To Cuba with Love

POMPTON LAKES  The multilayered rhythms of the Cuban liturgical music fill the air during a recent Sunday Mass at St. Anthony Parish in Havana. Some of the Franciscan priests, who celebrated the liturgy, noticed what many of the congregants were noticing: the strange presence of a conspicuous man dressed in an inconspicuous suit. But that did not stop the enthusiastic worshipers from expressing their faith by praying, singing and clapping.

“That man who stood out in church was a spy from the communist government in Cuba. He was watching us friars, listening to hear if the priests said anything against the government,” said Franciscan Father Frank Sevola, pastor of St. Mary Parish here, who traveled with seven other Franciscan friars of Holy Name Province and St. Barbara Province in the U.S., to Havana, the capital of Cuba, April 22-29.

It was the provinces’ first trip to the island nation in decades, prompted by the U.S. government’s lifting of long-established travel restrictions there last year. “I didn’t feel in danger in Cuba, but we stood out as a group of religious. We did feel like we were being watched at times. It’s not a country that has religious freedom. Catholics practice their faith cautiously but with great enthusiasm,” he said.

On the trip, the friars from the U.S. experienced the “hustle and bustle” and beautiful architecture — as well as the poverty — of Havana and spiritual lives of the small community of friars, who serve St. Anthony’s. Sponsored by the Franciscan Missionary Union of Holy Name Province, the mission marked the largest combined gathering of friars in Havana, since the Cuban Revolution of 1959. The visiting friars also had the opportunity to celebrate a Spanish-language Mass together at St. Anthony’s, located in a wealthy section of Havana, populated by upscale homes and several embassies, said Father Sevola, who was a first-time traveler to Cuba.

The Franciscan Missionary Union’s mission trips “offer ordinary Catholics an encounter with diverse cultures — from the street children and orphans of Nairobi to the chronically homeless inhabitants of Washington D.C. — so that everyone involved can experience the grace of Christ more fully.” Its programs promote the idea of a “reverse mission,” which refers to the gifts that local churches receive from their missionary activities abroad, the Union’s website, www.fmunion.org, states.

The Union describes Cuba as a place, “where the culture and people are vibrant, passionate, and where the church is rapidly growing, all under the rule of an anti-religion, communist government.” The trip also enables travelers to “experience the real Cuba, while interacting with the Franciscan friars and investing in relationships with local people by embracing what Pope Francis has called a ‘culture of encounter,’ ” the Union states.

The friars’ trip took place, after the U.S. Treasury Department relaxed travel restrictions last May, making it easier for Americans to travel to the communist-run island. The U.S. enacted restrictions on travel to and trade with Cuba after the 1959 revolution that brought the late Fidel Castro to political power. Nevertheless, the rest of the world has continued to visit and trade with Cuba, and the past three popes have visited, Father Sevola said.

During their first-day stay in Havana, the friars took an open-car tour of the city with a guide, which included stops at Revolution Square, Old Havana and sites related to Santeria, a local religion. The Mass at St. Anthony’s was “wonderful” with “fantastic music that takes on the flavor of the culture,” said Father Sevola, who admitted that he has a less-than-conversational command of Spanish.

“The Cuban people are filled with hope in God, the future and each other. They are happy, smiling and joyful. They also are prayerful. They can’t take their faith for granted. Religious freedoms have opened up a bit, but they still have to be cautious,” said Father Sevola, the only friar on the trip from New Jersey.

“The island looks beautiful, but it seems like it’s stuck in the 1952. The buildings are run down; they have not been painted or well maintained,” said Father Sevola, who, nevertheless, admired how well some Cubans restore their older automobiles.

The “run-down” state of Cuba contrasts greatly with the condition of the island, before the U.S. embargo of 1960, when it was considered “one of the most advanced and prosperous nations in Latin America,” the Union states.

“Although the poor were uplifted socially and economically by the revolution, the communist government exacted a heavy blow to people of faith, making those who worshipped God second-class citizens. The U.S. lead embargo limited trade and tourism to the nation in 1960 and economic depression followed the Soviet Union’s collapse in the early 1990s,” the Union states. “Today, Cuba finds itself a nation without modern technology, appliances or automobiles newer than the 1950s. Its people, ever optimistic and tenacious, find hope in the ending of U.S. sanctions and the easing of some of the harsh laws that have kept them isolated, poor, and all but forgotten by the outside world,” it states.

After touring Havana, the friars traveled to the town of Remedios, located in the middle of the island, which a group of Franciscans once served. The main attraction in town is a “beautiful church that the Cuban government recognizes as a tourist destination and historical site.” Then, the group visited the tourist destination of Trinidad, which was designated as a World Heritage Site, Father Sevola.

While in Havana, the friars spent time with the Franciscan community of St. Anthony’s. In 1959, Castro did not expel the Franciscans from Cuba, but most of them fled to the U.S. and Spain. Today, only 24 friars serve the island — a small number compared to the hundreds who had lived all over the island, a mere 90 miles south of Florida. Over the decades, the Franciscan Order has maintained contact with through an organization of friars in the Caribbean and, among other ways, through Holy Name Province in the U.S., Father Sevola said.

“The Franciscan community here celebrates Masses, evangelizes, visits people at home, holds youth programs and cares for the older friars,” said Father Sevola, who started speaking about his experiences in Cuba in his homilies at St. Mary’s soon after his return. “The Franciscans there live simply and spend time running their community. They live the way that all Franciscans are all called to live: with a commitment to fraternity and to prayer life. They are happy in their lives,” he said.