Project of the Month - December - Provide a vehicle for a parish in Ecuador

The parish of San José de Cuatro Esquinas (Saint Joseph of the Four Corners) in the diocese of Guaranda lies at an altitude of well over 3,100 m and 8 km from the provincial capital Guaranda. It includes over 50 villages and hamlets in an area of mountains, steep hillsides, rocky outcrops and high plateaus. It is populated almost entirely by indigenous peoples, who live primarily by farming and livestock rearing. Life here is very challenging due to the rugged terrain and limited access to resources. 

Most of the 20,000 population are Catholics, while around 10% belong to various sects, and another 10% having no particular religious affiliation. 

This is a very lively parish, with over 30 lay catechists. Currenlty there are 400 children that attend the regular catechism classes, while around 500 people are enrolled in the baptism preparation courses and 100 or so in marriage preparation courses. 

Somewhere between 500 and 700 people regularly attend the Sunday Masses, while many others attend only on the major feast days or the main patronal festival. With a more intensive pastoral outreach this number would undoubtedly be higher, but the villages are generally pretty inaccessible. While most of them have a simple chapel, the priest is unable to visit frequently due to transportation challenges. A bus runs only once a day, and with the rough, unpaved roads, the journey is a long one. Otherwise, the only solution is to walk. But some of the villages are up to 60 km far. 

We would like to raise $42,000 so the priest can purchase a sturdy off-road vehicle, able to cope with the difficult road conditions. 

We have set our goal for Australia and New Zealand to raise $5,000 to support this purchase.

Will you consider helping us to provide a vehicle for a parish in Ecuador?