On Sunday, November 17, 2019, the Church of San Antonio de Padua in Santo Domingo, Ecuador, was solemnly dedicated by the Most Reverend Bertram Víctor WICK ENZLER, Bishop of the Diocese of Santo Domingo.
During the dedication ceremony, relics were enshrined in the altar in keeping with ancient tradition. The relics were those of St. Anthony, the patron saint of the parish, and the Blessed Martyrs Zbigniew STRZAŁKOWSKI and Michał TOMASZEK of Pariacoto, Peru.
Those participating in the ceremony included the Vicar Provincial of the Province of St. Maximilian M. Kolbe in Poland (Gdańsk), Friar Tomasz RYŁKO, the Provincial Secretary, Friar Grzegorz KORDEK; the Provincial Delegate in Ecuador Friar Michał PAGA; and some local missionaries, namely, Friars Krzysztof KURKIEWICZ, Mirosław DUBIELA, Zbigniew BRAUN, Mariusz BARTOŃ; and Vicente Carlomán TANDAZO GALLEGOS. The event was attended by representatives of the clergy and numerous faithful.
The construction of the Conventual Franciscan church in Santo Domingo began in 1999. The next year, work began on the friary. Friars from the Province of Gdansk started the Conventual Franciscan presence here in 1995. Later, other missions were opened, in Shushufindi, Tulcán and Quito (the capital of Ecuador).
In Santo Domingo, the Alegría de Vivir Childcare Center is being developed. It runs a nursery, an oratory, provides compensatory education courses and tutoring, manages a soup kitchen and runs a sports club for children and young people.
Friar Robert KOZIELSKI
Provincial Secretary for the Missions