José Ramón Rodríguez Núñez

José Ramón Rodríguez Núñez (1886-1957)

He was born in Mondoñedo, Galicia, Spain on April 1, 1886. Parish priest of the Villa of Güines during the middle third of the XX Century, his extraordinary conditions as a man, Christian and priest went very deep into the conscience and feelings of the generation of Güineros of his era.

After being ordained as a priest in 1909 he arrived in Cuba on February 13, 1920, being assigned to Ángel Parish, transferring a little later to that of Guanajay, Pinar del Río Province. He was designated three months later, as temporary priest of Our Lady of Carmen and Saint Lawrence Parish of Aguacate where he remained for ten years, leaving a legacy of intense apostolic work.

On May 8, 1931 he was appointed temporary priest of Güines, replacing Father Manuel Boher Jiménez, last proprietary parish priest in 1927.

Two temporary parish priests, Father Silvio Montaña Pradera, from 1927 to 1929 and Father José María Fernández Gallol occupied the parish church of Güines from 1927 until 1931.

He took possession of the parish on the 18th. or 20th day of that month and year. Immediately he noticed when inspecting the church’s building that it was almost in ruins and in danger of toppling down due to damage suffered during the 1926 hurricane, visiting Archbishop Manuel Ruiz y Rodríguez who ordered a reconstruction plan that restored the safety of the temple, giving beauty and strength to the walls and lateral naves.

Still not being satisfied with it, he appealed to the people asking for everybody’s generous help, being able to place 6 stained-glass windows that are in existence today although in bad shape because of the passing of the last hurricanes. He built a new pulpit and ordered to gild the Via Crucis, he restored the façade and ordered the tower’s cupola to be lined with tiles. There is a plaque of this extensive restoration work which reads: “This church was restored being the Most Excellent and Most Illustrious Manuel Ruiz y Rodríguez, Archbishop of Havana and Reverend Father José Ramón Rodríguez Núñez, parish priest of the same, the cultured people of Güines, fond of its traditions, cooperated in such joint labor. San Julián of Güines, April 17, MCMXXXII.”

Upon his arrival in Güines, Father Rodríguez was favorably impressed with the overall educational-religious situation he found. The young girls had a school directed by the Daughters of Charity, another one for young boys under the sponsorship of the Christian School Brothers (La Salle Brothers) and St. Joseph of the Mountain Orphanage for girls of scarce means and orphans opened the year before, directed by the Reverend Mothers for the Helpless.

Such favorable impression lasted little, because upon conclusion of the school year on June 1931, the La Salle Brothers decided to leave Güines due to the critical economic situation of Cuba at the end of Machado’s regime. Father Rodríguez was not discouraged and took over the management of the school keeping it open for 5 years in spite of the economic difficulties, while he tried to offer the same to some religious educational congregation that would agree to take it. The Jesuits, the Pious School Congregation and the Marists, declined the offer. Only the Salesians accepted to come to Güines arriving in 1936.

A man of timely initiatives, he came up with the idea of staging the tragedy of Holy Friday in Güines Central Park using religious images existing in the church and some others prepared for the occasion, but when he noticed the people’s warm welcome to the idea and the theatrical inclinations of the young people from Accion Católica (Catholic Action), he then decided to stage such pageant with real people, reaching internationally acclaimed success.

He was charitable and exercised it abundantly and discreetly. He established Catholic Action groups that created catechesis in poor neighborhoods such as Las Yaguas (The Palm Spats), Leguina and El Vedado. He developed an intense religious and social apostolate, helping alleviate the needs of many poor families, distributing food, clothing, medicine and solace—which complement all of the aforementioned—at the required moment.

He was impulsive, clean and simple. Modest but without shrillness, so much that he did not accept promotions offered to him on two occasions by Cardinal Manuel Arteaga, Havana Archbishop, the parish churches of Holy Spirit and Our Lady of the Pillar in Havana.

“Let me stay here Eminence, he humbly answered,“because I already know the ‘Güineros’ and they know my weaknesses.” His life was an example for everybody, that is why the Villa was saddened that August 3, 1957, when he passed away.

The last paragraph of his Last Will is the best tribute we can render him today, because in it, his love for Cuba, for Güines and his undeniable zeal as a pastor were reflected: “I want, finally, to leave in this, my testament, a faithful reflection of my thought and last will, a calling to the young people from my Parish, that of Saint Julian of Güines and of all Cuba, in the sense that, getting close to God Our Lord, they can dissipate their passions and develop Christian virtues in their lives, making this latter request, to include also all adults, so peace can be achieved in this beautiful Cuban land, whose Patroness is the revered Virgin of Charity of Cobre, and remain in all Christian and enlightened Cuban homes for which I continually make vows and heartfelt prayers to the Most High.”

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