Youth Pilgrimage to Honor Virgin of Charity Canceled Due to Widespread Blackout

A widespread blackout in eastern Cuba forced the cancellation of the traditional youth pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of El Cobre, held in honor of Cuba's patron saint. The event, which was set to commence from the Church of St. Francis of Assisi in Santiago de Cuba to El Cobre Sanctuary on the eve of the Virgin of Charity's Day, was halted an hour before it began.

The Archdiocese of Santiago de Cuba announced on its official Facebook page that a failure in the electrical system caused outages in provinces such as Las Tunas, Granma, Holguín, Santiago de Cuba, and Guantánamo. This disruption occurred just an hour before the pilgrimage was scheduled to start. “We lay at the feet of our Mother, Mary of Charity, the difficult times our nation is enduring,” the archdiocese stated, accompanying the message with an image of the Virgin.

Every year, thousands of young people make the nighttime journey between the Church of St. Francis and the El Cobre sanctuary as a demonstration of faith, sacrifice, and devotion to Cuba's patroness. The walk, typically filled with joy, prayer, and singing, was muted this year by the sudden power outage—a poignant and symbolic reminder that the economic crisis affects even religious practices in Cuba.

Additionally, the Archdiocese of Santiago de Cuba announced a schedule change for the traditional procession of the Virgin of Charity's image, which will now take place on September 8 at 5:00 p.m. The procession will start from the Archdiocese and proceed through Paraíso, Aguilera, and Santo Tomás streets, culminating at the Cathedral of Santiago de Cuba. The call to the faithful was clear: “Join us in the walk, Holy Mary, come!”

Archbishop Dionisio García Ibáñez of Santiago de Cuba reminded everyone on Sunday that the Virgin of Charity of El Cobre has been a symbol of unity and comfort during the nation's most challenging times.