An Ecuador experience

By Peter Bagnall
January/February 2009

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After months of anticipation, the fab five: Julia Duarte, Fr. Terry Gallagher, Kate O’Donnell, Kathy Murtha, and I—all delegates from Scarboro Missions—boarded a plane headed south on our way to the Missionary Congress of the Americas. We landed first in Bogota, Colombia, and were hustled through three security checkpoints before boarding a plane for Quito, Ecuador. The small airport in Quito was crammed with people and most of the arrivals were attending the Congress.

Approximately 3,100 participants from all over the Americas attended the third Missionary Congress of the Americas in Quito, Ecuador, from August 12-17, 2008.

Within an hour we made it to a central parish where we were to meet our host families. It was another couple of hours before our bags arrived so we made good use of our time dancing to the Congress theme song and mingling with Ecuadorians and their guests from all over the Americas.

“Amer-i-ca! Amer-i-ca! Amer-i-ca con Cristo!” the song rang out through the night and we danced away until our bags arrived around 2:00 a.m. and we finally made it to our host families and our beds.

My experience with my host family—16-year-old Bernardo and his Mom, Marybell—was one of the highlights of the Congress. They were very generous, even inviting me to join a family prayer gathering and a birthday party for Bernardo. However, I think my favourite memory of my host family was simply walking around town with them and chatting about life in Ecuador, in Canada, and in the Church. Marybell was very proud of her city, her country, and her people. I was impressed by the city of Quito, nestled in a valley surrounded by the Andes mountains. But even more, I was in awe of Marybell’s larger family and the people that I met, full of welcome and hospitality, friendly as can be, and quick to share customs, traditions, and stories.

A buzz of activity

Left: The closing mass of the Congress.

The Congress itself was a never-ending buzz of activity. It was interesting to see so many missionaries, about 3,100, filling a large conference centre and wildly waving flags to represent their country. Those who hasten to build bridges through cross-cultural ministry still maintain a great level of national pride and don’t hesitate to make it clear where they come from.

The keynote presentations at the Congress were in Spanish and difficult to follow through the translators provided; however, I do remember one cardinal from Colombia speaking not only about the guidance of the Spirit, but also about the pushing of the Spirit. He said that the Spirit pushes us in every direction: out to be with others, over to lend a hand to those less fortunate, in to our own depths to learn more about ourselves, and ultimately up to the One who created us. This talk became for me a bit of a metaphor for the entire Congress. We were all inspired to chat and connect with people from many different countries—even if we didn’t speak their language. We were challenged to face the reality of poverty in the streets and marketplaces of downtown Quito. We were led into prayer on a number of occasions, with our host parish community, our host families, or with the entire Congress. We shared lunch with a group of Colombian Sisters one day and Indigenous Ecuadorians the next. The Spirit guided us through the four chaotic, action-packed, and wonder-filled days of the Congress.

Scarboro delegates to the Congress (L-R Kathy Murtha, Kate O’Donnell, Julia Duarte, and Peter Bagnall) celebrate with Bishop Victor Corral (centre) of the Diocese of Riobamba where Scarboro missionaries have served for many years.

A visit to Riobamba

Following the Congress we thought we would have a chance to relax for a couple of days in Riobamba where Scarboro missionaries have served for many years. Little did we know that Fr. Charlie Gervais had different plans for us. Nelson, our driver, drove us past spectacular mountain views to Riobamba where we were treated to pizza, wine, and Indigenous music. The next day, we headed up to the mountainous regions. It was in the small village of Pulingui San Pablo that I was most amazed by the people and especially the warmth and love they had for Fr. Charlie and for Julia Duarte, one of our group and an Ecuadorian. Julia and her husband Tom Walsh had worked in this area for many years as Scarboro missionaries.

While we were there the people were working together to finish the construction of a school in the village that would serve several communities in the area. The people live in traditional straw huts and may not have a lot of modern amenities, but they have each other. And they were remarkably open to joking around and having fun with us even though we didn’t speak the same language.

After the Congress, these delegates visited some of the Indigenous communities that Scarboro accompanies on the slopes of Mount Chimborazo

It was inspiring to hear about projects that the people have accomplished with assistance from Scarboro missionaries. We visited Casa Condor, a tourist centre and hostel promoting eco-tourism in the region. We saw the Jambi Kiwa factory where Indigenous women with knowledge of herbal remedies have started a tea company and are now shipping their products around the world. And we visited a housing complex in the city of Riobamba that accommodates Indigenous people who come down from the mountains.

We enjoyed meeting many Ecuadorians in our tours of the Riobamba mission. For this traveller, a return to Ecuador—the land of big mountains and big hearts—to learn and share in the culture and life of the people would be most welcome. The Missionary Congress of the Americas was a wonderful experience, made even more so by the hospitality and warmth of the Ecuadorian people.

Peter Bagnall spent last summer working and living at Scarboro Missions in Toronto and learning about the work of mission today. He is now in France living at a l’Arche community

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