Cuban Consultation Finds Signs of Hope
Episcopal News Service. December 6, 1984 [84245]
HAVANA (DPS, Dec. 6) -- "The many difficulties have strengthened our faith, and our trust in God remains as firm as ever," said a lay leader during a Partners in Mission Consultation held here in early November. The external partners agreed, saying in their report, "We are awestruck by the faith, loyalty and conviction of the Cuban clergy and their families."
Some 30 church people, including nine from England, Canada, Mexico and the United States, wrestled with the ministry and mission of the Episcopal Church in today's Cuba.
"It is not easy to be a Christian in an officially atheistic society, but our call is to be here and to do the best we can," said another layperson.
In the last 25 years, the Cuban society has affected the life of the Church. "We have been isolated from the rest of the Anglican Communion, we have received very small outside assistance and we have seen the exodus of hundreds of Episcopalians," reports the Ven. Oden Marichal, Archdeacon of Matanzas province and newly appointed dean of Union Theological Seminary, an ecumenical institution sponsored by Presbyterians, Methodists and Episcopalians.
While before the Revolution the Episcopal Church had some 30 clergy, today it has 11, including Bishop Emilio Hernandez. This small group, assisted by layreaders, has continued to minister to the needs of the people.
The Episcopal Church work in Cuba began more than a century ago when an American priest, Edward Kinney, began to minister to foreigners who where not Roman Catholic and had no pastoral services. His work was later continued when Cuba was designated as a "missionary district" and a bishop appointed in 1905.
In 1966, for political reasons, the Episcopal Church in Cuba was granted autonomy from the Episcopal Church in the U.S. and placed under a metropolitical council formed by the Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, the Archbishop of the Province of the West Indies and the president of Province IX. The council is responsible for the faith and order of the Cuban church, but never has acted in terms of planning and program. This aspect surfaced repeatedly, and most participants agreed that the present connection of the Church in Cuba with the rest of the Anglican Communion needs revision and constant nurture.
Reasons for increased contact go beyond concern for Cuban brothers and sisters. The partners noted in their report how much they themselves had gained through their contact with the Cuban Church in new insights and understandings and a strengthening and renewing of their own faith and vision.
After long presentations and discussions of the work and ministry of the Church in Cuba a number of issues emerged. Bishop Frank Cerveny of Florida, Cuba's companion diocese, confronted the group with the question: How do you witness to Christ in this society? Many answers were given which pointed to the fact that in an atheistic society, the strategy has to be different. The Cuban constitution allows for the freedom of worship but reaffirms materialism as the official doctrine of the state and asserts that to oppose one's belief to the revolution is punishable by law.
Because of this, just to attend church services is a powerful witness, and many people choose not to do that, fearing discrimination in work or housing. Attendance at church services is low, therefore. "I have many members of my parish who contribute, although they only come occasionally," said a young priest.
While the partners saw obvious reasons for concern, at the same time, they felt there was much about which to be hopeful. Among these were the dialogue between Church and State, the strength of ecumenical relationships, and the number of new vocations for the ordained ministry -- including three women. In fact, current candidates, postulants and aspirants added together total eight persons -- one less than the number of Episcopal priests now active in Cuba.
Other figures given to the consultation are: Baptized members 120,000; confirmed 15,500 and communicants 3,000. Even when these figures were challenged, some leaders of the clergy said that once a person is baptized they are a member of the Church regardless of the course of their life later on. Another priest confided in private. "Even if we do not have all the people, it is good to think that we do. Otherwise, we either leave the country or forget about the Church and join the Communist party."