Shrine Of Our Lady Of Charity Religion Essay

Religion is one of the most controversial subjects today. Nowadays there are many faiths that are characterized by parts or even states. In my personal life I have ever experienced wonder to cognize a little more about different faiths. Although sing any sort faith, no affair the beginning, they ever deserve the extreme regard. During my research I took advantage to see a church that I had ever wanted to go to since a piece back. Despite the fact that I am Cuban and I am non observant of any faith I had heard on many occasions talk about this Catholic Church the “ Shrine of our Lady of Charity ” . That is why I chose this topographic point as my mark for my research.

What is the Catholic Church? The Catholic Church is an establishment that organizes the community of the Christian trusters into Catholicism. It is the oldest non-state organisation in the universe. The Catholic Church is the westernized consequence of two churches that were created by the E and west split of Christianity in 1054. Catholic Church was founded by Christ 2,000 old ages ago. Members of this faith are classified into three groups: priests, Prophetss and the King or Lord of the Universe, Christ. The chief features of this church are: They are One, because has a individual Lord. Saint because the Holy God is its writer. And apostolic because it is built on solid foundations: “ the 12 apostles of Christ ” . It is a church where the people of God are one and alone. All of its members have the same self-respect because all are reborn by the same Baptism. That is why in the Church there is no difference for grounds of race, nationality, sex or societal category. Current statics show that about 55 per centum of entire are Catholic. Harmonizing to the Statistical Yearbook of the Church, the Catholic Church ‘s worldwide recorded rank at the terminal of 2005 was 1,114,966,000, about one-sixth of the universe ‘s population. ( “ Roman Catholic Church ” ) .

For the first measure of my probe I conducted a research to garner more information about this topographic point, as when it was built, where it is locate among other things. This church was built really near to the sea and I found out that was made on intent because the H2O represents a nexus to Cuba, to mime the same Waterss environing their lands. The building began on May 20, 1967 in a memorialization service where they were observing an day of remembrance of Cuba ‘s Independence Day. The church was built with contributions of many people. Although the people had really low wages they donated portion of them. So this church is besides known and a sanctuary of the people. It was eventually finished in 1971 where on December 2, 1971 the church was devoted as the Shrine of the Virgin of Charity. In the startup central Kroll, Archbishop of Philadelphia, at that clip president of the Bishops ‘ Conference of the United States, with the presence of Archbishop Carroll in Miami and the bishops Boza Masvidal all were in attending.

The 2nd measure of my research was to go to one of its services. Checking the web site of the same church I noticed that they had a service to which I can go to harmonizing to my work agenda and free clip. I decided to go to a service on Saturday at midday clip, but first I double checked by naming over phone in progress and in add-on I wanted to do certain what type of vesture I could have on because I did non desire to be disrespectful.

During my visit I confirmed many of the features I had read, as the fact of being located near the sea, which symbolizes a sort of brotherhood between two lands, Cuba and United States. The church is little but I was non surprised about the figure of people go toing the service because in my sentiment the Catholic faith has a large figure of observants. Additionally, it is a really beautiful and peaceable topographic point. On the exterior, near the sea, I noticed that there is a topographic point for supplication. Peoples were sitting on the boundary line of a wall looking toward the skyline and they stayed there for a long clip. That topographic point is truly astonishing.

At the entryway of the church there were some voluntaries trusters sitting in the forepart. They were giving and selling transcript of the supplications and other objects, such as casts and tapes with the image of the Virgin of Charity. Furthermore there was a container in a corner where people can go forth pecuniary contributions and where I took the chance and I did a little part to the church.

Another absorbing thing about this church was the interior wall painting that it located in center of the topographic point. I ever thought that Catholic Church has a cross in the centre of the topographic point, but this was non the instance, the cross was on the right side of the mural. In the centre of the wall painting there is a figure that symbolizes the Virgin of Charity. That image represents the name of the church. Additionally, as a consequence of my research, I found an interesting narrative about the find of the virgin, and it is the followers:

In the twelvemonth 1612, it was carried out the find of the image of the Virgin of Charity. The narrative was narrated under an ecclesiastical curse to the 85 old ages by Juan Moreno, “ the negrito of Charity ” , who tells us how they were in a canoe in hunt of salt in the sea. He and two Indian brothers, John and Rodrigo de Hoyos, were go forthing the Gallic Key when they noticed something drifting in the sea, as they approached they saw with amazement and joy that it was an image of the Virgin Mary on a splint where you could read: “ I am The Virgin of Charity. ” ( “ History of the find ” ) .

