Baby Jesus Works in Cuba

In November of 2004, the Cuban Bishops proposed a unique initiative in preparation for the 2005 Mission Year in Cuba. They wanted to contact Cuban families, reaching not only those who attend the churches, chapels and mission houses (where people gather to pray even when there’s no priest available), but also through a concerted effort to meet people through a home visit with a figure of the Child Jesus.

With the little image, they wanted to celebrate the end of the Mission Year, while strengthening the Catholic sense of Christmas. Although most Cuban families usually had a Christmas tree, they did not have a nativity scene. Thousands of volunteers distributed figurines of the Baby Jesus across the island, giving one to each family they visited before Christmas in order to point out the real message and Christian character of Christmas. Some of these volunteers walked up to 12 miles, knocking on doors and inviting people to receive the little statue complete with a leaflet explaining the initiative and the importance of Jesus and the Nativity.

In the wake of the revolution, the Catholic Church in Cuba lost many of its church buildings. The number of priests also dropped, and today there are only 250 priests on the island to celebrate the Liturgy for the faithful. It is estimated that 30% of the country's 11 million people still consider themselves Catholic, but only 3% practice their faith. 

In March 2006, Zenit news service reported that many Cubans began to rediscover their faith, thanks to the distribution of the little fluorescent 3 ½” plastic figures. According to a report from Aid to the Church in Need, there is a significant increase in the number of practicing Catholics on the island nation, with up to 90.000 now receiving Communion. The statistics were collated with help from Carmelite nuns in Havana, who bake Communion wafers for most of the country's dioceses. 

With the reported increase in Church attendance in the wake of the Christ Child initiative, the Cuban Bishops feel they have captured the imagination of the people and want to continue distributing the little sacred images.

Archbishop Juan García Rodríguez, president of the Bishops' Conference of Cuba, wrote to ACN that the initiative was a gift of the Holy Spirit. "We beg ACN for help so that more people can enjoy Christmas with the Baby Jesus. We have had many testimonies praising the figures and so just think what Christmas 2006 could be like if we could have more of them, just think what it could mean for people who want to know Jesus more deeply." 

In 2005, the National Commission of Missions of the Aid to the Church in Need supported the initiative by donating 350,000 small images of the Christ Child. This year ACN will send another 300,000 figures.

Please visit www.kirche-in-not.org to see how your prayers and your alms can help support this and many other mission initiatives throughout the world.