Mario Sepulveda, one of the survivors of the 2010 Chilean mine collapse, will speak at the All Souls Bethlehem Church in Kensington, Brooklyn, today at 10:30 AM. Tom Martinez, OTBKB’s Witness photographer, is the pastor of that church. Sepulveda’s appearance is part of the regular Sunday service.

According to his bio sent to me by Martinez, Mario Sepulveda was born in Chile on October 4th, 1970 in the Southern city of Parral. He was raised in a modest home and at the age of twenty he moved to the capital, Santiago. From 1990 to 1993 he worked as a street sweeper. In 1993 he took a job as a miner in the San Jose region in Northern Chile.

Who can forget what happened on August 5th, 2010?

The  San Jose Mine had a collapse and he and 32 fellow miners were trapped 620 meters underground for a total of 69 days. It took rescuers 17 days to find them and through an international collaborative effort the 33 miners were successfully rescued on October 13, 2010.

Sepulveda is married and has two children. Since his rescue, Sepulveda has decided to dedicate his life to help the needy. As part of this commitment he now heads the project “Miner’s Miracle.” The goal is to spread his message of international unity and cooperation and to help rebuild Chile after the 2010 earthquake.

The All Souls Bethlehem Church is located at 566 E. 7th St. between Ditmas and Cortelyou Road in the Kensington section of Brooklyn.