Christian women of Cuba gather “under the mantle of God”

José Lopez, HAVANA, Cuba, March 5, 2007

In the Catholic Church of Our Lady of the Rosary located in the Vedado neighborhood Taxi Heathrow Airport of Havana, one of the programs to celebrate the World Day of Prayer took place, gathering together women and men of many Christian denominations of the area.

Led by Midiam Lobaina and with the participation of religious orders, women lay persons, pastors and brothers and sisters of the Catholic and Evangelical churches the program was held in a very inspiring and organized manner.

Three women entered covered with a great mantle, sang a hymn, kneeled and then placed the mantle on a cross.

Seven participants represented the Paraguayan women and their different occupations and situations, giving witness to the meaning of the environment they live in and what the encounter with the gospel and the support of the churches has been for them.

In the full church all of the participants wore on their blouses this year’s theme for the World Day of Prayer, “United under the mantle of God,” dedicated to Paraguay and following a program prepared by the women of that country. Various men also participated in different moments.

Episcopal Bishop Nerva Cot, the first Latin American woman to become a bishop in that church, shared the program’s message. She referred to the "Ñandutí", a typical Paraguayan mat woven by women who with the diversity of their colors, knots, figures, stitches and forms bring together a unity, a net of a single piece, symbolizing both God’s creation and women as Christians in the most dissimilar traditions and ways of interpreting the faith. Bishop Cot also made reference to Lent as a time for reflection, meditation, humility and a spirit of oneness, as taught by Christ.

Dozens of voices repeated the phrase in Guaraní, ¡Ñandejara tanderovasa!, which means, God bless you!

Lissette Carrillo of the William Carey Baptist Church and the Choir of the Church of the Sacred Heart delighted those present with their masterful interpretations.

As a symbol of the unity between peoples, a special greeting was given in recognition of the marriage of Eugenio Jara, a Paraguayan medical doctor living in Cuba for 40 years, and Gladys Colón, a Cuban.

A love offering for women in need is a part of each year’s celebration. This celebration also took place in five other churches in the city, as well as in the other provinces.

Ormara Nolla, Coordinator of the World Day of Prayer for the Caribbean and Latin America, and Raquel Suárez Rodés, responsible for organizing the celebration in Cuba, directed the activity throughout the country.

The World Day of Prayer is an organization that has its world office in New York and is organized in all of the continents through regional coordinators. Each year it has a particular emphasis and millions of women gather together on the first Friday in March to pray for a specific country, following a program prepared by sisters of that country, in which they share its characteristics, customs, needs and prayer motives.