The Archdiocese of Miami ( la, Archidioecesis Miamiensis, es, Arquidiócesis de Miami, ht, Achidyosèz Miami) is a

particular church In metaphysics, particulars or individuals are usually contrasted with universals. Universals concern features that can be exemplified by various different particulars. Particulars are often seen as concrete, spatiotemporal entities as opposed to a ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

in the United States of America. Its ecclesiastical territory consists of Broward,

Miami-Dade Miami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. The county had a population of 2,701,767 as of the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Florida and the seventh-most populous county in ...

and Monroe counties in the U.S. state of

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. The archdiocese is the

metropolitan see Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a ...

for the Ecclesiastical Province of Miami, which covers Florida. The archbishop is Thomas Wenski. As archbishop, he also serves as

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

of the Cathedral of Saint Mary, the mother church of the archdiocese. Also serving are 258 priests, 133 permanent

deacons A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

, 41 religious brothers and 204

religious sisters A religious sister (abbreviated ''Sr.'' or Sist.) in the Catholic Church is a woman who has taken public vows in a religious institute dedicated to apostolic works, as distinguished from a nun who lives a cloistered monastic life dedicated to pra ...

who are members of various religious institutes. These priests, deacons and persons religious serve a Catholic population in South Florida of 475,774 in 109

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

es and missions. Because of the vast number of immigrants,

Mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different eleme ...

is offered in at least a dozen languages in parishes throughout the archdiocese. Educational institutions consist of two schools for the disabled, 60 elementary/middle schools, 13 high schools, two universities, and two seminaries. Radio, print, and television media outlets owned and operated by the archdiocese supplement teaching, communication, and ministries. Several social service organizations are operated by the archdiocese which include two hospitals, nine health care centers, three homes for the aged, and two cemeteries. Charities include homeless shelters, legal services for the poor, an HIV/AIDS ministry, and the

Missionaries of Charity The Missionaries of Charity ( la, Congregatio Missionariarum a Caritate) is a Catholic centralized religious institute of consecrated life of Pontifical Right for women established in 1950 by Mother Teresa, now known in the Catholic Church as ...

and

Society of Saint Vincent de Paul The Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP or SVdP or SSVP) is an international voluntary organization in the Catholic Church, founded in 1833 for the sanctification of its members by personal service of the poor. Innumerable Catholic parishes have ...

ministries to the poor.

Catholic Charities The Catholic Church operates numerous charitable organizations. Catholic spiritual teaching includes spreading the Gospel, while Catholic social teaching emphasises support for the sick, the poor and the afflicted through the corporal and spi ...

of the Archdiocese of Miami is a separate non-profit organization operated by the archdiocese. It claims to be the largest non-governmental provider of social services to the needy in South Florida.

History

Before 1952, the entire State of Florida was under the jurisdiction of one diocese, the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Augustine Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

. In the 1950s and early 1960s, Saint Augustine bishop

Joseph Patrick Hurley Joseph Patrick Hurley (January 21, 1894 – October 30, 1967) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of St. Augustine in Florida from 1940 until his death in 1967. Hurley also served as a Vatic ...

purchased land throughout South Florida in anticipation of a future population boom. Today, these once remote areas are thriving cities. Dozens of Catholic churches, schools and cemeteries built on the land purchased by Hurley dot these areas. The Diocese of Miami was created on October 7, 1958, with

Coleman Carroll Coleman Francis Carroll (February 9, 1905 – July 26, 1977) was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop (later archbishop) of Miami from 1958 until his death in 1977. Biography Coleman Carroll was born in Pittsbur ...

installed as

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

. The diocese included the 16 southern counties in Florida, with a Catholic population of 200,000. It encompassed one half of the area of the state. Less than a year after the creation of the diocese, Fidel Castro came to power in

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

. This set off a mass exodus of

Cuban exile A Cuban exile is a person who emigrated from Cuba in the Cuban exodus. Exiles have various differing experiences as emigrants depending on when they migrated during the exodus. Demographics Social class Cuban exiles would come from various ec ...

