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Cuba Journal
National Council of Churches USA Delegation to Cuba
by Rev. Steve Horswill-Johnston, United Methodist Communications, Nashville, TN

Day 4: January 25, 2004

Most of us have never experienced a Greek Orthodox worship service, let alone a consecration of a church. Today was the consecration of the St. Nicholas Orthodox Church and it was truly a spectacle. Throughout the huge adjoining Saint Francisco Catholic Church were perhaps a 1,000 worshippers gathered in every room in the four-story church, which now is a Catholic school. We all watched on large projection television screens spread throughout the campus as the nearly six hours of services were celebrated.

Dedicated to Saint Nicholas, the church sits adjacent to the Catholic school and is the first new place of worship to be built in Cuba in more than 40 years. The service was led by the “first of equals,” His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. The Patriarch is the spiritual leader of all Orthodox Christians, numbering approximately 250 million worldwide. The “opening of the doors” service was attended by President Fidel Castro. During the service President Castro ceremonially handed the Patriarch the key to the church. In his homily, His All Holiness spoke about human rights, including religious freedom; the economic embargo, and other issues that affect the physical and spiritual well-being of the Cuban people.  As most of us watched on closed circuit TV, delegates Bishop Dimitrios and the Rev. Martin Ritsi of the Greek Orthodox Church of America, along with NCC General Secretary Dr. Robert Edgar, were within arm's length of the exchange.

The service included a procession around the church, disposition of the holy relics, washing and blessing of the altar, and of course Holy Communion. Although the Patriarch was not allowed breaks, most of us had to occasionally get up and walk around. I went in search of a Coke (“Coca” in Spanish). Twice! However, there will be few worship experiences as special as this one.

While the night before we dined with 500 to 1,000 others in the St. Francisco Square, our afternoon lunch was held a block away with almost as many. The luncheon was for invited guests in honor or His All Holiness. Just a stone's throw from the Havana harbor.

Again we headed back to our home away from home, the Havana Rivera Hotel. Staying here is a little awkward, since it was built in the 1950s as a gambling casino by a U.S. mafia king. After the revolution, Fidel gave the mafia 24 hours to leave Cuba. Thankfully they left, yet the hotel still looks almost exactly as it did 44 years ago. But, as a hotel employee told me, “We got the last laugh,” he said proudly. “The casino is now a Cuban restaurant!”