Maria Virginia Dinnella-Borrego | Communications Specialist
On April 30th we commemorated the Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker. Fr. Willie ‘87 was the main celebrant.
We honored those members of our faculty and staff that reached milestones in their years of service beginning with 10 years and then moving on in five-year increments during the Mass. We also recognized the employees who would have celebrated milestones last school year.
“We choose this day to recognize and celebrate the 41 women and men who have tirelessly give their lives and talents for the education of our Belen students,” said Fr. Willie in the homily. “From Mr. Patrick Collins who this year celebrates 50 years as a teacher at Belen, to a handful of many others who celebrate 10 years of service, they represent a combined commitment of 795 years of teaching and service. Belen Jesuit owes a great debt of gratitude to these men and women whose lifework we celebrate and recognize today. They are what truly makes our school such a special place.”
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.