Little Flower marks centennial of faith, lights way of Love for South Broward

By Priscilla A. Greear - Florida Catholic

HOLLYWOOD  |  For 100 years, Little Flower Church in Hollywood has steadfastly served as a spiritual light in the heart of Hollywood, guided by its patroness, St. Therese of Lisieux, to faithfully and quietly do God’s work.

On her feast day, Oct. 1, around 500 parishioners celebrated the parish’s 100th anniversary with a Mass, contemplating her little way of simple charity with great love for another century of spiritual flourishing in Broward County’s second oldest Catholic parish.

In his homily, Archbishop Thomas Wenski, who celebrated the milestone Mass, recalled his own childhood parish of Little Flower. His parents used to drive down US 1 from Boca on Sunday mornings to attend Mass there.

“There wasn’t a Catholic church between Boca and Hollywood, except for St. Anthony’s. But at that time, the old St. Anthony Church was so dilapidated,” he said.

The Mass was concelebrated by pastor Father Javier Barreto and 25 archdiocesan priests, including former parochial vicars Father Pierre Listo Charles and Father Juan Antonio Tupiza, as well as former transitional deacons Father John Buonocore and Father Hans Chamorro.

The archbishop told the story of St. Therese, popularly known as “the Little Flower,” who lived in France from 1873-97 in a time of “radical humanism” following the Enlightenment.

Therese of the Child Jesus, who entered the convent at the age of 15, lived always in the presence of God. He spoke of her “little way” to sainthood. “One did not have to do heroic things or work wonders. One could achieve sanctity by doing ordinary things with great love. This is what she teaches us in her autobiography, ‘The Story of a Soul.’”

“We can grow in holiness if we do the little things with great love. And look to the future with confidence — and let us expect that in the years to come the Little Flower will bring to you a ‘shower of roses.’ St. Therese will continue, in the next 100 years to spend her time in heaven doing good on earth— and here at Little Flower,” the archbishop added.

After the Mass, some prayed before a replica of the tomb of St. Therese, a copy of the one in Lisieux, France, crafted by parishioner Len Maniscalco.

 

100 YEARS OF HISTORY

Little Flower Church was founded in 1924 as a mission of St. Anthony’s Church in Fort Lauderdale, during the Hollywood real estate boom, amidst pine forest and tomato farms. Next came the Church of the Little Flower in Coral Gables in 1926.

The current church, built in 1941, features a wood-beamed ceiling and a wooden altar with a first class relic of St. Therese. For the anniversary upgrades, the altar features a marble floor, and the wall behind it glows with earthy new teal and reddish brown paint.

In 1924, Little Flower’s congregation first met in theaters and an office building. After the hurricane of 1926, volunteers erected their first church building on Van Buren Street, which was relocated a block away to Pierce Street in 1929. By 1927, the church flourished with eight Sunday Masses and an altar made from a converted packing case. However, by the time of the Depression, the roof leaked during Mass and the pastor, Father Dennis O’Keefe, “had to visit other parishes just to get a meal,” according to parish history.

In 1941, the current church was built, and in 1949, the school was added as Broward’s second Catholic school, quickly brimming with 1,000 students lead by Adrian Dominican Sisters. The church doubled its capacity to 1,800 in the 1950s, adding valuable air conditioning, a bell tower, a cafeteria and an auditorium. Father Vincent Cashman, pastor from 1972-93, rebuilt the church after the altar area was ravaged by an arsonist’s fire in 1980. Father Thomas O’Dwyer led the church from 1993-2019, which time a Spanish-style colonnade and the Chapel of Roses were added.

 

A NEW ERA

Father Barreto became pastor in 2022, following COVID, he is focus on building the church’s spiritual legacy and welcome newcomers. The church now offers adoration of the Blessed Sacrament twice a week. The school is also celebrating its 75th anniversary, having grown from 120 students in 2020 to 174 now, and seeks to start an alumni association. “It’s a privilege to be part of a lifetime event, with a spirit of gratitude for our founders and for what we have inherited. It’s a time to commit to build up what we have for generations to come,” Father Barreto said.

Today, in the midst of Hollywood’s new surge of development, Little Flower serves about 1,000 families, approximately half of whom are Hispanics from many heritages.

As part of its 100th anniversary celebration, the parish hosted a dinner with flamenco and paella on Sept. 28.

Mary Joyce, an Ireland native and a member for 44 years, recalled how past Irish priests built the parish and participated in Hollywood’s St. Patrick’s Day festival. Now Father Barreto revitalized it. “In the old days, the church was packed. A lot of people have lost faith,” she said. “I’m a Eucharistic minister at the parish, and I can see more people coming back to the faith.”

Monica Burke celebrated her birthday at the church that grounds her spiritually each week. “I feel a strong spirituality and a sense of belonging here, very homey and very open to all of those who want to come, and learn, and be spiritually involved. I think the priest does a great job of doing Eucharistic adoration and does Mass in both languages,” said Burke, of Ecuadorian origin.

Her husband, Michael Burke, attended Mass every Sunday growing up with his grandparents and nine aunts and uncles. The church held a Mass when his brother was deployed to Iraq and another after he died there. “ It’s nice to bring it home, the 100 years of the church of my family.”

Lyle Hennen appreciates the parish’s welcoming, charitable spirit. He serves in the parish’s St. Vincent de Paul ministry, which delivers food to people in need. Daria Bernstein, parish president of St. Vincent de Paul ministry, said it serves over 500 people monthly. “With the economic situation and increasing rent, a fair number just need extra help when the food stamps run out,” said Bernstein, a member since 1974. “SVDP exists because of the generosity of the people in this parish and it’s one of the biggest in the archdiocese.”

“Being right in the center of town, the church plays a big part in the community and has been here a long time. Many of the other churches around here grew from ours,” added Bernstein.” It serves so many different nationalities now.”

Dan Bock Jr. entered the school in second grade in 1959, with the Dominican Sisters. He recalled his glory day singing “I Won’t Grow Up” at the spring festival but, alas, graduated to Chaminade High School. Sixty-five years later, his little way is serving as an extraordinary minister of communion, lector, and in religious education.

“It’s an honor and a responsibility. People have to accept it. We’ve got to demonstrate (our faith) obviously by what we say, by what we do. We have to show people how good God is, demonstrating that faith by being Christlike, kind and generous,” Bock said.

Father Julio De Jesus, pastor of St. John XXIII Parish in Miramar, reflected that with all the priests, “Jesus Christ is always present and stays here. We have to proclaim him. It’s beautiful, 100 years of faith, hope and love.”

Note: This article was first published in the October 2024 edition of the Florida Catholic. Father Thomas O'Dwyer served as pastor of Little Flower Parish in Hollywood from 1993 to 2019, not from 1993 to 2003 as is stated in the printed article.