On September 8, 2024, the feast of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, Father Dailon Lisabet began a mission in the Diocese of Holguín, Cuba. Exactly one year later, on September 8, 2025, he concluded that experience in his home parish, once again celebrating the feast of Cuba’s Patroness. “For me, it was a very clear sign that the Blessed Mother accompanied my steps from beginning to end,” he recalls with gratitude.
Now back in the United States, Father Dailon serves at Our Lady of the Lakes Parish in Sparta and ministers to the Hispanic community at Our Lady Queen of Peace in Branchville. Looking back, he affirms without hesitation: “This mission has been the greatest blessing of my priesthood.”
Before leaving, he received the full support of his bishop, Most Rev. Kevin Sweeney, who warmly embraced the idea of the mission. “When I asked him about going to Cuba, he was very happy,” Father Dailon explains, “and he spoke to me about the importance of mission, reminding me of how Saint John Paul II, during his visit to the Dominican Republic, emphasized the call to bring the Gospel to every corner of the world.”
Upon arriving in Holguín, Father Dailon was welcomed with great fraternity. He expresses special gratitude to Bishop Emilio Aranguren, who opened the doors of the diocese with simplicity and closeness. Priests, religious sisters, and lay faithful also received him with warmth, making him feel part of that local Church from the very first day.
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During his mission, he served various communities such as Ciudad Jardín, Vista Alegre, and San Judas Tadeo, and collaborated with the Sisters of St. Anne in children’s communities such as El 71 and Certeneja. In each place, he encountered the same reality: a people facing great hardships —food shortages, limited transportation, and frequent power outages— yet maintaining a living and persevering faith. “The children, the youth, and the elderly gave me a witness of Church that I will never forget,” he says with emotion.
Among the most significant moments was the visit of then-seminarian Lucas Folan, from the Diocese of Paterson, who spent a week sharing in the mission in Cuba. Lucas has since been ordained a deacon in Rome. His experience on the island was, in his words, transformative:
“One of the most powerful moments of my time with Father Dailon in Cuba was when we visited a very poor elderly man who was suffering from cancer. From the world’s perspective, it was a situation of despair, but through his faith in Jesus and the grace of the Anointing of the Sick that Father gave him, his suffering became a source of hope and consolation. I saw the riches of Jesus among his poorest.”
For Lucas, it was an opportunity to encounter another ecclesial reality, one marked by material limitations, yet rich in deep spiritual vitality. His testimony reflects the mark left by a faith lived with simplicity and hope.
Father Dailon describes his time in Holguín as a school of life and faith. He learned that mission is not only about giving but also about receiving; not only about teaching but also about allowing oneself to be evangelized by the humble and profound faith of a people who trust in God.
“Cuba taught me that mission always involves the cross, but above all, it brings hope,” Fr. Dailon affirms.
Today, Father Dailon’s heart is filled with gratitude for the people he met and the faith he rediscovered in his native Cuba. His trust in God, despite the challenges, has left an indelible mark on his heart and continues to guide his ministry. He is also deeply thankful for the generosity of the Diocese of Paterson, which made the mission possible, and for the prayers and support of so many people in the United States, “whose kindness and encouragement have always sustained my priesthood.”
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Cuba, land of faith: The missionary experience of Father Dailon