The Icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa has been in Ecuador since April. She visited 29 parishes of the diocese of Santo Domingo. Many faithful looked into the eyes of the Black Madonna and have felt the maternal embrace of Her protection.
To be available to all of her children, She even traveled in the back of a pickup car to reach the inaccessible areas of the countryside. She had to endure the dust of the dirt roads. In addition, Ecuadorians, who are very devoted to the Mother of God, have approached the Icon to kiss and touch Her allowing the dust to become fused with the Icon surface
Taking advantage of the fact that the international coordinator of the Ocean-to-Ocean pilgrimage, Lech Kowalewski, is here, certain technical repairs are being made to the lighting and carrier frame. Lech also brought with him a new aluminum box to transport the frame and all its elements. Now everything has to be adjusted to fit. All this is being done in the base camp the Parish of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, where Father Leon Juchniewicz, Polish missionary is the parish priest and the custodian of Our Lady in Ecuador. This is the perfect place and time for the cleaning of the icon. So once again Our Lady is in the "beauty salon".
Lech's visit to Ecuador has been an occasion to thank Bishop Bertram Wick, the ordinary of the Santo Domingo Diocese, for all the help and making the pilgrimage possible throughout the diocese. He also met with Bishop Iván Minda, Auxiliary Bishop of Guayaquil opening the doors for the Mother of God to continue her journey through the country.
A joyful moment especially for young Gimina was not scheduled but was experienced by everyone present. Gimina is a member of an indigenous ethnic group Saraguro, that lives in the Huasini enclosure in the province of Zamora Chinchipe. She feels a special calling to serve the Lord. She was visiting the congregation of the Benedictine Missionary Sisters of Polish origin. The Benedictine Missionary Sisters help in the parish and this year they are celebrating their 100th anniversary. Gimina had the opportunity to individually contemplate and learn more about the language of the icon.
After spending a few days at the Benedictine Sisters' house, on her return she will visit the town of Los Encuentros in the province of Zamora Chinchipe and leave there information materials on the pilgrimage of the icon of Czestochowa for the television Los Encuentros channel.
This Catholic Los Encuentros channel is run by Father Zdzislaw Rakoczy, the oldest Polish missionary in Ecuador.