"EVERY MORNING I CLEANED THE STEPS OF THE CHURCH... NOT OUT OF FAITH, BUT OUT OF RESPECT FOR TIRED FEET."
Andrés Toledo, 79 years old, had a cloth, a broom, and a simple habit.
Every morning, at dawn, he cleaned the steps of the neighborhood church.
He was not an altar boy.
He did not work there.
He did not expect thanks.
He simply said:
—"There are people who come to the church with broken faith, but with tired feet.
At least let them step on something clean."
He removed dust, leaves, mud from the rain.
He did it in silence, before the doors opened.
One day, a young man asked him:
—"Why do you clean if no one asks you to?"
And Andrés replied:
—"Because there are gestures that are not prayer, but are also sacred."
The story went viral when a street photographer shared an image of Andrés hunched over, cleaning the steps at dawn.
Thousands of people commented:
"Not everyone who cares for a temple is inside.
Some start at the entrance."
Today, Mr. Andrés continues to clean the steps every morning.
And when someone says thank you, he smiles and replies:
—"It's not for the church.
It's for the people."
