Solidarity Dinner for the Idente Mission in Iquitos, Peru

The Idente Mission in Iquitos, Peru has been the beneficiary of a fraternal solidarity dinner which took place in Madrid on June 1, 2017. Such events to support varied Idente Missions have now become a tradition in Spain. On this occasion, the dinner brought together about eighty people who wished to offer their assistance and learn more about the efforts that have been carried out for over forty years by the Idente Missionaries in both this city in the Amazon region and the rest of Peru.

María del Carmen Orts Poveda, a Missionary who spent many years working in the Peruvian jungle as a medical doctor, was asked to provide her firsthand knowledge. Iquitos, which means ‘a multitude separated by waters,’ is the capital of Maynas in the Department of Loreto, the largest in Peru in terms of territory. It is also the largest city in the Peruvian Amazon region, with about 500,000 inhabitants, and is delimited by the Amazon, Nanay, and Itaya rivers and Lake Moronacocha. In addition to depicting life around the Amazon, she spoke about the work of the community of Idente Missionaries, which includes a parish, among other activities.

Early in the dinner, the Secretary General of the women Idente Missionaries, María Fernanda Lacilla Ramas, also addressed the gathering, stressing how important the support of the Idente Family was, not only economically, but by offering prayer, accompaniment, and voluntary service as well. She conveyed the warm greeting, too, of the superiors of the community, who at that moment were visiting the Idente Mission in Africa.

As always, this event was marked by an atmosphere of spiritual friendship, renewing enthusiasm for giving the best of ourselves to others, especially the neediest.