Around 1608 two brothers, Rodrigo and Juan de Hoyos, and a ten-year-old slave boy named Juan Moreno, left Santiago del Prado (modern El Cobre, named after the copper mines), Cuba in search of salt to preserve meat for the copper miners.  Halfway across the Bay of Nipe they decided to stop for the night to wait out a strong storm.  The next morning a small white bundle floated across the water toward them.  It turned out to be the statue of Our Lady of Charity.  It was attached to a board, was completely dry, and bore the inscription I am the Virgin of Charity.  A shrine was built immediately, and instantly became a pilgrimage destination.

At the request of the veterans of the War of Independence, Our Lady of Charity was declared the patroness of Cuba by Pope Benedict XV in 1916.  Just as the Cubans adore her, the people of Our Lady of Charity Church in Cicero, Illinois, turn to her with gratitude.

The Appearance of

Our Lady of Charity