I
recently came across a priest who found asylum in
the United States. VENERABLE FELIX
VARELA y MORALES, born in Havana in, 1788, was a priest, teacher,
writer, philosopher, and politician who played a significant role in Cuba’s
intellectual, political, and religious life during the first half of the 19th
century.
Persecuted and
condemned to death by the absolutist authorities, Father Varela went into exile
in the United States at the age of 35, where he spent the rest of his life.
Félix
Varela y Morales spent his childhood in St. Augustine, Florida. His father
was Spanish, the captain of a military regiment in Havana, which was then a
Spanish colony. His mother, Josefa Morales, was from Santiago de Cuba.
Felix
was the third and last son of the couple, preceded by his sisters María de
Jesus and Cristina. He was baptized a week after birth by the chaplain of the
regiment, the Dominican priest Fr. Miguel Hernandez.
However,
when he was 3 years old, his mother died and the three children were left in
the care of their grandmother and aunts, since their father was in the active
military and had to travel continuously.
His
grandfather was also in the military and when he was assigned that same year to
St. Augustine, in the Florida peninsula (which was then still a Spanish
colony), he took Felix with him.
This
made it possible for the little boy to attend primary school with Fr. O’Reilly,
who taught him Latin, grammar, and the violin, which was not common at that
time.
His grandfather wanted him to have a successful military career,
but Felix felt called to the priesthood. He returned to Cuba and began his
studies at the San Carlos and San Ambrosio Seminary in Havana. At the age
of 23, he was ordained a priest at the cathedral of Havana by Bishop Diaz
de Espada. Because of his young age, he had to ask the Pope for a dispensation.
After
several years Father Varela was chosen as the Vicar General of the Diocese of
New York. He continued to work for immigrants and was a friend of the Irish.
During this time he was also chosen as a theological advisor to the Baltimore
Catechism.
In
1812 he was appointed professor of Philosophy, Physics and Ethics at the
seminary. There he would prepare what was to be the first physics and chemistry
laboratory in the country.
After
teaching at the seminary for several years he was chosen to represent Cuba in
the General Courts in Spain. During his time there, he was active in a Foreign
Affairs committee and introduced projects to give independence to Cuba, Puerto
Rico, the Philippines and other territories under the Spanish crown.
Father
Varela also advocated for the abolition of slavery, writing, “Constitutional Liberty and equality are
synonyms and these words repel slavery and inequality of rights.”
After
the French invasion of Spain in 1823, his political views were under scrutiny
and the new government sentenced him to death. He fled the country and
eventually settled in New York City. There is founded the nation's first
Spanish language Catholic newspaper.
While
there, Father Varela was appointed pastor of an Irish parish in the city. He
continued his political activism by publishing articles about human rights,
alcoholism and religious tolerance. He also defended the rights of immigrants
and supported those who were struggling to make it in their new country.
After
several years Father Varela was chosen as the Vicar General of the Diocese of
New York. He continued to work for immigrants and was a friend of the Irish.
During this time he was also chosen as a theological advisor to the Baltimore
Catechism.
Due
to health issues, Father Varela was forced to retire, returning to St.
Augustine, Florida, where he died five years after arriving in 1853.
His
life was an inspiration to many and after his death the cause for his
canonization was opened.
The renowned scholar’s remains lie at the Main Lecture hall of
Havana University, a fitting fate for the man defined by the Cubans as “the one
who taught us to think.”
Pope St. John Paul II praised him as "the best synthesis of
Christian faith and Cuban culture." Not only is he recognized for his
greatness by the Church, but In 1981, the government of the Republic of Cuba
created the Order of Félix Varela, the highest distinction granted to Cubans
and foreigners, as well as to cultural collectives, in recognition of
extraordinary contributions made in favor of culture.
Pope
Benedict XVI declared Father Félix Varela as Venerable in 2012.
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