Roberto Surís Athletic Center Groundbreaking
On June 1st, the Belen Jesuit administration, members of the faculty, coaches, staff, and students gathered alongside the Surís family and The Estate Companies for the groundbreaking and blessing of the Roberto Surís Athletic Center.
“I’m very excited about this building,” said Fr. Willie. “I’m excited about everything that’s going to happen here! I want to thank Roberto Surís ‘79 for his generosity and Carlos A. Penín '73, Ben Fernández '82, Tony Franyie, Jr. '86, Jose Gonzalez ‘91, Manuel Portuondo ‘85 and many others for helping us get this project off the ground. We are eternally grateful to each of you. We have arrived at this moment because God has brought us here and we are tasked with forming well-rounded men of Catholic-Christian values on and off the court and we will continue to do that in this new building.”
The three-story, nearly 60,000 square foot building will feature two workout rooms, a gym, two dozen treadmills, ERG Machines, golf simulators, and much more!
“This is a very important part of my life to be able to do this for Belen,” said Surís. “It took tremendous sacrifice for my parents to send me to Belen. In the beginning, the school faced difficulties like struggling to pay their staff and poor facilities, but what was always present was the Chrisitan upbringing, a tremendous education, and loving staff. That has always influenced me and all of us, alumni, in a positive way. What we propose to do here will take Belen to another level and will be comparable to facilities at the university level. This facility has been designed with the input of Coach Carlos Barquín and the other coaches and we hope that the students will take advantage of everything this facility will offer and excel.”
Members of the Sports Hall of Fame, Board of Advisors, Alumni Board, and the class of 2026 attended the ceremony. Special thanks to Roberto Surís '79 for his commitment and dedication to this project. The complete photo album is on our SmugMug webpage and click here to watch the video of the ceremony.
BELEN JESUIT PREPARATORY SCHOOL
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: webmaster@belenjesuit.org
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.