Society
Of The Divine Word

Fr. Sylwester Marek Wydra, SVD, presiding over the Easter celebration in Cuba.

The Easter Triduum 2026 at Our Lady of Candelaria Parish in Morón (Cuba)

Pedro Antonio Santiago Pérez, SVD

Celebrating Easter in Cuba in 2026 is, in itself, an act of faith. The country is going through difficult times: frequent power outages, scarcity of resources, and a growing sense of fatigue among many families.In this context, the Easter Triduum arrived, bringing with it the question that the liturgy of these sacred days always raises: Is it possible to believe in the Resurrection when the weight of the present feels so heavy?

Preparing the celebrations in the parish of Morón and in the mission communities—Ranchuelo, Saladrigas, Turiguanó, and Patria—required, as always, considerable effort. Without the resources often taken for granted elsewhere, the pastoral team learned to work with what was available: solar panels to power sound systems, liturgical texts shared via USB when internet connections failed, and faithful who arrived on foot or by bicycle, never losing their desire to celebrate. The poverty of means was never a poverty of faith.

Under the guidance of Fr. Sylwester Marek Wydra, SVD, the Triduum was lived as a true communal journey. Holy Thursday was especially moving: the washing of the feet was carried out with children and adolescents preparing to receive their First Communion on Divine Mercy Sunday. It was a powerful sign—the shepherd kneeling before those taking their first steps in faith. Good Friday began in the morning with a Way of the Cross led by catechism children and their families, touching the hearts of the youngest. In the afternoon, at three o’clock, the Way of the Cross continued around the parish with the entire community, followed immediately by the celebration of the Lord’s Passion. The whole afternoon became a single experience of contemplation, culminating in the meditation on the Seven Last Words of Jesus on the Cross. The Easter Vigil, lit with the new fire under the sky of Morón, gathered the community around the Word and the sacraments, celebrating the most important night of the year with the simple and genuine joy that only shared faith can bring.

Celebrating Easter in Cuba.

And it is precisely here that hope becomes visible—not as a vague wish, but as something real and tangible. It was seen in the lay leaders of the rural communities who presided over Celebrations of the Word with dedication and conviction. It was seen in the families who came together, prepared the church with what they had, sang with the choir, and fully engaged in every liturgical gesture. It was seen in the children and adolescents who had their feet washed and who will soon receive the Body of Christ for the first time—they are perhaps the clearest sign that something good is growing.

Celebrating Easter here and now, with all that it entails, reminds us of something the Church has known from the beginning: mission does not depend on resources, but on the Spirit. The Divine Word Missionaries witness to this through their presence and example. And the Lord, faithful to His Word, continues to lead us into a place of freedom. That place has a name: Resurrection.

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