A Catholic priest died on Oct. 17 after a large wooden crucifix fell on him during Mass at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Guayaquil, Ecuador. The accident was captured on a livestream broadcast on the priest’s Facebook page as parishioners rushed to help him.
Father Patricio Alfredo Sanchez Molinari, 53, was celebrating Mass when the crucifix mounted on the wall behind the altar detached and struck him. People inside the church called for an ambulance, but the broadcast ended shortly after the accident. The Archdiocese of Guayaquil subsequently confirmed his death.
The priest served as parish priest at Our Lady of Perpetual Help. He belonged to the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, a Catholic religious order commonly known as the Redemptorists. His death prompted expressions of grief from the archdiocese, fellow clergy and the communities where he served.
What happened during the Mass in Guayaquil?
The accident occurred at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in central-southern Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest city, on the Pacific coast. The city lies approximately 265 kilometers (165 miles) southwest of Quito, the national capital.
Three minutes before the accident, the priest had reflected in his homily: “Brothers and sisters, one day all of us here will also die; and sometimes the time we have spent on certain things does not hold as much meaning as the time we have spent on God.” He then added: “I mean the quality time we dedicate to God, to our brothers and sisters, to our spouses, to our children, and to our families.”
Sanchez Molinari was standing at the altar during the service when the large wooden crucifix hanging behind him suddenly fell. The livestream captured the structure striking the priest and knocking him down, prompting alarm among the congregation.
Parishioners could be heard calling for help and urging others to contact emergency services. The recording ended shortly afterward, and footage of the incident subsequently circulated on social media, drawing attention beyond the congregation present in the church.
The Mass was streamed on Sanchez Molinari’s Facebook page, which had more than 4,600 followers. The priest regularly broadcast religious services online, allowing people to follow Mass remotely.
The video documented the fall and the immediate reaction inside the church, but it did not establish why the crucifix detached from the wall.
Who was Father Patricio Sanchez Molinari?
Sanchez Molinari was the parish priest at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, which belongs to the Central Vicariate of the Archdiocese of Guayaquil. He was a member of the Redemptorists, a Catholic missionary congregation founded in Italy in 1732 by St. Alphonsus Liguori.
The order’s work focuses on preaching the Gospel and serving communities, particularly those in need. It operates internationally, and Sanchez Molinari’s membership connected his ministry in Guayaquil to a wider religious community.
Before serving at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, he worked at San Lorenzo Parish in Vinces, in Ecuador’s Los Rios province. Members of that community expressed grief after learning of his death and remembered his pastoral service there.
The timing of his death added another personal detail to the news. The Archdiocese of Guayaquil had marked the anniversary of his priestly ordination on Oct. 16, one day before the fatal accident, according to local reporting.
His ministry was also reflected in the Mass he celebrated shortly before his death. According to The Catholic Sun, citing a transcript published by Ecuadorian newspaper El Universo, Sanchez Molinari used his final homily to encourage parishioners to give God greater priority in their lives and devote time to their families and faith.
The remarks offered a glimpse of the message he had been sharing with his congregation and became part of the tributes that followed his death.
How did the Catholic Church respond?
The Archdiocese of Guayaquil confirmed Sanchez Molinari’s death in a statement signed by Cardinal Luis Gerardo Cabrera Herrera, the city’s archbishop. The announcement expressed condolences to the Redemptorist community, the priest’s relatives and his friends.
Messages of mourning also came from religious communities beyond Guayaquil, including Vinces. Clergy and parishioners recalled his pastoral work and the relationships he had built during his ministry.
On Oct. 18, the archdiocese and the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer held a memorial Mass at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church. The service brought mourners to the same parish where the priest had died the previous evening.
The livestream made the accident visible to a much wider audience, but the response from the church and the communities that knew Sanchez Molinari also drew attention to his life as a priest.