Major Gift Announcement: Agrupación Católica Universitaria, Inc.

Teresa Martinez | Director of Communications
Belen Jesuit is excited to announce another major gift towards fulfilling the goals laid out in the Strategic Plan. The Agrupación Católica Universitaria (ACU) has pledged their continued support of Belen Jesuit in order to advance the vision and direction of the school. Since 2016, the ACU has contributed $400,000.
 
Founded in Cuba by Father Felipe Rey de Castro, S.J. in 1931 and uprooted in the 1960s to Miami by Father Amando Llorente, S.J., the ACU is an apostolic ministry of the Society of Jesus with chapters in Miami, Atlanta, Puerto Rico, New York and Washington D.C. A Marian Sodality, the ACU is focused on the religious formation of professional, Catholic men with an emphasis on developing a personal relationship with Our Lord and defending the Catholic Church. Its foundational pillars are Ignatian spirituality, professionalism, and service.
 
“This commitment by the ACU is significant not just because of the amount of the gift, but because of where the money is going,” said Father Willie. “The pledge will go towards the building of the Our Lady of Belen Chapel which will strengthen our Catholic, Jesuit identity in order to remain faithful to our role of forming men for others.”
 
The chapel is Belen Jesuit’s most ambitious project to date, and will cost an estimated $10 million to complete. Construction is tentatively scheduled to begin in 2019, with an anticipated completion date of 2021. Many benefactors have already expressed their enthusiasm with this project and have already made a financial commitment, but more are needed. “The chapel is an opportunity to become an integral part of building something which is going to be extraordinary,” said Father Willie. “Join us in creating something that will powerfully cement our identity as a Catholic, Jesuit school.”
 
“We are enthusiastic to continue to support Belen Jesuit in the coming years,” said Erik M. Vieira, Pastoral Administrator of the ACU. “We continue to nurture our relationship with the students, alumni and parents of the school in order to build on our mutual values and goals. The Our Lady of Belen Chapel will be a symbol in the community of not only our identity as Catholics but as one rooted in a Jesuit identity.”
 
The relationship between the ACU and Belen has been there from the very beginning of the Marian Congregation’s foundation. Both ministries are similar in that they challenge men to deepen their relationship with the Lord and set the example of holiness in their day-to-day lives: in their friendships, their families, and their careers. For more information on how you can get involved in the ACU please visit their webpage at www.estovir.org.
 
Every gift towards the strategic vision and direction is one step closer in fulfilling the challenges set forth in the Strategic Plan (Strengthening our Catholic-Jesuit Identity, Academic Excellence, Forming Well-Rounded Men and Enhancing our Brotherhood) and we plan on announcing many more leadership level gifts in the coming months.
 
We continue to strive for greatness and need your help in achieving our goal. If you would like to contribute to the vision of the school, please contact Phil Fernandez ’94 at ffernandez@belenjesuit.org or call him at 305-804-7683.
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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.