Two priests died on Friday, March 13, on a beach in Ecuador after rescuing two altar boys who were in danger of drowning during a Lenten retreat. The minors managed to get out of the sea alive, but the priests died after the rescue.
A heroic rescue during an altar boys’ retreat
The incident occurred in the coastal town of Playas, in Ecuador, during an altar boys’ retreat organized in the context of Lent. According to ACI Prensa, two young people participating in the activity entered the sea and began to drown.
Upon noticing the situation, Fathers Alfonso Avilés Pérez and Pedro Anzoátegui threw themselves into the water to try to save them. They managed to rescue the minors, who were able to get out of the sea alive, but both priests died after the rescue operation.
All the young people who participated in the retreat are out of danger and were later taken to their homes.
The legacy of Spanish priest Alfonso Avilés
Father Alfonso Avilés Pérez, born in Murcia (Spain) in 1966, was a member of the Society of Jesus the Priest and pastor of San Alberto Magno in the Ecuadorian diocese of Daule.
Ordained a priest in 1990, he had accumulated more than three decades of ministry. For the last nine years, he served in the San Alberto Magno parish, where he promoted various pastoral initiatives such as family catechesis, Eucharistic adoration, and altar boy formation.
Before arriving at that parish, he also served as pastor of Santa Teresita in Entre Ríos, where he accompanied numerous families in their life of faith.
The parish itself highlighted that the priest «went to the Father’s House, generously giving himself for those entrusted to him.» In 2021, he also received recognition from the Municipality of Samborondón for his spiritual and community work.
Among those who knew him, a phrase he often repeated was remembered: «To the attack, for the goal is heaven!».
The ministry of Father Pedro Anzoátegui
The other priest who died, Pedro Anzoátegui, was born in 1982 and was ordained a priest on November 20, 2010, in the Cathedral of Guayaquil.
During his ministry, he mainly served in the Santa Cruz de Durán parish, in the diocese of San Jacinto, where he pastorally accompanied numerous families and altar boy groups. He also exercised his priestly service in Guayaquil.
Pain and prayer in the Ecuadorian Church
The news caused deep commotion among the faithful. In the Mass celebrated on Saturday, Cardinal Luis Cabrera, Archbishop of Guayaquil, entrusted the deceased priests to God and asked for prayers for their souls.
Visibly emotional, the cardinal asked to pray for «our brothers Alfonso and Pedro, whom the Lord, in these circumstances, today fills with his grace and blessing.»
For his part, Msgr. Cristóbal Kudławiec, Bishop of Daule, acknowledged the impact of the tragedy during a celebration for the eternal rest of Father Avilés.
«When our human words are not enough, we must heed God,» affirmed the prelate, emphasizing that love for God and neighbor is the foundation of the meaning of Christian life.