MIAMI (OSV News) -- Almost a full decade ago, the Miami Archdiocese led a pilgrimage from Miami to Havana in support of the late Pope Francis' visit to Cuba early in his papacy.
The historic encounter, in September of 2015, was scheduled just before the pope's three-city visit to the U.S. Sept. 22-27, which culminated in the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia.
It was perhaps a time of greater hopes for thawing relations between the U.S. and Cuba and represented a third papal pilgrimage to the island since St. John Paul II's 1997 visit and Pope Benedict XVI's 2012 visit to Cuba.
Now pastor of St. Augustine Parish in Coral Gables, Father Richard Vigoa, who helped coordinate the Florida pilgrimage along with Miami Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski, said he recalled how at Havana's Plaza de la Revolución -- a space historically reserved for political rallies -- Pope Francis delivered a powerful homily centered on the Christian call to service.
"He declared, 'Service is never ideological, for we do not serve ideas, we serve people. ... Whoever does not live to serve, does not 'serve' to live,'" Father Vigoa recalled.
"These words, spoken beneath the gaze of revolutionary icons," the priest said, "carried a subtle yet profound challenge to both the state's authoritarianism and the church's own mission: to prioritize the dignity and needs of individuals over abstract doctrines or political agendas."
While St. John Paul boldly criticized both authoritarian socialism and rampant capitalism, and Pope Benedict called for "authentic freedom" in Cuba, Father Vigoa, who is himself Cuban-American and serves as a Catholic Campus Ministry chaplain at the University of Miami, said Pope Francis focused on the individual's role in fostering community and compassion.
Pope Francis died at age 88 on April 21, a day after his last public appearance during Easter festivities.
"His emphasis on personal service and reconciliation aligned with his behind-the-scenes efforts to mediate the restoration of diplomatic ties between Cuba and the United States -- a milestone that underscored the Vatican's enduring commitment to peace and dialogue," Father Vigoa said, adding that this year, Cuba has released over 500 prisoners in honor of the Holy Year, a gesture reflecting the ongoing influence of the pope's message of mercy and reconciliation.
"His visit reinvigorated the Cuban Church's role in civil society, encouraging a renewed focus on serving the vulnerable and advocating for greater religious freedom," the priest added.
"For our archdiocese, accompanying a large group of pilgrims to witness Pope Francis' Masses in Cuba was a profound experience," he said.
Pope Francis' Sept. 19-22 visit to Cuba was also more than a diplomatic event; it was a pastoral mission that left an indelible mark on the island's spiritual landscape, the priest noted.
"By emphasizing service over ideology and compassion over division, he offered a vision of the church as a beacon of hope and a catalyst for genuine human connection," Father Vigoa said.
Vivian Manerrud, former owner of the now-closed Airline Brokers in Miami and one of the professional travel planners of the archdiocesan trip to Cuba, said she recalled that pilgrimage fondly as one of "perfection" in terms of the experience for the U.S. pilgrims.
Now retired in the Midwest, Manerrud recalled how not only did many of the pilgrims -- including more than a few Cuban-Americans -- have intense religious and emotional encounters in Cuba but that Pope Francis projected just the right Christian values and sentiments while there.
"He lived a life representing the underprivileged -- whether the Indigenous in South America, the poor, the sick -- nothing got past him, and he knew every word he was saying. It was not his style to be nasty," Menerrud said.
"I will remember Francis as a man of the people; a man not only who practiced the Christian faith but lived the faith as Christ would have," she added.
Manerrud acknowledged that Pope Francis' legacy may be a contentious one and that he had many strident critics even within the Christian community, but that she finds it heartbreaking to see any disparaging comments online following Pope Francis' death.
"This is a man who was as Christlike as you can get. I wish I had his patience," she added.
Of his recent passing, Manerrud noted: "Someone said he died like a strong oak tree -- standing up. Weren't we lucky and blessed to see him in Cuba?"
For his part, Father Vigoa said In the years since Pope Francis' pilgrimage to Cuba, the island's social and economic conditions have continued to deteriorate and that much work remains ahead for Cuba and the church there.
The promises of dialogue and reform have been met with ongoing hardship, political repression and widespread emigration according to the priest.
"The church, while renewed in her mission, still faces limitations in her ability to serve openly and freely. But even amid worsening landscapes, we do not lose heart. The seeds of hope sown during that visit continue to grow quietly in the hearts of the faithful," he said.
"As Christians, we live not by the headlines of despair, but by the eternal promise that Christ is with his people -- and that true transformation is always possible."
