My Catholic Church of Miami
Monday, June 28, 2021
Victor Martell
I have been with my Church for 80 years. Sometimes I have been saddened by mistakes made by men like me who work for it but more often than not, like today, I am happy to call myself a Catholic.
When I talk about my Church, I must congratulate two people: The first is my grandmother, who carried me to church when I was a baby, and dragged me there when I was young. There I learned to love the poor as my masters, because this is the Church of the poor founded by Jesus, the poorest of the poor.
The other person is the one who leads the local Church, my pastor, in this case the Most Rev. Thomas Wenski, current Archbishop of Miami. No, do not think that this is Cuban "guataquería" or flattery. Do you know why I do so? For having had the courage, demonstrated responsibility and, above all, transparency — that phrase that lately has become unusual for many people, and especially for those who lead — to present the Financial Report for Fiscal Year 2020 for all of us to study.
It is sad that I, a parishioner of my Church, should be the one to congratulate him! This should be done by the various non-Catholic institutions, the press and television, because he is probably one of the few to do so. We only have eyes and comments for mistakes, and we look away when we are faced with an unprecedented event. Journalism does not exist only to bring news of mistakes; it also exists to guide and teach the people about their leaders.
I also want to address you, readers, as parishioners of the many churches we have in this archdiocese. When the collection basket passes in front of you, do not look up to heaven and pray, so others may think you did not see it. And for those who seem like descendants of Washington because all that comes out of their wallet is a picture of him, please leave him alone and think of Lincoln. As you have been able to see, the very little that is given back to the Lord from everything he gives us daily is very well administered. Of every dollar you give, only 14 cents go towards administrative costs; the rest goes back to the needy, and many children, the elderly and the poor benefit from it.
I would like to point out that the archdiocesan newspapers, the Florida Catholic and La Voz Católica, share this information each year by publishing a summary of the financial statements, as well as the different operations that are carried out with these funds. It is time for Catholic and Christian businesses to advertise in these newspapers, which are practically produced with minimal resources. We should campaign for Catholics to sponsor goods and visit Catholic businesses to help each other. Naturally, all of them should place their ads in the pages of our newspapers in order to be recognized.
This article was first published as a column in the June 2021 edition of La Voz Católica.
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