By Tom Tracy - Florida Catholic
MIAMI | South Florida’s Cuban-American Catholic community and other Miami Marlins baseball fans planned to honor Jose Fernandez with prayers at the Cuban shrine today and a public parade a day before his private funeral.
Fernandez, 24, a pitcher and popular Cuban-American member of the Marlins team, died Sept. 25 following a boating accident that also took the lives of his two companions, Emilio Macias, 27, and Eduardo Rivero, 25. During a late-night outing, their craft struck a jetty near Miami Beach.
A funeral procession and public viewing for Fernandez were to take place today, Sept. 28, for fans who want to pay their final respects. Fans are set to gather at the West Plaza at Marlins Park for his final departure.
Organizers say the procession will depart at 2:16 p.m. — in honor of his uniform number, 16 — and travel to La Ermita de la Caridad (National Shrine of Our Lady of Charity) located near Miami’s Biscayne Bay — not far from the accident.
There, the shrine’s rector, Father Juan Rumín Dominguez, will say a brief prayer and blessing. The procession will then travel to St. Brendan Church in Miami where a public visitation will be held from 5 to 11 p.m. A private funeral for Fernandez will be held Thursday.
His story paralleled that of many South Florida Cubans. A native of Santa Clara, he managed to flee the island in 2007 with his mother and sister. Three previous attempts had been unsuccessful and resulted in jail time. On the final attempt, Fernandez had to dive into the water to rescue his mother, who had fallen overboard.
After reaching Mexico, they moved to Tampa, where his stepfather had been living since 2005. There he played high school baseball until being drafted by the Marlins in 2011. He made his Major League debut with the Marlins in 2013 and played in the All Star Game, in addition to being named National League Rookie of the Year.
Father Dominguez, himself a Cuban American, described Fernandez as “the young face of the Cuban diaspora.”
“This is a young man who is a source of pride for us Cubans, an example for our community and especially for Cuban young people,” said Father Dominguez.
“He was able to reach the highest goals. That’s why he’s an example to our Cuban young people,” the priest said. “He demonstrated that with dedication and effort, you can achieve the highest goals in this country.”
La Ermita is a popular stop for most Cuban exiles who reach South Florida’s shores. Devotion to Cuba’s patroness, Our Lady of Charity, has not diminished on the island despite the communist government’s officially atheist stance — and decades-long effort to wipe out Catholicism.
Many Cubans seek her intercession before setting out on dangerous boat trips to freedom across the Florida Straits, and they visit the shrine afterward to give thanks for their safe arrival.
Other Catholic clergy throughout the region reportedly referred to the tragedy in their homilies and offered prayers for Fernandez at their Sunday Masses.
Fernandez and the others were killed early Sunday when his 32-foot SeaVee boat slammed into a rock jetty that extends off the southern tip of Miami Beach.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission continues to investigate the crash. The Miami-Dade County medical examiner has not yet released toxicology results.
Fans established a makeshift memorial on the plaza outside the ballpark entrance, leaving dozens of flower arrangements — daisies, carnations, roses and lilies, the result as colorful as Fernandez's personality. There were also candles, and messages scrawled on balls, balloons, photos and jerseys.
A spokeswoman for American Social Bar & Restaurant in Miami reportedly confirmed Tuesday in an email that Fernandez was a patron at the establishment before the crash. The bar is along the Miami River and allows boats to dock alongside.
Since the tragedy, the Marlins have been grieving while also returning to playing games. On Monday night, they defeated the Mets in an emotional and tearful game. They also effectively retired Fernandez’s number 16 jersey.
"I think the routine of the game is really good for you," manager Don Mattingly said in a press release posted on the Marlins website. "You've been doing this almost the whole season. Yeah, we feel it's almost like autopilot, fielding ground balls, take at-bats. It's almost mindless. So it does good to be on the field. It feels good to prepare for a game.”
Fernandez is survived by his sister, mother and stepfather; his girlfriend, whom he had just announced was pregnant with his child; and his beloved grandmother, with whom he shared an emotional reunion when she arrived in the U.S. in 2013.
Ana Rodriguez-Soto contributed to this report.
