By Jim Davis - Florida Catholic
A covered walkway connects the church, offices, chapel and school.
Marian grotto facing Federal Highway is often decorated with flowers.
Joseph guides Mary and the Christ Child in the Flight Into Egypt.
St. Therese of Lisieux, the church's patron, stands in a starry sky with angels offering flowers.
A bird perches amid roses in a wood carving on the pulpit.
Bas-relief of Leonardo Da Vinci's Last Supper fronts the altar.
St. Therese of Lisieux, the church's patron, is honored in the rose window.
A glass door shows triple flames for the Holy Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit appears as a luminous dove in this glass door picture.
Jesus hands bread to the poor in this glass door picture.
Jesus turns water into wine in this glass door picture.
A rough-clothed John the Baptist preaches by the Jordan, carrying a cross-topped staff, in this window at the south entrance to the church.
The clerestory windows depict the "Messianic Rose," for Isaiah's prophecy that the desert would bloom like a rose.
The clerestory windows depict the "Messianic Rose," for Isaiah's prophecy that the desert would bloom like a rose.
Mary and Jesus commune with St. Therese in the main window of the Chapel of the Roses.
The chapel windows at Little Flower have unusual double symbols for the Stations of the Cross. Station 1, Jesus' condemnation to death, features a handcuffed man and a sacrificial lamb.
Station 2, Jesus receiving his cross, has a Celtic cross and orb along with a chalice. The latter recalls Jesus praying that if possible, "let this cup pass from me."
Station 3, Jesus falling for the first time, blends a spilled chalice and a cluster of grapes, associating his sacrifice with his discourse about being the "true vine."
Station 4, when Jesus meets his mother, has a pierced heart similar to that of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Next to that is a shepherd's staff, recalling Jesus as the Good Shepherd who "lays down his life for his sheep."
Station 5, Simon of Cyrene helping carry the cross, matches a pair of hands with the coins of the Good Samaritan.
Station 6, Veronica wiping the face of Jesus, shows his image on her cloth. To the right, a candle stands for Jesus' teaching that he is "the light of the world."
In Station 7, Jesus falling a second time, a pile of stones refer to Jesus' prediction that Jerusalem would one day be totally ruined. The right-hand image stands for his promise, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" - meaning his own body.
In Station 8, Jesus tells the women of Jerusalem, "Weep not for me but for yourselves and your children." The hen represents his longing to shelter Jerusalem as a hen gathers her chicks.
Station 9, Jesus falling a third time, carries two agrarian lessons. Hands plant seeds, recalling his teaching that a grain of wheat must fall in order to grow. The rose symbolizes Isaiah's prophecy that the desert would one day bloom.
Station 10, when Jesus is stripped, shows dice, referring to the soldiers gambling for his garments. The other picture retells the veil in the Temple tearing in two as Jesus died.
Station 11, the crucifixion, has intense imagery of the nails and the five wounds - in his hands, feet and the side in which he was stabbed. At right is his crown of thorns along with the sign posted on the cross: "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews."
Station 12, the death of Jesus, joins a silhouetted crucifix with broken bread, for Jesus as the "bread of life."
Station 13, the descent from the cross, has an Alpha and Omega monogram, as Jesus called himself. Next to it is a sunrise, for John 1:1: "In the beginning was the Word."
Station 14 combines the burial and resurrection of Jesus. At left, a sun, a dove and a fish symbolize the triune God. At right, a folded burial shroud shows he has defeated death.
Photography: Jim Davis
HOLLYWOOD | As South Florida boomed in 1924, St. Anthony Church in Fort Lauderdale founded a mission southward. Father Michael Mullaly arrived from Fort Lauderdale with a suitcase packed with vestments, two candles and a wooden chalice. So began Little Flower of Hollywood.
On Sundays, Father Mullaly celebrated Mass with an altar made of a converted packing case. Parishioners sat on plank benches. The following year, the congregation worshiped at two theaters, then a structure called the Olympia Building.
But the Great Hurricane of 1925 damaged that building, and it was condemned. With the boom ending, the parishioners were barely making ends meet. But they still managed to raise funds, and pitched in themselves, to build a small church in 1927.
They replaced that building with the present Mediterranean-style structure in 1941. A school opened in 1942, staffed by Dominican Sisters of Adrian, Michigan.
During World War II, Little Flower welcomed military men who sailed into port, counseling them and serving meals. The church also married many young couples before each soldier was sent out to fight.
Church and school enjoyed growth over the decades, including addition of the bell tower and entrances made of coquina rock from North Florida.
Vandals set fire to the church in 1980, destroying the altar and the large wooden crucifix and causing extensive smoke damage. It took 10 months of fundraising and rebuilding to restore the church. The project also added a 1,200-pipe organ to replace the old electric instrument.
Parishioners run ministries to youths, families and grandparents. They also unite in service organizations like Respect Life, Knights of Columbus and the St. Vincent De Paul Society.
- Little Flower plans to celebrate the 80th anniversary of its church building with a cocktail reception at 8 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 1. For tickets, at $15, call 954-922-3517.
- The parish also will host a picnic on its patronal feast day, Sunday, Oct. 3, noon to 5 p.m. Call 954-922-3517 for more information.
