Cubans Observe Feast of

Their Patroness

La Senora de Cobre

By Stefanie Gutierrez

An outdoor procession and Mass honoring Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, the patroness of Cuba, was held at St. Michael’s parish, Flushing, Saturday, Sept. 8.

Catholic Daughters of America led the procession. Msgr. Otto Garcia, pastor of St. Joan of Arc, Jackson Heights, celebrated the Mass in Spanish that followed.

Obed Lima Photos  

“Mary protects us and guides us to go to our heavenly native land by showing us who Christ is so that we can become two images of her son,” said Msgr. Garcia. “We do this specifically by practicing charity, which is the message of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre… to practice charity. That is the message she brings to all of us… Cuban or not.”

The celebration has been held at the parish for more than 35 years, according to Msgr. Edward Wetterer, St. Michael’s pastor. It began when “St. Michael’s was largely a Cuban parish,” he explained. The vast majority of those in attendance on Saturday were Cuban.

History of Feast

The history of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre began around the year 1600, when two Cuban natives, together with a slave boy, went out looking for salt that was needed to preserve the meat of the local slaughter house, which fed the inhabitants of Santiago del Prado, now known as El Cobre.

A storm came, and the three men were only able to reach half the distance they expected to cover through the night. They waited through the storm, and as the morning came, they saw a white bundle floating on the waves of the Bay of Nipe. As it came closer, they saw that it was a statue of the Virgin Mary holding a child on her right arm and with a gold cross in her left hand.

The statue was fastened to a board with the inscription “I Am the Virgin of Charity.” According to witnesses, neither the figure of the Virgin nor her clothing were wet, despite the storm and waves.

A statue of Our Lady of Cobre, which was held high by parishioners at St. Michael’s last weekend, is about 16 inches high and covered by a heavy cloak of gold and silver. The image of Our Lady of Charity, a symbol of Cuban nationality, is often dressed in the Cuban flag’s colors of white, blue and red.

Msgr. Garcia said, “Our Lady of Charity is a sign of Cuban union, of their country. The whole image of the Blessed Mother in Hispanic traditions is very powerful, and she is the mother. She is the title of charity and is also a symbol of the country… She unifies people with a common expression of faith.”

The Cuban community celebrated the feast of Our Lady of Cobre with a street procession and Mass at St. Michael’s, Flushing. Msgr. Otto Garcia, was the main celebrant and homilist.

At the front of the procession, parishioners walked with the American and Cuban flags side-by-side.

Since the 1970s, the feast of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre has been celebrated at St. Michael’s.

Ananda Pavlo, a parishioner, said, “We try to celebrate Cuba’s traditions, and Our Lady of Charity is our roots. No matter where any Cuban family may live now, and no matter where they may be, Cubans will light a candle in memory of Our Lady of Charity.”

During the homily, Msgr. Garcia and the congregation sang a well-known Spanish song that is about Mary protecting and guiding people “to the Heavenly native land,” Msgr. Garcia explained.

He added, “The message of Mary, in practically every apparition, is not her message but the message of Christ and the message of salvation. She comes to bring us the gift of Christ and the gift of salvation.”

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