Belen Jesuit Preparatory School

Jesuit Community

Since its foundation in 1854, Belen Jesuit Preparatory School has been an apostolic work of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), a Catholic religious Order founded by Pope Paul III in 1540 at the request of St. Ignatius of Loyola.
 
Ignatius saw the world as good and all creation as a gift from God. His spirituality, instilled in the Jesuits, seeks to find and experience God in all things. This is the trademark of all Jesuit works. Our task is to co-labor with God and give the greatest glory to God in the multiple ways we use our gifts and talents to create a more humane and just world.

In 1548, the first Jesuit secondary school opened in Messina, Italy. It began a tradition of excellence that is still alive and growing. Belen is one of more than 50 Jesuit high schools in the United States and one of hundreds more throughout the world. Since its foundation, Belen has been committed to maintaining and strengthening its Jesuit, Catholic mission to form leaders in service who are “men for others,” competent, committed, and compassionate. The Jesuit community at Belen resides at Villa Javier.

Current Jesuit Priests

List of 11 items.

  • Fr. Guillermo de Jesús Arias , S.J.

    Spiritual Counselor

  • Fr. Manuel Maza, S.J. '62

    Helps at Casa Manresa, Centro de Espiritualidad Ignaciana, in Miami and at Belen Jesuit. 

  • Fr. Pedro Pablo Cartaya , S.J. '54

    Director of Belen’s Fr. Viñes Observatory, Alumni Association Chaplain, Retreat Master

  • Fr. Eduardo M. Barrios , S.J. '60

    Spiritual Counselor

  • Fr. Alberto Garcia, S.J.

    Spiritual Counselor, Superior of the Jesuit Community

  • Fr. Nelson C. Garcia, S.J.

    Spiritual Counselor, Retreat Master, Guide of the Spiritual Exercises in Daily Life, former Provincial of the Antilles Province

  • Fr. Marcelino Garcia, S.J.

    Director of the Manresa Retreat House, Retreat Master, Jesuit Community Guestmaster, former Belen President

  • Fr. Guillermo Manuel Garcia-Tunon , S.J. '87

    President of Belen Jesuit

  • Fr. Pedro Gonzalez-Llorente, S.J.

    Subdirector of Manresa Retreat House, Retreat Master, Radio Apostolate 

  • Fr. Christian A. Saenz , S.J., H.E.D. '95

    School Chaplain, Director of Agrupación Católica Universitaria, and professor at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary

  • Fr. Pedro Antonio Suarez , S.J. '58

    Former Belen President, Director of Regis House
Ignatius was a Spanish soldier and aristocrat who discerned his calling after suffering nearly fatal wounds on the battlefield. He established the Society of Jesus in 1540, instructing the early Jesuits — to go out and "find God in all things." That is the signature spirituality of the Jesuits. 

    • St. Ignatius of Loyola

      The stained glass window of St. Ignatius of Loyola is found in Our Lady's Chapel.

    • Villa Javier

      The Jesuit community has resided at Villa Javier, on the Belen campus, since 2001.

BELEN JESUIT PREPARATORY SCHOOL
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: webmaster@belenjesuit.org
Belen Jesuit Preparatory School was founded in 1854 in Havana, Cuba by Queen Isabel II of Spain.  The task of educating students was assigned to the priests and brothers of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), whose teaching tradition is synonymous with academic excellence and spiritual discipline.  In 1961, the new political regime of Cuba confiscated the School property and expelled the Jesuit faculty.  The School was re-established in Miami the same year, and over the next decade, continued to grow.  Today, Belen Jesuit sits on a 30-acre site in western Dade County, only minutes away from downtown Miami.