Flash shot: A Sunday for Cuba’s Patron Saint

Last Sunday was not just any other day in Cuba. Nor for Cubans living anywhere in the world.

Like every September 8, it was the day of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, the Patron Saint of Cuba, a date celebrated not only by Catholic devotees but also by numerous Cubans of different creeds and spiritualities, and even quite a few of those who declare themselves atheists.

I am La Virgen de la Caridad

The celebrations for the Mambí Virgin, for Cachita, for Oshún — the Yoruba deity that is syncretized with the Catholic Virgin — marked the national events a day after many celebrated another of their most beloved deities: Our Lady of Regla or Yemayá.

From the El Cobre Sanctuary in Santiago de Cuba to Pinar del Río; from Spain to Miami, thousands poured into the streets and churches to pay tribute and thank Our Lady of Charity; to sing to her, pray to her and ask her for themselves, for their families, for their loved ones and for Cuba.

Debris falling from a building on Monte Street in Havana, as a result of the ravages of Hurricane Rafael. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.

The celebrations, once again, were marked by the crisis. The shortages and difficulties that grip the island returned, as in recent years, to make themselves present in the collective spirit and the scene in which the commemorations took place this Sunday.

Cubans are a people of faith and perseverance; even with transportation problems and high prices ― also visible in the flower bouquets and other traditional offerings to the Virgin ―, with the pain of absences and daily hardships, people did not stop honoring their Patron Saint.

Devotees honor Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre in the church dedicated to Cuba’s Patron Saint in Manrique and Salud, Centro Habana, on Sunday, September 8, 2024. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.

This happened in Centro Habana, where hundreds of people once again took part in one of the traditional processions on the island, which starts at the church of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, located on the corner of Manrique and Salud streets.

After the mass officiated by Cardinal Juan de la Caridad García, archbishop of Havana, the devotees of the Virgin once again walked the streets of the area, including some as populous as Galiano and Reina. Our photojournalist Otmaro Rodríguez was there, and with his images, he bears witness to another day of celebration and tribute to the Patron Saint of Cuba.