Jacksonville, Fla. – Bishop Arturo González Amador of the Diocese of Santa Clara in Cuba, by way of his delegate Msgr. Thomas Marin, presented a statue of Our Lady of Charity – Nuestra Señora de la Caridad – the patroness of Cuba, to Bishop Felipe J. Estévez of the Diocese of St. Augustine in July.
The new statue honoring the Virgin Mary will be blessed by Bishop Estévez on Sunday, Sept. 8 – the feast of Our Lady of Charity – during the 9 a.m. Mass at the Cathedral Basilica.
On Saturday, Sept. 7, Bishop Estévez will celebrate the feast day at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Jacksonville at 2:30 p.m. in Spanish. And on Friday, Sept. 6, Bishop Estévez will celebrate the feast day at Annunciation Catholic Church in Orlando.
“I am most humbled by this gracious gift from my dear friend Bishop González,” said the Cuban-born Bishop Estévez. “The statue’s placement in the Cathedral is significant, as it rests in the eastern-most wing near the Marian Chapel – an area in which the home of the late Father Félix Varela once stood.”
A 19th century Cuban-born priest, Father Varela has been called a bridge-builder among Cubans and among Americans. He grew up in St. Augustine and later ministered at the Cathedral before his death in 1853. On April 8, 2012, the Vatican declared Father Varela venerable, a declaration that recognizes the priest lived heroic Christian virtues. It is the first official step on a path to sainthood.
Devotion to Our Lady of Charity began in Cuba in the early 17th century. According to legend, three men were in a boat in waters along Cuba’s northern coast. When a storm came upon them, the men prayed to the Blessed Mother for safety. When the skies cleared, the men found a statue of the Blessed Mother holding the child Jesus in the water. It was fastened to a board with the inscription, “I am the Virgin of Charity.”
The Diocese of St. Augustine encompasses 17 counties of North Florida. It serves more than 182,000 registered Catholics and provides outreach services to members of the community through approximately 50 ministries and agencies.