Alumni Association Hosts Thanksgiving Lunch At Gesu Church
On November 18, members of Belen’s Alumni Association gathered at Gesu Catholic Church in order to feed over 300 people from the parish.
The Thanksgiving lunch, now in its second year, grew from 230 people last year to 320 people this year. Thanks to the financial assistance of over 150 Belen Alumni, we were able to feed them all, distribute turkeys to all families who asked, and gave away over 200 gift cards to needy senior citizens.
But the generosity and community spirit did not stop there. Belen’s Key club and their moderator, Johnny Calderin ‘92, and the Belen Builder’s club and their moderator, Diana Fernandez, brought us over 50 students who served the meal to the parishioners and tended to all of their needs during the luncheon.
We had a team of eight girls from Lourdes Academy, led by Carolina Lopez-Varela (OLLA Class of 2019) working hand in hand with the young men from Belen, their parents, and a very strong contingency from our Alumni brotherhood. Last but not least, Mr. Oscar Bustillo ’86, entertained all who were gathered there with his magnificent piano playing.
Let us be thankful that we were to lend a hand to a those less fortunate, and that we were able to do it in community. The world today has people that are enduring many hardships, and sometimes the obstacles seem insurmountable. Let us rejoice in the value of what we have done. As Saint Mother Theresa of Calcutta says, “We cannot do great things on this Earth, only small things with great love”.
Click here to view pictures from the event.
BELEN JESUIT PREPARATORY SCHOOL
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: communications@belenjesuit.org
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: communications@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's 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 is situated on a 34-acre site in western Dade County, just minutes away from downtown Miami.