The Parish of the Holy Trinity, in the city of Trinidad, Sancti Spíritus, issued a public letter requesting donations to fund the installation of solar panels in its parish church, in light of the electrical crisis that is paralyzing Cuba with no short-term solution in sight.
The document, signed by the parish priest Fr. Léster Rafael Zayas Díaz, is clear in its diagnosis: "It is well known to all the energy situation that Cuba is experiencing and that it will not be resolved in the short or medium term."
The total cost of the project is estimated at approximately 9,000 euros or its equivalent in dollars, an amount that the parish cannot cover on its own.
To prevent the constant price increase in Cuba from delaying the project, the Parish Council approved an internal loan of 6,000 euros from a fund originally designated for the restoration of the church’s apse, while the remainder is raised among parishioners, expatriates, and people of goodwill.
The initiative goes beyond ensuring electricity for masses and pastoral activities.
According to the letter, the panels would also benefit the most vulnerable members of the community, "who will be able to charge their devices and even cook their food" during prolonged power outages.
"Our parish is not just a building: it is the spiritual home of our people, a place of prayer, encounter, comfort, and hope for so many generations," wrote the parish priest in justifying the urgency of the project.
Those who wish to contribute can deposit funds into a BBVA account in Spain —in the name of the parish priest, with IBAN ES83 0182 4027 2302 0188 6691— or into a savings account at Scotiabank Dominican Republic, for those located in the United States or other regions of America.
"Any help, no matter how small it may seem, will be received with sincere gratitude. We appeal to the generosity and concrete capabilities of each individual, aware that, in the current circumstances, any contribution represents a sacrifice," concludes the appeal from Father Zayas Díaz.
The call comes at one of the worst energy moments for the province.
In June 2026, the electricity grid of Sancti Spíritus was experiencing outages of up to 50 continuous hours, with service windows of less than three hours a day.
On Tuesday, July 10, a failure in the 220 kV line between Santa Clara and Sancti Spíritus caused the fourth total blackout of the National Electric System in 2026, leaving 73% of the country without electricity.
On that same Tuesday, the leader Miguel Díaz-Canel merely requested that the blackouts be "better organized," acknowledging that the prolonged outages impact water supply and food preparation.
The Parish of Trinidad is not the first religious institution in Cuba to seek energy autonomy through solar panels. In May 2026, a severe storm destroyed almost completely the solar system of the Parish of Our Lady of the Rosary in Palma Soriano, which supported a dining facility for nearly 100 vulnerable people.
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