To attend his graduate classes, Iván Moya travels nearly 17 hours from eastern Cuba. Yamil Oses, a pastor in Villa Clara Province, Cuba, regularly travels four and a half hours to Havana, but transportation difficulties this year turned the journey into a nine-hour train ride.

Their experience reflects the commitment behind a Master’s degree in Family Counseling offered in Cuba by Montemorelos University (UM) in partnership with the Cuba Adventist Theological Seminary (SETAC). Although the program was designed primarily for pastors, professionals in education and psychology are also welcome. The second cohort is nearing completion.

Nine students who began the program in 2023 are completing their final in-person courses this summer. They must then complete a scientific article and submit it to an indexed journal as part of their degree requirements. Graduation is expected in May 2027.

“Few people come to us with doctrinal or theological questions; most are looking for help with problems between parents and children, marriages, and other family situations,” Moya said. Those realities of pastoral ministry, he added, motivated him to pursue further training despite financial and transportation challenges.

Training amid technological challenges

Each summer, UM professors travel to Cuba for four to six weeks of intensive instruction, rotating through courses that generally last one to one-and-a-half weeks.

Lucio Olmedo, Ph.D., graduate studies coordinator for UM’s School of Psychology, said the in-person model is largely necessary because of limitations in internet connectivity and electricity. Although the seminary has solar panels and an internet antenna, the infrastructure is sufficient mainly for registration, submitting assignments, and other basic academic tasks, but not for sustained videoconference classes.

The curriculum includes psychological foundations of emergencies, crisis care, sexuality across the life cycle, domestic violence, crisis intervention, and research.

For Oses, the training has already changed how he approaches pastoral ministry.

“The program has allowed me to rethink my own worldview and, at the same time, help transform the perspective of many of the congregations I serve as a pastor,” Oses said.

He added that the course on domestic violence showed him the importance of addressing the issue more intentionally with churches and families. Crisis intervention training has also helped him accompany people through difficult situations with greater sensitivity and a more strategic approach.

Adapting training to Cuba

Teaching in Cuba has also challenged UM professors to adapt classroom examples and methods to the realities students encounter in their communities.

“The effort to communicate the concepts of each course while respecting the culture of the place where we are teaching is extremely valuable,” said Marcelo Moroni, Ph.D., director of UM’s School of Psychology.

For mental health professionals, Moroni added, recognizing how family circumstances and mental health challenges differ from one region to another enriches their professional practice.

The goal, he said, extends beyond earning a degree.

“Helping prepare professionals who will respond to the needs of the church and the community is a fundamental part of our missionary commitment,” Moroni said.

Support beyond academics

During their visits to Cuba, UM professors bring clothing, medications, personal hygiene items, and, when possible, nonperishable food to assist students, families, and others connected with the seminary community.

“The solidarity of the professors has also been evident during the difficult circumstances our country is experiencing,” Oses said. “That gesture demonstrates their commitment to us not only as students, but also as people.”

Moya said the country’s economic conditions would have made it difficult for him to access a similar graduate program without the university’s support.

“We value the university’s commitment to our group and its interest in supporting our education,” he said.

Looking Ahead

The partnership between UM and SETAC has produced two cohorts. The first began before the COVID-19 pandemic and, following disruptions caused by the health emergency, concluded in 2023 with three graduates.

The second began with approximately 17 students and now has nine completing the program. Emigration has been among the factors affecting student retention.

As UM, SETAC, and Adventist Church leaders in Cuba consider opening a third cohort, current students are focused on completing their remaining requirements.

For Moya, the years of study and long journeys ultimately come back to service.

“We hope all this effort will bear fruit,” he said, “and above all, that we can serve God wherever He calls us.”

The original article was published on the Montemorelos University’s news site.