Heavenly Father, giver of life and health: Comfort and relieve our brothers and sisters in Cuba, especially those who suffer coronavirus, and give your power of healing to those who minister to their needs, that those for whom our prayers are offered may be strengthened in their weakness and have confidence in your loving care; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
A Message from St. John’s Compass Rose Commission:
Fellow Parishioners –
We ask that you please pray for the Cuban people and especially for our many friends in the Los Arabos Circuit who are dealing with tragedy and loss this week. As a Christian and Episcopal community, we have supported Episcopal churches in Zorrilla, Cuatro Esquinas, and Los Arabos and have installed Living Waters for the World water purification systems at all three churches. We have heard from friends in various areas of Cuba that the medical system is collapsing because it is completely overwhelmed with the number of COVID cases combined with a lack of vaccines, medical supplies, and personnel.
Members of St. John’s Compass Rose Commission have received several recent distressing communications from our Cuba companion priest, Fr. Juan Carlos Diez Moreira, and from Aurora Mederos, Senior Warden of our companion parish, San Pedro Apóstol in Zorrilla. They tell us that Los Arabos, the largest town near Zorrilla, is completely quarantined due to COVID and that people are literally starving in their homes because there is no food to be found in the area. Tragically, this week a young mother who was eight months pregnant died of the virus and her unborn child was also lost. This woman and her husband and young child were members of La Trinidad Episcopal Church in Los Arabos.
Two stalwart San Pedro Apóstol parishioners, a wonderful couple named Aida and Pica (Leonardo Delgado), have been receiving treatment in a Los Arabos clinic for COVID. Pica was extremely fragile and not eating. Late this week, we learned that he has died from COVID. Pica was a faithful servant of God and he loved his church family. He had been in charge of the garden behind the church in Zorrilla for many years. Whenever St. John’s visited, he would sing songs set to the tune of “Guantanamera” in which he would talk about us and name each one of us. Pica worked tirelessly to make our visits to Zorrilla special and memorable. We will miss him so much. Thankfully, his wife, Aida, seems to be doing better and may be released from the clinic in Los Arabos soon. Please pray for Pica and remember Aida and all of our friends in Cuba in your prayers.
We also invite you to join us in prayer at our 12:10 p.m. Healing Service, each Wednesday in the church, or you are welcome to come and pray in the church anytime during St. John’s office hours. If you have any questions about how to support our Cuban friends, please contact our new Compass Rose Commission Chair, Marian Lambeth.
