APA Global Partners Visit: Ecuador August 12-17

Wednesday to Thursday August 12-13: Travel and First Greetings

(For general information regarding the APA work in Ecuador see the general description available on the Global Partnerships page on the APA Website)

On Wednesday August 12, Bishop David Haines and Fr. Paul Rivard travelled from Wilmington, NC and Greenville, SC to Atlanta, GA where we boarded a plane to Quito, Ecuador which landed on schedule at about 7 PM that same day. Matthew McBurney, a translator and representative from Worthy Endeavors (a subsidiary of Samaritan's Purse) who accompanies our APA team on visits to Ecuador, had arrived earlier in the day. After reaching the nearby hotel and taking in dinner, we called it a day and retired for a night's rest before beginning the journey to Chimborazo Province which would begin the next day.

Thursday morning we set out on the five-hour drive south to Riobamba after a short breakfast and the acquisition of a rental car. The atmosphere was remarkably clear and we could see the surrounding calderas of Pasachoa and Rumiñahui. Also in plain view stood Volcán Cotopaxi, the tallest active volcano in the world, snowcapped in glistening white and unobstructed by the usual veil of clouds. Though the elevation of Quito (9,350 ft above sea level) left us enduring headaches and periodically short of breath as we acclimated, nevertheless, spirits were high and it was pedal to the metal in a southerly direction on the Panamerican Highway.

Around mid-afternoon we arrived at the hotel in Riobamba and, shortly after supper, we were joined by several key members of the Indigenous Pastoral Anglican Province of America in Ecuador (IPAPAE). We moved to a larger table to accommodate the arrival of Father Gustavo Aldás and his wife Liset, Deacon Walter Chicaiza, Father Carlos Ayol as well as his wife Elsa and their sweet and precocious eight-year-old daughter Karen. As per usual, most of the joyous conversation proceeded in the most rapidly paced Spanish, a task the translator could not hope to keep up with. The feast coming to its conclusion, Father Carlos addressed the table and greeted the North American visitors, taking the opportunity to clarify that his five-year term as legal representative of the Pastorale was coming to its end and another would need to be elected to take his place during the proceedings of the coming weekend.

Later, we spoke with Father Gustavo about the wedding of Gustavo's daughter, which would take place the following evening, a service that she and her fiancé had asked us to officiate on the previous APA visit in 2025. This would be one of the key events of the following day. After arrangements were made and the dinner guests had departed for home, we each retired for bed.

Friday, August 14: Mass at Illbug Curiquinga and a Wedding at Chambo

Before the wedding, which would take place in the town of Chambo later that day, we drove first to the community of Illbug Curiquinga where a meet and greet had been arranged. After arriving at Iglesia Jesus de Gran Poder (The Church of Jesus of Great Power), which is perched on the side of a sloping valley, we were greeted joyfully by community members, and we felt excited to be back in the very welcoming and hospitable Chimborazo Kichwa culture again. After arriving it was disclosed that the community hoped that the bishop would celebrate mass in the church and when arrangements were being made it was disclosed that there were neither wafers nor wine, but there were three small buns which the bishop determined could be used for the celebration.

Outside the tiny church building, seven or eight women worked diligently by the open fire alongside enormous pots of boiling corn, potatoes and fava beans. In addition to the aroma of this wood fire scene was the scent of salted chicken frying in oil. A gentle breeze wafted in through the rudimentary wooden doors and window coverings, carrying the smells of food and smoke into the church where it was not easy to remain focused on the task at hand.

The service began with the dedication of a new altar that had been acquired by the community. With an aspergillum pieced together out of a few small leafy branches, not only the altar but the four walls of the small structure were blessed also. Having finished this, Bishop David celebrated a full mass and addressed the congregation with a brief impromptu sermon that was translated by Matthew McBurney.

