Oldest Catholic Church in Miami!
Before embarking on my first Virgin Voyage cruise out of Miami, I decided to visit the oldest Catholic Church in Miami – Gesu Catholic Church.
While exploring the history of this church, I learned that its full name is The Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church. This was shortened to the name Jesus and translated in Italian to Gesu. Although this church began in 1896, the first Catholic presence in Miami was in 1567 with the arrival of Jesuit missionaries. The Spanish settlement at the time was founded by Don Pedro Menendez de Avila.
In 1891, the MacDonald family asked the American Industrialist, Henry Flagler, for land to build the Catholic Church. Although Flagler was Presbyterian, he donated the land where the first Catholic Church in Miami was built. This church in 1896 was built of wood and cost $3,600. In 1922, the present structure was built.
The stained-glass windows were made in Germany and tell of the life of Jesus and Mary. The altars throughout the church are made of Italian marble.
Many soldiers and sailors worshipped in this church beginning with the Spanish-American War as they returned from battles in Cuba and Puerto Rico. The same was true for soldiers and sailors returning from both World War I and Word War II.
Today, Gesu Catholic Church serves the surrounding Cuban, Nicaraguan, and Haitian communities as well as the large number of visitors to the Miami area.
My visit was in early December and the church was beautifully decorated for Christmas. The altars were magnificent. I had the opportunity to attend Mass during my visit and was happy to see a young and vibrant congregation. I am sure I will be visiting this church again – especially when I take a cruise out of Miami.
After visiting Gesu Catholic Church, I met several friends aboard the Virgin Voyage cruise to Cozumel and Bimini Island. It was my first time on this cruise line, and I don’t believe it will be my last.
Virgin Voyage is an adult only cruise line that provides an all-inclusive experience. Instead of a main dining room, the cruise ship has several specialty restaurants that are included in the price. This was a 5-night cruise and each night we ate at a different restaurant. There was a Korean bar-b-que restaurant, an amazing Italian restaurant, and a top-of-the-line steak and seafood restaurant – just to name a few. There was also a Galley area that provided specialty food throughout the day.
My favorite – of course – was the ice cream shop. On another part of the ship, there was popcorn! Two of my favorite foods ever – ICE CREAM AND POPCORN! It was a GREAT cruise! Seriously - the food was EXCELLENT and very healthy. It was hard to find fried food on the ship. I was grateful for that.
I forced myself one night to stay up late so I could go to the Duel Reality show. I heard so much about this performance and wanted to see it for myself. It was FANTASTIC. The story theme is similar to West Side Story. The acrobatics were breathtaking. Here is a video from a performance in March 2022. The show I saw had different performers, but the story line is the same.
I more than enjoyed myself on this Virgin Voyage cruise and recommend this experience for those who love to cruise. My travel agent tells me that two new Virgin Voyage ships will be added to the fleet in 2023 with new destinations. I’m looking forward to planning future cruises.
If you are interested in cruising, let me know in the comments below. Maybe we can meet on one of these beautiful ships!
Merry Christmas and God Bless each of you!
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