Aid to the Church in Need: Cuba: The 400th anniversary of the national shrine of Cobre

Cuba: The 400th anniversary of the national shrine of Cobre

Posted by ACN News on 28/8/2008, 10:14 am
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ACN News 28.08.2008

Cuba: The nation prepares for the 400th anniversary of the national shrine of Cobre

By Eva Maria Kolmann

In an extraordinary plenary assembly that is scheduled to continue until 30 August, the Cuban bishops have embarked upon a three-year preparation for the fourth centenary of the finding of the miraculous image of Our Lady of Cobre, revered today as the national Patroness of Cuba. The assembly also marks the start of the involvement of the Catholic Church in Cuba in the great continental mission that was launched on 17 August in the Ecuadorian capital Quito and which will cover the whole of Latin America and the Caribbean with a series of evangelisation initiatives.

The Cuban bishops' conference is inviting all the Cuban people to join in the celebration of the Jubilee. According to information given to the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the bishops pointed out that this image is revered not only by Catholics but also by Christians of other denominations, and they have expressly invited all such people to join in the celebration of the Jubilee. The bishops’ message states: "They too express their veneration of this image of the Blessed Virgin (...) and often approach her altar to present their gifts of flowers, candles and money, to thank her for graces granted and to seek her help. We invite all these believers to share with us in our joy during these festivities."

In their message the Cuban bishops emphasise the unity of all Cubans, whether living in or outside Cuba. They express the hope that the social, cultural, political, economic, ideological and ethnic differences between Cubans will finally disappear and that "everyone will be accepted equally". Our Lady of Cobre is the Mother of all Cubans, they add, and a "beacon of hope and the promise of a better future". There is, they say, "no event and no social process, whether joyful or painful, that is not made present in one way or another in the votive offerings, the pledges and the recollections offered by the Christian faithful from all over the country to Our Lady of Cobre".

Aid to the Church in Need, has been supporting the Catholic Church in Cuba for many years and is likewise supporting the recent pastoral and initiatives in the run-up to the Jubilee. The charity believes that the influence of this national shrine of Cobre on the inner unity of Cuba is not to be underestimated. It is important, ACN explained, to "confirm the Cuban people in faith, to strengthen them in hope and to encourage them in love" as Pope John Paul II had put it during his visit to Cuba in February 1998.

The image of Our Lady of Cobre, a wooden statue around a foot high, was discovered in 1612 by three fishermen - one of whom was a black slave while the other two were native Indians, and all of whom were named Juan - who drew it from the sea during a storm in the Bay of Nipe and brought it to El Cobre. In 1916 Our Lady of Cobre was proclaimed by Pope Benedict XV as the Patroness of Cuba. Pope John Paul II crowned the statue of Our Lady of Cobre on 24 February 1998 and proclaimed her the "Mother of Reconciliation" for Cuba.

For further information please contact the Sydney office of ACN on (02) 9679-1929. e-mail: info@aidtochurch.org or write to Aid to the Church in Need PO Box 6245 Blacktown DC NSW 2148. Web: www.aidtochurch.org

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Aid to the Church in Need PO Box 6245 Blacktown DC NSW 2148 ABN: 62 418 911 594
Ph/Fax (02) 9679-1929 e-mail: info@aidtochurch.org web: www.aidtochurch.org