The Catholic Church convened a triduum of masses in the military chaplaincy of Mexico City on May 21, 22 and 23, for the eternal rest of the deceased cadets when the Mexican school ship “Cuauhtémoc” hit the Brooklyn bridge, in New York (United States).
The tragedy, which occurred on the night of May 17, left at least two dead people – America Yamilet Sánchez and Adal Jair Marcos – in addition to 22 injured. Of these, As reported The Secretary of the Navy in a statement on May 19, two remain in New York receiving specialized medical care, while 18 were already transferred to the Mexican port of Veracruz.
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This is insane footage of the Mexican Navy ship crashing into the Brooklyn Bridge.
What would you even do if you were up on that mast?
— Bruce (@bruce_barrett) May 18, 2025
The boat had sailed from the port of Acapulco, state of Guerrero (Mexico), on April 6, as part of the instruction cruise “consolidation of the independence of Mexico 2025”. The trip I contemplated Visits to 22 ports in 15 countries, including Kingston (Jamaica), Havana (Cuba), New York (USA), Reykiavik (Iceland), London (United Kingdom) and Aviles (Spain), with a total duration of 254 days.
On board 277 crew members were traveling, including 147 cadets of the Heroic Naval Military School of Mexico. Although the causes of the accident have not yet been clarified by the authorities, the military and religious community has shown its solidarity with the victims and their families.
In an interview with ACI Prensa, the military chaplain of the Archdiocese Primada de México, P. Jorge Reyes de la Riva, expressed its proximity to the families of the victims, “asking the Admiral of Admirals, God our father, his comfort for all.”
He also explained that the chaplaincy service is at the service of those who need it, and that the role they play is to “comfort the mourner”, “celebrate the funeral”, “comfort and spiritually attend to the patient – injured” and his family.
Fr. Reyes de la Riva said that the Catholic Church prays, “in a particular way, by the injured of the ‘Cuauhtémoc’ school ship, so that God grants them prompt recovery and full restoration and their families already their consolation as a father.”
Finally, he requested the intercession of the Virgin: “Santa Maria in her invocation of ‘Stella Maris’ (Star of the Sea) interceded by the Mexican Navy in these moments of pain for all.”
Diego López Colín
I am a graduate of journalism at the Carlos Septién García school with experience of religious institutional communication. Since 2016 I write for digital media and, since 2018, I report the most important news about the Catholic event in Mexico for the Ewtn news channel. ACI Press correspondent in Mexico since 2023.