Most of the supplications of Virgin Mary are associated with people or topographic points: Our Lady of Lourdes, of Fatima, Guadeloupe, of Rule, del Pilar, or to elements of the Catholic faith as Virgin de las Angustias, del Rosario, the Immaculate Conception, the Remedies, solitariness, La Merced. However the Virgin of Charity was different because she appeared in the bay of Nipe with her ain supplication. No 1 gave her the name ; she, herself, was identified in a prophetic manner as the Virgin of Charity.

When the service was about to get down, all the people began to sit in all the benches. I noticed that there were many older individuals. Largely they were have oning conservative vesture. Womans wore long skirts or pants and work forces pants. Besides, work forces did non utilize caps or chapeaus and those who had they took it off before come ining the edifice, that was a symbol of regard. When the priest was come ining at premises all the people stood up and until he said we could n’t sit down. The priest was have oning a black long frock with a dark purple cloth on top of it.

The service began and everyone remained in silence. Sometimes we had to reiterate what the priest said, there were parts of supplications, which unluckily in my instance it was hard to retrieve because I did non cognize them. Almost at the terminal of the service many people went in forepart of the church. They formed a line and the priest was seting something inside their oral cavity, it was something white, thin and of unit of ammunition form. At the terminal of the service I was believing approximately many of points mentioned by the priest, particularly when he compared current events with chapters of the Bible.

After the service I stayed and I was look up toing that extraordinary wall painting. In my sentiment it is an original chef-d’oeuvre. Subsequently in my probe I found that it was painted chiefly by Teok Carrasco among others. I was analyzing in inside informations the picture and I recognized many heroes of the history of Cuba, which I had studied during my childhood but I ne’er imagined that they were portion of that fantastic wall painting. There were Felix Varela, besides known as the Father Varela, Jose Marti, known as the apostle of Cuba, Maximo Gomez, Antonio Maceo, Calixto Garcia, Mariana Grajales among many others.

Este sitio recoge una pequena pero importante parte de la historia religiosa del exilo cubano, desde 1959 hasta EL presente, vista a traves de la Fe, a traves del culto Y respeto que EL Pueblo cubano siente por su patrona Y protectora, La Virgen de La Caridad.

I recognized in a corner of the church a topographic point of rite, where people leave flowers and illuminated tapers to the Virgin. I noticed that the bulk of the flowers were white or light colourss like yellow. To the left side of the large wall painting there were three flags, I merely recognized two of them, the flag of our state, United States and the flag of Cuba. In my sentiment that represents a symbol of brotherhood between the two states and besides that a great figure faithful go toing that church have the two nationalities, Cuban by their roots and civilization, and Americans by populating in this state.

After the service some people left and others stayed for a piece in order to pray. Then, I decided to cognize the remainder of the church. In one of the suites, beautiful by the manner, there was 1 with a wall made of glass with an image of the Virgin of Charity. During the twenty-four hours that wall receives so much sunshine that the room looks really clear than the remainder of the church. Besides in that room you can experience an indefinable peace and repose. I besides noticed that the wall faced the sea supplying to that room even more light. They besides have some benches prepared for people that come to pray. It is a chamber that gives some privateness for supplications. The church has another room where they have a little shop. Peoples can purchase several points, like crosses, casts, and rosary among many other Catholics things. And eventually, in order to maintain a memory of my visit, I took some image outside and inside with the corresponding permission.

In decision, this experience was of great benefit to me because besides to the peace, I was really comfy in the church and I can state that I felt like I was between households, although I did non cognize to anyone. My sentiment sing this faith changes significantly. I am sing travel back to that church in the close hereafter. I had ever heard several negative remarks about this faith, like they are a monopoly where they want to enforce their faith. But now I realized those remarks were made by people that want to discredit it. I understand that any faith has its ain history, it might be good or bad, but that depend chiefly on clip and no 1 should judge it. As I said at the beginning, everyone should esteem all faiths no affair if we pattern it or non. In general this church includes a little but of import portion of the spiritual history of Cuban expatriate, from 1959 until the present, where they worship and respect their defender, The Virgin of Charity.

Work Cited

“ History of the find of the image of the Virgin of Charity. ” Shrine of our Lady of Charity.

2008. www.ermitadelacaridad.org

WikimediaHYPERLINK “ hypertext transfer protocol: //www.wikimediafoundation.org/ ” HYPERLINK “ hypertext transfer protocol: //www.wikimediafoundation.org/ ” Foundation, HYPERLINK “ hypertext transfer protocol: //www.wikimediafoundation.org/ ” HYPERLINK “ hypertext transfer protocol: //www.wikimediafoundation.org/ ” Inc. “ Our Lady of Charity. ” Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia. 27 June 2010, www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_Charity

“ Roman Catholic Church. ” Babylon lexicon. A 19 July 2010. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.babylon.com/definition/Roman_Catholic_Church/English