'A piece of Cuba': Miami Catholics gather to honor the island's patron saint

Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald on Sep 9, 2026

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

MIAMI — Miami Catholics came together Tuesday evening to honor Cuba’s patron saint at a critical moment for Cubans.

The annual celebration for Our Lady of Charity, known to many as “La Ermita de la Caridad,” was particularly significant for Cubans everywhere due to the worsening situation on the island, said Miami’s Archbishop Thomas Wenski.

“This 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,” Wenski told the Miami Herald.

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’s 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.

Tuesday’s celebration concluded a weeks-long series of events commemorating Our Lady of Charity and marked the 26th anniversary of the Miami shrine’s 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’s theme was “Caminando con Su Pueblo” or “Walking with Her People,” a notion that was echoed in Archbishop Thomas Wenski’s prayer for the evening.

“Tonight we’re 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,” Wenski said.

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’s birthday on Sept. 8, so it’s an important day for Catholics everywhere.

Many attend the feast day to feel more connected to their faith and for some, their home country of Cuba.

“This 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.

“Also 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,” Cioffi said.

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’s 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’s aging power grid and failing Soviet-era electrical plants have made blackouts increasingly frequent and severe since 2024, according to reports.

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 “Viva Cuba libre!” could be heard as attendees echoed a call and response with the priests on stage. Members of the “Coro de la Ermita de la Caridad” led the crowd through songs of worship throughout the evening.

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.

“I’ve always been very devoted to the Blessed Mother, and I feel like she’s a piece of Cuba,” said Maden.

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 “special” day represents “the importance of being a part of the community to commemorate what we’ve been through, to not only be here but to bring her here.”