s to South Florida, increasing church membership in the region. The Catholic Welfare Bureau, created by Carroll, played a significant part in helping these waves of Cuban immigrants. Between 1960 and 1962, 14,000 Cuban children were sent to the United States. Operation Pedro Pan, created by Monsignor Bryan O. Walsh, placed them with friends, relatives or the Catholic Welfare Bureau. In 1996, the Catholic Welfare Bureau changed its name to Catholic Charities. Today it claims to be the largest non-governmental provider of social services in South Florida. It served over 17,000 families in the tri-county area of Broward, Dade and Monroe counties in 2006. Mariel Refugees

Due to an increased population, the diocese was divided in 1968. Eight counties became part of the Diocese of St. Petersburg and the new

Diocese of Orlando The Diocese of Orlando ( la, Dioecesis Orlandensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Florida. It encompasses about spanning Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Marion, Lake, Volusia, Brevard, Polk, and S ...

. Miami was made an archdiocese by

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his death in Augus ...

, and was named Metropolitan See for all of Florida. Carroll became an archbishop on March 2, 1968. He participated in the church reforms of

Vatican II The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...

as one of the Council Fathers. During the civil rights struggles of the 60's, Carroll was influential in stemming threatened racial riots in Miami and in desegregating Catholic schools roughly 10 years before the rest of the State. He became a founder of the Community Relations Board which worked to "quell waves of misunderstanding, discrimination and discontent which often threatened to flood South Florida's multi-ethnic community." Upon the death of Carroll on July 26, 1977, Bishop

Edward Anthony McCarthy Edward Anthony McCarthy (April 10, 1918 – June 7, 2005) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the second archbishop of the Archdiocese of Miami in Florida from 1977 to 1994. He previously served as bishop of the Di ...

was appointed as Miami's archbishop. McCarthy oversaw the construction of the Pastoral Center for the archdiocese and restructured most senior operational divisions. He established the Office of

Lay Ecclesial Ministry Lay ecclesial ministry is the term adopted by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to identify the relatively new category of pastoral ministers in the Catholic Church who serve the Church but are not ordained. Lay ecclesial ministers ...

, the Office of

Evangelization In Christianity, evangelism (or witnessing) is the act of preaching the gospel with the intention of sharing the message and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians who specialize in evangelism are often known as evangelists, whether they are ...

and the Permanent Diaconate program. In 1980, he offered support and assistance during the

Mariel Boat Lift The Mariel boatlift () was a mass emigration of Cubans who traveled from Cuba's Mariel Harbor to the United States between 15 April and 31 October 1980. The term "" (plural "Marielitos") is used to refer to these refugees in both Spanish and En ...

. The following year, he supported the rights of Haitian immigrants who were detained under the Wet Foot, Dry Foot policy. Responding to the needs of this new immigration, he opened the

Pierre Toussaint Pierre Toussaint (27 June 1766 – June 30, 1853) was a Haitian-American hairdresser, philanthropist, and onetime slave brought to New York City by his owners in 1787. A candidate for sainthood, he was declared Venerable by Pope John Paul II in 1 ...

Haitian Catholic Center. McCarthy retired in 1994 at the required age of 75. On November 3, 1994,

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

appointed John C. Favalora as the third archbishop of Miami. During his tenure, he built two new high schools and nine grade schools. Favalora also initiated the Vision 2000 campaign, a five-year fundraising campaign that created an endowment fund to support Catholic education and outreach institutions in the archdiocese. The effort raised $90 million. On July 11, 2003, Pope John Paul II appointed Miami auxiliary bishop Thomas Gerard Wenski to lead the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orlando. With substantial immigration of predominantly Catholic South and Central Americans to the South Florida area, the Catholic population there is 25% of the total population. Waves of immigrants from other parts of the world, including Asian and African countries, have led to Mass being celebrated in over a dozen different languages in parishes throughout the archdiocese. In 2009, Father Fernando Isern, of Our Lady of Lourdes, Kendall, was named the next bishop of

Pueblo In the Southwestern United States, Pueblo (capitalized) refers to the Native tribes of Puebloans having fixed-location communities with permanent buildings which also are called pueblos (lowercased). The Spanish explorers of northern New Spain ...

