As a result of the earthquake early Monday morning, a Catholic cathedral also collapsed in the city of Iskenderun in southern Turkey. Miraculously, the statue of the Virgin Mary in the church and the cross on the top of the cathedral remained intact.
The statue of Mary was in the Cathedral of the Annunciation in Iskenderun, which is the largest church of the Apostolic Vicariate of Anatolia. In a Facebook post, Jesuit monk Antuan Ilgit asked his followers to pray for them and the Catholic community there.
"It was a strong earthquake. There is much uncertainty about many other things. But our cathedral is no more," he writes, and then continues: "Thank God, we are all well with the monk brothers and sisters and we try to help those who turn to us."
And in a previous post, he wrote about how the collapse of the cathedral had a shocking effect on the community, especially that a holy mass was held there the day before the earthquake. He added that the most important task now is the reconstruction of the church. The monks are all temporarily staying in a separate dining room from the church building, where they brought the intact statue of the Virgin Mary with them.
"This statue gives us strength to be able to fight the difficulties that await us". Although everything around them has collapsed, the Jesuit monks hold on to their faith.
"We continue to trust in God and his providence. It's raining, cold and windy, but we feel his closeness," concludes the latest Facebook post.
Source: Vasarnap.hu
Image: Facebook
