anais Depuichaffray - Mission Cuba

In Fomento, a New Daycare Centre Serving Families

On 28 October, Nuestra Señora del Rosario Parish in Fomento hosted a day of training and fellowship, bringing together the educational teams from all the mission’s daycare centres.

The day marked an important milestone with the opening of the new Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Daycare Centre in Fomento.

Learning and Sharing Experiences

Don Martín is responsible for the mission’s educational projects. Astrid, a Fidesco volunteer, coordinates the daycare centres alongside Yudanis, director of the daycare centres and boarding house, as well as all the educators from the different centres (Placetas, Falcón and Báez). The day began with a training session on attachment theory, which provided an opportunity to explore the importance of the bond between children and the adults who care for them.

The educators then took part in practical workshops in small groups. The aim was to share the experience gained by those already involved in the project, pass it on to the Fomento team and develop a shared approach to supporting the children’s development.

Through practical exercises, they worked on educational planning: from annual planning to preparing a typical week, including the choice of activities and educational resources.

A Newly Blessed Daycare Centre Welcoming Families

The day continued with the blessing of the Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Daycare Centre. In the presence of 32 families who had applied for a place and members of the Fomento community, Bishop Arturo González Amador blessed the premises. Accompanied by Don Paul-Alejandre, priest in charge of Fomento, he took time to speak with the families and parishioners gathered there.

In his address, he highlighted the importance of the close relationship between family, Church and education, which are called to form a true community together. He also recalled Pope John Paul II’s visit to Cuba in 1998 and his first Mass in Santa Clara, during which he made this appeal: “Cuba, take care of your families so that you may keep your heart healthy.” Before bringing the day to a close, the bishop met with the educational team.

Through this day of training and the opening of the new centre, the daycare project continues to grow within the parish communities. Beyond providing care for children, the aim is to support families and offer them a place where education and care for the youngest children are a shared responsibility.

New Volunteers Join Mission Cuba

For many years, Fidesco volunteers have committed two years of their lives to serving Mission Cuba alongside the priests of the Community of Saint-Martin. Through their daily presence, they take part in the life of the mission, both through their work and in parish life. This close involvement allows them to gradually discover the reality of life in Cuba, learn the language and build relationships with the people they meet. As part of the team, they share in both the joys and the challenges of the mission, while building bonds of friendship and fellowship with one another. This year, once again, new faces have arrived in Cuba to take part in this adventure.

Erwan and Juliette: Discovering the Mission

Having married in September, Erwan and Juliette arrived in Cuba on 16 October 2026. They began their mission with an immersion week, their first opportunity to discover Cuban daily life from the inside.

“Just a few days after our arrival, the mission really began: each of us was sent to a different family to experience Cuban life from the inside!

(Juliette) In my case, there were seven of us in the house: the grandmother (87), the woman (30) and her husband (40), her daughter-in-law (20), and her two children (aged 6 and 9). It was a lively home, with a close-knit family who welcomed me as one of their own. They really spoiled me!

Thanks to this week, I realised that everything was different from what I was used to: our relationship with time, organisation, the body, noise, space, money, smells, food… Everything!

I discovered that Cuban houses didn’t have doors and that there were tiled floors throughout the house. Very practical for cleaning them every day with a whole bucket of water!

For both Erwan and me, this week helped us make huge progress in understanding the language. For example, Cubans often don’t pronounce the “s” at the end of words.

It was also an opportunity to discover the basics of the Cuban diet: rice and black beans almost twice a day, accompanied by viandas such as cassava or potatoes prepared Cuban-style. We’ll have to get creative over the next two years to bring some variety to our meals. Quite a challenge for two French people!

(Erwan) I was welcomed by a family of three: a married couple with a four-and-a-half-year-old child. Julio, Helen and Samuel. Their home is on the outskirts of Placetas, where nature is a little more present. They live in a house they have built themselves, little by little, and have a somewhat overgrown garden with… coconut palms, banana trees, guava trees, avocado trees… In short, a very Cuban kind of wilderness!

I had an amazing week, sharing in Julio’s work and family life. They truly welcomed me as a member of their family. It was wonderful to experience such a change of scenery by immersing myself directly in a Cuban family’s daily life.

Of course, it’s quite a shock: all your familiar reference points disappear, and everything is different. But by asking questions and observing, you gradually begin to understand how people live from day to day.

I can’t wait to welcome Julio and Helen into our home one day, or simply to see them again once my Spanish has improved, so that we can build an even stronger relationship with them.”

They will be living in Cabaiguán. Erwan will be responsible for the parish’s construction projects, while Juliette will oversee its educational projects.

Clotilde and Aimeric: Taking Their First Steps in Cuba

For Clotilde and Aymewic, the first weeks of the mission are an opportunity to find their feet, discover their surroundings and begin meeting the people they will work alongside and share life with over the next two years.