. He is the 11th priest from the archdiocese to be so designated since its creation in 1958. On April 20, 2010,

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the soverei ...

accepted the resignation of Archbishop

John Favalora John Clement Favalora (born December 5, 1935) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Miami from 1994 to 2010 and as bishop of the Diocese of Alexandria in Louisiana from 1986 to 1989 and a ...

eight months early and appointed Bishop Thomas Wenski of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orlando as his successor. On June 1, 2010, Archbishop Wenski was installed as the fourth archbishop of the Archdiocese of Miami at the Cathedral of Saint Mary. On March 15, 2019, Homestead priest Jean Claude Jean-Philippe was arrested on charges of drugging and raping a female parishioner who he invited to his home the previous October.

Bishops

Archbishops of Miami

(1958–1977), elevated to Archbishop in 1968 #

(1977–1994) #

(1994–2010) # Thomas Wenski (2010–present)

Auxiliary Bishops

* René Gracida (1968–1975), appointed Bishop of Pensacola-Tallahassee and later Bishop of Corpus Christi * John Nevins (1979–1984), appointed

Bishop of Venice The Patriarch of Venice ( la, Patriarcha Venetiarum; it, Patriarca di Venezia) is the ordinary bishop of the Archdiocese of Venice. The bishop is one of the few patriarchs in the Latin Church of the Catholic Church (currently three other Latin ...

* Agustin Roman (1979–2013) * Norbert Dorsey (1986–1990), appointed Bishop of Orlando * Gilberto Fernandez (1997–2002) * Thomas Wenski (1997–2003), appointed Coadjutor Bishop and later Bishop of Orlando and Archbishop of Miami * Felipe Estévez (2004–2011), appointed Bishop of Saint Augustine * John Noonan (2005–2010), appointed Bishop of Orlando * John Fitzpatrick (1968–1971), appointed Bishop of Brownsville * Peter Baldacchino (2014–2019), appointed Bishop of Las Cruces * Enrique Esteban Delgado (2017–present)

Other priests of the diocese who became bishops

Ambrose De Paoli Ambrose Battista De Paoli (August 19, 1934 – October 10, 2007) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church who worked in the diplomatic service of the Holy See. Biography De Paoli was born in Jeannette, Pennsylvania and was ordained a priest ...

, appointed

Apostolic Nuncio An apostolic nuncio ( la, nuntius apostolicus; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international ...

and

Titular Archbishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

in 1983 * Fernando Isern, appointed Bishop of Pueblo in 2009 *

Robert Nugent Lynch Robert Nugent Lynch (born May 27, 1941) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, who served as bishop of the Diocese of St. Petersburg in Florida from 1996 to 2016. Biography Early life Robert Lynch was born on May 27, 1941, ...

, appointed Bishop of Saint Petersburg in 1995

Education

Schools

As of 2008, the Archdiocese of Miami provides a parochial school education to almost 40,000 students in 60 elementary/middle schools, 13 high schools and two non-residential schools for the disabled located throughout Broward,

and Monroe counties. The high schools supported by the archdiocese are: The archdiocese offers religious education classes in all of its 111 parishes for children who attend public and other non-religious schools. According to the 2007 Official Catholic Directory, there were 95,837 students enrolled in these classes. This same source lists as teachers 2760 laity, 58 religious sisters, and 43 priests and religious brothers. Religious education classes are also offered to adults throughout the archdiocese. In 1997, Archbishop Favalora adopted a policy requiring all volunteers, employees, teachers and priests to be fingerprinted and have a background check before they could work with children. Several years later, this policy was enshrined and adopted by all U.S. Bishops in the Charter for Protection of Young People.

