Our Lady of the Exile: Diasporic Religion at a Cuban Catholic Shrine in Miami

241 Pages·1997·20.364 MB·English

by  Thomas A. Tweed

Our Lady of the Exile
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Our Lady of the Exile
Diasporic Religion at a
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THOMAS A. TWEED
New York Oxford
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
1997
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Copyright © 1997 by Thomas A. Tweed
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Tweed, Thomas A.
Our lady of the exile : diasporic religion at a Cuban Catholic
shrine in Miami / Thomas A. Tweed.
p. cm.—(Religion in America series)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN o-19-510529-X (cloth)
1. Cuban American Catholics—Religious life—Florida—Miami.
2. Cubans—Florida—Miami—Religion. 3. Caridad, Virgen de la—
Cult—Florida—Miami. 4. Ermita de la Caridad (Miami, Fla.)
I. Title. II. Series: Religion in America series (Oxford University
Press)
BXI407.C83T84 1997
282'.759381—dc2I 96-51082
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 21
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
To Kevin and Bryn
This page intentionally left blank
Acknowledgments
One of the pleasures of finishing a book is that the author gets the chance to thank
some—though never all—of the people who helped along the way. Because I did
fieldwork as well as archival research for this five-year project, my debts are many.
Most important, I am extremely grateful to the pilgrims at Our Lady of Charity's
shrine in Miami, who were so generous with their time. Teresita and Miguel Nunez
and Kitty and Juan Barturen were exceptionally kind. Juan even read most of the
manuscript, offering encouragement and suggestions. I hope that all of the Virgin's
devotees who took the time to tell me stories and answer my questions feel that
their efforts were worthwhile. I know that I could not have written this book with-
out their extraordinary willingness to talk so openly about their lives on the island
and in exile.
I also owe a large debt to the Most Reverend Agustin A. Roman, auxiliary bishop
of Miami and director of the shrine. He talked with me often and at great length. I
would never have had the same access to sources or responsiveness from local
Catholics without his unfailing support. For reasons that I still do not understand—
although I am deeply grateful—Bishop Roman seemed to trust me from the start.
That does not mean that he will agree with all of my interpretations in this book.
When I reflect on that, I am comforted by an exchange we had several years ago at
the shrine. At Bishop Roman's request, I spoke about my project to a group of Cu-
ban young adults there. Afterward, I sensed that I had not said exactly what he
would have liked. As we walked from the shrine together, he said only: "It takes
many voices." I took that as confirmation of my initial judgment that I had surprised
(or disappointed) him and as further evidence of his charity and gentleness. If there
are passages in the book that again surprise or disappoint, I hope that he can for-
give me.
Other clergy and staff at the shrine and in the Archdiocese helped too. The Rev-
erend Francisco Santana, the Reverend Romeo Rivas, and other priests who have
served at the shrine provided information. The lay volunteers and Daughters of
Charity of St. Vincent dePaul, who work diligently at the shrine office, put up with
viii Acknowledgments
my many stupid questions and odd requests. Bishop Roman's secretary, Norma T.
Molina, gave me crucial material and passed on countless messages. Araceli M.
Cantero, executive editor of the Archdiocese's Spanish monthly, La Voz Catolica,
allowed me access to their files, published a notice about my project, and granted
me permission to use photographs. The Reverend Tomas M. Marin, chancellor of
the Archdiocese of Miami, permitted me to see the official files about the shrine,
which contained some key documents. The taped interviews I did with Monsignor
Bryan O. Walsh, who played a leading role in the Archdiocese during the 1960s,
confirmed my hunches and filled in gaps in the printed sources. Many other local
priests helped as well, including the Reverend Pedro Luis Perez, the Reverend
Michael J. McNally, the Reverend Felipe J. Estevez, and the Reverend Juan Sosa.
Father Sosa also read most of the manuscript, offering insightful comments.
Some local Miamians who worked on the construction of the shrine spoke with
me and provided documents and photographs, including Donald W. Myers, the con-
tractor, and Teok Carrasco, the muralist. Manolo Reyes, who helped raise funds for
the temporary shrine, provided indispensable information.
A number of friends and research assistants helped with the project. My friend
and former coworker Ada Orlando cared deeply about the book and sometimes
