Ministers from 50 communities in Amazon rainforest

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries had the funding to support Indigenous ministers, who are among the Achuar Indigenous population of Ecuador and Peru. The donor funding came from Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. There were 260 local pastoral workers who took part in the training, 182 of whom are already active as ministers in their communities.

The project was developed at the Achuar Intervicarial Ministerial Training Center, an initiative that started in 2018. The training was held in a border area between Ecuador and Peru. As a result, Salesians were able to strengthen religious support in the Amazon, allowing communities to live their faith without moving away from their socio-cultural reality and worldview.

The training was carried out through intensive face-to-face workshops along with individual and distance study while the ministers carried out work in their communities. Periodic support was provided by assigned advisory ministers, who visited the communities.

The participating ministers were from 50 communities located in the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador and Peru. Their livelihoods depend on hunting, fishing and agriculture. Mobility is one of the biggest challenges in the area, as access to the communities is only possible by plane, by river or by walking through the dense jungle.

Father Agustinus Domingos Togo, an Indonesian Salesian missionary, has been serving the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest for almost 11 years alongside the Achuar people. He said, “It has been a blessing for me to be sent to this land that I consider sacred. Here, I have discovered that the Gospel is already rooted in culture, in its values, in its way of living and understanding life. The mission we carry out follows the spirit of the Second Vatican Council to evangelize without imposing, walking alongside people, learning from them and sharing life.”

Fr. Togo added, “Currently, we have more Achuar ministers, including 11 married permanent deacons, who are the heart of the church in the jungle. We priests are few, so the mission depends deeply on the committed laity, catechists and ministers who support the faith in their communities. I am deeply grateful for the support of donors, who not only finance activities, but make it possible for the Achuar people to continue growing in faith, organization and hope, building a better future from their own identity.”

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Sources:

Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

Salesian Missions – Ecuador

UNICEF – Ecuador