Church of the Little Flower, Florida, United States

5Arielfl 5:00 PM Mar 27, 2021

Beautiful Church
The Church of the Little Flower was established in 1926 by a small group of Catholics in the newly established town of Coral Gables. The new parish was named in honor of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, known as "The Little Flower" and a temporary church was built in 1928. A boarding school was established by the Sisters of St. Joseph in 1925. They had plans to expand it but the crash of the Florida land boom spurned on by two hurricanes and the Great Depression cancelled their plans. The sisters signed the deed to the the school over to the church. The school was renamed the St. Theresa School and it became a parochial school for the parish. Father Thomas Comber, a missionary priest from Ireland, was charged with building the church. He envisioned something grand for the new church building but the lack of funds necessitated something more simple. The first church building was a parish center and auditorium that seated 800 and which was dedicated in 1928. It wasn't until 1951 that the present church got the ornate exterior that Father Comber desired. With the prosperity after WWII, Father Comber asked the Barry and Jay Company of Architects to build the church as he first envisioned it. The original 1920 plans were consulted and the church was built with stained glass windows designed by William Haley with the building in the ornate Spanish Renaissance style, to blend with the Mediterranean Revival architecture used by George Merrick when designing Coral Gables. The church was dedicated by Archbishop Joseph P. Hurley of Saint Augustine, Florida on December 8, 1952. It is still in use today. The church was renovated in 1987 and Comber Hall was renamed in honor of Rev. Msgr. Thomas P. Comber, Little Flower's first pastor. Also in 1987, a new rectory was built across the street. Today the Church of the Little Flower is a landmark in Coral Gables. In June 2019, Fr. Manny Alvarez was named the 9th Pastor of Church of the Little Flower and Saint Theresa School. The church has been associated with two presidential candidates, Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush.

5howards736 5:00 PM Oct 1, 2017

Funeral
What a magnificent church. I am not of the faith and my friends funeral was my first visit. It is a very large church and there was not a seat in the house. While I did not understand the sacraments being performed but the beauty of them and the architecture of the church joined together to sing a perfect memorial song for my friend. If you are a tourist of whatever faith, visit this church if only for its beauty.