President of the School

There are thousands of people who take credit for a line that makes a lot of sense. Maybe because it makes so much sense the internet credits everyone from Benjamin Franklin to Albert Einstein for having said it. “Out of adversity comes opportunity,” says the wise man. That is very true. If we were to look closely and examine our lives with a careful and prayerful eye, we would see the incredible opportunities created by the difficulties, inconveniences, and challenges presented to us. If we truly step back and evaluate, we will also see the times we failed to take advantage.

This is why St. Ignatius was so intent on teaching his disciples the exercise of the examen. He encouraged them three times a day to pause in prayer and examine. In the morning to prepare for what lies ahead, at midday to see what happened in the morning, and in the evening to cover the afternoon. He was convinced, if every person would take the time to do this, they would see not only where God and His grace were clearly present, but also where we failed and could make the necessary amends.

Such has been the experience of one of the most important and influential members of the Belen Jesuit community in Miami. Like the beloved institution he has served for 54 years, Coach Carlos Barquín was stricken by the blow of adversity at a young age. Uprooted from his home in Cuba, he was separated from his parents and sent to Miami through Operation Pedro Pan. This collaboration between the Catholic Church and the U.S. Government allowed for thousands of Cuban children to escape the perils of a communist regime that would rob them of their life and liberty. No one questions how challenging it must have been for parents and for the children themselves, but oftentimes desperate times call for desperate measures.

But it was in this adversity where a great opportunity emerged. Providently, it was the Cuban exiled Jesuits who took the charge and helped care for these children in Miami. While beginning to breathe life into Belen Jesuit in South Florida, they also occupied their time in helping to work with these displaced children. Carlos Barquín was one of them. It was then that he met Fr. Luis Ripoll, S.J. A friendship ensued and the saintly Jesuit took “Barq” under his wing. From this relationship began the extraordinary career of a man who has set the highest possible standard for athletics, not simply at Belen, but in South Florida.

Hired at the age of 18, Barq helped to develop, along with then athletic director Mariano Loret de Mola, a sports program that would complement the education of students from all over Miami. Its meager beginnings required so much time and dedication. With no fields, courts, or gyms, this dynamic duo set out to build from the ground up. They worked to introduce sports unheard of in the Cuban world to young men who hardly had enough money to afford cleats and uniforms. They practiced in public parks, ran through busy city streets, and fought the dust of a grassless field to build a program that today is the envy of any school in the country.

I am not afforded enough space in this column to list the many accomplishments of Coach Carlos Barquín. From state and academic-sports championships to the construction of new facilities and the invention of a sport (Barq Ball), Barquín has created a legacy that reinforces the truth of the words of Franklin and Einstein and all the other wise men and women throughout history have claimed, adversity does clearly provide opportunity.

But I would be making a grave mistake if I simply reduced the life of Coach Carlos Barquín to the world of athletics. Barq is first and foremost an educator of men. His philosophy that “sports is an extension of the classroom” is the motivation that has fueled his career. The Catholic-Jesuit values of Belen Jesuit have been at the core of what he has done and he has been unwilling to compromise them…ever. Whether sitting on a tractor leveling a field, organizing the state’s largest summer camp, or driving a bus as far south as Key West or as far north as the panhandle, Barquín has been relentless in his pursuit of contributing to the Christian formation of his students.

There is no doubt when Belen examines its unprecedented history to discover the places and times the grace of God was present, the name of Coach Carlos Barquín will rise to the top. Thousands of men are indebted to this man for his extraordinary service. He is proof positive that for as challenging and bleak as any situation may appear, it is simply an opportunity to excel. It is for this reason on the occasion of his retirement from his post as Athletic Director this edition of the alumni magazine is dedicated to him and Coach Carlos Barquín is rightfully crowned with the title of Belegend.