From the Archives: Presbyterianism in Cuba
The digitization of a 1949 photo album created by the Presbytery of Cuba illustrates the growth of the church
Staff at the Presbyterian Historical Society have recently digitized in full a 259-page photograph album pieced together by the Presbytery of Cuba in 1949.
The scrapbook was created with the intention of commemorating the first 50 years of mission work in the country — inside, group shots of students, teachers, pastors and their families, and missionaries abound. They are complemented by photos of the urban areas in which the seeds of numerous congregations were planted and subsequently blossomed.
Despite the lack of diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba, the churches in the two countries have maintained a close connection, one that reaches all the way back to 1890. In fact, at the time of the Cuban Revolution in 1959, the Presbytery of Cuba belonged to the Synod of New Jersey.
This collection of historic images offers readers and researchers a glimpse into the development and growth of Presbyterianism in Cuba, which, from the beginning, was marked by an unwavering commitment to social services, the strong participation of indigenous clergy members and their wives, and a unique ecumenical orientation. In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, which began on September 15 and stretches into October, we reflect on the story of Presbyterianism in Cuba — which begins with Collazo.
In March 1890, the PCUS Board of Foreign Missions received a letter from a Mr. Evaristo Collazo of Cuba. In the correspondence, Collazo wrote of his and his wife's work in Havana, where they ran a day school out of their home. He then asked for help — he wanted to continue offering this service to his community, but also had to bring in financial support for his family. Would they send someone to assist him in this important work?
The Rev. Anthony Graybill, the founder of the PCUS Mexico Mission, arrived in Havana not long after. He hit the ground running, baptizing 40 adults, ordaining multiple elders, and installing Collazo himself as pastor of the small congregation.
Collazo and his wife continued serving in Havana, Magdalena Collazo until her death in 1893, Evaristo Collazo until he joined the liberation army in 1895, where he served as a male nurse with the rank of lieutenant. At this time, the deteriorating situation in Cuba led the PCUS Board of Foreign Missions to suspend work for the time being. It wasn't until after U.S. intervention in the Cuban War of Independence that the church reinstated mission work in Cuba. In fact, the mission boards of nine U.S. Protestant churches sent missionaries to Cuba as the 19th century gave way to the 20th. One example is the April 1899 arrival of PCUS missionary Juan G. Hall in Cardenas, who was received by Ezequiel Torres and Isabel Waugh — all three are names that readers will find dotted throughout the photo album's captions. The First Presbyterian Church of Cardenas, organized by Hall on February 11, 1900, with 21 members, 2 elders, and 2 deacons, is known today as Iglesia Presbiteriana Reformada "Juan G. Hall" en Cárdenas. After Hall's death in 1904, he was succeeded by Robert L. Wharton.
At the time of Hall's death in 1904, there were seven Presbyterian churches in Havana alone. This includes Collazo's congregation at the Primera Iglesia Presbiteriana de la Habana (First Presbyterian Church of Havana), which traces its official organization to the year 1901. Upon his return to Havana after his stint in the liberation army, Collazo began collaborating with a missionary sent by the PCUSA Board of National Missions. Pedro Rioseco, of the Presbytery of Philadelphia, arrived in Havana in 1899, where he and Collazo opened a day school together.
After a letter from Rioseco arrived detailing how their last service in Havana filled the space entirely, leaving barely room to stand, the Board sent the Rev. Dr. Joseph Milton Greene to assist the two men in organizing their congregation into an officially-recognized church. Greene arrived in October 1901; two months later, on December 8, the First Presbyterian Church of Havana was established. Collazo continued his work as before, taking to the pulpit and teaching the local children. He became an official member of the PCUSA and served as Moderator of the Presbytery of Havana in 1906.
The Presbytery of Havana was organized on November 16, 1904. It included five pastors (Collazo was one of them), seven congregations, and 416 members. The seven original churches included in the presbytery were: Havana, Regla, Guines, Guira, Candelaria, Nueva Paz, and Sancti Spiritus.
By 1918, the presbytery consisted of 27 churches — some of which had previously belonged to other denominations. After experiencing firsthand the rising influence and strong impact of the Presbyterian missionaries on the local Cuban communities, the Congregational Church formally transferred four of its congregations to the Presbytery of Havana in February 1909. Included in the transfer were the congregations at Guanabacoa, Versalles (Matanzas), San Antonio de los Banos, and Guanajay. When the Disciples of Christ transferred its mission work to the Presbyterian Church in April 1918, the congregations at Matanzas Central and Union de Reyes were added to the presbytery, as well.
The unification of all Presbyterian mission work in Cuba in 1918 added more congregations (Caibarien, Camajuani, Placetas, Remedios, San Jose de los Ramos, Sagua la Grande, and Yaguajay), bumping the number up to 27. Six ministers previously working under the auspices of the PCUS were added to the presbytery's roll, including Robert Wharton of Cardenas.
In 1930, the Presbytery of Havana was renamed the Presbytery of Cuba. On January 1, 1959, the Presbytery of Cuba reported 4,293 members in 34 congregations with 46 ministers. This is a large jump from the inaugural roll of the presbytery in 1904, which boasted five pastors across seven congregations and 416 members. The Presbytery of Cuba remained a part of the Synod of New Jersey until 1967, when the the national Cuban church proclaimed independence and became an autonomous denomination known as the IRPC or La Iglesia Presbiteriana-Reformada de Cuba (The Presbyterian-Reformed Church of Cuba).
This Hispanic Heritage Month, you're encouraged to spend a few slow moments flipping through the history of the Presbytery of Cuba, as told by those who lived it. As you sift through images of Sunday school classes, Presbyterian parish schools, Cuban pastors and their families, choirs and committees and community gatherings galore, it is the historical society's hope that you discover a newfound appreciation for the many pairs of hands that have contributed to the growth of Presbyterianism in Cuba.
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