Jesuits from Antilles Province renew commitment to work in Miami

By Teresa Martinez - Belen Jesuit Preparatory School

MIAMI- On August 27 and 28, all the Jesuits from the Miami section of the Antilles Province met with their provincial, Father Fernando Polanco, to discuss the present and future of the Jesuit apostolate in Miami.

The meeting was called following a request from General Superior Father Adolfo Nicolás after the reassembling of the Antilles Province that was announced on July 31, feast of St. Ignatius Loyola. The Antilles Province now comprises three sections: Miami, the Dominican Republic and Cuba, with three distinct superiors of equal rank under the provincial.

The meeting ended with a concelebrated Mass presided by Father Pedro Suarez, superior of the Miami Jesuits and Belen Jesuit president.

In an atmosphere of prayerful reflection, consensus among the participants was to continue doing the apostolic work initiated by the brother Jesuits who arrived from Cuba in 1961, work done through the following institutions: Belen Jesuit Preparatory School, the Agrupación Católica Universitaria (ACU), Casa Manresa - Ignatian Spirituality Center, Gesu Church and Regis House.

"As the only Jesuits in the Miami are,a we the Jesuits from the Antilles Province, renewed our mission to serve the people of the Archdiocese of Miami to the best of our ability, with emphasis on the three areas that have been identified as most urgent in our ministry: youth, the family and the exiled and immigrants," said Father Suarez. "Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the protection of Our Lady we strongly feel our commitment to serve our people to the greater glory of God, as we have strived to do for over 53 years."