Since 2006, the Saint Martin Community has been present in Cuba, responding to the call of the bishops. As the Community’s first foundation outside Europe, our mission now extends over two centers, in the heart of the island, within the dioceses of Santa Clara and Cienfuegos. The Placetas Mission includes the three parishes of Placetas, Fomento, and Cabaiguán, while the Cienfuegos Mission serves the cathedral, the Saint Joseph Sanctuary in Paraíso, and the Castillo de Jagua.
In a country marked by economic exhaustion, mass emigration, daily instability, and the erosion of institutions, the Cuban Church suffers from a severe shortage of priests and deacons, as well as from a lack of human and material resources. Sent on mission, we choose to remain alongside those who stay — especially the poorest and most isolated. Our presence aims to be a discreet but real sign of God’s faithfulness, strengthening hope where it seems to falter.
Cuba is not only a wounded country to be rebuilt, but also — and above all — a people to love, whom we have been accompanying for twenty years. Day by day, priests, religious sisters, volunteers, and lay faithful devote themselves to serving the young and the most vulnerable, with the humble means available to us. Drawing from the richness of parish life, numerous social, educational, and charitable projects have also emerged: tutoring, daycare centers, boarding facilities, soup kitchens, a pharmacy, and a home for the elderly.
Through all these initiatives, we live and bear witness to the Gospel:
“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”
Our mission is fragile — particularly in material terms. Power cuts, shortages, inflation, disorientation, and lack of prospects for the youth are daily realities. And yet, joy remains and faith is passed on. In the midst of difficulties, the Church — though suffering — continues to serve, deeply rooted in hope.
We receive Cuba as a true mission land, where Christ calls us to work within His Church: to form free men and women united with Him, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Through Mission Cuba, we learn to live the Gospel in its radical simplicity: to bring Christ to the Cuban people, to help rebuild the Church, and to bear witness to hope.
Founded in 1976, the Saint Martin Community is a community of priests and deacons who live their ministry in common. Having received its first statutes from the Church in 1979, it has been since the year 2000 a public clerical association (that is, composed of priests and deacons) of pontifical right (meaning it depends directly on the Holy See).
The Saint Martin Community responds to the requests of bishops who wish to call upon it. According to the mission defined and the charism of each member, the community serves parishes, shrines, youth education, and other needs of the faithful. Members exercise their ministry in community — at least three living together. In daily life, this common life sustains their fidelity in prayer, fosters fraternity among them, and strengthens their unity in mission, enabling them to serve the faithful more effectively.
In a spirit of service to the universal Church, they are mobile from one diocese to another according to their successive assignments, choosing to remain available wherever they are sent. Living from the spirituality of the liturgy and Gregorian chant, they seek to transmit the depth and beauty of the Church’s liturgical life.
Solidarité Fraternitas is a charitable organization that supports projects and missions working for the development of the most disadvantaged populations.
By providing humanitarian, social, and economic assistance to these communities, our association makes possible the realization of charitable and educational projects in France and abroad.
Two New Parish Youth Centers in Cienfuegos: Cathedral and Paraíso
Mission
Récoltés
€
Objectif
300€
Life at Saint Jean-Marie Vianney Boarding School
Mission
Récoltés
Objectif
600€
