During a Lenten retreat in Ecuador for altar boys, two priests rushed to the aid of two servers who were in danger of drowning and managed to save them but they themselves perished.
Two priests died on Friday, March 13, after saving two altar servers who were in danger of drowning off a beach in Ecuador.
The priests — Father Alfonso Avilés Pérez, a member of the Society of Jesus Christ the Priest and parish priest of St. Albert the Great Parish in the Diocese of Daule, and Father Pedro Anzoátegui, who served in the Diocese of San Jacinto — did not hesitate to rush to the rescue of the youths, who were participating in a Lenten retreat for altar servers being held in the coastal town of Playas, where the minors had went out into the water.
Martha de Murillo, who served as Avilés’ secretary for over 20 years, told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, that during the Mass celebrated March 14 at 11 a.m. at St. Albert the Great, the superior of the late priest’s community — Father Lope Pascual — recounted the events.
“In his homily, Lope explained how it all unfolded: Two altar servers were in danger of drowning, and the priests went to rescue them; the altar servers made it out — thank God — but, tragically, the priests did not,” she explained.
All the young people who participated in the retreat are physically well, out of danger, and have been taken home, according to the Ecuadorian newspaper El Mercurio.
During the Mass he celebrated on March 14, Cardinal Luis Cabrera, archbishop of Guayaquil, entrusted the priests to God and, visibly moved, asked the congregation to pray for “our brothers Alfonso and Pedro whom the Lord, in these circumstances, today fills with his grace and blessing.”
A statement from St. Albert the Great Parish said that Avilés “departed for the Father’s House, generously giving himself for those entrusted to his care.”
Avilés was born in 1966 in Murcia, Spain. After studying philosophy and theology, he was ordained a priest in 1990. “With more than 30 years of priesthood and nine years of service in our parish, he leaves behind a legacy of faith, closeness, and love for the community,” the parish highlighted.
Prior to his arrival at the St. Albert the Great Parish, he also served as parish priest at St. Therese of the Child Jesus in Entre Ríos in the Guayaquil metro area, where he served the community and strengthened the life of faith of many families, noted a press release from the former parish.
He promoted initiatives for family catechesis, Eucharistic adoration, and altar server formation — fundamental pillars of his evangelizing mission. In 2021, he received an award from the town of Samborondón for his spiritual and community contributions.
A phrase he constantly repeated was: “Charge! For the goal is heaven!”
A large number of the faithful congregated at St. Albert the Great Parish — including the first lady and wife of Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, Lavinia Valbonesi, along with the president’s mother, Annabella Azín. They spent a few minutes in prayer at the church, where the funeral Mass was celebrated March 14, before proceeding to the burial at the Panteón Metropolitano.
“The holiest priest I have ever known has passed away: Alfonso Avilés. His homilies were spectacular. He was my friend. We met only a few times, but the spiritual bond that united us was very strong,” Carlos Polo, director of the Ibero-America Office of the pro-life Population Research Institute, told ACI Prensa.
“Even as years went by, every time I saw him he would tell me that he was still praying for my son, just as I had asked him the first time we spoke. He died living his law — the law of love,” added Polo, recalling the passage from the Gospel of John (15:13): “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
A young professional who served at the altar for Avilés told ACI Prensa that the priest loved the sea. “He raised us with temperance; he instilled in us the aspiration to be gentlemen, heroes, warriors — upright individuals and good sons of God. He always said that the very best among us should be at God’s service, and that we could not be wimps. His flame was always burning — at any hour, in any conversation, no matter how brief. I am so deeply saddened,” he shared.
Anzoátegui was born in 1982. He was ordained on Nov. 20, 2010, at the Guayaquil cathedral. He served at Holy Cross Parish in the town of Durán in the Diocese of San Jacinto. He also served in Guayaquil.
‘Jesus, I trust in you’
“Dear brothers, I trust you will understand that I will not speak many words, for we are all reeling from this shock — this blow — and it is difficult to say something at such a moment. But when our human words fall short, we must heed God,” Bishop Cristóbal Kudławiec of Daule said during the Mass he celebrated at St. Albert the Great Parish for the eternal repose of Avilés.
“And for these occasions — so difficult, so hard — the Lord sends us some important words; not to console us — for at times it is very difficult to find consolation after such a powerful shock — but rather to help us understand, in some small measure, what he wishes to show us through these events, illuminated by his word,” he continued.
Addressing the questions the faithful might ask themselves regarding the late priest’s projects or the reasons behind his death, the prelate reminded them that God “makes no mistakes, and his will is holy. And we, as mere human beings, must always affirm this — even in those moments when our very souls are shattered.”
The bishop emphasized that “without love for God and neighbor, life has no meaning.”
“In the face of this news — so sorrowful, so shocking — we can only say: ‘I believe in you, Lord Jesus. I trust in you, Jesus. And I trust that what you offer me as a teaching — even through certain shocking events — is for my good,’” he reflected.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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