“After 22 years of dedicated work, community, and spiritual leadership, our pastor Domingo Avellaneda Cabanillas is leaving the Pumpėnai parish, as he has been sent to Italy to study.
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We invite everyone to join in thanking him for the kindness he has sown, the support during the toughest moments, and the work he has done.
On Sunday, August 23rd, at 12 o’clock, a thanksgiving Mass will be held.
After the Mass, you can personally say a sincere “Thank you” to him,” – it is announced on the parish’s Facebook page, where thanks to the priest for his wonderful service to the local people immediately poured in.
15min wrote about priest Domingo Avellaneda Cabanillas in 2013, who changed the life of a small town. At that time, journalist Eglė Zicari titled her article “A priest with a ball: Argentine monk Domingo Avellaneda turned the town of Pumpėnai into a football parish.”
Sent to Lithuania in 2004, the monk knew little about the country and did not speak a word of Lithuanian, but after a decade he spoke Lithuanian fluently and was involved in many activities.
She wrote then that the monk sent from Argentina to the other side of the world inspired new life in the local community, brought people back to church, and infected the bored youth with the football virus.
The monk formed two teams in Pumpėnai – children’s and youth. They trained twice a week. The monk also chased the ball with the children.
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The football virus he infected the town’s children with was not just a game. At the same time, the monk opened the gates to the world for the town’s children.
“Football is a way to reach out to the youth, invite them to Mass, build friendship, and then talk about deeper things,” he said.
Arminas Vareika, who is building a career in Vilnius, originally from Pumpėnai, became the chairman of the Pumpėnai community, founded the public organization “Be Better,” and in 2024 15min said that the most significant event in his life was when 20 years ago priest Domingo from Argentina came to Pumpėnai.
“Young, energetic, charismatic, full of ideas. We, the local kids, were enchanted. We had never seen such a person; it seemed like he landed in Pumpėnai, such a small town, in a spaceship. Priest Domingo was the first to let us see the world, opened a different way of thinking, helped us believe that all dreams are achievable,” said A. Vareika.
“Although he is not Lithuanian, he loves Lithuania with all his heart. Coming here and fulfilling his mission, he managed to prove to people that he truly loves Lithuania. Domingo used to say that Lithuanians are like walnuts. It is very hard to get into their hearts, but if you succeed – then everything is fine. And in southern countries, everyone is like candy; you read a person immediately, and they are open to you from the first second.
He managed to get into people’s hearts. Added to that was his ability to work with youth, his charisma, his personality. I have really met few such people in my life – even in Vilnius or the world. Such a person came to Pumpėnai; he was beside me throughout my childhood and adolescence. It is an indescribable gift to have such a mentor beside you,” said A. Vareika.
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