Universities

The Archdiocese of Miami oversees and administers the Catholic university of St. Thomas University in Miami. St. Thomas University offers Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts, Master's degree, Master of Business Administration, M.Acc., Doctor of Education, and Doctor of Philosophy programs through its college and various schools. It offers several joint degree programs and an accelerated B.A./ J.D. as well. The School of Law at St. Thomas was fully accredited by the American Bar Association in February 1995, and offers the Juris Doctor degree (J.D.) as well as the Masters of Law (LL.M).

Seminaries

St. John Vianney College Seminary and

St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary is a Roman Catholic seminary located in Boynton Beach, Florida for the education and formation of seminarians to the Roman Catholic priesthood. St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary was established to form m ...

serve priestly formation needs. Candidates to the Catholic priesthood must have a college degree plus another four to five years of seminary formation. This formation includes not only academic classes but also human, spiritual and pastoral education. St. John Vianney Seminary, which is located in Miami, states as its fundamental purpose "to provide an undergraduate education for students whose stated objective is to serve the Catholic Church as priests", but it also offers education to lay ministers and to "others who may be enriched by its services". St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary, located in Boynton Beach, offers a master's degree in Theology and Theological Studies and a First Professional Degree in Divinity and Ministry. Priests serving in the Archdiocese of Miami are required to speak both Spanish and English, and these two seminaries are the only bilingual seminaries in the United States. As of August 2007, there are 126 seminarians in priestly formation at both seminaries. On Thursday, December 15, 2011 The Redemptoris Mater Seminary of the Archdiocese of Miami was erected, with the signing of the decree and the canonical and civil documents. Located in Hialeah, Florida, is a Diocesan seminary where the seminarians once ordained, will be at the disposal of the Archbishop for internal or missionary assignments. Currently, there are 20 seminarians, all studying for the Archdiocese of Miami, who follow classes either in St. John Vianney College Seminary or St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami is a separate non-profit organization operated by the Archdiocese of Miami. It is part of a national network of organizations that are operated in each U.S. diocese. This organization claims to be the largest nongovernmental provider of services to the needy in South Florida. It began in 1931 during the Great Depression with four Miami-area pastors and lay members of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul. It employs over 600 staff and operates on an annual budget of over $38 million. In 2006, it served over 17,000 families in the tri-county area of Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties. Some of these services include transitional housing, homeless shelters, elderly day care, child day care, addiction recovery, HIV/AIDS programs, family and school counseling, meals for the elderly and various immigrant and refugee help programs among others.

Catholic Health Services

Archdiocese of Miami Catholic Health Services operates 26 facilities in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties. According to the 2007 Archdiocese of Miami Official Catholic Directory, the two Catholic hospitals, Mercy Hospital in Miami and Holy Cross Hospital in Ft. Lauderdale, served 1,278,516 people; three CHS health care centers served 7,896; three homes for the aged assisted 2,578 senior citizens; two residential care centers for children served 376; seven day-care centers served 1,885; two specialized homes assisted 383; twelve special centers for social services served 81,320; and eleven other institutions served 1,432 people in 2007. Catholic Hospice Care is a partnership between the Archdiocese of Miami and Mercy Hospital. It provides end of life care to terminally ill patients and their families throughout Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. Catholic Health Services also operates two Catholic cemeteries, Our Lady Queen of Heaven in Broward County and Our Lady of Mercy in Miami-Dade.

Outreach

Lay movements and ministries

Over 60 movements and ministries are run by laity (those who are not ordained priests or religious brothers and sisters), "There may be hundreds more ..." according to Miami auxiliary bishop Felipe Estevez. There are 17 categories of ministries listed under the archdiocese Office of

Lay Apostolate The lay apostolate is made up of laypersons, who are neither consecrated religious nor in Holy Orders, who exercise a ministry within the Catholic Church. Lay apostolate organizations operate under the general oversight of pastors and bishops, b ...

are: Airport Ministry,

Apostleship of the Sea The Apostleship of the Sea is an agency of the Catholic Church. It is also sometimes known as ''Stella Maris'' (Star of the Sea), and its patron is the Virgin Mary as Our Lady, Star of the Sea. Founded in Glasgow, Scotland in the early 20th centur ...

