Memorial Mass for Fr. Felipe Rey de Castro, S.J.
Last week, our Director, Fr. Christian A. Sáenz, traveled to Havana Cuba for the memorial Mass for Fr. Felipe Rey de Castro held at the Necropolis Cristobal Colón on Friday, August 25, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. He was accompanied by Miami Chapter president, Cesar Guerrero, and Erik Vieira, our Pastoral Administrator. The Mass was presided by Cardinal Juan de la Caridad García Rodríguez, Archbishop of Havana, and Fr. Sáenz, and Fr. Jorge Rojas, S.J., concelebrated. We remain grateful to the Cardinal for this opportunity to celebrate the life and work of our founder, Fr. Rey de Castro, and remain hopeful that the Holy Spirit will continue to inspire the faithful in Havana to seek out the intercession of Fr. Rey de Castro.
The group that traveled had the opportunity to visit the numerous historical Catholic sites in Old Havana, and in particular, the historical sites for the ACU, such as the original Belen, la Iglesia de Reina, the house on San Miguel y Mason, and the University of Havana. The visit to the house on San Miguel and Mason as well as the University were from the exterior only as these sites were closed because the University was not in session. The house is the site of the Department of psychology at the University.
We remain deeply grateful to Fr. Rojas for his hospitality and work in supporting the ACU and the cause of the canonization of Fr. Rey de Castro. That gratitude spills over for his commendable effort in restoring la Iglesia de Reina. Fr. Rojas is a man of many talents and has undertaken an immensely important task with the renovation of Reina. The Church is a splendor of Gothic architecture, the spiritual home of numerous Catholics in Havana, and currently, the storehouse or priceless historical art pieces and sacred vessels. One such piece is the original Our Lady of Belen statute that was recently restored under the supervision of Fr. Rojas. He is also overseeing the meticulous restoration of the beautiful stained glass windows. The Llorente Foundation donated $50,000.00 toward this effort last year.
Next week, on Wednesday, September 6, 2023, we will provide a summary of the trip to Cuba and show additional photos.
