Trip to Ecuador to Visit Our Trappistine Sisters

Directly after Mass on Tuesday, January 16, Father Aelred drove Fathers Stan and Kevin to the airport for the first leg of their flight to Esmeraldas, Ecuador. They cleared security with their precious gift of a silver Aspergil and looked forward to a long day of two flights and two long delays that would deliver them at 10:00 PM that evening to Quito, Ecuador. The next morning they rose and took the short flight to Esmeraldas and were met by Mother Miren, Sister Yosua and Sister Margarita at the small airport ten miles from Sancta Maria de l'Esperanza. It was a joyous meeting between the new Father Immediate and the Sisters of the Daughter House. Fifteen years earlier Mepkin had accepted the responsibility for this small house of Trappistines, founded from Tulebras in Spain, and over the years has watched them grow, flourish and blossom from the original four foundresses into a vibrant monastery of 24 nuns at present.

The occasion for this visit was the celebration of the solemn vows of Sister Monica Madera, who is completely bi-lingual (the only one of the sisters who can speak English) and who had visited Mepkin before joining Esperanza in 2000. It was indeed a joyous celebration, marred only by the fact of the physical absence of Father Francis, who had given so much of his life and energy to the health and growth of this community. But he was certainly present in spirit and his fingerprints were everywhere, especially in the hearts of the sisters,

The seven days of the visit were full – and Fathers Stan and Kevin had only brief times of quiet and aloneness. They were inseparable, since Father Stan knows no Spanish and relied completely on Father Kevin to provide translation from and to the sisters. Each day they met with the sisters in Chapter for a teaching, met with individual sisters who brought personal and/or community matters to the Father Immediate, and on several days met with the different “groups” that make up the community at this time in their history. Namely, the novitiate group (two sisters), the sisters in temporary profession (six of them), the solemn professed (eleven plus one sister “in transitus ” from another Order) and the foundresses (three of them). Two sisters were not present, living in two other Houses of the Order at this time. It was intense, but the bond that has developed between Mepkin and Esperanza was deepened and the sisters seem happy with their new Father Immediate.

The health of our two communities seems to depend on each other and this makes for a very precious relationship. We hope to feature a special section on our web site to keep our friends informed of the life at Esmeraldas. It is something we very much want to share with all of you.