, Ascending Life, Campus ministry, Charismatic Renewal, Courage Ministry ("Ministry to Persons With Same-Sex Attraction"), Council of Catholic Women,

Cursillo ''Cursillos in Christianity'' ( es, Cursillos de Cristiandad, "Short courses of Christianity") is an apostolic movement of the Catholic Church. It was conceived in Spain between 1940 and 1949 and began with the celebration of the so-called "first c ...

, Family Life,

Knights of Columbus The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney on March 29, 1882. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. It is led by Patrick E. Kelly, the order's 14th Supreme Knight. ...

, Lay ministry, Lay movements, Marian movements, Missions, Prison ministry, Respect Life, and Youth Ministries. Some other lay movements and ministries include various prayer and support groups, an Emmaus, and groups which provide worship, social and religious formation for men, women and teenagers. Some parishes provide groups for single Catholics, divorced or separated people, drug and alcohol addiction help, learning Spanish or English as a second language and parish outreach services to the poor and needy through parish pantries and need-specific donor drives. The archdiocese also supports, in conjunction with other Christian communities, two anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers which provide aid to pregnant women and encourage them not to have abortions. A post-abortion counseling program called Project Rachel is also provided.

Retreats

Morning Star Renewal Center is a retreat house operated by lay people with the support of the archdiocese. The center provides facilities for group retreats and offers spiritual formation activities year round. Facilities include a 60 guest capacity, a conference room, a chapel, and overnight and cafeteria accommodations.

Charities

Several Charities are run by the archdiocese and staffed by both employees and volunteers. These include Camillus House, Catholic Legal Services, an HIV/AIDS shelter, the Missionaries of Charity, Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, and social advocacy groups.

Media

The archdiocese uses several types of media to fulfill its evangelization efforts:

Radio ministry

Radio Paz is a Spanish-language radio ministry of the Archdiocese of Miami founded in December 1990. In South Florida, it is broadcast on WACC 830 AM. Radio Peace—the sister station of Radio Paz—is an English-language radio ministry founded in January 1993 and broadcast on WLVJ 1040 AM. These stations also broadcast over the Internet at RadioPeace.org. The stations were founded by Archdiocese of Miami priest Fr. Federico Capdepon, who envisioned a radio station "to respond to the call of Pope John Paul II to evangelize through the media."

Newspaper

A localized version of the ''

Florida Catholic The ''Florida Catholic'' is the official newspaper for four of the seven dioceses in the Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Miami. Based in Orlando, Florida, the newspaper publishes 24 issues a year in three dioceses; these editions include loca ...

'' newspaper is published 26 times a year. Each issue contains a message from the Archbishop, spiritual reflections on the scripture readings for the week, news reporting on various events happening around the archdiocese and the world, and a digest of upcoming events featured around the archdiocese among other features. The newspaper is also published online. A series produced for the Miami edition entitled "Building the City of God" which profiles the personal side of priests won a Communicator Award of Distinction for print media "Marketing/Promotion/Campaign".

Television

One part of Communications office of the archdiocese is television and video production. English and Spanish masses air Sundays on local television stations. Additionally, the television center produces content for the internet and video. One video, entitled "Walking in the Light of Christ," received a Videographer Award of Excellence from the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami Official Site
** ** *
Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami

The Florida Catholic Newspaper

Catholic Health Services

Catholic Hospice Care

St. Vincent De Paul Regional Seminary, Boynton Beach
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roman Catholic Archdiocese Of Miami Christianity in Miami Broward County, Florida Monroe County, Florida

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

1958 establishments in Florida