Nicolás Castellanos was born on 18 February 1935 in the agricultural and cattle-raising village of Mansilla del Páramo (León). He took holy orders in Palencia in 1953 and completed his ecclesiastical studies in the La Vid Monastery (Burgos). In 1992 he resigned as Bishop of Palencia in order to dedicate himself to missionary work, and since then Monsignor Castellanos has resided in Santa Cruz, Bolivia with a group of priests, clergy, and laypersons, where he is at work on Plan 3000, which attempts to improve the living conditions and well- being in this urban area. He has founded the "Hombres Nuevos" Parish on which five soup kitchens-providing relief to more than 800 children and mothers-depend. At the "Palencia" Childrens´ Centre, 200 children suffering from malnutrition are attended to each year, and their mothers are given support. He has also built 14 educational centres, which enrol more than 14,000 students.