St. Theresa’s little 100-year way

By Emily Chaffins -

Photography: EMILY CHAFFINS | FC

CORAL GABLES | In the golden sunlight outside St. Theresa Catholic School in Coral Gables, Florida, U.S. Congressman Carlos Gimenez stepped up to the podium to read a piece from the Congressional Record.

He gazed out at the crowd – St. Theresa students, staff and community members, including alumni like his wife, Lourdes. More than 1,200 people gathered Nov. 16, 2025, to celebrate the school’s centennial with Mass and festivities.

“One of the things that's really cool about being a congressperson is that whatever we speak on the floor of Congress, is actually part of the Congressional Record,” Gimenez explained. Then, he shared that speech, in which he praised St. Theresa School before Congress.

“For a century, St. Theresa has remained true to its mission, faith formation, academic excellence and service in a nurturing, Christ-centered environment,” he read. “Now serving more than 900 students, St. Theresa continues to shine as a beacon of excellence in Catholic education.”

Officially included in the Library of Congress, the Congressional speech was just one highlight of the Nov. 16 celebration. In addition to an outdoor Mass celebrated by Archbishop Thomas Wenski, the festivity schedule was packed with a street renaming, recognition of influential religious women at the school, a STREAM lab ribbon-cutting, a History Walk serving as a time machine to St. Theresa’s past, a reception and even a time capsule creation.

A stroll through history

During his homily, Archbishop Wenski reflected on St. Theresa School’s resilience.

“In the past 100 years, St. Theresa School and Little Flower Parish have weathered many storms,” he said. “Today, we thank God for the generations of students, their parents and their teachers who have passed through these halls.”

The archbishop praised two religious communities held dear by the school, who were recognized during the event with commemorative plaques: the Sisters of St. Joseph of St. Augustine and the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles.

Three Sisters of St. Joseph of St. Augustine, the congregation that established the school as St. Joseph’s Academy in 1925, were in attendance: Sister Elizabeth Worley, chancellor for administration and chief operating officer of the Archdiocese of Miami; Sister Kathleen Carr, general superior; and Sister Stephanie Flynn, assistant general superior. They were joined by more than 10 Carmelite Sisters, the religious community that currently teaches and administers St. Theresa School.

“Today, as we reflect on these 100 years, we honor far more than the passage of time,” said Sister Rosalie Nagy, principal, regarding the Sisters of St. Joseph. “We honor the legacy of women who saw potential where others saw challenges, who built hope where others saw only limitations, and who gave themselves so that our community could flourish in mind and spirit,” she added.

Following Mass, attendees maneuvered through a physical timeline of St. Theresa School in the History Walk. In classrooms throughout the school, the Centennial Committee and parent volunteers displayed relics of the past and present, representing the decades from the 1920s to today.

In the 1920–30s room, attendees could find a 1926 Spanish-language edition of the New Testament, a military cap from 1939 and a brick from one of the school’s earliest buildings. An Argus projector from the 1950s and a boombox from the 1980s were just two of the other objects featured along the History Walk, signifying the school’s continuity.

One hundred years of education

Ariel Fernandez, a City of Coral Gables commissioner, had yet another special announcement during the centennial celebration. The City of Coral Gables Commission voted to make “Saint Theresa’s Little Way” the new name for “Indian Mound Trail” street, where the school is located.

“I want to thank my colleagues, Mayor [Vince C.] Lago, Vice Mayor [Rhonda] Anderson, Commissioner [Richard D.] Lara and Commissioner [Melissa] Castro,” said Fernandez, whose son is a St. Theresa student. “We voted unanimously.”

The “Little Way” refers to the school’s patron saint, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, who is famous for her approach, “Never get tired of doing little things for others. Sometimes those little things occupy the biggest part of their hearts.”

“We are honored to have this school, this institution, and this community that has been built here in our city [Coral Gables], which is also celebrating its centennial,” Fernandez said. “The city will be having an official designation ceremony on the street, but we thought it important to be showing you this sign today.”

The new street sign was not the only new feature at St. Theresa School. The ribbon-cutting ceremony of the Mario Pino STREAM Lab occurred later in the celebration. The lab was funded by the Pino family, as the late Mario Pino attended the school and “loved engineering,” as his mother, Maria Garcia-Otero, noted. His brothers are alumni, and his nephews, Sebastian and Griffin, are current students.

STREAM includes Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics. Cristina Guanche-Martinez, assistant principal for curriculum, said the lab encourages “hands-on education” with “projects encompassing everything.”

“Instead of learning abstractly about moving a robot, they have a computer program and have a robot to experiment and test it out,” she explained.

“It’s necessary because we’re moving forward to the next century,” she added, noting the goal is to “spark curiosity in kids.”

Isabel Rennella, who graduated from the school in 2014, is thrilled to still have a place at St. Theresa as a substitute teacher. “Coming back to teach is the greatest blessing ever,” she said. “Coming back, I’ve loved it even more.”

Alumna Lourdes Gimenez, wife of Congressman Gimenez, praised her alma mater and Church of the Little Flower Parish, calling it “my home away from home.”

Thinking of students of tomorrow who will also call the school home, attendees took the opportunity to contribute to the centennial time capsule, writing on slips of paper labeled “blessings for the next 100 years.”

“I hope you like St. Theresa,” read one message with a drawing of a heart at the bottom.

When a new group of students opens the time capsule years from now, that heart will be waiting for them.