Walking alongside the elderly: the work of the Loyola Centers Network in Cuba.
By the Office of Communications, Jesuit Province of the Caribbean
One of the Universal Apostolic Preferences promulgated by Fr. General in 2019 invites the apostolic Body of the Society of Jesus to “walk with the excluded, discarded, and wounded in their dignity on a mission of reconciliation and justice.” After discerning the implementation of this Preference and evaluating the most recent wave of the migratory crisis that Cuba has been experiencing since 2022, the Jesuits present in the Greater Antilles have placed accompanying the elderly and older adults among their apostolic priorities, recognizing them as one of the most vulnerable groups in this reality.
Accompanying contexts of precariousness, loneliness, and abandonment, the Caribbean province of the Society of Jesus, which carries out its work in Cuba, recognized in these individuals the most visible face of exclusion. This was especially true due to the migration of one of the main sources of work and economic support for families: young people. Jesuits and collaborators clearly saw that the elderly needed to be a priority in the mission, and that the commitment to assist them in their multiple needs, including material ones, must grow.
Looking at their realities with sufficient mercy is equivalent to recognizing them as a majority who spent a good part of their lives working and contributing socially, but who, once they reach the stage where their productive capacities diminish, are left alone, helpless, and express no hope.
Furthermore, Cuba’s population is aging rapidly. According to reports from the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI), in 2022, approximately 22.3% of the population was 60 years of age or older, making Cuba the country with the oldest population on the Latin American continent. This phenomenon is due to a combination of low fertility rates, high life expectancy, and high emigration. Although more recent data have not been published, it is estimated that the percentage of the adult population is currently higher.
In parallel, the minimum pension was around 1528 pesos until September 2025, and although an increase to up to 3056 pesos is foreseen, it remains insufficient. The elimination of subsidies, shortages, and inflation further aggravate the situation. Added to this is the absence of robust public policies to protect this population: there are no effective subsidies for food, medicine, or basic services, nor guaranteed access to cultural or recreational activities. In this scenario, we also find that the majority of the aging population is made up of women, with a longer life expectancy but a lower quality of life. For the most part, women are overrepresented as caregivers, which implies physical and emotional overload, especially for those over 50. This feminization of old age and care accentuates gender inequalities in contexts of precariousness.
Faced with the growing and painful reality of hundreds of vulnerable elderly people who come to parishes managed by the Jesuits, the Society of Jesus in the Caribbean Province has launched a care service aimed at this population segment, with the goal of providing human accompaniment and relief for their most basic needs. Fr. Danny Roque, S.J., Director of the Loyola Centers Network of Cuba comments:“Regarding 2021, when the context of monetary policy change emerged, we observed that, even with the increase in pensions, it represented very little money for the actual cost that food, in particular, began to have. So we made the decision to provide clearer support, and to assume as part of our mission in Cuba not only charitable action towards the elderly but also their social promotion. We sought to make this discernment a cross-cutting theme in all the work of the Society of Jesus in Cuba, which is primarily carried out in parishes and Loyola Centers.”.
Loyola Centers: From educational impact to the promotion of older adults.
Loyola Centers are mainly recognized in Cuba for their educational work. They emerged in mid-2013 in Havana as spaces for training complementary to teaching, to help mothers and fathers who could not afford private tutoring for their children. Over the years, they evolved into socio-educational spaces that, through education and social action, aim for the integral development of human beings, with a special emphasis on the most vulnerable.
To offer better service, each center is organized under two main areas of work that overlap: the educational area, with four programs, and the social action area, with nine. Together, they offer a total of 74 types of courses, workshops, and activities ranging from academic support and artistic or trade training, to welfare support, promotion of values, reflection on citizenship issues, entrepreneurship training, psychological and spiritual guidance, faith and culture dialogue, and environmental care.
(Learn about the work of the Loyola Center of Camagüey in the following video)
In addition to the challenge of educating children, boys, girls, and adolescents in Cuba, there is a growing number of courses and initiatives for older adults. For them, workshops are offered in doll making, computer skills, English, tai chi, and mental health.
Among the most in-demand courses in urban contexts is, for example, the one for Mobile Telephony; Given that a good number of elderly people are learning to use their mobile apps, which are necessary for managing their pensions, paying bills, and communicating with their families via WhatsApp. This opens a window that alleviates the burden of being alone in a country as an elderly person.
