Renata Steffens
Ecuadorians after Mass said in Spanish. Photo: Daniela Canizares. A new Ecuadorian priest in Ireland is bringing the community together to live their Faith and celebrate their culture. In the first week of June, a meeting with Mass and traditional food was hosted by the community at the Avila Carmelite Centre.
Fr Jose Luis, who has been in Ireland for four months and is already bringing the Ecuadorians together, mentioned that “Faith takes a shape in our cultures and each culture has its way of living and to express itself.”
Daniela Canizares, a part of the community for over a year, attends Mass in Spanish at St Saviour’s, ministered by Colombian priest Fr Atanasio, who lived in Ecuador for a few years. She spoke about the differences between Catholic life in Ireland compared to Ecuador.
“In Ecuador, religious holidays such as Holy Week and Christmas usually include processions and community celebrations that combine Catholic and ancestral elements,” she said.
Ms Canizares told The Irish Catholic about Fr Jose’s decision of bringing the Ecuadorians together. “We shared details of our WhatsApp group with him and he immediately said, ‘we have to meet each other and form a united community’.”
Fr Jose said that “human beings are social beings by nature,” and that they “have noticed that besides meeting up and getting to know each other, it is important to live our Faith together and help each other in our struggles and hopes.”
For the meeting at St Saviour’s, “Fr Jose contacted people from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London,” said Ms Canizares. The gathering was also attended by the Ireland Honorary Consul.