Whispers of a helpmate
One of my favorite parts of witnessing men take the role of spiritual head of a household seriously, is the quiet whispers of their spouse saying the next line of the prayer ahead of them.
J.M.J.
Sisters…
Listening to our sisterly banter my stepfather says:
“Y’all love each other the way people love piñatas.”
J.M.J.
St. Michael the Archangel
O St. Michael,
You who saw the fear in my eyes when strength struggled, comfort my distress.
You who showed how hard strength fights, stand by me as I face a broken world and all the evils seeking to own it.
You who felt my little body tense with protective instincts, guide me as I choose how to fight.
No matter the numbers and force, help me stand for mercy and justice.
Lead me as I face the battle of life.
Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel:
St. Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou,
O Prince of the heavenly hosts,
by the power of God,
thrust into hell Satan,
and all the evil spirits,
who prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
St. Michael the Archangel, pray for us!
J.M.J.
Father Arnaldo Bazán: Serving the Lord in Exile
“Welfare for the Lord and the people of the Lord.”
– Father Arnaldo Bazán
On July 13th, 1958 in the Cathedral of the Diocese of Camaguey, Cuba at the age of twenty-three, Father Arnaldo Bazán was ordained a Priest. Fr. Bazán had spent twelve years in seminary studying for the Priesthood, with his last two years spent studying in Spain. After his Ordination Fr. Bazán was sent as a vicar in a town south of his province and diocese called Santa Cruz del Sur.
Less than a year later, on January 1st of 1959, Fidel Castro assumed political and military control as the prime minister of Cuba. He did so with support from Cuban citizens who no longer wanted their dictator, however, it did not take long for his true intentions to cause trouble for the people. Castro, allied with the Soviet Union, desired to make Cuba a communist country.
As the Catholic Church stood against Castro’s plans, he quickly began persecuting the Church. Catholic schools were taken under government control, dispersing the priests and nuns who worked in them. Many Catholics left fleeing Cuba.
After the United States’ failed attempt to assist Cuban revolutionaries overthrow Castro, in April of 1961 Castro’s continued intention of ruling a communist Cuba and persecution of the Church led to Fr. Bazán and his pastor seeking refuge in Camaguey. They then fled to a parish in Havana, Cuba’s Capital.
While Fr. Bazán was in Havana, Fidel Castro made the decision to imprison Auxiliary Bishop Boza-Masvidal of the Archdiocese of Havana along with a hundred priests and thirty religious brothers from different congregations. Castro had them exiled from Cuba and deported on a Spanish ship, the Covadonga, which had already been at capacity with several hundred passengers on its regular voyage from Havana to Spain. Traveling without a passport and no idea when he would see his family and homeland again, Fr. Arnaldo Bazán sailed praying for Cuba and freedom.
A year later, after spending time in Spain and then studying Liturgy in Belgium for nine months, Fr. Bazán went to the Dominican Republic upon invitation to serve the needs of a Diocese.
Father Bazán continued to serve communities in the Dominican Republic for nearly nineteen years. However, after Cuba’s doors opened up in 1979, Fr. Bazán was able to visit his family in Cuba for the first time since being exiled.
After visiting Cuba, Father Bazan decided to come to the United States, feeling called to ‘help make it better.’ So in 1981, Fr, Bazán moved to the United States to work in communities in the Archdioceses of Miami.
Fr. Bazán requested to retire after eighteen years of serving people in the Archdiocese of Miami so he would be able to split his time between communities in the United States and in the Dominican Republic. During his retirement time in the U.S.A. he spent the first six years serving in two parishes in Miami before he began traveling throughout the Diocese of St. Augustine helping communities as requested by the Bishop.
Throughout his life, Father Arnaldo Bazán has dedicated his vocation to the “welfare for the Lord and the people of the Lord.”
Interviewed on September 7, 2016
J.M.J.
