- Félix Varela
Félix Varela y Morales (
November 20 ,1788 -February 27 ,1853 ) was a great notable figure in the Roman Catholic Church of Cuba.He was born in
Havana ,Cuba and died in St. Augustine,Florida ,United States . He studied to become aRoman Catholic Priest in San Carlos and San AmbrosioSeminary inHavana , the only seminary in Cuba. He also studied at theUniversity of Havana . At the age of 23 he wasordained in the Cathedral of Havana.Joining the seminary faculty within a year of his ordination, he taught
Philosophy ,Physics , andChemistry . In his position there, he taught many illustrious Cubans, includingJosé Antonio Saco ,Domingo del Monte ,Dr. José de la Luz y Caballero , andFelipe Poey . Referring to Varela, Dr. De la Luz said; "As long as there is thought in Cuba, we will have to remember him, the one who taught us how to think."José Martí 's teacherRafael María de Mendive was also Varela's disciple.Varela joined in a petition to the Spanish Crown for the
independence ofLatin America , and also published an essay which argued for theabolition ofslavery in Cuba. For such ideas, he was sentenced to death by the government. Before he could be arrested, however, he sought refuge inGibraltar and later emigrated to theUnited States , where he spent the rest of his life.Varela was the founder of the first
Spanish-language newspaper in the U.S., publishing many articles abouthuman rights , as well as multiple essays onreligious tolerance , cooperation between the English and Spanish-speaking communities, and the importance of education. He published other newspapers in Spanish, including "El Habanero" and "El Mensajero Semanal," and also published "The Protestant Abriger" and "Annotator" inNew York .In 1837, he was named
Vicar General of theDiocese ofNew York , which then covered all ofNew York State andNew Jersey . In this post, he played a major role in the way the American Church dealt with the tremendous influx of Irish refugees, that was just beginning at the time. His desire to assist those in need coupled with his gift for languages allowed him to master theIrish language in order to communicate more efficiently with many of the recent Irish arrivals. He was later named a Doctor ofTheology bySt. Mary's Seminary inBaltimore ,Maryland . Nearly sixty years after his death in Florida, his body was returned to his homeland and laid to rest in theUniversity of Havana 'sAula Magna . This Servant of God has not yet been beatified. If canonized, he would be the first Cuban-born person to be honored on thealtar s of theCatholic church.The Cuban government has created an award bearing his name, entitled the "Orden Félix Varela", which is awarded to those whom the government deems to have contributed to Cuban and worldwide culture. (See [http://www.cubarte.cult.cu/global/loader.php?&cat=premio&cont=premiados.php&premioid=41 List of people awarded the Varela award] .)
His name is currently associated with a project proposed by the
Christian Liberation Movement in Cuba, namedProyecto Varela , which was announced to the Cuban people on government-owned TV and radio stations in Cuba by United States PresidentJimmy Carter . In 1997 the United StatesPostal Service honored Varela by issuing a 32-cent commemorative stamp. Because of his experiences, many in theCuban American exile community identify with him.Places named after Varela
*
Felix Varela High School opened on August 28, 2000 inMiami ,Florida ,United States in dedication to the memory of Varela.foaksCause for Canonization
Currently, Félix Varela being considered for Canonization as a Catholic Saint.
External links
* [http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/varela.htm Pictures and other information on Félix Varela] Includes pictures of the U.S. Postal Service commemorative stamp.
*Biography of Félix Varela [http://www.soycubano.com/pena/literatura/felix_varelai.asp in English] and [http://www.cartadecuba.org/%BFquien_era_f%E9lix_varela.htm in Spanish]
* [http://www.cortada.com/gallery/paintings/1998/VARELA.HTM "Faithful Want Priest to be Saint"] (Miami Herald)
* [http://www.cubanhfofstaugustine.org/page6.html Father Felix Varela]
* [http://www.cartercenter.org/documents/584.pdf PDF document from the Carter Center]
* [http://www.ermitadelacaridad.org/varelabiog.htm Biografía Dagoberto Valdez.]Sainz y Bencamo, SeverianoFelix Varela High School opened on August 28, 2000 in Miami, Florida, United States in dedication to the memory of Varela.
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