“Poco a poco — little by little.

That’s the answer we give every day to the Cubans who ask us how we’re settling in.

We’ve been married for four months and arrived in Placetas almost a month ago. Little by little, we’re beginning to find our feet in this town, where we’ll spend the next two years alongside the local community. We’re both involved in different areas of the Community of Saint-Martin’s work in the town: Clotilde in accounting and Aymewic in construction. Together, we’re also organising activities for a boarding house for fifteen boys.

Little by little, because getting used to the sounds, smells, language, customs, behaviours, the energy all around us and the food takes time and requires a great deal of energy. When you arrive in Cuba, you have to be ready to go sixty years back in time! Old American cars, power cuts, horse-drawn carriages…

We’re very grateful to the priests, volunteers and Cubans we meet, who are a tremendous help to us and gradually share their advice and experience with us.

Thanks to them, we’re discovering the beauty of the country and its people with a sense of wonder: postcard-worthy landscapes and the warmth and hospitality of the Cubans. But we’re also discovering the stark contrast created by the economic and social crisis the country is currently experiencing. This crisis leads to widespread poverty and many families being torn apart by high levels of emigration.

In this context, “poco a poco” turns out to be much more than a phrase we repeat every day. It is a real lesson in the importance of taking our time, observing and trying to understand what surrounds us, gently and without judgement. “Poco a poco” also teaches us to surrender and place our trust in Christ as we face all these new experiences and the realities of a country that are sometimes beyond our understanding.”

In Placetas, young people live out their faith with Contracorriente

In Placetas, the young people of Contracorriente meet at the parish three Fridays a month. University and young professionals from 18 to 30 years old share a desire to learn, deepen their faith and build friendships through fellowship. In September, the group’s council met with Don Stéphane and Don Paul-Alexandre, who will accompany the young people throughout the year, to set the direction for the coming months. The start of this new year also brings change: some members are preparing to move on to new projects, while others are stepping up to keep the group going.

Contracorriente’s gatherings combine formation, service and more informal moments. Formation sessions give the young people an opportunity to ask questions and deepen their understanding of the Church’s teachings. Topics include consecrated life, life after death, the saints and the sacraments. These discussions help each person better understand their faith and reflect on how to live it out in everyday life.

The group also places great importance on serving others. Last year, the young people dedicated a day to the asilo, a day centre for older people run by the Sisters of the Servants of Jesus (Siervas de Jesús). They prepared and shared lunch with the residents, sang together and organised activities to make the day enjoyable. It was a practical way to give their time, spend time with older people and show them care and attention. The gatherings also include more relaxed evenings spent playing board games.

A Place to Grow Together

“My name is Eliecer, I’m 22 years old, i am an acolyte in the parish of Placetas and I’ve been part of the group for about three years.

Contracorriente is a dynamic group. That energy is put to good use in our gatherings and in parish life. Here, we can talk openly and build genuine friendships during our meetings. We also take part in in-depth formation sessions that nurture my spiritual life. But above all, it is a place where we can share in prayer and grow together in faith.

The group also has a quality that can sometimes be hard to find in the context in which we live: a genuine spirit of unity, where the common good comes before individual interests.”

“My name is Denisa, I am 22 years old, and I am the leader of the Contracorriente youth group.

When I was invited to join the youth group meetings, I felt intimidated. There were so many of us, and remembering so many names seemed impossible. Despite this, I accepted, and I remember asking myself: What is so special about this group that several people are inviting me to join?

As I began attending the meetings, I started to find some answers. What first caught my attention was the sense of unity within the group. It was hard for me to believe that, despite being such a large group of people with very different, and sometimes even opposing, characters and personalities, we could share something so meaningful together. And yet, we could! I decided to change my perspective and discovered what lay at the centre, what united us all: faith.

Today, I thank God for allowing me to be part of this group and its council, and for giving us the opportunity to share so many moments of formation, prayer and service. I also ask everyone who reads this humble testimony to keep us in their prayers, so that the young people of Contracorriente may grow stronger in their faith.

Faithful stewards of a mission on the move

FAITHFUL STEWARDS OF A MISSION ON THE MOVE

On Saturday, October 3, the 25 people in charge of finances across Mission Cuba gathered in Placetas for training, to look back on a year of work, and to deepen the pastoral meaning of their mission.

Buying a sack of rice and two liters of oil for the Báez comedor (soup kitchen) is about as ordinary as it gets in the daily life of the mission. A receipt, a handover to the Mission’s accounting office, a top-up of the Cáritas cash box for the next purchases, and that’s it. And yet, behind this routine, many meals are served every week across the mission, in Placetas, Báez, Fomento, Falcón and Cabaiguán. Following that thread, from the receipt to the work accomplished, was the purpose of the morning.

