Mother of Christ Catholic Church sits on SW 26th Street in west Miami-Dade, a block or two west of the Florida Turnpike. From that address the parish runs one of the most heavily Spanish-language Mass schedules in the Archdiocese of Miami, while still keeping English Masses on Sundays and a Catholic school serving more than a decade of grade levels. The church is also a place where roughly twenty lay ministries share the work of running a parish that was born only in 1983.
A Bilingual Mass Schedule Built Around Two Languages
The Mass calendar reads like a small parish's answer to a multilingual city. Weekday Mass is offered in Spanish only, twice a day: at 8:00 A.M. in the Chapel and at 7:00 P.M. in the Main Church, Monday through Friday, with a single 8:00 A.M. Spanish Mass on Saturday in the Chapel. The Saturday Vigil at 6:00 P.M. is also in Spanish.
Sundays are the parish's bilingual showcase. Spanish Masses are celebrated at 8:30 A.M., 12:30 P.M., and 6:00 P.M., and English Masses at 10:30 A.M. and 8:00 P.M., all in the Main Church. Confessions are heard Saturday mornings from 8:30 to 9:30 A.M. without an appointment; confessions during the week are by appointment only. The parish office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 A.M. to 12:00 noon and from 1:00 to 5:00 P.M.
From Cafeterias and Living Rooms to Twenty Ministries
Mother of Christ was founded in 1983. In its first years, parishioners celebrated Mass in private homes and in the cafeteria of Bent Tree Elementary School, and the Women's Club organized the parish's first outreach to people in need. From those early efforts came the Saint Vincent de Paul Society, the CCD religious education program, and a youth group, all supported by fundraising that allowed the parish to plan a permanent home.
The parish center, dedicated in 1990, gave the growing community classrooms and meeting rooms and made room for a Stewardship Program that encouraged parishioners to share time, talent, and treasure. Today, the parish counts about twenty apostolate groups and ministries - from a Respect Life group and the Legion of Mary to the Neocatecumenal Way, Emaus Damas and Emaus Caballeros, Matrimonios en Victoria, Padres & Madres Orantes, the Apostolado de la Divina Misericordia, Grupo de Oración, and Custodios del Cuerpo de Cristo. A Ministry to the Sick visits the homebound and brings Holy Communion to those who cannot come to Mass.
A Pastor Who Came North from Bogotá
The parish is led by Rev. Father Jorge A. Carvajal-Niño, appointed by Archbishop Thomas Wenski as parish administrator effective July 1, 2017. Father Jorge was born in Bogotá on June 8, 1953, and studied philosophy at the Universidad San Buenaventura before completing theology at the Pontifical Bolivarian University of Medellín. He was ordained to the priesthood on June 29, 1994, the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul.
After ordination he served as vicar at Nuestra Señora de las Nieves in Medellín and at Santa Cruz in northern Bogotá, then became the founding pastor of Santa María del Camino, where he served for fourteen years. In 2010 he was sent to Santa Clara Parish in Dallas, Texas, and on March 1, 2015, he was named parochial vicar at St. Brendan in Miami, where he served until his appointment at Mother of Christ.
Sacraments and Sacramental Preparation
Mother of Christ prepares parishioners for each of the Church's seven sacraments. Parents preparing for a child's Baptism are asked to choose godparents who are at least sixteen, have received Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation, and, if married, are married in the Catholic Church; two godparents, when chosen, must be one man and one woman, following the requirements of the Archdiocese of Miami.
First Communion preparation is handled through the Office of Faith Formation. Children are expected to participate in Faith Formation for two years and to have reached the age of reason (seven) before celebrating the sacrament. Confirmation is described as the final Sacrament of Initiation and a rite of mature Christian commitment, with preparation open to those baptized as infants who have not yet been confirmed. Marriage preparation is coordinated through Angie Carbajosa, and the parish reminds couples that the Sacrament of Matrimony is rightly called "Public Prayer." The Sacrament of the Sick is available to anyone suffering from mental, physical, or spiritual illness; parishioners are asked to call the parish office as soon as an illness is diagnosed so a priest can visit.
Faith Formation, RCIA, and a Catholic School
The parish's religious education program follows the archdiocesan two-year track. First Communion preparation begins in second grade (age seven), and Confirmation preparation begins in seventh grade (age twelve). Classes meet Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoons in two sessions, 5:00 to 6:00 P.M. and 6:30 to 7:30 P.M., following the public school calendar. Students aged seven to twelve take part in monthly STEWIE Club meetings, while students aged thirteen to eighteen are expected to attend the youth group weekly.
The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is offered in English and Spanish, runs from early September through the end of May, costs $150, and requires Mass attendance from all participants. Catechumens need a birth certificate, driver's license, two sponsors with sponsor certificates, completion of a Pre-Baptismal course, and, where applicable, a civil marriage certificate and any divorce documentation.
Mother of Christ Catholic School, located adjacent to the parish, offers a Catholic education from Pre-Kindergarten through eighth grade, and a Learning Center provides daycare and pre-K education for children from eighteen months through PK4.
Giving, Bulletins, and the Next Building Project
The parish publishes a weekly bulletin with announcements and the liturgical schedule, and online giving is handled through WeShare. A separate campaign supports a new parking lot and bell tower, which the parish describes as approved and ready for the next phase of construction. Information about the South Dade Pregnancy Help Center is shared through the parish office for anyone seeking pregnancy resources.
Mother of Christ remains a working bilingual parish: a weekday Spanish chapel, a Sunday schedule that moves between two languages, a Catholic school, twenty ministries, and a pastor who crossed hemispheres to take up his role on SW 26th Street.