St. Patrick Catholic Church (Miami Beach, Florida)
Encyclopedia
St. Patrick Catholic Church was the first Catholic parish on Miami Beach. The church is located at 3716 Garden Avenue, Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper...

. Monsignor John Vaughan is pastor.

History

Father William Barry was born in Ireland and ordained a priest in the Cathedral of Baltimore
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, also called the Baltimore Basilica, was the first Roman Catholic cathedral built in the United States, and was the first major religious building constructed in the nation after the adoption of the U.S. Constitution...

 for the Diocese of St. Augustine in June 1910. He was a pastor at four Churches and in May 1926 transferred to Miami Beach to found St. Patrick Church. He remained pastor until 1966 prior to his death in 1967.

The first mass was celebrated in Miami Beach Gardens theater on 41st Street and Alton Road on Sunday, May 13th, 1926.

Carl G. Fisher
Carl G. Fisher
Carl Graham Fisher was an American entrepreneur. Despite having severe astigmatism, he became a seemingly tireless pioneer and promoter of the automotive, auto racing, and real estate development industries...

, a non-Catholic, donated five polo stables to Father Barry for use as a church and school for St. Patrick Parish. On June 2, 1926, the first mass was held in a refurbished stable.

After the September 17, 1926 hurricane, Father Barry and a committee of parishioners chose a site of twelve lots between 39th and 40th streets for a new church, rectory, convent, school
St. Patrick Catholic School (Miami Beach, Florida)
St. Patrick Catholic School, also called St. Patrick Parish School, is a private Catholic school located at 3700 Garden Avenue, Miami Beach, Florida. It is the parish school for the St. Patrick Catholic Church.-History:...

, recreation hall, and auditorium.

On February 22, 1928, the cornerstone for the church was laid. The church was dedicated on February 3, 1929. The seating capacity is 700.

In 1942, Miami Beach became host to an OCS Army base
Officer Candidate School (U.S. Army)
The United States Army's Officer Candidate School , located at Fort Benning, Georgia, provides training to become a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army...

. Local hotels and motels were taken over by hundreds of thousands of servicemen. Father Barry allowed the army to use all parish facilities.

St. Patrick Catholic Church Pastors

  • Rev. William Barry (1926-1966)
  • Rev. Msgr. James J. Walsh (1966-1971)
  • Rev. Rene H. Gracida (1971-1972)
  • Rev. Joseph P. Cronin (1972-1981)
  • Rev. James P. Murphy (1981-1996)
  • Rev. Msgr. John Vaughan (1996-Present)

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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