Invited in Holguin, Cuba, to continue following Jesus and to be the Gospel like Saint Pedro Poveda in the celebration of his feast day, on July 28, at the diocesan cathedral.
In celebrating the feast of Saint Pedro Poveda, the Bishop of Holguin, Cuba, highlighted the saint's testimony of Christian faith, offered until the last moment of his life and encouraged the faithful present in the Cathedral of San Isidoro to imitate him. Bishop Emilio Aranguren Echeverría highlighted the faith of Poveda and of those in Cuba who opted to remain, follow Jesus and preach his Gospel at the price of the cross.
The Eucharist commemorated the 86th anniversary of the martyrdom of Saint Pedro Poveda, diocesan priest, humanist, educator and founder, in 1911, of the Teresian Association, a lay association present in the Diocese of Holguin since 2009.
Members of the Association, relatives and friends who live the charism of Poveda in the diocese joined the celebration which was presided by the Bishop and concelebrated by several priests.
Offerings
During the offertory, members of the Teresian Association in Holguin with their families presented, along with bread and wine, several symbolic offerings whose meaning was explained from the pulpit:
“Lord, with these flowers we want to place on your altar the wish that our hearts will not be lacking of true joy and that we know how to transmit it to our families”, was heard while some children approached with flowers. “May the Christian community know how to take care of our children and youth and offer them the joy of the Gospel”, they repeated.
With the offering of a book, it was explained that “it symbolizes the power of science that can be used to build and to destroy”. They expressed that they placed on the altar “the wish that science always works for the common good and that we Christians know how to build a fruitful dialogue between faith and science”.
A couple approached with the symbols of salt and light that “remind us of what Jesus wants his Church and each Christian to be in the midst of the world”. And they explained, recalling the wish of Saint Pedro Poveda: “Salt that cures wounds and light that illuminates the meaningless nights that many of our contemporaries live”.
When presenting the bread and wine, it was heard: “we want to bring to this celebration our farmers who with their arduous work help to put on our table the daily food”. And by way of petition: “Lord, give us a solidary heart so that none of your children will lack daily bread”.
With a plant they said: “Lord, this flowerpot reminds us to take care of our common home, that we collaborate to leave the future generations with a more just world and a more livable planet”.
Concert
The countertenor Orlando Martí, student of Lyrical Singing in Holguín, interpreted the Ave Maria and at the end of the Eucharist there was a clarinet concert offered by the group “Compasillo”, from the city of Puerto Padre Cuba where members of the TA and friends of Poveda are present.
A bone relic of Saint Pedro Poveda reposes on the altar of the temple of Barajagua, place where for the first time the image of the Our Lady of Charity, Patroness of Cuba, found on the waters of the Bay of Nipe in 1612, was worshipped.
From “Holguín Católico”.
