On the afternoon of Wednesday, September 11, the Icon of Czestochowa arrived at the Parish of Our Lady of the Dawn. The parish priest, Father Jaime Cedeño knows this image very well, since his first parish as priest was precisely the Parish of Our Lady of Czestochowa.

“Expreso” newspaper of national circulation in Ecuador publishes the news of the pilgrimage of Our Lady of Czestochowa Icon in the “initiative called ‘From Ocean to Ocean’ and whose purpose is to defend life and family.”

On Tuesday, very early in the morning, before the 8:00 am Mass, the Pilgrim Icon arrived at the Parish of Santa Teresita. Here She was received by the Adorers of the Blessed Sacrament who welcomed Our Mother with a street of rose petals and escorted Her to the side of the main altar, where they adorned Her with flowers and tablecloth.

Throughout the pilgrimage of the Black Madonna during these years, the Icon has almost always visited cathedrals, churches and chapels. Catholic schools have also received the Icon, She has been in outdoor Christian events and twice inside prisons: in Spain and Canada.

But I think it is the first time that Mary has joined her children in a house to pray for a particular intention.

On Wednesday, September 4, the Pilgrim Icon arrived at the Mary Mother of the Church Parish.

On Thursday night, after Mass, the Pilgrimage coordinator in Guayaquil made an explanatory talk about the importance of the Icon and the reason for its arrival in the country, inviting those present to ask Our Mother for the women who are thinking of abortion, for life of the unborn and for the restoration of family values, at the moment in which laws in favor of abortion and gender ideology are being debated in the National Assembly of Ecuador.

The Pilgrim Icon of Czestochowa arrived on the last day of August at the St. Josemaria Escriva Rectoral Church, and stayed there until September 4.

Because it was Saturday, it was more than an evening mass - it was a Sunday liturgy Mass and two weddings were scheduled, so the church was adorned with beautiful white flowers.

The Metropolitan Cathedral of Guayaquil, officially called St. Peter's Cathedral, received the Pilgrim Icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa August 27 until 31.

The Cathedral is located in the heart of the city, in front of the Seminary Park and was originally built of wood around 1547; it was rebuilt in reinforced cement in the twentieth century, in neo-Gothic style.

The Pilgrim Icon of Czestochowa spent 24 hours with the Servants of the Home of Mother. Sister Paqui with a group of sisters and missionaries had attended the celebration mass on Monday 26 in Our Lady of Czestochowa parish, and she had asked in pray to have the Icon at their home just one day.

Great was her surprise when the pilgrimage coordinator in Guayaquil approached her to ask if she wanted the visit of the Icon.

On Monday, August 26 we celebrated the Feast of Our Lady of Czestochowa, precisely with the Pilgrim Icon in the parish that bears Her name.

During the novena, the parish priest Fr. Jose Manuel Delgado, has the habit of visiting different sectors that belong to the parish and celebrating Mass there, so the Pilgrim Icon visited the sectors of:

On May 13, 1981, Holy Father St. John Paul II toured St. Peter's Square in his papamobile blessing the faithful who gathered there. No one imagined that a renowned gunman would try to assassinate the Pontiff threatening his life.

Prayers to God and for the intercession of Blessed Virgin Mary for the life of the Vicar of Christ spread throughout the world. In Guayaquil, the archbishop at the time, Bernardino Echeverria Ruiz OFM wanted to offer something special. He would build a temple to Our Lady of Czestochowa if the Holy Father would be healed.  St. John Paul II survived!