The friars of the Provincial Delegation in Ecuador celebrated the 25th anniversary of their arrival in this country.
Due to the pandemic, the celebrations were postponed for a year, but finally took place on July 24, 2021, in Santo Domingo de los Colorados, Ecuador. The local Ordinary, the Most Reverend Bertram Víctor WICK ENZLER, Bishop of Santo Domingo en Ecuador, presided over Mass.
Guests at the event included the Vicar General, Friar Jan MACIEJOWSKI; the Delegate General for Missionary Animation, Friar Dariusz MAZUREK; the Provincial Secretary for the Missions, Friar Robert KOZIELSKI, from the Province of St. Maximilian M. Kolbe in Poland (Gdańsk); and Friar Jerzy AUGUŚCIK, from the same Province. Due to the pandemic, the anniversary celebration was limited to Mass and a fraternal meeting between the friars and some parishioners.
During its 1993 Provincial Chapter, the Province of Gdańsk decided to open a mission in Ecuador, thus adding another presence of the Order in Latin America. The first friars arrived in June of 1995 and settled in Santo Domingo.
Currently in Ecuador, the friars have been present in Tulcán since 1999. The friary there is almost 3000 meters (9843 feet) above sea level; it has the highest altitude of any friary in the Order. The friars have also been present in Shushufindi since 1999 and in the capital Quito since 2010.
Besides doing parish ministry, the friars are involved in various charitable works, such as a recently inaugurated clinical laboratory, a soup kitchen for children and the elderly, a long distance adoption program to help students with scholarships, a kindergarten, school support service, a dental center, service to the disabled and a maternity center.
In addition to the missionary friars from Poland, the Delegation currently has three friar-priests and five friars in formation, all from Ecuador.
We thank God for the gift of the mission in Ecuador.
Friar Dariusz MAZUREK, General Delegate for Missionary Animation
