In Overtown, St. Theresa Chapter of church celebrates 50 years of serving Miami
As Reverend Father Derrick E. Rolle began his sermon, 11 women — all wearing white — sat within the first few pews of the Historic Saint Agnes Episcopal Church in Overtown.
Rolle’s lesson focused on the importance of standards, something he believed the near dozen women exemplified. The women comprised the St. Theresa Chapter of the Episcopal Churchwomen, a group that has been an integral part of the Saint Agnes family and marked its 50-year anniversary on Sunday.
“They could have gone and sat down. They’ve all retired. They’re, as the song says ‘Living their best life,’” Miranda Albury, 65, president of the St. Theresa Chapter, said of the group. “But they continued to work. They continued to give.”
With a membership deeply tied to Miami history, the St. Theresa Chapter has shown that community service is a lifelong mission, having awarded about $120,000 in scholarships over the past two decades.
Its members, many of whom are over the age of 70 and retired educators, administrators or nurses, grew up in a drastically different Miami from today. Segregation was prevalent and positive depictions of Black people were limited. The group wanted to model the ideal church women, says Mildred Kelly McKinney, one of the group’s charter members.
“Our group tried to exemplify St. Theresa,” Kelly McKinney said, referring to the eponymous saint who believed in the “little way” or doing small acts of kindness to showcase God’s love.
In many respects, the “little way” was the St. Theresa Chapter’s guiding light. The philosophy also earned them some recognition. Miami-Dade Commissioner Keon Hardemon, state Sen. Shevrin Jones and Rep. Frederica Wilson issued proclamations Sunday praising their commitment to the community.
“Their task was never to do much for the community at-large,” Rolle said, explaining that the group mainly took younger women under their wing before expanding to partner with other organizations like the Sickle Cell Foundation of South Florida. “Their task was to target members of the church itself, be that encouragement so that Christians can become excited about doing something for the greater community.”
Part of the group’s strength was their membership. Founded in 1898, Saint Agnes was one of Miami’s first Black churches and many of its parishioners have attended for generations. The ancestry within the St. Theresa Chapter is like a who’s who of Black Miami historical figures.
They “were a selected group of children from pioneer families,” said Kelly McKinney, the daughter of Alonzo “Pop” Kelly, Liberty City’s first Realtor who sold lots throughout the neighborhood.
Miriam Stirrup, who organized the first St. Theresa meeting at her home in 1972, is a descendant of E.W.F. Stirrup, a Coconut Grove pioneer who built numerous homes for Black residents when segregation limited their options. Rodriqua Sturrup Gordon, another charter member, is also related to Stirrup, according to Albury.
“In Overtown, there was always a strong developed community of Black Americans and Bahamians who immigrated and married persons particularly from Georgia and the Carolinas,” Rolle said. “It would be expected that there would be that connection” to Miami history.
Although Saint Agnes’ membership has dwindled as a result of COVID-19, the St. Theresa Chapter’s fire is as strong as ever. Most recently, a $4,000 grant courtesy of the Episcopal Charities Foundation of Florida will fund next month’s “Praying in Pink” initiative to provide up to seven low-income cancer survivors of color with necessities. Albury, who was raised in Saint Agnes, hoped Rolle’s sermon, the elected officials’ dedication and the message of unity from their coordinated clothing will be an inspiration to young people the same way the St. Theresa Chapter influenced her.
The community will benefit greatly if “old school and new school work together,” Albury said. “They are a reflection of our past and a vision of our future.”
This story was originally published September 30, 2022 at 10:59 AM.
