About St. Monica · Miami Gardens, Florida
St. Monica Catholic Church is a multicultural Roman Catholic parish of the Archdiocese of Miami, located at 3490 NW 191st Street in the Carol City/Miami Gardens area of northwest Miami-Dade County, Florida. Founded on May 14, 1959, it serves a diverse community with weekly Masses in English, Spanish, and Igbo-English, and is home to the Archdiocese of Miami's Nigerian Apostolate. The parish is led by Spiritan (Congregation of the Holy Spirit) Father Samuel Muodiaju and is known for its strong devotional life, including daily Mass, Friday Eucharistic Adoration, the Stations of the Cross, and a robust network of ministries ranging from the Knights of Columbus and Legion of Mary to CCD faith formation and the AACU African American and Caribbean Unity Group.
- Established
- 1959
- Patron
- St. Monica of Hippo (mother of St. Augustine)
- Rector
- Fr. Samuel Muodiaju, C.S.Sp.
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Miami
Why belong here
St. Monica offers a rare combination of intimate, small-parish warmth and genuine multicultural depth — with weekly Masses in English, Spanish, and Igbo-English all under one roof, it is one of the few parishes in the Archdiocese of Miami where an Anglophone, a Latino family, and a Nigerian Catholic family can each worship in their heart language and then share coffee together. Devotional life is unusually strong for a parish of its size: Friday runs from 7:30 a.m. Eucharistic Adoration through the 6:45 p.m. Stations of the Cross and a 7:30 p.m. evening Mass, and Saturday confessions are offered weekly from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Add in CCD catechesis, the Knights of Columbus, Legion of Mary, Marriage Group with God's Purpose, Cursillos de Cristiandad, Movimiento Juan XXIII, the AACU African American and Caribbean Unity Group, and an active peace and justice committee, and you have a parish that is built for both personal spiritual growth and concrete service to the surrounding Miami Gardens community.
Mass times at St. Monica
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturdays 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
- By appointment at the parish office (Spanish-speaking: hacer cita)
Adoration times
- Fridays 7:30 a.m. – 6:45 p.m. (Holy Hours of Eucharistic Adoration in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament)
Welcome & Parish Identity
St. Monica describes itself as 'a warm and loving community' centered on the Word of God, with ministries that meet the spiritual needs of every age and praise and worship that is described as 'truth-filled and moving.' The welcome page is signed by the pastor, Fr. Samuel Muodiaju, C.S.Sp. The parish's multicultural identity — with Masses in English, Spanish, and Igbo-English — is the single most defining feature of who St. Monica is today.
- Warm and loving community
- Preaching centered on the Word of God
- Ministries for every age
- Truth-filled praise and worship
- Signed by Fr. Samuel Muodiaju, C.S.Sp., Pastor
History of St. Monica Parish
Founded May 14, 1959, in the Carol City area of northwest Miami-Dade, St. Monica began with Mass at Myrtle Grove Elementary School, then moved Sunday worship to Carol City Junior High School while daily Mass was said in the 'Little White House' cottage. The current church building was dedicated in 1961, originally designed as a combination hall and cafeteria. The parish school opened in 1962 with the Sisters of the Apostolate of the Sacred Heart and Ursuline Sisters of Cincinnati, and grew year by year. Today the parish is known for its bilingual (and trilingual) character and as home to the Archdiocese of Miami's Nigerian Apostolate.
- First Mass: May 1959, Myrtle Grove Elementary School
- Sunday Masses moved to Carol City Junior High School by September 1959
- Daily Mass in the 'Little White House' cottage (now the rectory)
- Present church dedicated 1961; originally built as hall/cafeteria
- School opened 1962 with 240 K–3 students, expanded annually
- 60th anniversary celebrated August 25, 2019
Clergy & Staff
The parish is led by Spiritan Father Samuel Muodiaju, C.S.Sp., who serves as pastor and whose Nigerian background has helped shape the parish's relationship with the local Nigerian Catholic community. He is assisted by a resident priest, a deacon, and a small lay staff team responsible for the parish office, religious education, and secretarial work.
- Fr. Samuel Muodiaju, C.S.Sp. — Pastor (Congregation of the Holy Spirit)
- Fr. Alfred Cioffi — Resident Priest
- Dcn. Marco Rosales — Parish Deacon
- Marisol Rodriguez-Leon — Office Manager (bilingual contact)
- Yolanda Amador — Secretary
- Fatima Castillo — Religious Education
Parish Ministries & Groups
St. Monica runs a broad range of lay ministries and spiritual movements — both Anglophone and Hispanic — so that virtually every age and devotion finds a home. Liturgical roles (Eucharistic Ministers, Lectors, Ushers, Choir, Altar Servers) are organized alongside formation (CCD, Confirmation, VIRTUS) and devotional/missionary movements (Legion of Mary, Knights of Columbus, Cursillos, Movimiento Juan XXIII, Emmaus).
