During this academic year, the post-novitiate program of the Provincial Delegation in Ecuador was able to resume its activities. The Delegation belongs to the Province of St. Maximilian M. Kolbe in Poland (Gdańsk).

Over the summer holidays, Friar Gabriel Javier MONTENEGRO PABÓN renewed his simple profession on July 27, 2020. In August, our two clerical students began a new semester of study.
On October 5, 2020, the Delegation transferred its postulancy program to a formation house in Quito, which our mission acquired ten years earlier with help from the Provincial Custody of St. Maximilian M. Kolbe in Canada. Additional men in formation were expected to arrive from the Provincial Custody of the B.V.M. of Coromoto in Venezuela, but the pandemic prevented them from studying in Quito.
With help from the Missionary Secretariat of the Province of Gdańsk and Friar Robert KOZIELSKI, the Delegation received a gift of bicycles for those in formation and for the collaborators in the mission. Twenty-five bicycles arrived for the 25th anniversary of our presence in Ecuador. All of the confreres were pleasantly surprised by this unexpected gift from Poland.
On December 18-20, 2020, a mission was conducted in a village within the “Julio Andrade Parish,” an area on the border with Colombia. Some of our parishioners from Quito invited the friars to their large farm in the Andean foothills. The farm produces cattle and potatoes. The landscape is very picturesque, with numerous little villages hidden in the hills and valleys. There are not many people, and the local chapels are visited by a priest from the parish once a month. The hosts were very hospitable toward our confreres. The students helped with chores on the farm and spent their evenings meeting the local people.
On January 15-17, 2021, another mission, focused on evangelization and vocation promotion, was conducted, this time in Alor in the “Parish of Bolivar.” It is a village at the “end of the world,” effectively a location isolated from everything and everyone. It is a quiet and peaceful place. About three hundred people inhabit the village. They make a living growing fruit and vegetables. Almost all the inhabitants take part in Mass on Saturday. There is also a procession with the Child Jesus throughout the village. Our students in formation had an opportunity to provide catechesis and games for children. Fortunately, the pandemic restrictions did not ban church meetings and small village gatherings.
On January 19, 2021, Friar Oscar David GAÓN MARTÍNEZ renewed his simple profession. On January 30, the clerical students advanced to the Ministry of Lector. This is a great joy for the Delegation, because the last priestly ordination was that of Friar Franklin David SAMANIEGO GONZÁLES, seven years ago.

Friar Michał SABATOWSKI