A Parish Rooted in Virginia Gardens
Blessed Trinity Catholic Parish sits at 4020 Curtiss Parkway in Virginia Gardens, a city of less than 15,000 residents tucked between Hialeah and Miami International Airport. The parish marked its 70th anniversary on January 21, 2023, and now spans three generations of families, a parish school, and a four-day annual festival that has drawn crowds of more than 4,000 to the grounds for over 55 years. The community describes itself as "a vibrant, Spirit-filled Catholic community committed to stewardship and service," and gathers around a single banner: "To Bring Christ to All and All to Christ." Scripture frames that calling on the parish: "So we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another" (Romans 12:5).
From a Tent in 1953 to Three Generations of Parishioners
Blessed Trinity began as a mission of neighboring St. John the Apostle Parish in Hialeah. On January 21, 1953, the community gathered for its first Mass in a tent on the grounds of a plantation, served by Father James Nelan. By 1956 the tent could no longer hold the Sunday crowds; the congregation moved temporarily to the Miami Springs Villas while a church and school rose on the present site. Ground was broken in July 1957, and Archbishop Joseph Hurley blessed the finished church and school on January 15, 1958.
For the next quarter century, a succession of pastors shepherded the parish: Monsignor Dominick Barry, who also pastored Immaculate Conception in Hialeah, along with Monsignor William McKeever, Father Timothy Geary, Father Robert F. Brush, Bishop John J. Nevins, Father W. Vincent Cashman, Father Kevin MacGabhann, Father Fausto Fernandez, and Father Thomas Hanly. The parish's longest chapter began in 1982, when Archbishop Edward McCarthy appointed Father Joseph T. Carney as pastor. Father Carney served for three decades, becoming such an integral member of the parish community that many came to view him as a member of the family, until his unexpected death in January 2013.
The church interior was completely refurbished in 2000 and rededicated on September 16, 2001, by Archbishop John C. Favalora. A residence for priests followed, and the school expanded to add Pre-K3 and then Pre-K2 classrooms. Father Carney's final project, a multi-purpose center that took nearly a decade to complete, was blessed on September 6, 2013, during the parish's 60th anniversary Mass. Archbishop Thomas Wenski concelebrated with Father Jose Alfaro, Father Isidro Perez, and the parish's only priestly vocation, Father David Smith. Father Smith grew up in the parish, attended its school, and celebrated his first Mass there. At the anniversary Mass he told the assembly: "It's been a very emotional evening, getting to come back here to my roots and be part of this celebration. The dedication Mass of the church was my first Communion Mass. I went to school here. It's also the place I celebrated my first Mass as a priest and where the funeral Mass was held for my parents and sister. It's just home."
Today Father Matias Hualpa serves as pastor, having taken up the role in June 2021. Much of the parish's recent growth comes from second- and third-generation members returning to raise their own children, keeping the school and religious education program full of returning faces.
Mass, Confession, and Eucharistic Adoration
Daily Mass is offered Monday through Friday at 7:30 a.m. in English, with an additional Saturday morning Mass at 8:30 a.m. The Saturday Vigil Mass follows at 5:00 p.m. in English. Four Sunday Masses fill the morning and evening: 8:30 a.m. (English), 10:30 a.m. (English), 12:30 p.m. (Spanish), and 5:30 p.m., celebrated as a Youth and Young Adult Mass in English.
The Sacrament of Confession is offered each Saturday from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m., and again on Sunday mornings from 9:45 to 10:30 a.m. A short instructional video titled "Making a Good Confession" walks visitors through the rite on the parish's YouTube channel.
Eucharistic Adoration fills two windows every Wednesday, with the Blessed Sacrament exposed from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and again from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. On the first Friday of each month, adoration extends overnight from 9:00 p.m. through 8:00 a.m.
Sacraments and Sacramental Preparation
Baptism is offered for children whose parents commit to raising them in the Catholic faith and who live within the parish boundaries. Parents and godparents are asked to attend a monthly Baptismal Preparation Class, offered in both English and Spanish, with registration through the parish office.
