A Helping Hand: The Grand Lodge of Cuba in Exile
October 08, 2024
The recently opened exhibition in the library reading room, titled 2024 Recent Acquisitions at the Van Gorden-Williams Library & Archives, highlights several unique items. One such piece, titled List of Cuban Master Masons Recognized by the Grand Lodge of Cuba, F. & A. M. in Exile, 1961-1966, showcases the complicated history of Cuban Freemasonry and its intersection with Cuban and American history.
When Fidel Castro took power in Cuba in 1959, he quickly consolidated power and acted against political dissidents. Around 200,000 Cubans fled in 1959—many of these refugees settled in Miami where there was already a significant Cuban population. During Castro’s crackdown, many Masons, who were against Castro’s regime, fled, including the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Cuba, Juan José Tarajano. Tarajano formed the Grand Lodge of Cuba in Exile in Miami, Florida.
With this publication, the exile Grand Lodge sought to activate Masonic networks to assist its members. The pamphlet declared “we will deeply appreciate your interest in assisting these needy Brother Masons who were forced to flee from their homeland by a ruthless Communist tyranny. All of them will accept any kind of job.” The pamphlet lists members’ name, age, marital status and children, occupation, any physical defects or illnesses, and languages spoken. Previous jobs were varied, signaling the widespread need and diversity of exiled Masons, from a surgeon in gynecology and obstetrics to a land surveyor to a barber to a jeweler. The Grand Lodge of Florida, and other Grand Lodges, such as Texas, rose to the challenge of assisting Cuban Masons in exile.
Due to anti-communist politics in the United States, many of the usual restrictions against refugees were waived for Cuban exiles. In 1960, President Dwight D. Eisenhower went so far as to establish the Cuban Refugee Emergency Center to provide public services. The Grand Lodge of Cuba in Exile’s pamphlet was part of the larger relief effort for Cuban refugees in Florida.
Despite Fidel Castro confiscating some of the Grand Lodge property and arresting anti-Castro Masons, he did not fully suppress Freemasonry in Cuba. After Grand Master Tarajano fled, leadership fell to the Deputy Grand Master who subsequently left as well. The Senior Grand Warden, Jorge Luis Cuervo Calvo, was elected as the new Grand Master and the Grand Lodge of Cuba continued to function. The Grand Lodge of Cuba, as with all public institutions in Cuba, was closely supervised by the Cuban government and it was widely recognized that there were Secret Police informants within the lodges.
Since the Grand Lodge of Cuba continued to exist, the Grand Lodge of Cuba in Exile was a source of controversy, and the Masonic world debated whether the Grand Lodge in Exile was legitimate. The two Grand Lodges functioned separately for decades, with both claiming legitimacy.
This pamphlet speaks to this complicated history as well as to the greatness of Masonic networks and their aid to their fellow Masons in need. Come see the pamphlet and more in the newly opened exhibition at the Van Gorden-Williams Library & Archives. The 2024 Recent Acquisitions at the Van Gorden-Williams Library & Archives is on view through March 14, 2025.
Photo Caption
List of Cuban Master Masons Recognized by the Grand Lodge of Cuba, F. & A. M. in Exile, 1961-1966
Grand Lodge of Cuba, F. & A. M. in Exile
Miami, Florida
Gift of Dubois Lodge, No. 520, MA 160.005, A2024/027/001