By Larry Winecoff & Teri Watson
For three full days in July, St. James, Hendersonville, was treated to a visit from four of our companions from the Diocese of Cuba. The Rev. Halbert Pons Santana and his wife, Yeleny from Santiago, and The Rev. Leandro Cardona Ceiro and his wife, Dannielys from Guantanamo were with us to share in the parish life of St. James.
Their first of several functions was a covered dish dinner. In attendance at the dinner were our four companions, the clergy of St. James, the Hispanic missioner of the Diocese, the priest of La Capilla de Santa Maria, our neighboring clergyman from St. Paul’s, Edneyville, and our bishop.
The bishop gave a very heartfelt talk on the meaning of diocesan companionship. His comments took on special meaning for him since he has family still living in Santiago. He also announced that the Diocese of Western North Carolina is officially in a companion relationship with the Diocese of Cuba. The companionship is a spiritual bond that ties us together with our friends and fellow church men and women that enriches the life of all of our faith communities.
The next “official” parish event in which the Cuban priests participated was the Eucharist at 8 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. on Sunday morning. Each of the clergy spoke, once again, on the deep spiritual bond which exists between St. James and their individual parishes. They expressed their heartfelt appreciation for all the help which St. James had offered over the years and assured us of their continued prayers. The generosity of the congregation was evident by the unusually large “Cuba plate” offering. Both services were followed by a “Cuban Coffee Hour” featuring guava pastries and Cuban coffee.
On Monday, our Cuban visitors attended a meeting of the Outreach Commission. This gave them the opportunity to share with the commission some of the ministries their churches provide, such as the “Welcome Table” which provides lunch and dinner three days each week for the most vulnerable in the community where food is so scarce and hunger is a very present reality; and a “Garden of Eden” which grows food to distribute to those with the greatest need.
While their sojourn among us was for such a short time, the relationship with our Cuban brothers and sisters was strengthened and the companionship with St. James was deepened. The faith of our church community will forever be enriched by these bonds of fellowship.
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