While we are now well into spring, time, distance, and technical difficulties mean that we have just received these wonderful Christmas pictures from our MSC brothers in Ecuador, and they are a joy to see at any time of year!
MSCs have been ministering in Ecuador for almost 30 years, since 1998. Currently, Fr Marcelo Campoverde and Fr Jose Baak are working across two mission areas in the parishes of San Francisco de Asís and San Juan Evangelista, ministering to more than 30,000 people across over 50 communities. These indigenous communities are extremely poor and live in very isolated rural locations, and our MSCs work to support them through many and varied challenges including malnutrition (especially in children), poor educational and employment opportunities, and the difficulties of living in remote areas with harsh desert climate.
In recent years, our mission friends and benefactors here in the Irish Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart have been greatly compassionate in their support of our mission in Ecuador, raising funds for a new parish kitchen, repairs to the church, pastoral centre, and parish house, and food baskets for hungry families.
“I send warm greetings from Ecuador,” writes Fr Marcelo, who himself comes from an indigenous background. “It may have been a long time, but I wanted to share with you all some of the activities we’ve had during Christmas, as you are such generous supporters of our parish.”
“Now we are in another beautiful season, and I wish you a blessed Lent.”
All images were kindly sent from our Ecuador mission by Fr Marcelo Campoverde MSC.