Earlier this month, Bishop Jose Manuel Perez of Pinar del Rio, Cuba, unveiled a new statute in honor of the Father Felix Varela, one of Cuba’s most important historical figures, at the diocesan cathedral.

The statue of the Cuban priest, which was fashioned by Manuel Perez Velez, shows a smiling Father Varela, “with the hope of someone who trusts in God and in the virtues of the men and women of his nation.”  The star on the shield “expresses Varela’s thinking about independence and freedom for Cuba.”

At the foot of the statue is the phrase, “Seek the glory of God in everything, sanctifying all of our actions, disposed towards love of neighbor.”

The statue was unveiled on March 12th.

New book released

Vitral Publications has also released a new philosophical work by Father Varela, which was first published in 1812 in Latin but was later lost.  It was recently found by Dr. Amaury B. Carbon Sierra, a professor at the University of Havana.

The book is part of a three-volume collection, the first two of which were written in Latin, as was the custom of the time. The third was written in Spanish.