Veritas et Lux

Our Lady of Charity, or Nuestra Señora de la Caridad del Cobre, is the patroness of Cuba. The origins of Our Lady of Charity date back to the early 17th century. Around 1612, two indigenous brothers named Rodrigo and Juan de Hoyos along with a young slave named Barajona, set out to sea to gather salt. While searching for salt, they were caught in a storm and they began praying for help. Suddenly, the skies cleared, and they saw a floating object in the water. It was a state of the Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus, mounted on a board with the inscription “Yo Soy la Virgen de la Caridad” which translates to “I am the Virgin of Charity”.

The devotion to Our Lady of Charity grew over the centuries. In 1916, at the request of Cuban veterans of the War of Independence, Pope Benedict XV declared Our Lady of Charity the patroness of Cuba. Her feast day is celebrated on September 8. The Shrine of Our Lady of Charity is located in El Cobre, a town in the Santiago de Cuba province in eastern Cuba. Interestingly, El Cobre is the first place in Cuba where slaves were freed.

During his visit to Cuba in 1998, Pope John Paul II offered a prayer to Our Lady of Charity:

“Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, Patroness of Cuba! Hail Mary, full of grace! You are the beloved Daughter of the Father, the Mother of Christ, our God, the living Temple of the Holy Spirit… Holy Mary, Mother of God and Mother of us all! Pray for us before your Son Jesus Christ, intercede for us with your maternal heart, filled with the Spirit’s charity. Increase our faith, enliven our hope, augment and strengthen love in us. Shelter our families, protect young people and little children, comfort the suffering… Mother of reconciliation! Gather together your people scattered throughout the world. Make the Cuban nation a home of brothers and sisters so that this people will open wide its mind, its heart and its life to Christ, the sole Saviour and Redeemer, who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen. ”