Our History

St. Agnes Parish was established in 1952 on Key Biscayne as a mission under the auspices of the Diocese of St. Augustine, FL. Rev. George W. Cummings was appointed to serve the three dozen families at the time. The first mass was celebrated on Christmas Eve at Mashta Point in a desolate boat house previously owned by the Matheson family and renovated by the Mackle family. On dark, rainy days worshipers used flashlights to follow the services in their missals. 

The Mackle brothers, prominent Key Biscayne developers, donated the present property to the parish. Several names were proposed by the diocese; however, it was named Saint Agnes in honor of their mother’s patron saint. 

In 1954, a parish hall was built, designed primarily as an auditorium, arranged in such a way that it could be used for church services until the permanent church could be built. There were also plans to later

build a three-building school, a rectory, convent and larger church. About seventy-five families attended the "temporary" church's dedication on Easter Sunday. 

In 1959, the parish grew rapidly with the arrival of Cuban refugees. 

In 1973 the Pastor of St. Agnes, Monsignor James Nelan, responded to the needs of the parish families by admitting a small group of seventh graders to what would become St. Agnes Academy. Classes were held that first year in the rear of the church. The original school building was added for the 1974-75 academic year, with 2 classrooms, one for 7th and the other for 8th grade. 

The community kept growing, and in 1990, Monsignor William McKeever expanded the school to include lower school grades. A new building was completed for the 1991-1992 academic year. 

St. Agnes Academy continued its growth and its tradition of providing a quality Catholic education to the children of our parish, and in 1996, yet another building was completed which included a large library, a computer lab, four new classrooms and administrative offices. 

 In 2002, the Academy added a 15 classroom building with an auditorium and dining hall.

In 2007, the pastoral center was built to accommodate the parish offices and several meeting rooms.

In 2008, the Blessed Sacrament Chapel was built, offering the faithful the blessing of perpetual adoration.

In 2016, a beautification committee was created to beautify the campus with simple paint and plant alternatives.  They quickly realized that there were major issues, challenges, and needs to be addressed.  The "Building with JOY" project was born to resolve the following imminent needs of our parish: 

• Build a new church with more capacity & functionality including a new Blessed Sacrament Chapel.
• Build a multi-purpose center/gymnasium to also be used for educational, religious, and social activities
• Enhance security and safety
• Improve the grounds and extend our perimeter road for better traffic flow, additional parking, and to minimize flooding

In 2021, the original "temporary" church, 7th & 8th grade classrooms, parish hall, and Blessed Sacrament chapel were demolished to make way for the Building with JOY project construction. The Pre-K wing was built to replace the original 7th & 8th grade classrooms and provide additional classroom space. It was blessed by Archbishop Thomas Wenski in December 2021. 

In 2023, the Building with JOY project was completed. The Spencer multi-purpose center was blessed in May 2023, and the church was consecrated in September 2023, both by Archbishop Thomas Wenski. 

After 70 years of the establishment of our parish, we are finally blessed to have our long-awaited church and a beautiful campus to provide an environment where we can live our faith today and for future generations.