Everyday Miracles: Church Feeds Hundreds in Santiago de Cuba
By Yenys Laura Prieto (El Toque)
HAVANA TIMES – Every other Saturday, something extraordinary happens at Santa María parish in Santiago de Cuba. There, Anglican priest Rodhin A. Colomar has woven a community network that provides food to hundreds of Cubans. They almost always cook over wood or charcoal in a huge pot where products contributed by many anonymous hands are prepared. “We do this with the aim of serving,” Rodhin told El Toque. The action is a nod to the miracle of providing and easing hardship in times of crisis.
The community lunch initiative of the Organized Mission of Saint Peter the Apostle in the Flores neighborhood was born out of recognizing an immediate need, says the Episcopal leader. “As a church, we are always attentive to the signs of the times so we can adapt pastoral action and serve in a more concrete way.”
One of the first reports dates back to November 2024. At that time, between the parish and the mission, they managed to deliver 441 lunches. Rodhin recalls that, at first, he wasn’t sure how to sustain the project. “I had no certainty. We set everything up and aimed to reach as many people as possible. We have witnessed everyday miracles in this service.” Guided by the faith that moves him, the parish priest expressed gratitude for the chance to build support networks that are essential to the project.
“It’s a lot of hustle, a lot of work. We organize two teams that operate as one. It all starts when a donor sends a contribution. Then comes the challenging process of exchanging currency—a huge challenge because you always lose money and it’s never enough,” says the pastor, adding, “Then our administrator, along with his team, goes out to buy the supplies.”
The priest explains that his collaborators spend days walking around looking for the least expensive, highest-quality products. They improvise, explore, and create alternatives so the food can reach those in need in the best possible way. That’s why Rodhin insists that no matter how small the donation is, every bit of help meets a need.
In photos and videos shared on his Facebook page, you can see the process: long lines of Santiago residents waiting with their bowls in hand; parishioners and neighbors preparing food; the warm welcome always offered to first-time visitors.
Another challenge is cooking without gas or electricity. Outdoors, over a wood or charcoal fire, they prepare food for hundreds of people: the elderly, children, women, and the sick who live in extreme vulnerability. Volunteers contribute in many ways. “Some walk through the streets and often bring a log, a broken piece of furniture, or a dry branch, and we use them to make the fire.”
In one of the images he shared on Facebook, Rodhin is surrounded by a group. At every lunch, he reiterates that the goal of the help is not to attract devotees to the church. “It’s not a proselytizing effort,” emphasizes the community leader. “Whether someone comes or not is God’s inspiration, not ours.”
“Those who can’t come because of health problems receive food through a friend or family member who picks it up in a lunch pail. That’s how we reach them,” says Rodhin. Because of such actions, the reach of the project has been impressive. For example, on July 22 they served 315 people; on July 27, 440; and on August 3, 376. In total, they have already distributed thousands of meals in 44 lunches over the past few months.
Still, Rodhin is not satisfied. “I really think it’s very little; we don’t have the conditions or resources for more. Our contribution is modest, but it comes from the heart. I am grateful to God and to the people who give up what is theirs to share with many others.”
The religious leader recalls: “My left hand should not know what my right hand is doing,” and says that the intention of publicizing the lunches is not self-glorification. “We want to raise awareness and bring others on board. You can’t love what you don’t know. I believe that in the midst of so much chaos, so much darkness, so much evil, the light must be shown. It’s a comfort to know that God does not abandon us. And the hands of those who help to do good are moved by God.”
The priest hopes the initiative will continue. “I think it should be an example so that kindness and empathy keep growing,” says Rodhin, who has been moved and touched by the stories of those who come to the mission. “I remember the trembling voice of an elderly man saying that this was the meal he had been waiting for and that for many days he hadn’t eaten. Seeing the faces of children and the elderly light up is enough. There is no greater reward.”
However, he cannot guarantee that the coming months will be any easier. “I can’t speak about the future. It’s always uncertain, and in Cuba even more so. We don’t know what will happen in a few hours, much less tomorrow. My faith sustains me, along with the warm feeling of having done and being able to do what was within my reach to help ease so much pain.”
The past few weeks have been difficult. There have been threats aimed at sowing fear and distrust about the parish’s work. For this reason, at dawn on July 27, 2025, the priest posted an alert on his Facebook wall:
“Last night, our Organized Mission of Saint Peter the Apostle, in the Flores neighborhood, was the victim of another attack with stones. They broke the glass in the side door that leads to the area where we offer purified water service to the whole neighborhood. They also broke a pane in the front window and smashed the sign announcing Alcoholics Anonymous therapy meetings in the community.”
The post is accompanied by several photos showing the damage. Rodhin also wrote: “While we serve, give love, and help everyone, this is how we are repaid.” A few days earlier, he had shared a similar message: “They threw stones with total impunity, breaking another window on the side of the church… The stone was so large, and the force used so great, that it moved the window frame above the door and cracked the wall in one corner,” Rodhin reported.
It’s possible that behind each stone thrown lies sadness, frustration, or hatred—things he prefers not to dwell on. “We were all born to be happy. When that doesn’t happen, we need to rethink things, seek happiness, and try to bring it to those around us. That is inherent to being human, and we cannot give it up. It’s your duty. Our duty as human beings is to be better and give the best of ourselves.”
Rodhin speaks of “everyday miracles,” and the greatest one he has seen recently is that of solidarity. “We live in an interconnected world. We are not, if the other is not, alongside us—that’s how I see it.” For him, every day, community networks prove their value and reach.
Among the collaborators are people with very different interests and experiences. “Some do not share our faith, and others follow other religions—that doesn’t concern us. All who contribute are moved by the empathy of knowing their fellow human is suffering. That’s enough to do good. I value that attitude in such an individualized world.”
Despite all that has been achieved with the mission, the priest feels there is still much work to be done for the community. His wish is for the lunches to continue providing a bit of relief amid the crisis. “It’s little, I know, and I don’t know if it will be sustainable… attempts matter when they’re made with soul. The best thing is that, by seeing them, others might be inspired to replicate them.”
First published in Spanish by El Toque and translated and posted in English by Havana Times.