My dear friends,
A century ago, Catholics started settling in what would become this beautiful city of Coral Gables. They needed a place to educate their children, and the Sisters of St. Joseph opened up a school. They needed a house of worship, and the new pastor built a temporary church that soon after could not accommodate the growing number of people coming to Sunday Mass. Our founding parishioners overcame generational obstacles like the Great Hurricane of 1926, the Great Depression, and the Second World War. Yet, despite these herculean challenges that affected an entire nation, they were steadfast in building the magnificent church we have today and expanding our school to meet the need for Catholic education. They left us the legacy of the most majestic church in the Archdiocese of Miami and the timeless school where our children have gathered to be students of St. Theresa or receive formation in our Religious Education program.
Now the time has come for us to build on our legacy to maintain and expand for future generations. As we approach the Centennial of our Parish and School, we look to the future and what we will leave to our children and grandchildren. The time has come to expand our school and erect the first building in 70 years by constructing a Multi-Purpose Center that will house a gymnasium, a stage, our administrative offices, a secure entrance to our school, and more classrooms to house our students. In our church, it is time to install a pipe organ befitting this magnificent temple where so many have received their sacraments. It is time to prepare the church for the next generation by installing new solid wood pews, restoring our glorious reredos and sanctuary to their original splendor, and repainting the inside of our church. It is time to build on our legacy!
We need to embrace the evangelical ambition of our founders in order to accomplish these grand projects for our Centennial. We need to sacrifice our time, talent, and treasure as they did. As you browse through these pages and find inspiration in these projects, I invite you to make a sacrificial gift to our Centennial Campaign. Please pray about and consider making a three-year pledge so that we can leave the next generation of Church of the Little Flower parishioners and St. Theresa students the same gift our founders left us. Join us in building on our legacy as we celebrate our past and now look forward to our future!
May God bless your generosity,
