May 12, 2008

The sin of omission

I received this email today from Babalu commenter, Mandingo.

Folks,

I just recently found out that in about a week (May 16) there is going to be a major exhibit at the famous Museum of the City of New York pertaining to the history of Catholic New York City between the years 1800 to 1946.

When I saw this I was overjoyed because I knew that the accomplishments of Father Felix Varela would finally be showcased to an ignorant American public. Being very proud of my Cuban American heritage I am always trying to tell non Cubans of our history, and how Cubans have always loved the United States and have fought for American ideals such as freedom, enterprise, and hard work.

As you know, Father Varela is not a forgotten individual who lived and died a long time ago. To us Cubans, - Cuban Americans, he is a symbol of what one man could do for his native country, his adoptive country of refuge, for personal freedom, for the downtrodden (the Irish and Italian immigrants), and for the spirit - he is one of the first Cuban American success stories - the model or prototype of what we as a people would become.

So important was Father Varela that he was named Vicar General of the Diocese of New York in 1837, he founded churches, schools, and orphanages, he fought for the human rights of Irish Catholic immigrants amongst his other accomplishments, like being a champion of Cuban independence from the cruel Spanish crown. Valera has also had schools named after him, a statue of him can be seen in the China Town church where he preached, a United States postage stamp has been issued to commemorate him, and currently he is being examined for possible sainthood by the Roman Catholic Church! Like Jose Marti, the man was a great figure in the annals of Cuban and American history!

So it bought me great pain when Alyson Cluck, the Communications Associate of the Museum of the City of New York wrote to me and said:

"Unfortunately there won't be anything in the exhibition specifically about Felix Varela."

So, whether you are Catholic or not, I think someone, or a group of us should raise this issue with the museum, the administrators, the curators, and maybe with the Dioceses of New York. The very fact that an exhibition that features Catholic New York would happen, and that it would ignore the great accomplishments of Varela is a shame and an outrage.

After reading the brief about the exhibition on the museum's website, and the article in the New York Sun it looked to me like all the praise had gone to the Irish and Italians. This is not right and something needs to be done to expose the blatant chauvinism displayed by our Gaelic brothers and sisters. I hope the curators were just ignorant and forget Varela and I pray this is not another form of Irish American discrimination against Spanish surnamed individuals (something that they do very well, and I have experienced first hand).

Also there is a companion book to the exhibition called Catholics in New York: Society, Culture, and Politics, 1808-1946 (Hardcover) by Terry Golway (Editor). In the book and possibly in the exhibit he
writes about Catholic social worker Dorothy Day...

Day was basically a socialist (anarchist communist really) Catholic who was called a "servant of God" by Pope John Paul II and like Varela is currently being examined for sainthood. However if you Google "Dorothy Day + Cuba" you will find out a darker side to her alleged holiness. Yes, Day was an ardent supporter and admirer of the Cuban Revolution and Fidel Castro!

Now, wouldn't it be a shame if the NYC Catholic exhibit praises a horrible Castro sympathizer like Day and totally forgets a saintly former NYC citizen, Cuban freedom fighter like Varela?

Folks, lets not let this one get away.

Regards to all and God bless!


PS
Here are some email address for the NYC Museum if you care to write:
c/o Susan Henshaw Jones, President and Director
info@mcny.org
pressoffice@mcny.org

Posted by Henry Louis Gomez at May 12, 2008 12:37 AM



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Comments

More on Padre Felix Varela and photos of his N.Y.C. church at
http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/varela.htm

Posted by: delacova [TypeKey Profile Page] at May 12, 2008 07:53 AM

After John Paul II said what he said about "Che," I stopped listening to ANYTHING the Catholic Church might say about ANYTHING. I'm sorry, but if you want the kind of respect the Pope is supposed to get, you CANNOT stick your foot in your mouth that badly. And don't even ask me about what Cardinal Bertone has said, obviously acting as a spokesman for his boss, the current Pope.

Posted by: asombra [TypeKey Profile Page] at May 12, 2008 10:06 AM

It's not just the Catholic Church that bows down to the Castro regime. All the Protestant denominations and the Greek Orthodox Church have done likewise. The regime also controls a sect of the santeros.

Posted by: Tio [TypeKey Profile Page] at May 12, 2008 02:14 PM

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