'A place that people can call home'

HIALEAH | They say home is where the heart is. For the people of Immaculate Conception, their parish has been a home 60 years in the making.

�This might not seem like a long time for a Church that is almost 2000 years old; but here in Miami, in this still young archdiocese, 60 years is something to celebrate,� said Archbishop Thomas Wenski, who concelebrated the 60th anniversary Mass June 6 with current pastor Father Francisco �Paco� Hernandez, other priests who serve in the parish, and the church�s new pastor, Father Manual Alvarez, who will take over July 1.  

In 1954, St. Augustine Archbishop Joseph P. Hurley directed Msgr. John F. Nelan to start a mission church in the growing area of north Hialeah. On Palm Sunday, April 11, 1954, the first Mass was celebrated in a temporary church building. That building became the parish hall when Immaculate�s striking church � with semi-circular seating for 1,200 and a concrete bell tower that rises 125 feet in the air � was completed in 1964.

Helen Stankiewicz, one of Immaculate�s pioneer parishioners, lived five blocks from the church for 47 years. �I remember when the zoning area surrounding the church had horse stables,� she said, referring to the fact that the church is located near Hialeah�s famed race track.

Stankiewicz, a former lector, an extraordinary minister of holy Communion, and past president of the grass-roots social justice group PACT (People Acting for Community Together), assisted with the growth and expansion of not only the church but the school. �I had three kids: a 6-year old, a 4-year old, and a 1-year old. Mother Enda personally requested me to join the teaching staff and while I taught, the sisters babysat my children.�

Under the direction of Mother Enda Duffy and the pioneering Sisters of Mercy from Enniskillen, Ireland, Immaculate Conception School grew from 275 students in 1955 to 1,750 students in 1966, becoming one of the largest Catholic schools south of Washington D.C. Its enrollment today stands at more than 500 students.

�In eight years I taught fifth, seventh and eighth grade,� said Stankiewicz. �I will never forget having 65 students in my fifth grade class.�

�It wasn�t easy,� said Freddys Guijarro. �But all the sisters were so good to me when I was here.�

Guijarro started working at Immaculate in 1984 as the school�s cafeteria administrator, and over time became a teacher at the school, a lector and an extraordinary minister of Communion. She was also one of the first to greet two visiting Sisters of Mercy at the 60th anniversary Mass.

Sister Patricia McManus, who arrived from Ireland in 1968, and Sister Anastasia Maguire, who came in 1976, embraced Guijarro. �It�s so good to see a familiar face,� said Sister Patricia.

From the first group�s arrival in 1955 until the last one returned home in 2010, more than 20 Irish Sisters of Mercy have served the parish, school and local community. At the anniversary Mass, the sisters received a standing ovation. At the reception after the Mass, they were surrounded by a combination of familiar and unfamiliar faces as parishioners lined up to thank them for their dedication.

�We are all one in the same, united here on a mission,� Sister Anastasia said.

Those who have been part of that mission include all the sisters, priests, parishioners, deacons, seminarians and laity who ever served or were part of the parish. Since its founding, Immaculate has had only six pastors: Msgr. Nelan, 1954-56; Msgr. Dominic Barry, 1956-71; Msgr. Jude O�Doherty, 1971-81; Msgr. Xavier Morras, 1981-91; Father Gustavo Miyares, 1991-2006; and Father Hernandez. Each pastor brought new ideas, physical renovations and spiritual renewals, began life-changing ministries and continued providing a Catholic school education.

�It�s important to celebrate the evangelizations that have brought a spiritual wholesomeness to this community,� said Father Hernandez, who has been the pastor since 2006. �A lot of families and friendships have been built here.�

During Father Hernandez�s time at Immaculate, the interior and exterior of the church and its grounds have been added to and modified. With the support of parishioners, a concrete overhang was built outside the main doors of the church to shelter parishioners before and after Mass.

The inside of the church, often labeled as �plain,� was spruced up as well with the installation of stained glass windows depicting Mary and the seven sacraments, the addition of several Marian devotional chapels and the installation of six sculptures highlighting significant moments in the life of the Virgin Mary.  

Father Hernandez said he was filled with mixed emotions as he looked back at his seven and a half years as pastor. The graduating eighth graders from Immaculate Conception School were in first grade when he became their pastor. He noted that they would be leaving with him, although only in terms of moving on to high school. �I told them that I am the only one who is truly leaving. They must stay and continue to support their parish.�

On Sunday, June 29, Father Hernandez will celebrate his last Mass as Immaculate�s pastor before taking over the same duties at St. Raymond Church in Miami.

�The clergy and parishioners must continue to do the good work of being a family place for the glory of God,� he said, �a place that people can call home.