Saint Lazarus was also present at the celebrations for the 500 years of Havana

Small, simple and surrounded by humble people, the pilgrim image of Saint Lazarus arrived this Sunday at the S.M.I Cathedral of Havana, as part of an initiative carried out by members of the community of El Rincón and its rector, Father Elixander Torres Pérez, to celebrate the Jubilee of San Cristóbal and the 500th anniversary of the founding of Havana.

Father Elixander expressed that Cubans have a lot of devotion to San Lázaro and this allows the participation of all the people in the celebrations for the 500 years of the city. For this reason, for a week, the pilgrim image of Saint Lazarus toured parishes in different areas of the archdiocese, including some located in places far from the center of the capital. “Saint Lazarus is poor and the humble are the closest to the Gospel. That’s why we decided to take it to towns in areas like Mayabeque and Artemisa,” he explained.

“Through the Facebook page of the National Shrine of Saint Lazarus, people have thanked us for reaching out to all these communities so that we can see the Catholic Church not only with the faithful inside, but with all the people outside as well,” he added. .

On its journey, the image visited the following parishes: San Julián, in Güines; San Juan Bautista, in Jaruco; La Asunción, in Guanabacoa, the nursing home and church of San Francisco de Paula, on October 10; the parish of the areas of Wajay, Aguacate, Melena del Sur, Batabanó and San José de las Lajas.

The visit to the Cathedral was the last stop of this great pilgrimage. For Norma Padilla, who is a resident of the historic center of Havana and a devotee of the miraculous saint, this event was a great blessing for her life because the proximity of Saint Lazarus to the capital’s town of the Cathedral gives her greater certainty: “He “He has shown us on numerous occasions that he constantly intercedes before God for all of us.”

In this sense, Father Yosvani Carvajal Sureda, parish priest of the Cathedral, thanked Father Elixander and his entire community for this initiative they have had for the celebrations of the 500 years of Havana. “Saint Lazarus is the poor man blessed by God, he is the image that helps the poor identify themselves as those preferred by Him,” he stated.