'My heart is here': Pensacola's Little Flower Catholic Church blooms in Myrtle Grove

While most Catholic churches in Pensacola might acknowledge the Feast Day of St. Lorenzo Ruiz, a Filipino saint who was executed in Japan during the country's persecution of Christians in the 17th century, few will celebrate like Little Flower Catholic Church.

The small parish in Myrtle Grove has a large Filipino membership and will celebrate the Feast of San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila beginning at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 28.

"One of the things that was most immediately striking is the diversity of the parishioners," Father Matt Worthen said of his parish. "Probably a good half of my parishioners are Asian — a lot of Filipinos and a lot of Vietnamese. It's really a diverse community, which, to me, is a beautiful thing, an amazing thing. ... In many ways, every Sunday when I look out at the congregation, it's like a mini global church right here in my pews."

The parish offers numerous programs for Filipino-Americans, including prayer groups and missions.

Little Flower Catholic Church began in 1945, with only a small house and barn as facilities. It was located at the intersection of two dirt roads, now Lillian Highway and 65th Avenue. "Father Matt," 35, has been pastor at Little Flower for just more than two years.

"I have seen many pastors come and go,'' said Ann Alverson, 83, who has been a Little Flower parish member for 50 years. "This dear man, (Father Matt) he's wonderful. He preaches to us, not at us."

Her sons were altar boys at Little Flower as children and she still lives just a few blocks from the church.

"It's a second home to me,'' she said. "My heart is here."

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While many area Catholic parishes such as St. Michael and St. Thomas More discontinued their schools years ago, Little Flower still teaches about 200 students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. The students wear traditional uniforms, including plaid skirts for the girls and khaki pants for the boys, and receive religious education daily in school.

"It's a subject just like science, just like math,'' said Little Flower's first-year Principal Stephen Sanchez, who most recently was an administrator at a school in New York City. "They have it every day. Once a week they go to Mass, so that's their religion class on Wednesdays."

Students value the religious education in a small school setting.

"Little Flower is special to me,'' said Sophia Delarosa, 12, a seventh-grader who has attended Little Flower for eight years. "A lot of us have been together since we were really small."

She said her favorite part of the Little Flower curriculum is "how we get to learn. We also get our religion and stuff. That's important to me."

The church's patron saint is St. Thérèse of Lisieux, a French nun of the 19th century who is known as "the Little Flower of Jesus'' or "the Little Flower." Her Feast Day is Oct. 1, just days after the Feast Day of St. Lorenzo. But because of the St. Lorenzo celebration, Little Flower will hold its St. Therese Feast Day celebration on Oct. 21.

"It's a busy time of year for us,'' Father Matt said. "But it's a good time, too.''

Before coming to Little Flower, Father Matt spent five years at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart on 12th Avenue. While Sacred Heart is located in the more upscale East Hill neighborhood, Little Flower, located across from Escambia High, is smack in the middle of a hardcore blue collar neighborhood. 

Little Flower operates the St. Teresa of Calcutta Mission, which is located behind the church and gives away clothes and food to those in need. It is open from 9 a.m. to noon Wednesdays and Fridays.

"One of the reasons I love Little Flower so much is because we get to serve the poor in many more ways here,'' Father Matt said. "And I think that's very important to our parish."

Troy Moon can be reached at tmoon@pnj.com and 850-435-8541.