After communion and several blessings of community members were administered, the customary "high table" was assembled for the bishop and special guests upon which their lunch was served, while the nave was quickly transformed into something like a parish hall. The long-awaited meal was accompanied by a portion of "chicha," a mild and sweet fermented beverage made with sprouted corn and barley and served warm. Conversation at such dinners is typically divided along language barriers as those who speak Kichwa often speak only hesitantly in Spanish, and of those who speak Spanish fluently only Father Gustavo speaks English. Currently, there is no one in the entire IPAPAE group who speaks both Kichwa and English.

In the meantime, preparations were being made in Chambo for the evening wedding ceremony and so, after hearty farewells were made, the journey back through Riobamba began so that we could eventually join the others for the ceremony. After the usual chaos that comes on the day of any wedding regardless of one's location on the globe, the bride and groom, clergy and guests were eventually all present and accounted for and the ceremony began about an hour later than anticipated. We conducted the liturgy for Holy Matrimony using the Spanish edition of the 1928 America Prayer Book published by the APA, and the ceremony was altered only by the addition of an Ecuadorian tradition involving rope called a "lazo." Just before the priest declares, "That which God has put together let no man put asunder," the bride and the groom are seated beside each other and are gently "tied" together with a rope facing the congregation, symbolizing their new sacramental union of marriage together. Being unfamiliar with this honor, we invited Fr. Luis Tuaza to take over the rope tying portion of the liturgy. (As both a university professor and an experienced priest, Fr. Luis holds an exceedingly rare position in the Kichwa community, and he is a key clergyman of the IPAPAE in Chimborazo.) The congregation joyfully applauded to see the two love birds tied together in the iconic scene, and, declaring that they were indeed "esposo y esposa," we paused to welcome loud cheers of congratulation before the newlyweds sat down in the front seats and the liturgy shifted towards the Mass, celebrated by Bishop David with the assistance of Fr. Carlos Ayol. We departed with fond farewells after a small reception and proceeded back to Riobamba from Chambo for a night's rest.

Saturday, August 15: Confirmations and Meetings in Guamote

With skies overcast and hovering grey clouds once again hiding both Mount Chimborazo and other surrounding peaks, the day began with a modest breakfast and a journey towards the Cathedral of the Holy Family in Guamote, the central church of the IPAPAE. Members of several churches would be attending the 10 AM service where priests and bishop would be adorned in red to honor ten confirmations that would take place. By 10 AM the cathedral, which can seat 240, had a congregation which was outnumbered by clergy. Indeed, the Saturday service would proceed on "Ecuador time" and begin about an hour later when the congregation had swelled to about 60-70 members, finally consisting of well over 120 attendees.

Ten confirmands from two churches received the laying on of hands after the bishop's rousing sermon and afterward their red ponchos were illuminated by red candles held close to their chest as a symbol of the fire of the Holy Spirit. At least one of the confirmands was an older man who had bravely and humbly set himself alongside the youth and received catechesis from a diligent teacher in the Church. Later, we would learn that there were almost 60 others who were currently receiving instruction and would potentially be ready for confirmation at the next years visit.

A luncheon was prepared for the entire congregation following the Saturday service, and, while most received their meal outside, the clergy and special guests were brought into a classroom under the main floor of the cathedral. Here, not only would we take our lunch, but the afternoon would be spent in a kind of Synod meeting which the Bishop guided and in which clergy were able to give updates on their work over the past year, their messages being translated from Spanish by Fr. Gustavo. Overall, the reports were positive for the year though more than one of the clergy wished to hear the Bishop speak in clarification of the partnership relationship between the APA and their group, which is now about 10 years old. Accustomed to having been treated as subordinates over not only decades but even centuries, the Kichwa church leaders were refreshed to hear again that they were indeed an independent jurisdiction partnering with the APA but truly autonomous. The matter was clarified further by the reading of a letter from Bishop Chandler Holder Jones addressed to the Roman Catholic Bishop of Riobamba and copied to the Vatican's office of Ecumenical Dialogue. The occasion of the writing was the recent vocal opposition of an individual Roman Catholic priest in Riobamba who, of late, had been working to try and discredit the clergy of the IPAPAE and discourage indigenous people from attending their Anglican churches. In the letter, after reviewing the theological identity of Anglican Catholicism in the Continuing Church, Bishop Jones pointed out that the behavior of the offending priest runs counter to the ecumenical policies of the Roman Catholic Church herself and he called the Bishop of Riobamba to action in returning this one troublesome clergyman to faithfulness both to those policies and to the kind of ecumenical cooperation enjoyed in most other instances. The clergy were glad to hear such an able defense made on their behalf and to learn that the Presiding Bishop of their Global Partner was willing to stand up in their defense, not only to a local priest but to his Bishop and even to the Vatican.