They run cash boxes, daycare centers, soup kitchens, fincas (farms) or the boarding house, in Placetas, Fomento, Cabaiguán-Guayos, Báez and Falcón. Whether employees or volunteers, often unseen, they are nonetheless indispensable: without them, no work would last for long.

Ellos llevan cajas, guarderías, comedores, fincas o el internado, en Placetas, Fomento, Cabaiguán-Guayos, Báez y Falcón. Trabajadores o voluntarios, muchas veces discretos, son sin embargo indispensables: sin ellos, ninguna obra se sostendría mucho tiempo.

Ils tiennent des caisses, des garderies, des comedores, des fincas (fermes) ou l’internat, à Placetas, Fomento, Cabaiguán-Guayos, Báez et Falcón. Salariés ou volontaires, souvent discrets, ils sont pourtant indispensables : sans eux, aucune œuvre ne tiendrait longtemps.

A year in review

The day opened with a review, in figures, of 2025 and of 2026 so far. Since everyone is absorbed by the needs of the project they manage, it is good to step back regularly and see the full scope of the Mission they belong to.

In education: nearly 140 children in the daycare centers, 15 boys at the boarding house, and about 240 students in after-school tutoring. On the Cáritas side: more than 150 meals served each week, 400 Christmas food bags, two farms in Placetas and Báez, and the relaunch of Proyecto Renacer for young people with disabilities. On the building side: new roofs in Placetas and Fomento, a new daycare center in Fomento, solar panels on several houses, and many repairs. Today, 57 people work for the Mission.

Simple tools

Then came the training. How do you move money from one cash box to another without mistaking it for an expense? How do you write a receipt that says both what was bought and what it is for?

These small habits make it possible to give an accurate account to those who place their trust in us. A workshop for each project helped everyone apply these tools to their daily work. A new pay scale, fairer and adjusted to the cost of the basic food basket, was also presented to those in charge.

The heart of the mission

The closing synthesis put the economy back in its proper place. It is only a tool at the service of evangelization: it makes the works possible and measures their vitality. It is also a form of charity within the Church, after the manner of the collection Saint Paul organized for the Church in Jerusalem (2 Cor 8–9). Finally, it reflects communion: working together, producing, sharing, reinvesting. Participants were also reminded how important it is to report on the work accomplished: photos, reports and news allow benefactors to see what their gifts make possible.

«Whoever is faithful in small things is faithful in great ones too, says the Lord» Lk 16,10

Every receipt carefully filled out, every cash box well kept makes possible an open daycare, a meal served, a roof repaired. Thank you to these faithful stewards, and thank you to all who, through their generosity, help the Mission keep moving forward. The morning ended with a fraternal lunch.

A Solidarity Christmas: Distribution of Food Baskets to the Most Needy

The Mission at the bedside..… or in the kitchens of the poor at Christmas

On the occasion of the Christmas celebrations, the Cuba Mission has a long-standing tradition of offering the poorest members of our parishes “jabas de Navidad”—that is, parcels (literally “bags”) of food and hygiene products—in order to ease the difficult daily lives of underprivileged families. Just as at the manger in Bethlehem, the aim above all is to bring a fraternal presence through the very concreteness of these gifts.

Alongside the Most Needy

Across all our parishes in Placetas (Báez, Fomento, Cabaiguán, Guayos) and in Cienfuegos (Paraíso), we thus organized a large distribution for more than 240 people. While throughout the year we strive to support the poor who come to our parishes through our Comedores (hot meals) and our pharmacies, the distribution of these “jabas” relies on the mission’s local network, through which in each village or neighborhood we seek to identify the most needy—who often do not dare to ask for help.

Assistance Made Possible Thanks to Your Donations

Thanks to the donation drives carried out over the past months, the Mission was able to obtain several tons of foodstuffs and hygiene products, making it possible to assemble 240 well-stocked jabas: canned goods, soups, rice and pasta, soap, laundry detergent, and the traditional “turrón de Navidad,” the Christmas dessert.

The Mobilization of Young People

After several weeks of logistics to gather all these supplies, it was the mission’s young people who got to work assembling the jabas. The boarding school refectory was adapted for the occasion, and the young people from Cienfuegos joined the Placetas team on the Saturday before Christmas. Over the course of a full day, a true hive of activity took shape to prepare, weigh, count, and distribute the bags, right up to the final stage: personalizing each parcel!

As charity gives rise to fraternity, this logistical adventure concluded with a large shared meal among the thirty or so volunteers, thereby strengthening the bonds between the two missions of Placetas and Cienfuegos.

