St. Michael the Archangel School celebrates 75 years in Miami

By Cristina Cabrera Jarro -

Photography: Cristina Cabrera | FC

MIAMI | Lisette Reina-Naranjo once walked the halls of St. Michael the Archangel School as a student. Decades later, after returning as a parent, volunteer and educator, she now leads the Miami school that helped form her — just as it celebrates its 75th anniversary.

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“St. Michael has been part of almost every chapter of my life,” said Reina-Naranjo, the school’s principal.

For more than seven decades, graduates of St. Michael the Archangel School in Miami have embraced their motto: “Once a Crusader, always a Crusader.”

“Our school lives in the generations of alumni who still call themselves Crusaders,” Reina-Naranjo said.

“It lives in the parents and grandparents who bring their children back to the same school they attended. It lives in our former teachers and principals, in our parishioners and benefactors, and in every person who has given a piece of themselves to this community,” she said.

In 2026, St. Michael the Archangel School, a Catholic school near Little Havana with 325 students in Pre-K3 through eighth grade, is celebrating 75 years of educating generations of children in faith, academics and service.

 

As part of the yearlong celebration, Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski celebrated an anniversary Mass Sept. 20 at St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Miami. Father Elvis Gonzalez, the parish’s pastor, joined Archbishop Wenski and other priests who serve or have served at the parish.

Archbishop Wenski congratulated the community for its dedication to Catholic education and expressed hope that many more generations of young people would pass through the school’s hallways and classrooms.

“Whether a family has been a part of the St. Michael family for 60 years or 60 days, the full, transformative measure of Christ’s love, mercy, and education is given equally to all,” said Archbishop Wenski.

Reina-Naranjo graduated with the Class of 1980, when St. Michael had about 800 students. Her children later graduated with the Class of 2010. She served as vice president and treasurer of the Home and School Association, taught CCD classes, and led Boy Scout Pack and Troop 92 at St. Michael with her late husband, among other roles.

“I sat in these pews and walked these halls as a student. Years later, I returned as a parent and watched my own children experience many of the same traditions that I had experienced. I have had the privilege of serving here as an educator, and today, I stand before you humbled and incredibly blessed to serve as the principal of the school that helped form me,” she said.

 

Building a generation of Crusaders

St. Michael the Archangel Parish, in Miami, was established in 1947. With an influx of young families moving into the neighborhood, founding pastor Father Romuald Philbin believed a Catholic school would benefit the community.

A kindergarten opened in 1950, and the school was constructed the following summer. In the fall of 1951, the doors of St. Michael the Archangel School opened for its first academic year. The timeline is documented in Florida Catholic’s coverage of the school’s 50th anniversary.

At the time, students were American-born, though many were children of post-World War II immigrants of German, Lithuanian and Polish descent. Hispanics, mostly Cuban, also attended.

Archbishop Wenski reflected on that changing history during the anniversary Mass, noting that both Miami and the parish had been transformed over the decades as new communities arrived. He described St. Michael as a spiritual home for generations of refugees and immigrants seeking a new beginning and a foundation for their children.

Mother Gabrielene, a religious sister from the Immaculate Heart of Mary order in Michigan, was the first principal of St. Michael School. The sisters lived in a convent on campus and staffed the school until 1989. They were followed by the Sisters of the Apostolate of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, who came from Spain.

“The sisters who came to serve this community gave so much of themselves. They taught generations of children not only reading, writing, mathematics, and science, but also how to pray, how to serve, how to treat others, and most importantly, how to know and love God,” said Reina-Naranjo.

Other religious sisters served as principals, alongside religious and lay staff members.

“I served for 30 years under three principals, two of them religious: Sister Florinda Bermudez, Sister Alicia Velazquez, and Carmen Alfonso,” said Mariela Hernandez, a retired educator who spent 30 years at St. Michael.

 

A legacy that continues

Carmen Alfonso was named the school’s first lay principal in 2004. By then, classroom technology was evolving, and the student population was changing — reflecting an immigrant parish community whose families were no longer only Anglo and Cuban, but also Nicaraguan, Venezuelan, Salvadoran, Honduran, Haitian and from other backgrounds.

As the makeup of the community changed, St. Michael School also faced periods of declining enrollment and financial challenges. Enrollment had fallen below 300 students — a sharp decline from the approximately 800 students enrolled when Reina-Naranjo attended the school.

“We were in really bad shape, we were ‘in the red.’ They wouldn’t even sell us books because there was no money. I thought, ‘How was I going to turn this around?’ But something kept me here, and I said yes. And from that moment on, we started fighting,” said Alfonso.

That summer, the school staff made phone calls to families who had left. That fall, the school was back in session with about 300 students.

“And that’s how my life with St. Michael began. It was a very important part of my life,” said Alfonso, who served as principal until 2022.

She was invited to the school’s 75th anniversary Mass as a special guest. She was greeted by many current and former students, faculty, alumni and parishioners.

Among them was Julieta Infante, a St. Michael alumna who is currently a senior at Monsignor Edward Pace High School in Miami Gardens.

“With Mrs. Alfonso, she made everything amazing,” said Julieta. “St. Michael was a lot of fun, and it was a great experience to come here.”

Julieta and her siblings, Elena, Daniel and Eduardo, all attended St. Michael School. Although their parents, Maidis and Eduardo, are not graduates, they met through the youth group at St. Michael the Archangel Parish. The family recalled how school and parish events were always connected, especially during carnival time.

“We were responsible for cooking burgers and hot dogs. We worked together with the school back then without knowing we were going to end up here,” said Maidis Infante, who now teaches art at St. Michael.

Looking back, Reina-Naranjo sometimes reflects on her days as a student at St. Michael, never imagining that years later she would become the school’s principal and celebrate its 75th anniversary.

“Perhaps that is part of the story of St. Michael: People come through our doors, but St. Michael never really leaves them,” she said.

She told current students that they are part of the school’s history and challenged them to live out a legacy that has been taught not only in the classroom, but also through the faith: “to love God, to serve others, to have courage, to show compassion, and to use the gifts God has given you to make a difference.”

“God willing, another principal will stand here 25 years from now, surrounded by another generation of Crusaders, celebrating St. Michael’s 100th anniversary,” said Reina-Naranjo.

FIND OUT MORE

Interested in enrolling your child at St. Michael the Archangel School? For more information, call 305-642-6732 or visit the school’s website at stmacs.org.

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