Life at the Seminary

April 1

The view of the Bay of Matanzas from the Seminary

Before we left for Cuba, everyone wanted to know why I was going to Cuba to study choral conducting and theology. It seems a surprising place to study both things. There is a sizable protestant population (300, 000 according to the Lonely Planet Guide) in Cuba and an ecumenical seminary in Matanazas. (SET - the Seminario Evangelico de Teología de Matanzas) where we are living. My own combination of choral and theological interests are well met here because the conductor of the local professional chamber choir, Maestro Méndez, has a long standing relationship with the seminary and agreed to take me on as a student. Each city in Cuba has its own professional choir.

The seminary sits on top of hill above the Yumurí River, overlooking the Matanzas Bay. Founded originally by the Methodists, it is now a seminary supported largely by the Presbyterian, Episcopal and Baptist Churches, though there are also students who are as varied as Pentecostal and Quaker and everything in between. There are about twenty five year round students. Five professors live on campus as well as some other staff and the spouses and children of a small number of students. We eat breakfast and lunch together, Monday – Friday. Supper is available for single students. On weekends, those who remain (many go off to work in church communities elsewhere) often team up for meals. There is a chapel service mornings, Tues- Fri at 9:45.

It is an intentional community with a community schedule – it feels more monastic than perhaps some other seminary communities. There is a fantastic garden here that grows vegetables which feed the seminarians and (I heard this somewhere) also local hospitals and orphanages. They are also available for sale to the community. We get a weekly allotment of swiss chard, lettuce, bananas, chives, radish, cabbage, and whatever else is in season.

There are also distant learners who come for a week every two months. The seminary hosts many visiting American and Canadian, and the occasional European group.

We have been welcomed so warmly here and really feel part of the community. We have some special friends that we hope to keep in touch with as long as possible. That is not to say that there aren’t cultural misunderstandings or awkward moments - of course there are. But with perseverance, friendship prevails!

The hardest thing to navigate for sure is the difference of wealth. In Canada, our family is of relatively modest means. Here we are wealthy! It is not just a difference of how much money we have – our economies and political systems are so different that it is pretty much pointless to compare how far our money can go here and what it is like to live life. What are expensive, even for us, are imported goods like microwaves, fridges, electronic goods, as well as specialty food items. But the striking difference is how much stuff we have in Canada, how easy it is to get stuff, and how much easier it is to get around in Canada. Of course there are two sides to every story. In some ways life is simpler here – not so much stuff, more time to hang out with people, if you want to get somewhere, plan on walking, depend on your friends for everything big and small. I think that kind of simplicity (which you could also call scarcity) is a better path forward for humanity. Our way of life if basically greedy.

On the other hand, a life of scarcity has its own complexities – lack of privacy, a struggle to get basic food needs met, wasted time just trying to accomplish the most basic tasks. Who am I to say that is the better path? I come from the land of plenty. Lots to think about on my return. How can I lead a more simple life? How can my church community chose a simpler model?

One of the things that has most impressed me here is the level of ecumenism. Theological education is shared, though each denomination has its own requirements for ordination: students take the same courses regardless of denomination. I have received a wonderful welcome from my own episcopal classmates (Anglican) and the Episcopal Cathedral in Havana (and its bishop - Obispa Griselda) as well as by Tulia the young pregnant local episcopal priest at Fieles a Jesus. We’ve also enjoyed the local Baptist church which hosts the city’s ecumenical centre. It is there that the ecumenical choir rehearses. I have heard that the mainline protestant churches are facing big challenges – as they are in Canada as well. This is bound to have a negative impact on ecumenism, also, as it has in Canada. Nonetheless, I am inspired by what I have experienced. Yesterday I contributed to the local religious expression by singing at the final stop on an Ecumenical Lenten Pilgrimage in the city. On Easter Sunday, we will be here at the seminary for the sunrise service - an Ecumenical tradition in Matanazas that dates back to 1944.