The Cubans of Union City: Immigrants and Exiles in a New Jersey Community

5. Saint Augustine Parish and Cuban Adaptation: Religion and Reconciliation

5 Saint Augustine Parish and Cuban Adaptation Religion and Reconciliation B efore the 1959 Revolution most Cubans identified themselves as Catholic, and the devotion to the virgin of El Cobre, the island’s patron saint, was widespread. However, the Church itself was weak, especially in the rural and poor sectors of society. Many of the clergy were foreigners, particularly from Spain, and popular religiosity was less tied to the institution than it was in other Latin American countries. The urban poor, especially black Cubans, venerated Catholic saints as African gods, in the syncretic practice of Santería, the Afro-Cuban religion. The social base of the Church was made up of predominantly urban, white, upper, and middle-class individuals and families. There were also a number of Sephardic (Spanish) and Ashkenazi (eastern European) Jews, with the latter making up the majority. Some Jews assimilated into Catholicism, but most continued to practice their religion. Although few in number, they formed active communities and associations, and built synagogues and cemeteries. It is estimated that the majority of Cuban Jewry left for exile after 1959. Protestantism came to Cuba via the United States around 1898. After a period of growth, Protestant influence significantly declined, especially after World War II. Like the Catholic Church, most Protestant denominations drew their membership from the middle-classes, although there were exceptions.1 86 Chapter Five Many prerevolutionary Cuban immigrants in Union City were from rural areas and thus were not practicing Catholics, but gradually, after they came to the United States, a good number became very devout.2 As is the case with most immigrants, Cubans displayed a higher level of religious participation once in the United States than they did in their own country. For immigrants, religion often serves as a vehicle for integration into the new society. According to many scholars, religion is one of the important identity markers that help immigrants preserve individual self-awareness and cohesion in a group.3 After a brief overview of the activities of the early Cuban Catholics, this chapter will concentrate mainly on the role that one of the Catholic churches, Saint Augustine, played in assisting Cubans in Union City when they came in the 1960s and after. I will discuss my interviews with several individuals in the parish, where I also did participant observation . I will explore the recent changes in the composition of the congregation and their implications for Cuban and other Hispanic members. Also, I will review the relationship between Cubans and their native Church, and the impact that Pope John Paul II’s visit to Cuba in 1998 had on Saint Augustine’s Cubans. Risking criticism from some social science methodologists who would advocate for more distance, I decided to focus on Saint Augustine church precisely because it was my parish for several years after I arrived in Union City from Cuba. Although I moved away a long time ago, having been an insider gave me a special perspective on the history, sociology, and general day-to-day interaction among members of the parish. I still know many people there, thus participant observation, or taking the role of an active member who wanted to systematically learn about the place, was not faked or unnatural, but instead, relaxed and unaffected. I explained to the pastor, group leaders, and many group members about my study. My sense is that they trusted me. Early Cuban Catholic Activities in Union City The first Cuban Catholics in Union City worshiped at Saint Michael’s Monastery, run by the Passionist Order of priests. They also formed their Saint Augustine Parish and Cuban Adaptation 87 own Cuban Catholic organizations and in 1957 they collected money to buy a statue of the Virgin of El Cobre from Spain. The statue was taken first to Cuba to be blessed by Cardinal Manuel Arteaga in Havana. After it arrived in Union City, it was briefly kept at the convent of the Dominican nuns at 14th and West Streets. From there, the statue was transported in a procession of about 1,000 people to Saint Michael’s Monastery on September 30, 1965. The monastery closed in 1981 and the Church merged with Saint Joseph Parish, also run by the Passionists. Saint Joseph Church, now called Saint Joseph and Saint Michael’s R.C. Church, is located on 13th Street and Central Avenue in Union City. The statue of the Virgin of El Cobre...