Corpus Christi Catholic Parish

Founded in 1941, Mass at Corpus Christi was celebrated in the Strand Theater on December 14, just one week after the Pearl Harbor attack. The Mango Manor, pioneering Miami horticultural landmark constructed when the area around it consisted of a mangrove swamp, served as the first rectory. Four years of planning and fundraising resulted in the construction of a large church/school combination and a convent, completed in 1947, a challenging task because of the post -World War II building material shortage. Undaunted, parishioners pressed on with the goal of building a permanent church, a structure completed and dedicated in 1959. A famous carving of Christ on the Cross hung over the altar.

The influx of Cuban refugees in the 1960s and then the construction of expressways transformed the area. Parishioners responded by increasing evangelization efforts and dividing itself into a mother church and four mission areas to serve the people and to resolve the transportation problem new immigrants faced. The unity of the missions and the mother church demonstrate the true meaning of “The Body of Christ.”