Patricio Sánchez Molinari was 53 years old and was celebrating Mass at the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Guayaquil when a heavy cross fell on him, causing his death. The ceremony was being streamed live on social networks, and just minutes before the accident, the priest had shared a reflection on death, faith, and the value of time spent with God and with loved ones.
“Dear brothers and sisters, one day, all of us who are here will die…,” he stated during the homily. The phrase, spoken just about three minutes before the accident, took on special significance after the news of his passing became known.
What the priest said before the accident in Ecuador
During his reflection, Patricio Sánchez Molinari spoke about the importance of reviewing how time is used and giving faith a central place. His words were captured in the Mass’s livestream and were reproduced by various outlets after the tragedy became known.
“Sometimes the time we have spent on other things doesn’t make as much sense as the time we spend on God,” the priest continued.
He then elaborated on that idea with a line also directed at closer relationships: “That quality time we give to God, to our brothers, to family, is the time best spent.”
The reflection was part of the homily in which Sánchez Molinari explained the Gospel readings. According to the Ecuadorian outlet El Universo, the priest had referred to the passage in Matthew about Jesus’ reply to the Pharisees and Herodians: “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s.”
How the accident occurred during the Mass
After the homily, the priest continued with the celebration of the Eucharist at the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
While standing before the altar, the large wooden cross mounted behind him detached from the wall and fell onto his head. The moment was captured in the live stream: the footage shows the cross collapsing, and immediately afterward, the cries of the worshippers who tried to help him and asked for an ambulance to be called.
The death of Sánchez Molinari shocked members of the religious community. The Archdiocese of Guayaquil confirmed his passing and bid him farewell with a message in which it stated that the priest “has departed to the Father’s House to enjoy His presence and His glory.”
As of the initial reports, there had not yet been an official statement on what caused the cross to detach.
A reflection that became bound to the tragedy
Patricio Sánchez Molinari’s words about death and the time devoted to God and family took on a special meaning after the accident. His message, spoken during a religious celebration, focused on the importance of connections, faith, and time shared with others.
His remarks did not necessarily anticipate what would unfold moments later, but they remained part of the record of that Mass, which ended tragically and left the faithful watching the livestream in shock.
