{"id":395247,"date":"2026-09-09T23:08:12","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T23:08:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/395247\/"},"modified":"2026-09-09T23:08:12","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T23:08:12","slug":"miami-catholics-honor-cubas-patron-saint-at-national-shrine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/395247\/","title":{"rendered":"Miami Catholics honor Cuba\u2019s patron saint at national shrine"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"A<\/p>\n

A group of men carried the blessed statue of Our Lady of Charity through a crowd of devotees and parishioners during a mass celebrating Our Lady of Charity presided over by Reverend Thomas Wenski, Archbishop of Miami.<\/p>\n

Pedro Portal<\/p>\n

pportal@miamiherald.com<\/p>\n

Miami Catholics came together Tuesday evening to honor Cuba\u2019s patron saint at a critical moment for Cubans.<\/p>\n

The annual celebration for Our Lady of Charity, known to many as \u201cLa Ermita de la Caridad,\u201d was particularly significant for Cubans everywhere due to the worsening situation on the island, said Miami\u2019s Archbishop Thomas Wenski.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis year this feast day is more important than ever because Cubans everywhere are facing unique challenges in Cuba. The people lack electricity, they lack fuel, they lack food. They lack freedom, and also in the United States, many Cubans are living under the threat of deportation,\u201d Wenski told the Miami Herald.<\/p>\n

\"Parishioners A procession with the blessed statue of Our Lady of Charity en route to the Miami-Dade Fair & Exposition. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

More than 3,000 Catholics gathered at the Miami-Dade Fair & Exposition convention center to honor Our Lady of Charity, which is a symbol of hope and freedom for many, especially South Florida\u2019s Cuban exile community.. As Cuban exiles fled communism to enter the United States, a replica of Our Lady of Charity was brought with them, smuggled through the Panamanian embassy in 1961, according to the Archdiocese of Miami.<\/a><\/p>\n

Tuesday\u2019s celebration concluded a weeks-long series of events commemorating Our Lady of Charity and marked the 26th anniversary of the Miami shrine\u2019s national designation. The shrine was built by Cuban refugees on land donated by Archbishop Coleman F. Carroll in 1966, and sits near Biscayne Bay on the same waters that flow to Cuba. This year\u2019s theme was \u201cCaminando con Su Pueblo\u201d or \u201cWalking with Her People,\u201d a notion that was echoed in Archbishop Thomas Wenski\u2019s prayer for the evening.<\/p>\n

\"A A vehicle procession arrives with the blessed statue of Our Lady of Charity. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

\u201cTonight we\u2019re praying that the Mother of all Cubans help us to come together in unity, that we find among ourselves reconciliation, and in that reconciliation we can build a future of hope for Cubans everywhere,\u201d Wenski said.<\/p>\n

\"Reverend Reverend Thomas Wenski, Archbishop of Miami, presides over mass celebrating the 65th Anniversary of the Arrival of the Image of Our Lady of Charity in Miami. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

The convention center overflowed with Miami Catholics, clergy from all over Miami-Dade County, Catholic students and many Cuba-born residents who came to pay homage to Our Lady of Charity through song, prayer, procession and special mass celebrated by Wenski. The Catholic Church also celebrates the Virgin Mary\u2019s birthday on Sept. 8, so it\u2019s an important day for Catholics everywhere.<\/p>\n

\"A A group of sisters with the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary welcomed a vehicle procession with the blessed statue of Our Lady of Charity at the Miami-Dade Fair & Exposition. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

Many attend the feast day to feel more connected to their faith and for some, their home country of Cuba.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis celebration … it connects us with our Cuban people on the island, said Father Alfred Cioffi, a priest at St. Monica Catholic Parish in Miami Gardens. Born in Havana in 1952, Cioffi left Cuba to escape communism under Fidel Castro when he was just eight years old.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlso we pray for peace, for reconciliation, we pray for an opening of Cuba so that someday we may go back and help rebuild our nation,\u201d Cioffi said.<\/p>\n

\"Parishioners Parishioners and priest celebrated a prayer at the Cuban Memorial Monument as a vehicle procession arrived with the blessed statue of Our Lady of Charity at the Miami-Dade Fair & Exposition. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

Cuba is facing worsening economic conditions and the near-collapse of basic infrastructure, severely disrupting daily life on the island. The crisis is largely structural, with critics pointing to the government\u2019s continued reliance on a centrally planned economy and its prioritization of hotel construction over essential infrastructure, while new U.S. sanctions and oil restrictions have added pressure. Meanwhile, the island\u2019s aging power grid<\/a> and failing Soviet-era electrical plants have made blackouts increasingly frequent and severe since 2024, according to reports.<\/p>\n

\"Members Members of the \u201cCoro de la Ermita de la Caridad\u201d performed during the mass for Our Lady of Charity. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

Before the mass began, the faithful took their seats, many wearing yellow, the traditional color associated with the saint, and bringing sunflowers, a traditional way to honor the shrine. The phrase \u201cViva Cuba libre!\u201d could be heard as attendees echoed a call and response with the priests on stage. Members of the \u201cCoro de la Ermita de la Caridad\u201d led the crowd through songs of worship throughout the evening.<\/p>\n

\"Members Members of the clergy including Reverend Thomas Wenski, Archbishop of Miami, walked to the altar during mass for Our Lady of Charity. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

Ana Maden traveled all the way from New Jersey to attend the commemorative event. As a Cuban American who came to the United States from Cuba when she was just seven months old, the day also serves as a reminder of where she came from and the community she will always belong to, she said.<\/p>\n

\"Thousands Thousands of parishioners attended the mass for Our Lady of Charity. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always been very devoted to the Blessed Mother, and I feel like she\u2019s a piece of Cuba,\u201d said Maden.<\/p>\n

Maden has never lived in Miami, but she often visits the National Shrine to feel closer to roots in Cuba. She said for her, the \u201cspecial\u201d day represents \u201cthe importance of being a part of the community to commemorate what we\u2019ve been through, to not only be here but to bring her here.\u201d<\/p>\n

This story was produced with financial support<\/a> from Trish and Dan Bell and donors in South Florida\u2019s Jewish and Muslim communities, including Khalid and Diana Mirza and the Mohsin and Fauzia Jaffer Foundation, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work.<\/p>\n

This story was originally published September 9, 2026 at 4:47 PM.<\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Lauren Costantino<\/a><\/p>\n

Miami Herald<\/p>\n

Lauren Costantino is a religion reporter for the Miami Herald funded with financial support from Trish and Dan Bell and from donors comprising the South Florida Jewish and Muslim Communities, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners. The Miami Herald retains editorial control of all work. Since joining the Herald in 2021, Lauren has worked as an audience engagement producer, reaching new audiences through social media, podcasts and community-focused projects. She lives in Miami Beach with her cocker spaniel, Oliver.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A group of men carried the blessed statue of Our Lady of Charity through a crowd of devotees…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":395248,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[123,125,124],"class_list":["post-395247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-miami","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/395247","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=395247"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/395247\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/395248"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=395247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=395247"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=395247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}