New Auxiliary Bishop of Miami says sun will rise on Cuba

Miami, Fla., Jan 8, 2004 / 22:00 pm

During his ceremony of ordination as Auxiliary Bishop of Miami, Bishop Felipe de Jesús Estévez, addressed his fellow Cubans and expressed his desire that the country might enjoy “more justice, more freedom, with all and for all, especially those who suffer.”

Bishop Estévez, who came to Miami from Cuba when he was 14 years old to be reunited with his parents thanks to the Peter Pan movement, said “the sun also rises for our beloved country,” and he asked God that “we not forget the message of John Paul II: be strong in hope.”

The new bishop’s 80 year-old parents, more than 50 bishops, including Archbishop Pedro Meurice of Santiago, Cuba, 2 cardinals and 400 priests all participated in the Mass which took place in St. Mary’s Cathedral.  Bishop Estévez has been a symbol of the Archdiocese’s work with refugees, political exiles and immigrants.

Bishop Estévez said he was indebted to the legacies of Auxiliary Bishop Agustín Román, who retired last year, and Cuban Bishop Eduardo Boza Masvidal, who was exiled from Cuba, and he expressed his affection for all of the Church in Cuba.

In his homily, Archbishop John Favarola said now “we have another successor of the apostles among us in order to continue passing on the Gospel to believers,” and he thanked Bishop’s parents for raising their son in the faith.