Varela High Students Hanging on Pope's Every Word

If Pope Benedict XVI mentions the name of Father Félix Varela in Cuba, that would indicate he's close to being named a saint

As final preparations are being made in Cuba for the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI, students at Father Varela Senior High School in southwest Miami-Dade are anticipating the trip for their own particular reason.

Their public school is named for a truly renaissance man who is on the path to Catholic sainthood.

Félix Varela was ordained a priest in Havana and argued for the independence of Latin America and the freedom of slaves in the 19th century.

“He was a patron of the arts, he enjoyed science, a musician, he was truly a revolutionary person,” student Sebastian Villanueva says.

Varela is “getting pretty close” to sainthood, he believes. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t say he was a saint.”

Students at the school hope Benedict mentions the name of Father Félix Varela. If he does so, that would be a big indication that the last steps for sainthood are being taken.

For freshmen Arantxa Amaya, Melissa Barbieri, and Villanueva and their teacher Daniel Vinat, the Varela sainthood is a big deal. They have studied the man in Vinat’s humanities class, where the issue is top of mind.

“Especially now that he’s on the process to sainthood, I think it would be a momentous occasion, and something appropriate that I think many of the Cuban people want to hear,” the teacher says.

Varela, who was born in 1788, led an interesting life. He was forced to flee Spain, coming to New York, where he published newspapers and advocated for immigrants. He died in Florida, in St. Augustine.

“Way before women got rights he was starting to implicate that in society,” Barbieri says.

Varela was way ahead of his times, and now his time has come, as far Barbieri and her classmates are concerned.

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