APRIL 14, 1999

Cuban Born Priest Returns To Island As Missionary

On List of Priests and Religious Approved by Castro

By Araceli M. Cantero, 'The Catholic Voice'
ZENIT, April 12, 1999 - DAILY DISPATCH
The World Seen From Rome

MIAMI, APR 12 (ZENIT).- After two years of priestly ministry in Miami, F ather José Espino's dream of returning to his native Cuba as a missionary has become reality.

The Cuban-American priest will begin the new adventure in Guantánamo, his

birthplace.

"It has been my dream since I was ordained a priest. In my heart I have always wanted to serve my country," he said a few hours before leaving for his new destination -- the young diocese of Guantánamo.

He is going as a diocesan priest of the Archdiocese of Miami, loaned on mission. He has permission for one year, which can be extended to three years. "And then, we will see," he said as he was leaving.

Father Espino did not make the decision lightly. He had already spent a month in Guantánamo, getting to know the diocese and doing pastoral work. He was delighted with the people's welcome. He had left Cuba at five years of age, and people remembered him as a child. Some of his family still lives in Cuba.

His first stay coincided with the establishment of the diocese, which was created during the Pope's visit to Santiago of Cuba in January of 1998. Father Espino, who was parish priest of the Church of the Holy Family in Miami, and Director of work with youth, went to Guantánamo to participate in a youth gathering held in Baracoa. "The young people realized that it was no longer a parish but a new diocese, and that it had to extend to rural areas, to attract others," he recalled.

He was accompanied by Bishop Carlos Baladrón on his tour of the diocese and he preached the novena of the Virgin of Charity in the Cathedral, and for the feast day in Caimarena, a military zone. He was impressed by the many people asking for baptism. "I baptized some 90 children," he said. At that time he realized that the "call to Cuba" was not something nostalgic but a real pastoral concern. His decision to return was confirmed when the Bishop accepted his offer. The time he spent in Guantánamo proved that he could adapt to the physical conditions. He saw the reality in his tours with the Bishop: four parishes and chapels on the sugar plantations, with no housing and with caved in roofs.

In spite of everything, he felt called by God. Archbishop John Favalora of Miami accepted his request and in the month of November Father Espino's name appeared on the list of the forty pastoral agents approved by the Cuban government to serve the Island.

Now that he is in Guantánamo, his Bishop has asked him to accompany him on his mission to the whole diocese. "He will go to the different places and prepare my visit," Bishop Baladrón said during an interview. "For him it will be like a new recognition of his people."

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