Cuban and American youth are engaged in restoration work on the staircase leading to the Sanctuary of the Virgin of Charity of El Cobre, located in Santiago de Cuba, one of the most important temples of the Catholic faith in the country.
According to information published by the Archdiocese of Santiago de Cuba on Facebook, Catholics from the United States, alongside the parishioners of El Cobre, are restoring the perimeter fence, which is the first sight that greets visitors arriving at this site.
The shared images show the repair and cleaning work on the lattice that marks the beginning of the staircase, where many devotees gather every September 8th to fulfill the promises made to the Holy Mother.
The gallery of photographs also features young people from the lay movements Effeta and Emaús of El Cobre polishing a bronze Marian shield, which is part of the perimeter fence.
The note published on the social network also specifies that work is being done "on the replacement of internal lighting in the Sanctuary," while emphasizing that this work does not affect the temple's hours, which remain open from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
This Sunday during the Eucharist, the Archbishop of Santiago de Cuba, Monsignor Dionisio García Ibáñez, urged Cubans to seek harmony and embrace different ways of thinking as a path towards peace.
Under the watchful gaze of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, during a prayer of supplication, García expressed: “With the potential that our people possess, let us learn to live in harmony, with one heart and one soul, embracing different ways of thinking, and together, find solutions that lead us to be born in peace, to work in peace, to eat in peace, and to die in peace.”
In the prayer, García expressed gratitude for “the children who lovingly care for the elderly at home; those who support their relatives and friends from afar; the neighbors who help each other in times of sorrow and joy; and so many others who selflessly serve their fellow beings,” referring to the current issue of young people migrating and leaving behind their relatives, often the elderly.
From the steps of the Catholic temple, Cuban activists have also denounced the injustices of the regime to the world.
"Today is March 24, 2024, in support of political prisoners for the freedom of Cuba... Homeland, life, and freedom," said Yerismar Velázquez Cruz last April during a live broadcast on her social media, wearing a white sweater adorned with signs saying "Homeland and Life" and "Freedom for Cuba," among other messages.
Subsequently, the nurse was detained by State Security for demonstrating at the Sanctuary of El Cobre in favor of the freedom of political prisoners in Cuba.
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