Professor José Silvio Botero Giraldo, Redemptorist

José Silvio Botero Giraldo, is a Redemptorist priest, native of Columbia, and a professor at the Alphonsian Academy for the past twelve years. He is the first of a "Caldense Family" (from the region of Caldas) which, in Columbia is synonymous with "Large Family": 13 children.

Father Botero believes that coming from a large and close knit loving family explains in great part his interest and enthusiasm for the theology of matrimony and of the family. This is precisely the area in which he has concentrated his studies.

Father Silvio’s education literally began at his mother’s knee. He says: "Even though she was not a teacher....she was a great educator, I learned my abc’s from her." After completing grammar school in his hometown of Aranzazu, Colombia, he went on to complete his studies at the "Escuela Apostólica" of the Vincentian Fathers.

There followed a four year period in which he taught at a public secondary school. This was a very enjoyable and significant experience for the future Father Botero. After a period of discernment he decided to enter the religious life. He decided to join the Redemptorists. His formation and education as a Redemptorist began in 1963 when he entered the novitiate in Buga, Columbia near the famous Basilica of ‘El Señor de los Milagros’. He then went on to study philosophy and theology at the Redemptorist Major Seminary in Suba. After completing these studies Silvio Botero was ordained to the priesthood by His Holiness Pope Paul VI during the 1968 International Eucharistic Congress in Bogota. Immediately after ordination he was asked to continue with some specialized studies. First he traveled to Madrid, Spain where he earned Licentiate Degrees in Dogmatic Theology and Canon Law at the Jesuit Institute. He then went to Rome where, in 1973, he received his Doctorate in Moral Theology from the Alphonsian Academy.

Before returning to Rome in 1987, having been asked by the Superior General of the Redemptorists and Moderator General of the Academy to join the Faculty, Father Silvio was involved in a number of ministries: professor at the Javeriana and S. Buenaventura Unversities in Bogota, and the Bolivariana in Medellin. He also taught in the major seminaries of the Archdiocese of Manizales and of the Vincentian Fathers and the Redemptorists.

During this period in Colombia, Father Botero was also involved in a number of pastoral ministries. At different times, he was director of both the major and minor Redemptorist seminaries. He was active as vocation director, youth minister and as pastor and superior of his religious community. It was in his work with youth that he discovered the ‘hobby of writing’ as he puts it. His first efforts dealt with youth ministry. Then later, as Professor at the Alphonsian Academy, he focused his interest on the theology of marriage and the family. His literary output is notable: over two dozen books and more than 30 articles published in European and Latin American professional journals. He has participated in numerous national and international symposia.

Father Botero places great value on his experience as Professor at the Academy:

It has given me the opportunity to relate with people from diverse continents and a variety of cultures. It has also afforded me the opportunity to continue my study and research with an excellent library and time for reflection. Above all, it has given me the chance to share with our students my experience, research and study in a global context.

When asked what he most valued about his ministry at the Academy, he answered:

As a professor, I can serve my Church represented by students from over 60 countries who specialize in Moral Theology here at the Academy.

He credits the fact that he is an alumnus of the Alphonsian Academy for his spirit of dedication and enthusiasm for the field of Moral Theology. Presently there are a good number of ‘New Doctors’ who have studied and written their Doctoral Dissertations under his direction. He has also directed over 70 Licentiate Theses. Father Botero considers this accomplishment very important. As he puts it: "To be a multiplier in the Church".

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