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A memorial mass to commemorate the centenary of the birth of Celia Cruz, the most universal Cuban singer, will be held on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at the Parish of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, located at Manrique Street corner Salud, in Centro Habana. The religious tribute, under the theme "United for Celia", is part of the international celebrations for the 100th anniversary of the birth of the Queen of Salsa, who was born in Havana on October 21, 1925.
The invitation was shared on social media by Lester Rafael Zayas Díaz and Pedro Lorenzo Hechavarría Pupo, who spread the event poster and called to remember “that paradigm of Cuban music, the great Celia Cruz.”
The news has had a significant impact on social media. The official Instagram account of Celia Cruz reposted the event poster, while the singer Haila Mompié also shared the announcement.
The executor of the singer, Omer Pardillo Cid, confirmed to CubaNet that the mass was organized by the Catholic Church in Cuba and by Haila Mompié, expressing his hope that “the dictatorship does not cancel the mass.” Pardillo recalled that Celia “remains a beloved and respected figure among the Cuban people, beyond any censorship.”
A tribute in the shadow of censorship
The announcement of the mass comes just days after the Ministry of Culture and the Communist Party of Cuba censured an artistic gala honoring the centenary of Celia Cruz, organized by Teatro El Público in collaboration with the Fábrica de Arte Cubano (FAC). The National Center for Popular Music suspended the event without providing explanations or mentioning the name of the artist, which sparked a wave of indignation among intellectuals, musicians, and citizens both on and off the Island.
As a response, the Fábrica de Arte Cubano carried out a symbolic act of resistance: for one hour, it maintained a lit empty chair on stage, in absolute silence, before playing the most emblematic themes of the Guarachera of Cuba. In a message posted on Facebook, the institution wrote: “A work of art that never was, an empty seat, silence, and the art of resistance… Celia lives”.
Faith and memory
The mass on October 21, if it takes place, will be the second religious ceremony dedicated to Celia Cruz in Cuba, following the one held in 2016 at the same temple. On that occasion, the parish priest Ariel Suárez officiated the mass, accompanied by artists and faithful who remembered the singer, who passed away in exile without being able to return to her country.
Celia Cruz was a voice of identity, resistance, and joy for generations of Cubans. From exile, she turned her music into an act of defiance against the regime that banned her songs and erased her name from official media. A hundred years after her birth, she remains — as noted by CiberCuba in its special report "Cien años de Celia Cruz" — “an artist who not only reigned in salsa but also taught the world what it means to be Cuban without losing hope for a free Cuba.”
The Queen of Salsa, who immortalized her cry “¡Azúcar!”, will be remembered in her homeland with the strength of faith, music, and memory, symbols of a Cuba that still sings for her.
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