75 Years of Faith
St. Francis Xavier Parish
in Miami
“We
have come this far by faith” is the motto chosen by the faithful of St.
Francis Xavier Parish in Miami for the celebration of the parish’s 75th
jubilee. The humble beginnings in a storefront church in August, 1927, are
being remembered throughout this year by the parish which has been under the
care of the Oblates since 1979.
Located in the heart of historic Overtown, just north of downtown Miami, St. Francis Xavier was originally a “mission” of the downtown parish of the Gesù, under the care of the Jesuits. In 1967, the first archbishop of Miami, Most. Rev. Coleman Carroll, designated it a parish of the archdiocese.
A June 2002 article in a the British newspaper, The Observer, described Overtown in these words: “a low-slung sprawl of poor housing that passes for the description of 'ghetto'.”
When the railway magnate Henry Flagler brought trains into south Florida, many Blacks from other southern states and from the Caribbean islands came to work in the construction and newly developing tourist industries. But this was in an era of barefaced and legally sanctioned segregation of the races. “Jim Crow” laws were enforced strictly. Therefore, the City of Miami designated the neighborhood west of the new train tracks as “Colored Town.” Thus was born Overtown which, at one point was a relatively thriving community with businesses, offices, and even a hospital. Much of the social life of the residents revolved around their churches.
The Catholics of Overtown would go downtown to the Gesù where they were, by reason of the current “Jim Crow” laws, required to sit in the back pews. The Black children were not allowed to attend the local Catholic school. Even for First Communion, the Black children received the sacrament in the basement of the church and the white children, at the main altar upstairs.
Mrs. Athalie Range, an articulate and lively 87 year old original member of St. Francis Xavier, one who received the Body of Christ for the first time in the church basement, points out that St. Francis Xavier was not a result of resentment or disrespect for the their downtown parish. “At the Gesù, we knew only love and understanding. It was simply the law of the land they were enforcing there.”
Filled simply with a desire to worship together in dignity, some of the leaders of Black Catholic community worked together to establish what would become the first Black Catholic parish in the Archdiocese of Miami. In fact, the parish predates the archdiocese because at the time of the parish’s founding, it was still part of the one Florida Diocese of St. Augustine.
The first worship space of the congregation was a storefront building. Later, they built a wooden church, at first called St. Mary of the Missions. In February, 1938, the present church, a much more solid structure, was dedicated to the Jesuit missionary, St. Francis Xavier.
Even in the days of legalized segregation, Overtown was a relatively successful part of the city. But with the building of the modern highway systems and the migration of people away from the downtown areas, the neighborhood changed drastically. Modern-day problems from drug-related crime, a considerable homeless population, limited employment opportunities, and inadequate programs for youth are some of the concerns facing the area. The high chain link fences topped with barbed wire that surround the parish property bespeak much of the neighborhood situation.
Nevertheless, “we have come this far by faith.” St. Francis Xavier Parish continues to be a beacon of hope, along with other churches, for Overtown and its residents.
One sign of hope is St. Francis Xavier School. On the brink of closing several years ago, the school now is thriving and even considering a major building project. When in the early 90’s word got out that the school was going to close (there were barely 50 students), the publisher of the Miami Herald, David Lawrence, Jr., and then mayor of Miami, Xavier Suarez, became involved to save Catholic education in Overtown. Now, with the help of the Archdiocese of Miami and other dedicated benefactors, the school continues to offer a safe and well-rounded education to youngsters from the area.
A sign of continued local support of the parish came when last February, a local business executive offered to provide the church with a complete facelift inside and out at his expense. In May and June, he had decorators and contractors come and repaint and redecorate the whole church, adding landscaping as a bonus. It was an occasion to accent the Black Catholic heritage of the church by adding medallion images of St. Benedict the Moor, St. Josephine Bakhita, and St. Peter Claver. An image of the Holy Spirit in the African colors of black, green and red was placed above the sanctuary. An illuminated black exalted Christ on a stained glass sunburst hangs now above the altar.
As part of the jubilee celebrations, the parish sponsored a festive luncheon on Saturday, August 24, at a restaurant in Key Biscayne. Speakers included the Florida State Representative Frederica Wilson who attended St. Francis Xavier school for a couple of years, as well as several former Oblate and non-Oblate pastors. The keynote address was by Mrs. Athalie Range, one of the founding members.
The next day, on August 25, Archbishop John C. Favalora of Miami presided at a festive liturgy at the parish itself. Preacher at the Jubilee Mass was Fr. Bill Mason, OMI, the first Oblate pastor and currently a member of the Oblate Preaching Team working out of St. Paul, MN.
Fr. George Knab, OMI, is the current pastor at St. Francis Xavier. Others who served as Oblate pastors are the following: William Mason, Joseph Ferraioli, James Crowley, Jack Lau, and Gordon Orsino.
For further information about St. Francis Xavier, go to this site on the Worldwide Web:
http://www.storywise.com/living_stories/St_Francis_Xavier/FrancisX%20titlepage.htm
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