Pictures of the Installation of the new pastor

Returning to the Parish of Pacasmayo

On March 8th, 2009 the Augustinians of the Vicariate of Chulucanas assumed the parish in the town of Pacasmayo. The parish was founded by the Augustinians during colonial times in Peru, around 1600, and was served by us for around 200 years. With the upheaval caused by the war of independence from Spanish rule, the Augustinians were forced to leave Pacasmayo and other surrounding areas.

In the 1950s the Augustinians returned to Pacasmayo where they once again took up the parish and then began a small parish school. Since then the school has continued to be in existence, but by the end of the 1980s the lack of personal led to the parish being turned over once again to the archdioceses. Recently as the Chulucanas Vicariate took over administration of the school the number of Augustinians was increased in the local community and the archbishop of Trujillo asked that we once again begin to staff the local parish.

So on March 8th Fr. John Dowling was installed as pastor by Fr. Ricardo Angulo, the Vicar General of the archdioceses. Also present in the mass was the superior for the Augustinian Vicariate, Fr. John Lydon, and two members of the local community, Fr. Ramiro Castillo and Bro. Jaime Aguilar. The other member of the community, Fr. Eleodoro Villanueva was taking the mass in the nearby town that is part of the Pacasmayo parish.

The town consists of about 30,000 inhabitants, the large majority being Catholic. Pacasmayo is an old port city which sits on the Pacific Ocean. The port was long ago closed down by the government and only the long pier remains as a reminder of those former days when sugar cane was processed and shipped out to different parts of the world.

Today Pacasmayo is known mostly for two things. One is the cement factory which is the main employer and supplies most of the building cement for northern Peru. The other is the tourist industry revolving around surfing. Although not particularly high waves, the waves of Pacasmayo are very long in duration and thus considered to be ideal for young surfers. During the summer months many visitors come precisely for that reason.