The national flower of Cuba is the white butterfly jasmine. Cuban women have used the flower not only as an adornment for their hair, but also to transmit messages during the liberation wars, as a sign of their being Cuban.
That is why it is the emblem for the 2016 World Day of Prayer, which this year has a special focus on Cuba and the women of that country.
A trade embargo by the United States brought Cuba economic isolation and material scarcity. Within Cuba, a similar isolation formed around people of faith in the officially atheist state. Now the embargo is lifting, but uncertainty remains for the Cuban people.
What can these women tell the rest of the world about how faith endures in a secular world, of material and social challenges and of hope?
On Friday, March 4, Christians in more than 170 countries and 2,000 communities across Canada will gather to learn about, pray for and celebrate Cuba in solidarity with the women of Cuba, through the World Day of Prayer.
In Aldergrove, a World Day of Prayer service will be held at 1 p.m. at the Aldergrove United Church, at the southeast corner of Fraser Highway and 273 Street.