HAVANA, Cuba (LifeSiteNews) — After issuing an announcement earlier this month that there were no more hosts available for Catholic churches in Cuba, the Discalced Carmelite Nuns of Havana happily reported that they are now able to distribute hosts again due to donations of flour to the convent.
The announcement came in a Nov. 14 notice to all Catholic parishes and dioceses in Cuba, in which the Carmelites stated they would “resume the work to be able to offer this service [of making hosts] to the pilgrim Church in Cuba as soon as possible,” having received through generous donations sufficient flour to make hosts for Mass.
The crisis had come to the nuns, who make the Communion hosts for all the Catholic churches on the island, because of a flour shortage affecting the whole country. The nuns had stated in an announcement to churches on Nov. 2 that they had used the last of their flour. “We have been working with the little flour that was left and what we had in reserve has come to an end,” they lamented.
READ: Wheat crisis in Cuba leads to shortage of hosts for Masses
Parishes subsequently had to rely on whatever supply of hosts they already possessed in order to continue offering Mass and Communion to the faithful. According to a report from Catholic News Agency, shortly after the nuns’ announcement, “Father José Luis Pueyo of the Diocese of Villa Clara told the newspaper 14ymedio that they would have to break their remaining hosts into several pieces in order to provide for the faithful.” Now, however, the distribution of Holy Communion can resume as before.
The nuns noted in their recent statement that the since the Nov. 2 announcement, news of their plight had gone viral, prompting assistance even from remote places, including other countries. Donations of flour came “from the simple people of our towns, from institutions, from Miami, Puerto Rico, Spain and also the allocation we have from the State,” the nuns said. This supplied them with the flour needed to resume their work of making hosts for the celebration of the Mass.
The convent expressed deep gratitude for the generosity of so many people, saying, “The impressive thing about all this is how it has moved the hearts of so many people of good will who, like the widow in the Gospel, have offered little or much to keep the work going … Our prayers and gratitude to all those who have collaborated.”
The full notice to Churches read:
Praise Jesus Christ!
We greet you with the Peace and Joy that comes from God the Father.
In the past days we sent a statement in which we reported that due to the lack of flour it was impossible for us to provide all the dioceses of the country with the supply of hosts for the Eucharistic celebrations.
To our surprise this news went viral and with the reach of social networks, this simple statement has reached remote places. The impressive thing about all this is how it has moved the hearts of so many people of good will who, like the widow in the Gospel, have offered little or much to keep the work going.
We have experienced once again that the boat of the Church is the Lord who carries her. We have felt that the road traveled in this synodal process is beyond words, so that active participation and communion have been a clear miracle.
We have received flour from the simple people of our towns, from institutions, from Miami, Puerto Rico, Spain and also the allocation we have from the State.
He who multiplied the loaves of bread has shown his power with the multiplication of flour.
Now we resume the work to be able to offer this service to the pilgrim Church in Cuba as soon as possible.
GLORY TO THE FATHER AND TO THE SON AND TO THE HOLY SPIRIT.
Our prayers and gratitude to all those who have collaborated.
The discalced Carmelites of Havanna
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