Interesting Current Events in Ecuador Sept-Oct.

Here is a huge event, that I believe the American newpapers will barely mention, is that Ecuador voted on and overwhelmingly passed a new Constitution on Sunday, September 28! Here is President Rafael Correa, who has been seen a lot on TV lately. He is very happy! It has a lot of written rights for the poor, the indigineous, the handicapped, the environment, and more great things. It also has the possibility of opening the door to abortion, and attacking Catholic schools.

St. Narcisa de Jesus Martillo Moran, a girl from a town about 2o miles outside of Guayaquil, Ecuador (140 years ago) will be canonized a Saint by Pope Benedict VI. Here are Miquel and I in the sanctuary of her Church, where her incorruptable body is displayed under the altar.


Here is a pilgrimage poster for the Canonization Mass at the Vatican scheduled for Sunday, October 12, 2008.

One more goodbye party!

Good Bye Tributes

On June 5th, the Director of the St. James Society flew out from Boston to the Priest Retreat in Mt. Angel, Oregon for my sending Mass with the Archbishop, family and friends!



My former parishes, family and friends said their goodbyes. Here is a gift I received from St. John Mission, Port Orford, Oregon (an army helmet for the missions)!


Holy Trinity Parish, Bandon, Oregon gave me Missionary hat, complete with dangly things (that keep mosquitos out of faces)! I also got the two suitcases I'm living out of for the first 10 weeks.

After Libertad, I headed up further along the Coast to San Pablo, where the coordinator for Ecuador, Fr. Desmond Dalton lives (right on the beach).

Another Door to Door Evangelizing Picture

Here is another photo taken in Libertad, on the coast, when four of us were going door to door evangelizing. I SURE WISH more Catholics would do this!

Here is Fr. Colm Hogan´s house and main Church near Guayaquil. I met Fr. Colm in Boston when we were both applying.

Here is Fr. Tom Bierney´s house, but at a neighboring parish, bordering his parish, in Libertad (West of Guayaquil by two hours).

In Libertad, we began visiting door to door with Fr. Tom Bierney, who is one of the newest priests who just got his own parish named San Patricio. We are inviting people to attend a new Mass he´s starting at a new capilla. Here he is with two Legionnaire´s of Mary, with Jehovah Witnesses coming the other way!


Here is Fr. Tom helping a woman pay for a roof on her sugar cane house, built over a garbage dump.

First Communion & Visit Dying

We had First Communion at two of the 15 chapels that belong to the San Francisco Parish. Here is a photo of the First Communion at Sacrada Familia Chapel.

Here we are visiting a woman, Bella, who is dying of complications due to diabetes. She already lost her legs in previous battles. Her 11 children and their families were all gathered.

Ecuador, then Bolivia, then Ecuador

The plan for me is to visit the 15 priests, and the parishes they work at in Ecuador from Sept. 16-Oct. 15th. On October 15th, I travel to Cochabamba, Bolivia to take an intermediate Spanish course at the Instituto de Idiomas (that is if the civil unrest settles down in Bolivia by then). On December 2nd, I return to Ecuador to take my first assignment as an associate under a veteran pastor for probably six months.

The hardest part about going South was saying goodbye to my friends and family. Here is a photo of my family the morning before I left. God bless you all.

First Gathering Fellow Colleages

Here are some of my fellow confreres at the September meeting in Ayanque.

Here are Fr. Colin, Fr. Patrick, Fr. Heiko (Enrique) & Fr. Frank. (to view more about them, and where they are from, visit the St. James Website at http://socstjames.com/).

Here are some of the others serving Ecuador, present at this gathering (clockwise): Fr. Colm, Dave, Fr. Desmond, Fr. Tom, Fr. John & Fr. Ed (on the three chairs).

Welcome & Introduction

I have now officially joined the Missionary Society of St. James the Apostle, serving in Ecuador. On Tuesday, September 16th, at 1:0am, I arrived in Guayaquil two hours late. After Fr. Colm Hogan picked me up, we drove two hours into the wilderness to the beautiful coastal retreat house in Ayanque owned by the St. James Society for their monthly meeting. On Wednesday, I began my parish visitations starting at Fr. Frank Jones' parish in San Francisco on the Northern part of Guayaquil, one of the newer squatter towns (invasion area). This top photo is the chapel at the retreat house.

This next photo is the beginning of a series of photos from Fr. Frank's parish, "Jesus, Pan de Vida" in the San Francisco squatter suburb.

The next photo is the neighborhood (suburb) where his parish is located.