Progress in Guale: House Visits, the Immaculate Heart, and a Growing Presence
We continue to receive encouraging reports from the new FSSP apostolate in Guale, Ecuador. Fr. Daniel Heenan, FSSP, shares the following account of the first full week of ministry.
On Friday, the missionaries made great progress on their different projects. The water is working well, the sacristy is coming together, and it seemed that for the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary on Saturday we would finally be able to use the newly restored altar. Our refrigerator, washing machine, and air-conditioning unit also finally arrived—small luxuries that are greatly appreciated in the heat of coastal Ecuador.
Missionaries laying new floor tiles in the Chapel of St. Vincent Ferrer, Roncador, Ecuador
Another crew began laying the flooring in the Chapel of St. Vincent Ferrer in the nearby village of Roncador (which, strangely, means “the one who snores”). The presence of the missionaries working on the chapel attracted the attention of many of the locals. People began stopping to talk with them, bringing them water and snacks, and offering to help with the work.
On Friday afternoon, we also began visiting houses throughout Guale to invite people to Sunday Mass and to welcome their new resident chaplain.
We began Saturday, the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, with a sung Mass early in the morning. Only a few residents attended. Nevertheless, it gave us an opportunity to reflect on the fact that in the work of God, success is not measured primarily by numbers, but by fidelity, love, and devotion. The sacred liturgy, even when attended by only a handful of people, must be celebrated with great dignity because it is offered first and foremost to God. Whether the church is full or nearly empty, we must always strive to give God our best.
FSSP priest inviting local residents to Mass during house visits in Guale, Ecuador
After Mass, we divided into four groups and continued visiting houses. We received a wide variety of reactions. Many people were very pleased to hear that a priest would now be living permanently in Guale. More than one responded, “It’s about time!”
Others, however, were quite timid. We suspected that some were Catholics who do not regularly attend Mass and perhaps felt a little embarrassed about their laxity in practicing the faith. Others told us quite frankly that they go to Mass occasionally when they do not have anything else to do, while still others admitted that they never go. A few immediately asked practical questions: How much does a baptism cost? How many times do you have to attend Mass before you can have your child baptized? These conversations gave us a revealing glimpse into the religious situation we are encountering here.
As mentioned before, there are at least five Protestant chapels in Guale. It usually became evident fairly quickly when we had arrived at the home of a Protestant family. Here, Protestants commonly refer to themselves simply as “Christians” or “Evangelicals.” Most of those whom we invited did not want to talk very much and more or less politely brushed us off. A few, however, were more combative and wanted to debate.
From the beginning, we had decided that the time for lengthy apologetical discussions could come later. For now, our purpose was simply to introduce ourselves, invite everyone, and remind them that there may be much about the Catholic Faith that they have never had the opportunity to discover. Of course, we also made sure that these conversations ended with a clear statement: the Catholic Church was founded by Jesus Christ Himself, and He desires all men to belong to His Church.
Before the evening Mass, we decided to pray the Rosary while walking through the town and singing Marian hymns. Some people greeted us with enthusiastic smiles; a few others looked on with evident scorn. Thankfully, we have Our Lady’s promise that in the end her Immaculate Heart will triumph.
That night we had an interesting encounter with several children in the park in front of the church. A young boy who attends the parish school was thrilled to see the priests again and very eager to talk with us. Fr. Proust even began recruiting him to serve Mass and teaching him how to genuflect properly. Someone then informed us that his family is Evangelical. The boy did not seem particularly concerned about that complication.
His cousins, however, who appeared to be slightly older, seemed considerably more worried about his conversations with the priests. They
Faithful attending Mass in a simple chapel served by the new FSSP apostolate in Ecuador
would not come near us, were reluctant even to tell us their names, and seemed eager to get their cousin away from us. It was a small encounter, but one that showed us something of the religious divisions that exist even among the children of the village.
Sunday began with a sung Mass and, this time, the church was mostly full. It is still difficult to gauge exactly how people are reacting to the traditional Mass. Two boys presented themselves to help serve and did so with great enthusiasm. We were also very pleased to see several of the children who had made their First Communion the previous weekend return for Mass. A few of them even came by themselves, without their parents.
Afterward, Fr. Proust and I split up to offer Masses in a couple of the surrounding villages. In the evening, there was a second Mass in Guale, followed by a much-anticipated soccer match: the Mexican missionaries versus Ecuador.
Mexican FSSP missionaries playing soccer with local residents in Guale
When we had announced the game during our house visits, it received a very positive reaction. Mexico eliminated Ecuador from the World Cup years ago, so the people of Guale seemed quite happy to have an opportunity for rematch. The locals handled our Mexican team with ease, but the people were quite amused to watch the padrecitos and seminarians playing soccer in cassocks.
After several days of plumbing, construction, house visits, apologetics, Masses, and missionary work, it seemed appropriate for a bit of recreation on Sunday.
En el Corazón Triunfante de Jesús,
Padre Daniel Heenan FSSP
Párroco, Cuasi-Parroquia de San Pedro en Cadenas