One request was made by the clergy in the midst of this discussion. They noted how the clergy of other churches are provided with official identification proving their legitimate association with whatever larger group they enjoy membership. Likewise, then, they requested that such identification cards could be produced for them. We agreed to work on the project beginning the following day by gathering individual photographs of each priest or deacon.

The meeting went longer than anticipated, but with nothing planned for the evening, it was a glad occasion to have such a positive meeting and to enjoy a general uplifting of spirits and relaxing of tensions. After returning to the hotel following this meeting, we took in a meal and retired for the evening in preparation for the events of Sunday following.

Sunday, August 16: Sunday Mass and Celebration of a New Hymnal

Sunday morning began with a visit from Father Luis Tuaza, Deacon Walter Chicaiza and his brother Isaac at the hotel as we gathered for coffee before making the trip back to Guamote for services. One of the points of discussion involved discerning whether or not it was beneficial for IPAPAE clergy to be involved in political office. The matter arose since in the last month, two of the clergy had been approached by differing political parties and were asked to consider running for local government. It was agreed that while some good could possibly be done, that it was more than likely the indigenous heritage of the individuals in question that was being used to curry favor with the Kichwa demographic in the voting booth. It was pointed out that one of the priests had unsuccessfully run for office before and had found it to be a drain on finances and energy, distracting from the ministry and family. Regardless, it was notable that the clergy of the IPAPAE have been recognized as potentially valuable community figures by politicians, even as their influence and good reputation has raised the interest of Roman Catholic clergy in the area, whether as friend or foe.

Sunday morning Mass began on "Ecuador time" with most if not all of the clergy of the group present. An impressive row of about a dozen priests and deacons lined the area surrounding the altar as Bishop David and Father Carlos concelebrated the morning Mass. With his able preaching translated by Matthew McBurney before a full congregation of perhaps around 200 congregants, all were edified and the service swiftly proceeded until all had been either communicated or blessed. The customary time for photographs at the end of the service was jettisoned as choirs had gathered for a "competition" following the service in honor of the issuing of a second edition of the Chimborazo region's hymnal of original indigenous works. One after the other, choirs lined up to perform one or more of the hymns they had been practicing as a full band accompanied them on guitar, bass, drums and keyboard. The sound was filled with exuberant praise to God and was deafeningly loud. Clergy and special guests retired again to the classroom beneath the cathedral for a luncheon and eventually moved to the adjacent office for an extended business meeting. The time had come for the clergy to elect a replacement for Father Carlos Ayol as the church's legal representative as his five-year term came to its end. After two nominations, a vote was taken and the majority decided to elect long-faithful clergyman Deacon Nico Tambo as the new legal representative. The proceedings consisted of several speeches and addresses, but in the end the business was completed, and farewells enabled an eventual return to the hotel later that afternoon.

One final special dinner took place that evening as around 15 gathered to conclude the visit with a celebration. As consummate speech makers, even this dinner was adorned with more than one presentation. Adults laughed and joked, children crawled under the table giggling, photos were taken, hugs and embraces were given and received and eventually the party dispersed into the night, facing another year before the routine would occur again.

Monday August 17: Return to the Airport

Monday morning we loaded up the vehicle for the conclusion of the visit to the APA Global Partners of Ecuador. Greeted by a relatively sunny day, we made just one mandatory stop at the Super Maxi grocery store in Ambato so that the required amount of premium Ecuadorian chocolate could be procured before planes were boarded and the opportunity passed. In time, farewells were said and we each returned to our respective homes.