The National Sanctuary of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, one of the most venerated religious sites for Cuban Catholics, needs help after being severely damaged this Wednesday by powerful Hurricane Melissa.
This was explained in statements to EFE by the rector and parish priest of the Sanctuary, Rogelio Dean Puerta, who indicated that the temple of Cuba’s Patron Saint suffered “partial damage” due to the intense onslaught of Hurricane Melissa, which, as a Category 3 (out of 5) on the Saffir-Simpson scale, battered the eastern part of the island with torrential rains and strong winds.
“It damaged half of the basilica’s stained-glass windows, the woodwork, and ripped off doors and windows…,” recounted the parish priest, who nevertheless expressed confidence in its recovery.
Despite the damage, Dean assured that the church plans to resume its religious activities within two days.
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Charity, declared a National Monument in 2012, is located on a hill in the small town of El Cobre, in Santiago de Cuba.
Every day, more than 500 people visit the church, where mass is celebrated every morning, and people also come from different parts of the island to fulfill promises and leave offerings to the Virgin.
Extensive damage
Although Hurricane Melissa has continued to move away from Cuba in recent hours, its eastern provinces remained under a hurricane warning until Wednesday night.
In those territories, official media have reported flooding, severe damage to homes and other infrastructure, overflowing rivers, landslides, isolated communities and damage to telecommunications, among other devastation that has yet to be quantified.
“It has been a night of great pain and tension. Hurricane Melissa struck the town of El Cobre with incredible force. The elders say they have never seen anything like it before,” the rector of the National Sanctuary of Our Lady of Charity said earlier in an audio message released on social media.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=embed_video&v=1541643840193347
The parish priest recounted that the view from the Sanctuary showed the town where it is located to be “devastated,” because “practically only the houses with masonry roofs remained undamaged.”
Therefore, he appealed to “friends from sister churches, organizations, groups, confraternities, dioceses, congregations and NGOs to turn their attention to eastern Cuba during this very difficult time.”
He also urged “local groups of brothers and sisters who can contribute their efforts and help in the restoration of houses and the Sanctuary.”
