Home » Projects » EXISTENCE AID » Cuba: The courage of the Carmelites

Cuba: The courage of the Carmelites

Lockdown, enforced isolation, economic paralysis, social distancing. The Covid measures imposed by governments worldwide have fallen hard on many contemplative religious, as they rely on outside help. Yet they continue to trust in God and pray for the healing of the world. Sister Maria of the Rosary is the Superior of the Discalced Carmelites of Saint Teresa of
Avila in Havana, the capital of Cuba. She writes to us from their quarantine to tell us what they need: milk, bread, soap, medicines, disinfectant and money for the telephone and electricity. Their country has been plunged into a downward spiral of poverty by the pandemic, because it depends so extensively on imports and tourism to stay afloat economically. The
borders are shut, and many goods can no longer reach the country. A lack of hygienic and protective items makes it harder to effectively tackle the pandemic, resulting in still wider economic shutdown in yet more areas. Then there is the lack of basic services.

“God wants us to be joyful” (Teresa of Avila): Sister Luz del Carmen and Sister Reina in the convent garden.
“God wants us to be joyful” (Teresa of Avila): Sister Luz del Carmen and Sister Reina in the convent garden.

Workers can no longer do their work, nurses are unable to visit: uncertainty about the future hangs over everything. But the Carmelite Sisters turn to the wise words of their foundress, the holy Doctor of the Church, Saint Teresa, who wrote in her Way of Perfection that for those who live in the love of God, “We have nothing to fear, only to look forward to”. Certainly, “He sends contemplatives heavier crosses than to others”, but at the same time “the first thing our Lord does when He sees them waver is to give them courage”. Now the Sisters want to share this courage with others. They ask “our prayers, that in the midst of this critical situation [they] may be a flame of hope for the people, who suffer so greatly” – such is the appeal from these contemplative souls. We have promised them our support. Their presence strengthens not just Cuba, but us as well, as they are praying for us every day.

Don't miss the latest updates!

Gaza: First step towards peace after 733 days of war

While indirect talks are taking place in Egypt between Israeli…

Rome to host official launch of Religious Freedom Report 2025

Religious and public leaders will be gathering on October 21…

Papal envoy carries solidarity to the Christians of war-torn Sudan

Archbishop Séamus Patrick Horgan, Apostolic Nuncio to South Sudan, has…

In the east of Burkina Faso, still many problems as term starts

While the security situation in Burkina Faso has improved slightly,…

From Angola to Vietnam, enthusiasm with “One million children praying the Rosary” campaign

ACN’s yearly campaign, added to the Holy Father’s appeal to…

Church clings to life amid chaos in Gaza

Aid to the Church in Need echoes Pope Leo XIV’s…

List of News

Gaza: First step towards peace after 733 days of war

While indirect talks are taking place in Egypt between Israeli envoys and Hamas, the hope for a beginning of peace is cautiously laying roots in the diocese of the Holy...

Fr Hugo Alaniz recounts a night of explosions and fear in Aleppo: “People are very afraid, we don’t know what is going to happen”

In the midst of a new wave of fighting, the Argentine priest describes hours of anguish in Aleppo. His parish has once again become a refuge for dozens of families....

Rome to host official launch of Religious Freedom Report 2025

Religious and public leaders will be gathering on October 21 at the Pontifical Patristic Institute Augustinianum in Rome for the worldwide presentation of the latest edition of the Report on...