#Ecuador #Guayas – A Roman Catholic priest died Saturday after a large wooden crucifix fell from the wall and struck him while he celebrated Mass at a church in this coastal city, an incident captured on a live stream and later confirmed by church officials.
Father Patricio Alfredo Sánchez Molinari, parish priest of Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro (Our Lady of Perpetual Help) Church and a member of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists), was leading the evening service when the crucifix, mounted behind the main altar, detached and hit him on the head. The Mass had been underway for roughly 27 minutes and was being broadcast live on social media. Congregants were heard calling for an ambulance as the structure collapsed onto the altar area.
The Archdiocese of Guayaquil confirmed Sánchez Molinari’s death in a statement issued the same day and signed by Cardinal Archbishop Luis Gerardo Cabrera Herrera. “We announce that our beloved Fr. Patricio Alfredo Sánchez Molinari, CSsR., who served as parish priest of the Perpetual Help church in the Central Vicariate, has departed to the Father’s House to enjoy His presence and His glory,” the statement said. It expressed solidarity with the Redemptorist community, the priest’s family, and his friends, and included a traditional prayer for the repose of his soul. Officials did not specify whether he died immediately or after medical attention, nor did they address the reason the crucifix fell.
Sánchez Molinari, originally from Cuenca and born around 1973, had previously served for several years as pastor of San Lorenzo parish in Vinces, in Los Ríos province, before taking charge of the Perpetuo Socorro parish in Guayaquil’s Central Vicariate. He had marked another anniversary of his ordination the day before the accident. In the homily delivered minutes before the collapse, he spoke of the brevity of life, telling those present that one day everyone would die and urging them to prioritize time spent with God.
The Redemptorists, founded in 1732 by St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori, focus on preaching to the poor and abandoned and have long been linked to the devotion of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Footage of the incident circulated widely online, drawing condolences from other parishes and Catholic communities in Ecuador. Funeral arrangements were expected to be handled by the Redemptorist congregation.
Cover Image: Father Patricio Alfredo Sánchez Molinari, 1973-2026 (left), and the moment the crucifix fell on him (right).
