With the help of the Good God, with the blessing of His Eminence Father NICOLAE, Archbishop of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of the United States of America and Metropolitan of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolia of the Americas, and at the invitation of His Excellency, Mrs. Camelia Ion Radu, Romanian Ambassador to Peru, V. Rev. Fr. Daniel Ene, Eparchial Secretary and Dean of New York, New England and the Eastern USA visited the Romanian communities in Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia on November 11-19, 2021.
It was the second visit of a Romanian Orthodox priest to Peru and the first to Ecuador and Bolivia.
Ecuador - Quito (November 11-13, 2021)
Father Daniel arrived in Ecuador on Thursday, November 11, and met with Mr. Consul Radu Mihail and his wife Alexandra at the headquarters of the Honorary General Consulate of Romania in Quito, Ecuador. The discussion focused on the Romanian community in Quito and Guayaguil, during which it was possible to observe the special care and unconditional love of the consul for the small Romanian community in Ecuador. The Consul thanked HE Nicolae and Father Daniel for this blessing to receive for the first time in Ecuador a canonical Romanian Orthodox priest. The Orthodox community in the Ecuadorian capital has no active canonical Orthodox church. The only church is a few hours away in Guayaguil under the jurisdiction of the Serbian Orthodox Church. On Saturday, November 13, the first Divine Liturgy and Memorial Service were celebrated in Romanian in Ecuador. The service was held with the Serbian Orthodox community at Capilla San Charbel, a Maronite church. Immediately after the Divine Liturgy, a meeting took place with the Romanian Orthodox community in the Ecuadorian capital. It was stressed in the meeting that there is no church in Ecuador with the blessing of the Romanian Orthodox Church and that the only canonical priests are Father Archimandrite Rafail of the Serbian Orthodox Church and Father Alexei of the Russian Orthodox Church. On this occasion, Father Rafail showed his willingness to come to Quito twice a month to take care of the spiritual care of the Romanian community. In Ecuador, according to the existing documentation, there are around 70-80 people of Romanian origin, most of them in the two big cities of Quito and Guayaguil.
Peru - Lima (November 14-16, 2021)
The first meeting of Father Daniel Ene, for the second time in Peru, immediately after his arrival at the Jorge Chavez Airport in Lima, was with the Orthodox community at the Divine Liturgy on Sunday, November 14, at the Holy Trinity Church in Lima. Now under the jurisdiction of the Antiochian Orthodox Church, the only Orthodox church in Lima gathers Orthodox of all ethnicities in one place. The church community gathers Greeks, Romanians, Serbs, Antiochians, Russians, Ukrainians, and Peruvian converts. Father Daniel thanked Father Juan for his pastoral care of the Romanian faithful and entrusted him with the full support of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolia of the Americas in continuing this relationship of brotherhood and support for the good care of the Romanian Orthodox in Peru, and especially from Lima. Father Juan spoke with great love about the support received by the church from the Romanian Orthodox and the fact that they are very active in the Orthodox life of Lima. The estimated number of Romanians in Peru is of 120. His Excellency, Camelia Ion-Radu, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Romania to the Republic of Peru and the diplomatic corps of the Romanian Embassy in Peru also participated in the Divine Liturgy and the Memorial Service that followed. The Romanian ladies prepared dishes for all those participating in the social hall of the church. It was the first meeting of the Romanian community in more than two years.
On Monday, November 15, Father Daniel met with His Excellency, Mrs. Camelia Ion-Radu, and with the members of the diplomatic corps of the Romanian Embassy in Peru. The discussions centered on the real issues faced by the Romanian community in Peru and about the difficulties encountered during this pandemic period. On this occasion, Fr. Daniel presented, on behalf of HE Metropolitan Nicolae, as a symbol of the appreciation and care of His Eminence to the Romanians living in Peru, the commemorative icon of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolia of the Americas for the year 2021, The Solemn Year of the Pastoral Care of Romanians Abroad in the Romanian Patriarchate. The icon represents the “Mother of God of Guadalupe - Patroness of unborn children,” being a missionary Icon of the Holy Virgin, also known as “The Icon of the Mother of God of Guadalupe,” venerated as a protectress of the Americas. The donated icon has in the center this image of the Mother of God together with the image of the Holy Emperors Constantine and Helen, the patrons of the Metropolia, along with St. George the Pilgrim and St. Raphael of Brooklyn, the patrons of the Deanery of New York, New England and the Eastern USA. This gift is intended to be an opportunity for blessing and protection not only for the walls, but especially for all those who work hard now and henceforth in the Embassy headquarters in order to take care of the Romanian people who live in these lands.
Likewise, a diploma and a homage medal of The Solemn Year of the Pastoral Care of Romanians Abroad were offered to Mrs. Ioana Ciaușu, by His Beatitude, Patriarch Daniel, for her constant contribution to the Metropolia’s mission in preserving the Orthodox faith and promoting Christian culture in Peru. In turn, Mrs. Ioana thanked HB Patriarch Daniel, HE Metropolitan Nicolae and V. Rev. Fr. Daniel for the honor granted to her, but also for the tireless help and support that the Romanian Orthodox Metropolia Church of the Americas showed to the Romanian community in Peru. Mrs. Ioana studied at St. Sava College and is a graduate of the Academy of Studies in Economy (Bucharest), with a master’s degree in communication and international relations from the Diplomatic Academy in Madrid. Wife of a Peruvian diplomat now, Mrs. Ciaușu represents in the Romanian community in Peru a model of sacrifice and motherhood.
Bolivia - La Paz (November 17-19, 2021)
The last stop of Father Daniel in this penultimate missionary trip of 2021 was in La Paz, the capital of the Multinational State of Bolivia, at the invitation of Mrs. Tereza Șelaru, Honorary Consul of Romania in Bolivia. The city of Nuestra Señora de La Paz, known mainly as La Paz, is the administrative capital of Bolivia, it is the capital with the highest altitude (approx. 4100 m) from the world and home for about twenty Romanians. There are dozens more in the city of Santa Cruz, according to the city’s registries. There is no Orthodox church or Orthodox priest in Bolivia. You can imagine the joy and emotion of both Father Daniel and the faithful to have the opportunity of a Te Deum and Memorial services in Romanian. The service was held at the “Jardines de Cristo – Christ’s Gardens” Chapel. It was the first service in Romanian in this part of the Andes mountains.
However, the lack of oxygen was compensated by the love of all those who participated.
We thank God for everything!
Submitted by
V. Rev. Fr. Daniel Ene