«I already know how to pay online, make transfers, and send voice messages.», says Margarita, full of joy. Susana, for her part, adds: «I discovered YouTube and now I can easily get information about medications. I also learned how to make video calls to talk to my son. For many people, these skills are part of everyday life, as most daily activities include, in one way or another, interaction with communication devices or social networks. However, Margarita and Susana are 79 and 75 years old, respectively.
Likewise, spaces created to provide materials for entrepreneurship are widely sought after by this population. P. Roque, S.J., recounts that “Through the Centers, efforts are made to integrate them into production and marketing chains so that they can profit from their work. They don't produce final products, nor do they live entirely off of it, but they do manufacture parts of goods that are then marketed and can increase their income.”.
The programs also reach older adults in rural contexts, where they work with peasant populations who are not part of state production control systems. They advise them on the preparation and sale of preserved foods, spices, various crops, and ornamental plants. These activities not only provide them with an extra economic benefit but also contribute to their empowerment.
For its work in Cuba, the Loyola Centers have the support of collaborating agencies such as Jesuits worldwide from Germany, Jesuits worldwide from Austria, MISEREOR, Kinder Missionwerk, Manos Unidas, ENTRECULTURAS, More help, Kerk in Actie of the Netherlands, Brot für die Welt of Germany, Fondation OSEJTM and American Jesuits from the United States. Without the input of these organizations, it would be unfeasible to maintain the spaces.
Charity and Comprehensive Care, a choice for Cuba.
For about five years, the work of the Society of Jesus in Cuba has been directly or indirectly serving the elderly. In the current crisis facing the island, services providing meals for older adults have proliferated, with varying degrees of impact in most local churches. The Jesuits have also joined this charitable initiative. At least two breakfasts per week are offered in several parishes, thus covering a portion of the food needs of those suffering from hunger or living in precarious conditions. Likewise, thanks to the commitment of parish communities, private donations, and the collaboration of parishioners, this service has been expanded in some localities to include an additional weekly lunch.
Some testimonials from beneficiaries indicate that the dining halls, in addition to offering food, provide a listening and support service that impacts the self-esteem of those who receive it. Marlene, who has participated in several of the courses at the Loyola Reina Center and attends the dining hall service at the Sacred Heart Parish, states: “It is a great blessing. I didn't have family, or anyone. Here I feel accompanied, and I even prepared to receive the sacraments.”. For her part, Caridad states: “I like the food at the dining hall, and it helps me a lot because I'm alone. I don't have any other support. I come with a lot of love to participate.”.
In addition to the food support offered in the parishes, the Society of Jesus, through the Loyola Centers, seeks to strengthen the dignity and integral well-being of the elderly through human promotion actions. Fr. Roque, S.J., adds that “In the dining halls, they generally receive pre-prepared lunches or food rations to take home and prepare. In parallel, they are provided with specialized assistance, including sessions with psychologists, emotional support, recreational and social spaces, and recreational, therapeutic, and cultural activities. In some of these places, there are also groups of hairdressing, barbering, and nail technician students linked to the Loyola Centers, who provide free beauty services for them at least once a month. The programs also include talks with geriatric specialists, recreational spaces and leisure time, visits to places of historical or artistic interest, basic healthcare, and the distribution of medications, especially for those with chronic illnesses requiring ongoing treatment.
One of the Centers“ most recognized programs is called ”Autumn". Autumn Program, belonging to the Loyola Reina Center, located in the country's capital, recently opened a wide variety of workshops, with unlimited enrollment for them. The result? More than 90 people from nearby neighborhoods came to register on the first day alone. Today, the figure exceeds 200. Among the diversity of options, the workshops in self-care, Pilates, basic computer skills, English, mobile telephony, positive psychology, knitting, doll making, crafts, massage, Tai Chi, relaxation, and cognitive training stand out. In addition to complementary workshops in theater, singing, creative writing, and the cultivation of spirituality. Options that aspire to grow and diversify, considering the increasing impact they achieve in the lives of older adults.
We give thanks to God for providing the means for the Jesuits of the Caribbean to continue accompanying the most vulnerable. The joy on the faces of the people, who feel consoled and encouraged even amidst the turbulent reality they are experiencing, confirms that the choice made by the Jesuits and their collaborators in the mission in Cuba comes from a loving gaze towards the Cuban people, with whom they share the Gospel and daily challenges.
Photos from the report: Courtesy of Enmanuel Santos, Reynaldo Garcia y Project Autumn.
