From 16th to 20th September 2023, with the help of the Good Lord and the blessing of His Eminence Nicolae, Metropolitan of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolia of the Americas, the Romanian Orthodox Mission of St. Joseph of Partoș in Quito - Ecuador received Father Daniel Ene for a visit for the eighth time.
On Sunday, the 17th of September was the main event of the visit: the celebration of the Divine Liturgy and the first celebration of the feast day of the Romanian Orthodox Mission of St. Joseph of Partoș in Quito (September 15th). The Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the Capilla Católica de la Resurrección (Catholic Chapel of the Resurrection), located on Francisco de Orellana Street at the corner of Juan León Mera, on the ground floor of the Juan León Mera building, opposite the JW Marriott Hotel, beginning at 10:00 am, and concluding with a Panikhida service, which was attended by more than 50 faithful, including Romanians, Jordanians, and Ecuadorians. On this occasion, the Orthodox community of Quito was once again visited by Father Rafail from the Patriarchate of Serbia, who is also the pastor of the Orthodox faithful in Guayaquil and who desired to be with Father Daniel. After the sermon, Father Daniel presented the Holy Antimension to the parish as a symbol of ecclesiastical identity for the first Romanian parish in Ecuador and together with the Russian mission the only canonical Orthodox churches in the capital Quito.
After the Divine Liturgy, most of those present went to a different location. The hall that was prepared for the celebration of the feast day belonged to the parish of Maria Auxiliadora - El Giron, located on 12 de Octubre y Veintimilla Street. The event began with a folkloric performance of traditional Ecuadorian dances, which was presented with great professionalism and dedication by the Grupo Danza y Arte Quitumbe, right in the courtyard of the parish for the members of the Romanian parish of Quito, and in honor of the feast of St. Joseph of Partoș. Afterwards, the Ecuadorian ladies generously served delicious dishes to all those present. Both the performance and the agape feast were a gift from the family of Juan Xavier Quevedo Chamba, a professor at a college in Quito and a student at the Chicago Seminary School of Pastoral Theology, the only Orthodox educational institution offering a Spanish language program. Their link is https://seminarioortodoxo.org/
Finally, the Romanian community had organized a Romanian stand where folk art objects, brochures and emblematic landscapes from Romania could be appreciated. The flags of Ecuador and Romania were exhibited together as a symbol of the brotherhood between the two cultures who can now meet in a common space: the Romanian Orthodox Mission St. Joseph of Partoș in Quito.
Signed,
A member of the Romanian community in Quito
