At the beginning of April, responding to the request of Romanians from Ecuador, Fr Daniel Ene, Romanian Orthodox Dean of New York and the US East Coast, travelled to Quito.
Romanians from all over the country participated in the Divine Liturgy he celebrated there: for instance, Mihaela Badin, a journalist, travelled more than 300 miles to attend.
On Saturday, April 1, Fr Daniel Ene officiated a religious service in Puembo, a city situated approximately 30 kilometres from Quito. Romanians attended with their families.
On Sunday, April 2, the Romanian Dean of New York celebrated the Divine Liturgy and the Commemoration of the Dead at Quito’s Capilla Católica de la Resurrection, across the city’s Mariott Hotel.
The Romanian priest was joined in the divine service by Archimandrite Raphael (Chepernich) from the Serbian Orthodox parish in Guayaquil, whose church became the first Orthodox church to be consecrated in Ecuador last November.
Romanians also set up an exhibition of photos and objects illustrating Romanian identity and customs.
After the service, the Romanian women offered fasting refreshments in memory of their loved ones who have reposed in the Lord.
“Young, old and children participated in a unique moment and were convinced it was a good start: the first of many moments that we will share over the years, with the help of the Good Lord,” a Romanian from Quito reported for the website of the Romanian Metropolis of the Americas.
It was Father Daniel Ene’s fifth missionary visit to Ecuador. The service drew Romanians, Orthodox of other nationalities, and local Ecuadorian converts, who received the Holy Communion after Confession.
“The joy was all the greater as his efforts to generate opportunities for communion and to crystallize a scattered Romanian community have begun to bear fruit.”
Thus, the future Romanian parish of Quito could offer the faithful of various nationalities the first canonical Orthodox church in the city.
Services in Quito are held in a central and very easily accessible area of the city, at Capilla Catolica de la Resurrection, RG26 + X87, Quito Ecuador 170517.
Photo source: Romanian Metropolis of the Two Americas