- Altar Servers / Monaguillos
- Eucharistic Ministers (home & hospital visits)
- Lectors, Ushers, Choir
- CCD Catechism / Catecismo
- Confirmation preparation
- VIRTUS (safe-environment training)
- Legion of Mary / Legión de María
- Knights of Columbus
- Marriage Group With God's Purpose / Grupo de Matrimonios con Propósito de Dios
- Emmaus
- Cursillos de Cristiandad
- Movimiento Juan XXIII
- Women's Guild
- AACU — African American & Caribbean Unity Group
- Youth Group
- Peace and Justice Committee
Nigerian Apostolate
St. Monica is the host parish for the Archdiocese of Miami's Nigerian Apostolate, serving Igbo-speaking and other Nigerian Catholics across South Florida. The Apostolate gathers weekly for the Sunday 2:30 p.m. English/Igbo Mass and is supported by Spiritan clergy, including the pastor himself, Fr. Samuel Muodiaju, C.S.Sp. — a member of a missionary congregation with deep roots in West Africa.
- Sunday 2:30 p.m. English/Igbo Mass
- Hosted by the Archdiocese of Miami
- Spiritual connection through Spiritan (C.S.Sp.) leadership
Sacraments
The parish prepares the faithful for the full sacramental life of the Church — Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, Reconciliation, and Anointing of the Sick — and offers ongoing faith formation through CCD. Confessions are scheduled every Saturday afternoon and may also be arranged by appointment through the parish office.
- Baptism preparation
- First Communion via CCD
- Confirmation preparation
- Marriage preparation
- Reconciliation: Saturdays 4:30–5:30 p.m. + by appointment
- Anointing of the Sick by appointment
Devotions & Special Observances
Friday is the heart of the parish's devotional week, anchored by extended Eucharistic Adoration, the Stations of the Cross, and an evening Mass. The parish also marks the Lenten fast and abstinence discipline of the U.S. bishops, organizes a Lenten Holy Week mandatory meeting of liturgical ministers, and runs seasonal activities such as the annual Easter Egg Hunt and the Youth Group Palm Sunday bake sale.
- Friday Eucharistic Adoration, 7:30 a.m. – 6:45 p.m.
- Friday Stations of the Cross, 6:45 p.m.
- Friday evening Mass, 7:30 p.m.
- Lenten fasting (Ash Wednesday & Good Friday, ages 18–59)
- Lenten abstinence from meat (ages 14+)
- Holy Week mandatory meeting of liturgical ministers
- Annual Easter Egg Hunt
- Youth Group Palm Sunday bake sale
Outreach & Peace & Justice
St. Monica's peace and justice committee works ecumenically with neighboring churches on the concrete social issues facing northwest Miami-Dade — affordable housing, health care access, immigration, and education. The Legion of Mary and other parish groups extend that mission by serving the needy directly, and the parish periodically organizes pilgrimages, including a Holy Land trip led by Fr. Sam through Quisqueya Travel.
- Affordable housing advocacy
- Health care access
- Immigration support
- Education
- Legion of Mary service to the needy
- Holy Land pilgrimage (Quisqueya Travel, 786-237-9384)
Visiting St. Monica
Visitors enter from NW 191st Street between NW 34th Court and NW 35th Avenue in Miami Gardens. The main parking lot is in front of the Grace Leadership Preparatory school building on the parish campus. The parish office can be reached at (305) 621-9846 or by email at [email protected]. The Friday schedule (Adoration → Stations → Mass) is a particularly good day to experience the parish's devotional character.
- Address: 3490 NW 191st Street, Miami Gardens, FL 33056
- Entrance on NW 191st Street between NW 34th Court & NW 35th Avenue
- Parking in front of Grace Leadership Preparatory
- Phone: (305) 621-9846
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.saintmonica.org/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Samuel Muodiaju, C.S.Sp.present (as of 2019 anniversary coverage)
Current pastor; Spiritan (Congregation of the Holy Spirit) priest who presided over the parish's 60th anniversary Mass in August 2019. Of Nigerian origin, he has been closely associated with the parish's Nigerian Apostolate.