On November 30, 2019, the Señor de Mayo Church in Pariacoto, Peru, was solemnly consecrated by the Most Reverend Ángel Francisco SIMÓN PIORNO, Bishop of Chimbote, Peru. The consecration occurred as this Polish friary mission in the Andes Mountains marks thirty years of presence.
It was a day of great joy for the entire parish community, particularly because the church has a chapel nearby that was erected at the site where the Blessed Martyrs, Friars Michał TOMASZEK and Friar Zbigniew STRZAŁKOWSKI were killed. The chapel has become a pilgrimage site for many faithful of the diocese and for the whole country, as the bishop said in his homily. He added that he had decided to permanently entrust this parish to the Friars Minor Conventual, as well as the church, the Chapel of the Martyrs and the friary, which is under restoration. “I want to forever bind the Franciscan presence with the people of Pariacoto,” said Bishop SIMÓN PIORNO.
Those attending the consecration ceremony included the Friar Marian GOŁĄB, the Minister Provincial of the Province of St. Anthony and Blessed James of Strepar in Poland (Cracow); friars from Ecuador, Paraguay and Poland; representatives of the local clergy; delegations from the Conventual Franciscan parishes in Lima, Chimbote and Trujillo, as well as a large number of faithful. Others present included Ms. Antonina Magdalena ŚNIADECKA-KOTARSKA, the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland in Peru; Mr. Bogdan STRZAŁKOWSKI, the brother of one of the Blessed Martyrs; and Sister Berta HERNÁNDEZ, a witness of the martyrdom of our Blessed Friars
Today, to the extent that they are able, the friars serving at Pariacoto are trying to continue the mission of Blessed Zbigniew and Michał with enthusiasm. Although this mission lacks means and human resources, it nevertheless aims at addressing people’s poverty.
Friar Andrzej GUTKOWSKI
