By Communications Department - Archdiocese of Miami
MIAMI | Pedro Antonio Suárez González was born on October 30, 1941, in Havana, Cuba. He graduated from El Colegio de Belén in 1958 and studied architecture at the Universidad Católica de Santo Tomás de Villanueva (1958- 1961). His devotion to living the magis started when he entered the Society of Jesus at the Instituto Pignatelli in Los Teques, Venezuela, on April 9, 1961. He went on to study philosophy at Fordham University’s Loyola Seminary (1964- 1966), and taught during his regency at the Colegio Loyola in the Dominican Republic (1966- 1967). Always striving to learn, he earned a master’s in mathematics from the University of Miami (1969) and a master’s in divinity from Loyola University Chicago (1973).
Fr. Suárez, S.J., was ordained at Gesu Catholic Church in Miami on June 24, 1972. His dedication to education continued when he received a doctorate in mathematics from Northwestern University (1977) and worked in the Dominican Republic from 1977 until his return to Miami in 1987. Having spent over a decade pursuing his studies, Fr. Suárez shifted to the role of professor at Barry University (1987-2008) and chair of its Department of Mathematics and Computer Science. Additionally, he was a member of the Jesuit-founded Clavius Group of Mathematicians since 1971.
Fr. Suárez served as superior to the Miami Jesuits from 1991 to 1997 and from 2010 to 2016. He served as president of Belen Jesuit from 2009 to 2016, then as president and chairman of Regis House in Miami, and as a spiritual counselor at Belen until his retirement in 2022. During his tenure as school president, Belen Jesuit celebrated its 50th anniversary in Miami and the dawn of a new technological era with the introduction of a one-to-one program using Apple iPads and all-digital textbooks. Campus improvements, such as the remodeling of the central patio into the Garrido Family Plaza, the football field being converted to artificial turf and renamed Sánchez Field, and the development of Hernández Field were completed. Living the magis in all aspects of his leadership, Fr. Suárez eagerly kept one foot in the classroom and taught mathematics whenever possible.
The Belen community is grateful for the many years of service, leadership, and devotion that Fr. Suárez had shown in his vocation, said Belen Jesuit President Fr. Garcia -Tuñon. Please pray for the repose of his soul and be inspired by the lives of the young men he taught so that they become great leaders for the benefit of our world and the greater glory of God.
