About La Milagrosa · Miami, Florida
Mission La Milagrosa is a Spanish-language Catholic mission church located at 1860 NW 18th Terrace in the Allapattah neighborhood of Miami, Florida. It is the fourth of five missions operated by Corpus Christi Catholic Parish (the mother church), and is dedicated to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. Founded in the early 1990s by Corpus Christi's cursillistas under Msgr. Oscar Castañeda, the mission serves a predominantly Hispanic community — primarily Cuban, Nicaraguan, and Puerto Rican families — in the most distant sector of the parish territory. The mission was consecrated on December 12, 1998, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and today offers a weekly Saturday Vigil Mass in Spanish together with a music ministry, a Holy Week procession, and the annual fiesta of the Miraculous celebrated on July 18.
- Established
- 1990 (mission community began); consecrated December 12, 1998
- Patron
- Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal (La Milagrosa)
- Rector
- Father José Luis Menéndez (pastor of Corpus Christi Parish, which administers La Milagrosa as one of its five missions)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Miami (Metropolitan Archdiocese of Miami); mission of Corpus Christi Catholic Parish
Why belong here
La Milagrosa is a small, family-sized mission where Spanish-speaking Catholics in southern Allapattah can celebrate Mass in their own language and rhythms, just minutes from the mother church of Corpus Christi. The community gathers weekly for Saturday Vigil Mass, sustains an active music ministry with Thursday choir rehearsals, marks Holy Week with a solemn procession, and each July 18 honors the Miraculous Virgin with the mission's signature procession. For newcomers, it offers an intimate entry into the wider Corpus Christi family — five missions, one parish — with the warmth of a community that built its own church from a converted duplex.
Mass times at La Milagrosa
Weekly Mass schedule
About Mission La Milagrosa
La Milagrosa is the fourth mission of Corpus Christi Catholic Parish, located at 1860 NW 18th Terrace in the Allapattah neighborhood of Miami. It is dedicated to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal and serves a predominantly Hispanic community — Cuban, Nicaraguan, and Puerto Rican families — in the most distant sector of the parish territory. Saturday Vigil Mass is celebrated in Spanish at 6:00 PM, and the mission is coordinated by Elia Amaya.
- Address: 1860 NW 18th Terrace, Miami, FL 33125
- Mission Coordinator: Elia Amaya
- Saturday Vigil Mass: 6:00 PM (Spanish)
- Phone: (305) 635-1331
- Email: [email protected]
History of the Mission
The mission began in the early 1990s when Father Oscar Castañeda and the Corpus Christi cursillistas went door to door evangelizing the southern part of Allapattah. On December 1, 1990 the community bought a duplex and converted it into a chapel; the first Mass was celebrated there on June 30, 1991. After years of prayer and small-community life, philanthropist Manny Medina underwrote the construction of a proper mission church — the first stone was set April 18, 1998 and the building was consecrated on December 12, 1998, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
- 1990 — community purchases a duplex in Allapattah
- 1991 — first Mass celebrated by Father Castañeda, June 30
- 1998 — first stone laid April 18; mission consecrated December 12
- Founding ministers included Adita Penate (liturgy), Juan Cabrera (grounds), Olga Martin (finances), grandmother Delia (kitchen and candles)
Founding Figures and Builders
Several laypeople and clergy shaped the mission in its earliest years. Their names and roles are preserved on the mission's own website, a rare record for a small mission.
- Father Oscar Castañeda — celebrated the first Mass and led door-to-door evangelization
- Adita Penate and family — liturgical ministry
- Juan Cabrera — grounds and surrounding area; later hosted Mass in his parking lot during construction
- Olga Martin — finance
- Grandmother Delia — cooking and candle preparation
- Carrasquilla family — sold adjacent land for the new building
- Manny Medina — benefactor who funded the construction
Music Ministry
Music is central to life at La Milagrosa, as it is across the Corpus Christi missions. The choir rehearses every Thursday and leads worship at the Saturday Vigil Mass.
- Choir rehearsals every Thursday
- Mission choirs coordinated across all five Corpus Christi missions
Devotions and Processions
La Milagrosa's most distinctive devotion is the annual procession of the Miraculous Virgin, held on July 18 — the date of Saint Catherine Labouré's first apparition of 1830. Originally celebrated in November, the procession was moved so it would not conflict with the parish festival and Thanksgiving. The mission also marks Holy Week with a solemn procession.
- Procession of the Miraculous Virgin — July 18
- Holy Week procession
Faith Formation and Catechesis
From its earliest days, the mission has offered formation for both children and adults. Catechism was given to children weekly, and adults gathered once a week for Bible study — a rhythm that has continued across the parish's five missions.
- Children's catechism (weekly, from 1991)
- Adult Bible study (weekly, from 1991)
La Milagrosa Within Corpus Christi Parish
La Milagrosa is the fourth of five missions of Corpus Christi Catholic Parish, founded December 12, 1941 in what is now the Wynwood neighborhood. Under pastor Father José Luis Menéndez, the parish organizes itself as 'one parish, six missions, six sending-forths,' sending priests and volunteers into the surrounding barrios. The five missions are San Juan Bautista (Wynwood), Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia (Allapattah), San Francisco y Santa Clara (Edgewater), La Milagrosa (Allapattah south), and San Roberto Belarmino (joined 2009).
- Mother church: Corpus Christi, 3220 NW 7th Ave., Miami
- San Juan Bautista — Wynwood
- Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia — Allapattah
- San Francisco y Santa Clara — Edgewater
- La Milagrosa — southern Allapattah
- San Roberto Belarmino — merged into Corpus Christi 2009