By Jim Davis - Florida Catholic

Photography: JIM DAVIS | FC

MIAMI | What price would you pay for your faith?

Defamation? Prison? Torture and mutilation? Death?

St. Agatha suffered all of that, according to church tradition. A Roman official rained torments onto her for resisting his advances, then had her killed.

Little wonder that Agatha – whose name means “good” or “virtuous” – is honored by name in the Roman Canon of the Mass.

She was born into a wealthy Christian family in Sicily around the year 230, as the emperor Decius was trying to exterminate Christianity from the Roman empire. She became a consecrated virgin, choosing a celibate life of prayer and service. Her beauty, however, caught the eye of Sicily’s senator, Quintian, who tried to force his attention on her.

When Agatha rejected him, Quintian had her imprisoned in a brothel, trying to break her will and force her to renounce her faith. Failing that, he had her stretched on a rack, pierced, attacked with iron hooks and burned with torches.

Finally, Quintian ordered Agatha’s breasts cut off and that she be denied food and medical attention. However, she was healed overnight – by St. Peter, she said – provoking astonishment and outrage.

In a final brutal act, the senator had Agatha dragged over broken shards and burning coals. After her final prayer of thanks, she died on Feb. 5, which has become her feast day. She is the patron saint of nurses, firemen, rape victims and breast cancer patients.

St. Agatha is one of seven women, including Mary herself, who is honored in the Roman Canon of the Mass. In some places, bread is blessed after Mass and called Agatha bread.

Her church in Miami was founded in 1971 by Archbishop Coleman F. Carroll, the first bishop of Miami. The congregation worshiped first in a high school auditorium, then a storefront at a shopping mall. They dedicated a multi-purpose building in 1978.

Members showed a strong service ethic, launching a St. Vincent de Paul Society as well as Saint Agatha’s Guild. They also laid plans for a school, which opened in 1986.

The parish celebrated the ordination of its fourth pastor, the Most Rev. Felipe de Jesús Estévez – a Pedro Pan refugee – as auxiliary bishop of Miami in 2004. Six years later, he was appointed the archdiocese’s vicar general and, in 2011, became bishop of St. Augustine.

St. Agatha finally moved into its current, 26,000-square-foot home in 2000. The $4 million structure, of maple wood and travertine marble, emphasizes clear glass and straight lines. But the pews surround the chancel on three sides.

Atop the walls, a series of 38 clerestory windows depict biblical episodes like the raising of Lazarus, as well as beliefs like the Assumption of Mary.

Parish life includes Bible studies in base communities, as well as a liturgy group and parish committees to advise the pastor. Among its ministries are youth and family ministries, food collections for the poor in Haiti, a residence for seniors, and a campus ministry at neighboring Florida International University.