“Our Lady” unites us

He shared how his family fled Cuba in 1960 leaving everything behind and how his family vowed to not return as long as the Castro brothers were still in power. Yet, when the Provincial asked him to attend a meeting in Cuba he had to go. Per his grandfather’s request, he visited his family home, which is now a children’s library, and was given over 300 pictures that belonged to his grandparents. When he returned to Miami, he was able to give his grandparents the pictures along with his grandmother’s wedding photo. He shared the story with the hope of showing how now Venezuelans are being faced with a similar situation. Thousands are fleeing their country, and like Cubans did in the early 1960s, they are making their home in Miami. He drew parallels between how both groups are exiled from their home, yet they are united by faith and their devotion to “Our Lady.” Father announced that there were alumni from San Ignacio de Loyola School from Caracas Venezuela from the Class of 1961 present in the Mass. They were there to present an image of “la Virgen del Colegio’ to the school, which will be housed in our school library. He acknowledged how our school welcomes any exile and invited up to the altar those students and faculty members that are of Venezuelan decent for a special blessing. The message was simple, “we are all united by our devotion to Our Lady and may that never change," said Father Willie.

Click here to view pictures from the Mass. Or watch the video of the Mass courtesy of WBLN.