On September 19, 1961, the Archdiocese of Miami and the Dominican Sisters of the Holy Rosary opened St. Timothy Catholic Parish School to meet the educational needs of Catholic families living in southwest Dade County, Florida. St. Timothy’s founding pastor, Reverend Thomas McDermott, and its first principal, Sister Mary Augustina, welcomed 195 students in grades first through fourth. She and Father McDermott began an ambitious task to build the facilities and educational programs which would allow more students to attend and study in an environmentally friendly atmosphere.
A permanent structure was built in 1962 with the church occupying the first floor and grades kindergarten through fifth on the second floor. The school population increased yearly, and by 1965, the school was at capacity with one class of each grade level. By 1971, St. Timothy was offering a complete academic program including Music, Art, Library Science, and Physical Education. The school conducted its first self-study during the 1973-1974 school year. Saint Timothy Parish School was granted full accreditation in May, 1974.
The growth of the parish and the school placed great demands upon the physical plant. In September, 1982, construction of a new church began to accommodate the growing community. The former church was renovated creating eight new classrooms. By the 1984 school year, the population of the school doubled.
Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten continued to occupy portable trailers until a new primary building was constructed and completed for the 1990 school year. Today, the primary building houses the Music room, Art room, STAR room, and the PreKindergarten and Kindergarten classrooms.
JoAnn Leskanic became the seventh principal in August 1991, and the following year the parish welcomed Reverend Monsignor Gerard T. LaCerra, STD as pastor.
In 1992, Hurricane Andrew severely damaged the physical plant of Saint Timothy Parish and School. With the tremendous response of the community, the school was able to reopen in a brief period of time. Saint Timothy Parish School welcomed its own students and many others whose schools had been severely affected by the storm.
The physical plant was expanded during the 1994-1995 school year. New administrative offices, a library, and a computer lab were added. A new Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten playground was installed in the spring of 1997. A new cafetorium/gymnasium and a physical education office were completed in the spring of 2000 providing much needed space. In the fall of 2000, the parish offices were relocated. Office space for priests and deacons, a large conference room, additional meeting rooms, and work areas for support staff were added. The new facilities provided a wide variety of usable meeting and storage space. A large roof-covered patio area provides space for outdoor activities. Today, the campus lies on approximately ten acres with four buildings which serve the school.
On August 25, 2000, St. Timothy Parish suffered the loss of its pastor, Monsignor Gerard T. LaCerra. His motto that we are “Living, breathing, walking, talking temples of the Holy Spirit” continues his legacy which was established during his nine years at the school. In August, 2000, Monsignor Pablo Navarro was named the new pastor of St. Timothy Parish. He was welcomed into the school and parish community and he continued the mission of spreading the “Good News”. Later that year, the school was granted full reaccreditation.
After two and a half years at St. Timothy Parish, Monsignor Navarro was moved to St. John Neumann and the Reverend Rolando J. Castillo was named the new pastor of St. Timothy Parish. During his time at St. Timothy, he continued the mission of Christ. Mrs. JoAnn Leskanic retired as the principal of St. Timothy Catholic Parish School in 2003, after thirteen years of service. Richard P. Jean became the eighth principal of St. Timothy Catholic Parish School. In May 2009, Reverend Jordi Rivero replaced Fr. Castillo as the Pastor of St. Timothy Catholic Parish School. In June of 2010, Monsignor Tomás Marín was named Pastor of St. Timothy and in 2010 became the Interim Principal. In 2011, Mrs. Maria Isabel de León became the tenth principal at St. Timothy Catholic Parish School.
Mrs. Annie Seiglie commenced the 2014-2015 school year as the newly appointed principal of St. Timothy Catholic Parish School. Christ is the center of her educational philosophy and his model of servant leadership guides her ministry. Her strength in curriculum design and instruction is embedded in her vision of “Planting Seeds of Faith”. She believes her role is to foster a community built on trust and communication while promoting Catholic faith formation, academic excellence, ethical decision-making and Christian leadership.
Saint Timothy Catholic Parish School serves a multicultural community. The socioeconomic backgrounds are as diverse as the population, and the diversity truly adds to the unique personality of the school. Since its inception, the strength of Saint Timothy Catholic Parish School lies in its pursuit of excellence. From the physical plant, to curriculum areas, to student activities, and to parental involvement, continuous improvement and excellence is the goal.
Father Jorge Rodriguez de la Viuda served as Pastor from 2016-2019. The summer of 2019, the community welcomes Fr. Carlos Vega as Pastor. He shepherds us with much joy, desiring to "share Christ with others."