Ana-Carolina gives her testimony:

“In this time of Christmas, the distribution of the food baskets was not only a material gesture, but a living sign of Christ’s love. When visiting some brothers and sisters who live alone, we felt that each of these baskets carried within it a message of hope: ‘You are not forgotten; the Church walks with you.’ Many received this food with tears of gratitude, because beyond its contents, it represented the companionship, closeness, and embrace of a community that recognizes them as part of the great family of God. Christmas reminds us that Jesus was born poor and humble, so that no one would feel alone at His table. Each bag given was a seed of faith and consolation, a reminder that true wealth is found in sharing.”

Visiting the Poor

Everything was then ready for the final stage: reaching the homes of the recipients of these jabas de Navidad. Given the vastness of the territory, each sector organized itself. In the city, it was often the young people who, during the days before and after Christmas, went to visit each person in need to deliver the jaba and take the time to share a meaningful visit. The various communities also mobilized to ensure that this Christmas gift reached those living in the most remote areas.

Ana-Carolina gives her testimony:

“In this time of Christmas, the distribution of the food baskets was not only a material gesture, but a living sign of Christ’s love. When visiting some brothers and sisters who live alone, we felt that each of these baskets carried within it a message of hope: ‘You are not forgotten; the Church walks with you.’ Many received this food with tears of gratitude, because beyond its contents, it represented the companionship, closeness, and embrace of a community that recognizes them as part of the great family of God. Christmas reminds us that Jesus was born poor and humble, so that no one would feel alone at His table. Each bag given was a seed of faith and consolation, a reminder that true wealth is found in sharing.”

Youth Conviviality

Over the course of three days, young people aged 18 to 30, coming from the parishes of Placetas, Báez, Fomento, Cabaiguán, Guayos, and Falcón, traveled from Placetas to Havana to experience a convivencia (winter camp) focused on the themes of encounter and service.

Welcomed into a house provided by the Carmelite community, the young people quickly turned this place into a real space for communal living.

The convivencia began with a time of blessing in the church adjacent to the accommodation. A few guidelines were established to guide these days: to be open to others, to be available for service, and to allow oneself to be led by the Lord.

Once everyone settled into the house, the group met with Archbishop Eloy Domínguez Martínez of Havana.

This exchange allowed for a discussion on religious diversity in Cuba and a reflection on the place and hope of young people in a country where everyday challenges are numerous.

The second day was entirely dedicated to service. The young people went to the Santovenia residence, run by the Hermanitas de los Ancianos Desamparados, which cares for the elderly. After Mass, they took time to visit the facility and interact with the residents.

A highlight of the day was the Christmas carols, accompanied on the piano, which filled the residents with joy. The smiles, the hands clapping in rhythm, and the bright eyes were clear signs of their happiness.

The music continued through the halls, inviting the residents to dance. Then came the time for the meal, served at the pace of the elderly. Each person was assigned a group so that everyone could eat at the same time.

After the elderly had their nap, the young people shared a time of quick-fire games, followed by questions related to key moments in the Christian faith, before joining the residents to pray the rosary together in the church. A beautiful way to conclude this day of service.

The evenings also allowed the group to discover Havana, including a visit to the San Carlos fort and its famous cannon shot.

On the final day, everyone rolled up their sleeves to clean the house before visiting the Cristóbal Colón Cemetery, a large historic site known for its rich religious iconography and marble sculptures.

This convivencia, organized by the members of the youth group “Contra Corriente” council, marked the end of the year with a true missionary spirit.

“Lord, we thank you for these days of encounter and service. Teach us to keep this fraternal joy alive and to make it grow wherever you send us”

Saint Martin of Tours: An Example of Charity

On November 11th, we gathered to celebrate the feast of Saint Martin of Tours, the patron saint of our community and one of the greatest witnesses of Christian charity.

We all know the famous episode from his life: one winter’s day, while he was still a Roman soldier, Saint Martin met an old man trembling with cold. Filled with compassion, he drew his sword, cut his cloak in two, and gave one half to the beggar.
That night, Christ appeared to him in a dream, wearing that same half of the cloak.

“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Mt 25:40)

Inspired by Saint Martin, let us ask ourselves:

“What cloak can I share today?”

Perhaps a few moments of our time, a listening ear, a kind word, or a service offered without expecting anything in return…

Saint Martin, apostle of charity, pray for us!

Our Community Inspired by Saint Martin

Following the example of Saint Martin, our parish seeks to live charity in daily life — not as an abstract idea, but as a concrete gesture rooted in everyday living.

This charity is expressed when young people come together to support, through their presence and prayer, the sick grandmother of a parishioner;
when volunteers at the soup kitchen prepare hot meals for those living in extreme hardship;
or when children and adolescents from the boarding school return home and take part in family life, offering their presence, their help, and their attention.

Each act, no matter how small, becomes a visible sign of God’s presence among us.

Saint Martin of Tours

Feed

Care

Educate

Rebuild

Evangelize

All