Father Félix Varela Stamp, 1997

Félix Varela y Morales (November 20, 1788-February 27, 1853) was born in Havana, Cuba and died in St. Augustine, Florida. He studied to become a Roman Catholic Priest in San Carlos and San Ambrosio Seminary in Havana, the only seminary in Cuba. He also studied at the University of Havana. At the age of 23 he was ordained in the Cathedral of Havana. © US Postal Service Stamp of Father Felix Varela USPS 1997, stamp. ... Havana (Spanish: San Cristóbal de La Habana) is the capital of Cuba and, with a population of 2. ... Five flags have flown over St. ... State nickname: Everglade State, Sunshine State Other U.S. States Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Governor Jeb Bush Official languages English Area 170,451 km² (22nd)  - Land 137,374 km²  - Water 30,486 km² (17. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... Roman Catholic priest A priest or priestess is a holy man or woman who takes an officiating role in worship of any religion, with the distinguishing characteristic of offering sacrifices. ... A seminary is a specialised university-like institution for the purpose of training candidates for positions within a religious context. ... Havana (Spanish: San Cristóbal de La Habana) is the capital of Cuba and, with a population of 2. ... University of Havana or UH (in Spanish, Universidad de la Habana) was founded in September 21, 1721 and is the oldest university in Cuba and one of the first to be founded in the Americas. ... This article is about the sacrament. ...

Joining the seminary faculty within a year of his ordination, he taught Philosophy, Physics, and Chemistry. In his position there, he taught many illustrious Cubans, including José Antonio Saco, Domingo del Monte, Dr. José de la Luz y Caballero, and Felipe Poey. Referring to Varela, Dr. De la Luz said; "As long as there is thought in Cuba, we will have to remember him, the one who taught us how to think." José Marti's teacher Rafael María de Mendive was also Varela's disciple. Philosophy (from a combination of the Greek words philos meaning love and sophia meaning wisdom), as a practice, aims at some kind of understanding, knowledge or wisdom about fundamental matters such as reality, knowledge, meaning, value, being and truth. ... Physics (from the Greek, φυσικός (phusikos), natural, and φύσις (phusis), nature) is the science of nature in the broadest sense. ... -1... Felipe Poey y Aloy (May 26, 1799 - January 28, 1891) was a Cuban zoologist. ...

Varela joined in a petition to the Spanish Crown for the independence of Latin America, and also published an essay which argued for the abolition of slavery in Cuba. For such ideas, he was sentenced to death by the government. Before he could be arrested, however, he sought refuge in Gibraltar and later emigrated to the United States, where he spent the rest of his life. Crown names several entities associated with monarchy: A crown (headgear), the headgear worn by a monarch. ... Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ... Abolition is the act of formally destroying something through legal means, either by making it illegal, or simply no longer allowing it to exist in any form. ... A monument celebrating the emancipation of slaves in the British Empire in 1834, erected in Victoria Tower Gardens, Millbank, Westminster, London Wiktionary has a definition of: Slavery Slavery can mean one or more related conditions which involve control of a person against his or her will, enforced by violence or...

Varela was the founder of the first Spanish-language newspaper in the U.S., publishing many articles about human rights, as well as multiple essays on religious tolerance, cooperation between the English and Spanish-speaking communities, and the importance of education. He published other newspapers in Spanish, including "El Habanero" and "El Mensajero Semanal," and also published "The Protestant Abriger" and "Annotator" in New York. This article is about the international language known as Spanish. ... Human rights are rights which some hold to be inalienable and belonging to all humans. ... Freedom of religion is the individuals right or freedom to hold whatever religious beliefs he or she wishes, or none at all. ... State nickname: Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York Governor George Pataki Official languages None Area 141,205 km² (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water 18,795 km² (13. ...

In 1837, he was named Vicar General of the Diocese of New York, which then covered all of New York State and New Jersey. In this post, he played a major role in the way the American Church dealt with the tremendous influx of Irish refugees, that was just beginning at the time. He was later named a Doctor of Theology by St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore, Maryland. In the broadest sense, a vicar is anyone who is acting as a substitute or agent for a superior (compare vicarious). In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant. ... In some Christian churches, the diocese is an administrative territorial unit governed by a bishop, sometimes also referred to as a bishopric or episcopal see, though more often the term episcopal see means the office held by the bishop. ... State nickname: Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York Governor George Pataki Official languages None Area 141,205 km² (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water 18,795 km² (13. ... State nickname: Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York Governor George Pataki Official languages None Area 141,205 km² (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water 18,795 km² (13. ... State nickname: The Garden State Other U.S. States Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Governor Richard Codey (acting) Official languages None defined Area 22,608 km² (47th)  - Land 19,231 km²  - Water 3,378 km² (14. ... Theology is literally rational discourse concerning God (Greek θεος, theos, God, + λογος, logos, rational discourse). By extension, it also refers to the study of other religious topics. ... This article is about the city in the US state of Maryland. ... State nickname: Old Line State; Free State Other U.S. States Capital Annapolis Largest city Baltimore Governor Robert L. Ehrlich Official languages English Area 32,160 km² (42nd)  - Land 25,338 km²  - Water 6,968 km² (21%) Population (2000)  - Population 5,296,486 (19th)  - Density 165 /km² (5th) Admittance into...