First Holy Communion and Confirmation preparation are coordinated through the parish's Religious Education program, led by Olga Venegas. Children typically celebrate First Communion after completing their second-grade year of formation, while Confirmation preparation pairs candidates with sponsors and follows a catechetical journey rooted in Scripture ("Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent them Peter and John... Then they laid hands on them and they received the holy Spirit" - Acts 8:14-17).
The OCIA process, called RICA in Spanish, walks unbaptized adults, baptized Christians seeking full communion, and baptized Catholics who have not yet received Confirmation and Eucharist through the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil.
Couples preparing for marriage work with the parish using a wedding preparation package and resources from the Archdiocese of Miami. The Anointing of the Sick is available for those facing serious illness or the frailties of age; the parish urges anyone considering the sacrament not to wait until the point of death to request it. Funeral planning is supported with materials that walk families through the rite, cremation, and the celebration of a Funeral Mass.
Faith Formation from Childhood Through Adulthood
Beyond sacramental preparation, the parish offers an extensive formation menu. The Children's Choir and Altar Servers give young parishioners a place in the liturgy. The Middle School Youth Group and the High School Youth Group, where teens build "faithful formation in a fun environment," provide fellowship, service, and catechesis, while the 5:30 p.m. Sunday Mass centers young adults in the parish's main liturgical gathering.
Adult formation includes a weekly English Bible Study led by Father Attila Frohlich and a parallel Spanish Bible Study led by Deacon Jose Aleman. A Prayer and Life Workshop offers another entry into contemplative practice for adults, alongside a Rosary Group and an Intercessory Prayer Group that lifts the parish's prayer requests before the Blessed Sacrament. The Vocation Cup travels from household to household for weekly prayer for vocations.
Emmaus, Knights, and Small Group Communities
Blessed Trinity's parish life runs through a network of small groups and lay communities. The parish supports chapters of Emmaus with separate men's and women's tracks in Spanish and English, the Knights of Columbus (Council 17003), and the Ladies Guild. Two parallel formation communities gather men and women separately: "She Shall Be Called Woman" for women and "That Man is You" for men. Welcome Ministers greet visitors at the doors, the Impactos group reaches Spanish-speaking parishioners, and the intercessory team carries prayer intentions week by week.
Outreach Across Miami-Dade County
The parish's outreach aims both near and far. Volunteers cook casserole meals once a month for Camillus House, a major Miami service provider to those experiencing homelessness, and prepare peanut butter and jelly sandwiches twice a month. A Detention Ministry extends pastoral care to those incarcerated in the region, and the parish's St. Vincent de Paul conference offers direct aid to neighbors in need. The Respect Life ministry promotes the dignity of every human being from conception to natural death, and volunteers at Fair Havens Nursing Home bring Holy Communion and presence to elderly residents.
The Carney Center, the School, and a Four-Day Festival
The Blessed Trinity Catholic School shares the campus with the parish. The Father Joseph T. Carney Enrichment Center, dedicated in 2013, anchors the school's Pre-K2 and Pre-K3 classrooms on its lower level, with ministry meeting rooms and a parish museum upstairs chronicling every decade of parish history. Adorning the exterior wall is a four-by-five-foot, 150-pound bronze cross, sculpted over ten months by former Blessed Trinity teacher and parent Natalie Calvo with a double representation of the Blessed Trinity.
Each December the parish hosts its four-day annual festival, a tradition of more than 55 years with carnival rides, vendors, an auction, bingo, food and drinks, and live music. The festival draws more than 4,000 visitors from across Miami Springs and Virginia Gardens and serves as the parish's largest annual fundraiser. Sponsorships, vendor tables, t-shirt pre-sales, wristbands for unlimited rides, and a golf cart raffle all support the event.
Parish Identity Anchored in B-V-M
Every ministry at Blessed Trinity is asked to pass through three filters the parish calls its Ministry Anchors: B for Build Intimate Christ-centered Family Community, V for Vibrant Ministries for the Mission, and M for Missionary Identity. The Core Values spell out a parallel acronym, PEW - Prayerful Disciples, Evangelizing, and Welcoming - tying the parish's daily decisions back to its mission "To Bring Christ to All and All to Christ."