THE DAILY BS: HOW MUCH CAN YOU HANDLE?
SPARE ME THE BS (I’ve got things to do).
- Father Patricio Alfredo Sánchez Molinari died after a large wooden crucifix fell on him during a livestreamed Mass in Guayaquil, Ecuador, on Saturday, October 17.
- Minutes earlier, his homily had reflected on death and urged worshippers to spend their time on God and loved ones.
- Mourners filled his church Sunday night for a memorial Mass. The cause of the collapse has not been publicly established.
LAY IT ON ME (I’ve got time).
Mourners filled an Ecuadorian church Sunday night to remember a priest killed by a falling crucifix during a livestreamed Mass, just minutes after he had preached about death and the importance of making time for God and family.
Father Patricio Alfredo Sánchez Molinari had urged his congregation to consider what deserved their attention: God, their families and the people they loved. Minutes later, the large wooden crucifix behind the altar fell onto him at Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro Church in Guayaquil on Saturday, October 17.
“Dear brothers and sisters, one day all of us here will also die,” he said during his homily, translated from Spanish.
A priest is fatally struck by a falling wooden crucifix while preparing Communion during a livestreamed church service in Ecuador.
Father Patricio Alfredo Sánchez Molinari is conducting Mass in Guayaquil when the large crucifix suddenly falls onto him.
The horrifying incident is captured during the live broadcast.
More on the tragic incident and what led up to it: https://t.co/UQ9Q9AWKjN
— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 19, 2026
He reflected on the difference between time consumed by daily activities and time devoted to what matters. His message was that time given to God and loved ones was time well spent.
The service was being streamed on social media. When the crucifix fell, screams interrupted the worship and members of the congregation rushed forward to help.
“Father, Father … call an ambulance,” a woman could be heard shouting, according to English-language reporting of the recording.
The Archdiocese of Guayaquil confirmed his death and identified him as the parish priest. Sánchez Molinari belonged to the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, whose members are commonly known as Redemptorists.
The memorial Mass began at 9 p.m. Sunday at the same church, bringing parishioners back to pray for the priest whose death had shocked the congregation and viewers of the recording.
His ministry had also taken him to San Lorenzo parish in Vinces, in Ecuador’s Los Ríos province. That community remembered his years of pastoral service in a farewell tribute.
The cause of the collapse has not been publicly established. The tragedy is devastating enough: a congregation heard its priest speak about life’s brevity, then lost him during that very service.
DBS WIRE SOURCES (I’ve got all day).
- Fox News: Priest killed by falling crucifix during livestreamed Mass as worshippers rush to help
- Primicias: Video shows Father Patricio Sánchez’s final message before his death
- Primicias: Parishioners fill Perpetuo Socorro church to say goodbye to Father Patricio Sánchez
- Primicias: The ministry of Patricio Sánchez Molinari in Guayaquil and Vinces
- Associated Press: Catholic priest killed by falling cross during livestreamed Mass in Ecuador
