits within part of the bustling city. It provides a peaceful and natural refuge. Having built a relationship with Maryknoll priests and brothers via my men’s prison and abandoned mothers and children ministries, we agreed that living within this larger community would be life-giving for me, and it has been that for almost nine months now.

The language school, Climal is on site here as well as care for creation organizations Kawsai and Fundacion Justicia Social, an organization that cares for people with disabilities living in the amazon campo. So, there are like-minded and hearted people here with whom I have grown relationships. 

One of my newer “hobbies” is working with the piles of leaves and the property’s natural debris here, which gets piled up from all of the lawn, tree, and garden maintenance. Over time, nature takes its course and a beautiful decomposed “humus” is created underneath these piles. I, along with Padre Gregorio, have uncovered, dug out, and screen filtered composted rich soil which is bagged and then sold at our organic farmers market here on Thursday mornings.

Another priest, Padre Pablo, has taught us a method of using old, discarded car and truck tires with which to create a vertical compost bin process using kitchen scraps, dried leaves, and llama droppings which over time and occasional mixing will create a rich “humus” as well!

So, my Franciscan formation and the value of Francis’s care of creation has been manifested into producing rich organic matter that feeds our plants, gardens, and is sold to local families who shop at our Thursday market!

Question for Reflection: What kind of Franciscan service project would you like to try?

Organic farmers market

Our family of llamas L- R are Domingo, Andres, & Catalina. Catalina is expecting a sibling for Andres in late December!