even accompanied me to the shrine and the celebrations. She also read the entire
manuscript. Next to Bishop Roman, Ada did more to help than anyone. I am very
grateful. Her mother, Emilia Aguilera, also helped, providing a perspective from
another generation. Carmen Watson checked the manuscript for errors. Two other
friends took some of the photographs in the book: John Jessup and Michael Carle-
bach. B. J. and Richard Cole and Thomas Goodman provided comfortable lodging,
bag lunches, and lively conversation during some of my return visits to Miami.
Gladys Ramos at the Cuban Archives at the Richter Library of the University of
Miami went beyond the call of duty. I also am grateful to Ivonne Hernandez, Hilda
Mateo, and David Sosa, three undergraduates at the University of Miami who
helped with research. My research assistants at the University of North Carolina
helped with the bibliography and other matters: Sean McCloud, Elizabeth Miller,
Lynn Neal, Robert Waller, and Jennifer Wojcikowski. Together with the other stu-
dents who enrolled in my graduate seminar in fall 1995, they also commented
insightfully on the manuscript.
Without financial support I would not have been able to finish the fieldwork or
the writing. After I moved to North Carolina in 1993, the University of North Car-
olina awarded me research grants to complete the fieldwork in Miami, and the
National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship for University Professors in
1994-95 provided me with time to write.
Many scholars read portions of the manuscript and improved it in countless
ways, including Ruth Behar, George Brandon, Juan Clark, John Dixon, Arnold Eisen,
Matthew Glass, Helen Hills, Patricia O'Connell Killen, John Kirk, Daniel Levine,
Robert Levine, Laurie Maffly-Kipp, Colleen McDannell, Joseph Murphy, David
Morgan, Caroline V. Prorok, Christian Smith, Anthony M. Stevens-Arroyo, Jack
Sasson, Yi-Fu Tuan, Peter W. Williams, and Sandra Zimdars-Swartz. Mercedes
Sandoval, Raul Canizares, and Ann Braude offered helpful suggestions. Professor
Enrique Lopez Oliva of the University of Havana provided information about con-
Acknowledgments ix
temporary religious life on the island. Participants in the Young Scholars in Amer-
ican Religion Program, which was sponsored by the Pew Charitable Trusts, care-
fully and critically read an early summary of the project. Audiences at the Univer-
sity of Florida, the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Duke University, and the
University of Notre Dame asked good questions. So did my former colleagues at
the University of Miami and my current colleagues at the University of North Car-
olina, where I presented summaries of the project in public lectures. The Geogra-
phy Department at UNC also invited me to share my research in a public lecture,
and their questions and comments helped me to refine my thinking. My friends in
the reading group on Religion and Cultural Studies at Duke and Carolina
—especially Elizabeth Clark, Dale Martin, and Tomoko Masuzawa—provided a
stimulating setting for exploring theory, some of which found its way into this book
indirectly or directly.
A few friends who teach U.S. religion, Catholic studies, or Cuban history read
most or all of the manuscript and offered detailed comments and probing ques-
tions: R. Scott Appleby, Catherine Brekus, Robert A. Orsi, and Louis A. Perez Jr.
I owe them a great deal. Ann Taves was remarkably supportive and generous. We
commiserated by electronic mail regularly during the year that I drafted this book,
and she gave appreciatively critical readings along the way. I am grateful for her
friendship.
To thank people is not to assign responsibility. I listened carefully and respect-
fully to comments from Cuban Catholics, Miami clergy, and diverse scholars.
Sometimes, although always after sustained reflection, I decided not to follow the
counsel of those who were kind enough to read the manuscript in draft form. I tried
to be especially sensitive to the responses from Cuban laity and clergy, often revis-
ing the manuscript as they had suggested or, when we disagreed, acknowledging
their dissent in the notes or the text. Still, / wrote the book, and the mistakes are
mine.
Finally, I want to thank my family, who helped in many ways. My mother, Janet
Tweed, cultivated in me a respect for the beauty and power of Marian devotion. If
I have managed to understand the piety of Cuban devotees of the Virgin, my mother
deserves some credit. My wife, Margaret L. McNamee, is the kindest person I
know. I am profoundly grateful for her continuing love, support, and encourage-
ment. My children, Kevin and Bryn, are the greatest source of joy in my life, and
I never could hope to repay them for that. In any case, this book is for them.
Chapel Hill, North Carolina T. A. T.
August 1996