Nearly sixty years after his death in Florida, his body was returned to his homeland and laid to rest in the University of Havana's Aula Magna. Pope John Paul II beatified him. If canonized, he would be the first Cuban-born person to be honored on the altars of the Catholic church. University of Havana or UH (in Spanish, Universidad de la Habana) was founded in September 21, 1721 and is the oldest university in Cuba and one of the first to be founded in the Americas. ... Aula Magna, from Latin aula (hall), magna (great), is a name frequently given to the great hall or great Ccassroom that many universities have for especial occasions. ... His Holiness Pope John Paul II, officially in Latin , born Karol Józef Wojtyla [1] (May 18, 1920 – April 2, 2005), was Pope of the Roman Catholic Church for almost 27 years, from 16 October 1978 until his death. ... In Catholicism, beatification (from Greek μακαριος, makarios) is a recognition accorded by the church of a dead persons accession to Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name (intercession of saints). ... Picture of an altar from the Meyer Encyclopaedia An altar, (Hebrew mizbeah, from a word meaning to slay) is any structure on which sacrifices known as the korbanot as well as incense offerings are offered for religious purposes. ...

The Cuban government has created an award bearing his name, entitled the "Orden Félix Varela", which is awarded to those whom the government deems to have contributed to Cuban and worldwide culture. (See List of people awarded the Varela award (http://www.cubarte.cult.cu/global/loader.php?&cat=premio&cont=premiados.php&premioid=41).)

His name is currently associated with a project proposed by the Christian Liberation Movement in Cuba, named Proyecto Varela, which was announced to the Cuban people on government-owned TV and radio stations in Cuba by United States President Jimmy Carter. In 1997 the United States Postal Service honored Varela by issuing a 32-cent commemorative stamp. Because of his experiences, many in the Cuban American exile community identify with him. The Varela Project was a citizens initiative undertaken by Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas of the Christian Liberation Movement and others in Cuba. ... Order: 39th President Vice President: Walter Mondale Term of office: January 20, 1977 – January 20, 1981 Preceded by: Gerald Ford Succeeded by: Ronald Reagan Date of birth: October 1, 1924 Place of birth: Plains, Georgia First Lady: Rosalynn Carter Political party: Democratic James Earl Jimmy Carter, Jr. ... A British pillar box The postal system is a system by which written documents typically enclosed in envelopes, and also small packages containing other matter, are delivered to destinations around the world. ... This article lists people who have been featured on stamps of the United States. ... A Cuban-American is an immigrant to the United States from Cuba. ...

Felix Varela High School

Felix Varela High School (Home of the Vipers) opened on August 28, 2000, in dedication to the memory of Padre Felix Varela, in Miami, Florida. About 2,000 ninth and tenth graders (classes of 2003 and 2004) were enrolled in the first school year. The enrollment of Varela High grew sequentially after each school year as more incoming freshman enrolled. Eventually, the school reached the status as a full-fledged high school when it was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and there were students from the 9-12 grade levels.

Millie Fornell is the founding principal. Ms. Fornell is currently the principal.

Quotes

"We should not lie to ourselves: Constitution, Liberty, Equality are synonyms and these terms antagonize slavery and inequality of rights." Liberty, or freedom, is a condition in which an individual has immunity from the arbitrary exercise of authority. ... See also the disambiguation page titled equality for the mathematical and geographical topics. ... A monument celebrating the emancipation of slaves in the British Empire in 1834, erected in Victoria Tower Gardens, Millbank, Westminster, London Wiktionary has a definition of: Slavery Slavery can mean one or more related conditions which involve control of a person against his or her will, enforced by violence or...

"We can see the time when things should change and the best thing to do is to prepare the [Cuban] people for an inevitable political change; but to say this is a crime."

"Pray for all Cubans"

A prayer to Blessed Felix Varela reads,

"Please, Father Varela, in the name of all Cubans who yearn for justice, equality and above all, freedom, and of all those who are now in prison or in exile due to their opposition to the current government, grant us this miracle. Plead to our Lord for this favor, for the inevitable political change in Cuba to happen and to grant us a new society free from dictatorship and tyranny that is also peaceful, tolerant and that respects the sanctity of all human beings and also their human rights. Amen."

External links

• Pictures and other information on Félix Varela (http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/varela.htm) Includes pictures of the U.S. Postal Service commemorative stamp.
• Biography of Félix Varela in English (http://www.soycubano.com/pena/literatura/felix_varelai.asp) and in Spanish (http://www.cartadecuba.org/%BFquien_era_f%E9lix_varela.htm)
• "Faithful Want Priest to be Saint" (http://www.cortada.com/gallery/paintings/1998/VARELA.HTM) (Miami Herald)
• Father Felix Varela (http://www.cubanhfofstaugustine.org/page6.html)
• PDF document from the Carter Center (http://www.cartercenter.org/documents/584.pdf)