La Milagrosa Catholic Church, at 1903 Spring Garden Street in Philadelphia, is so small that it is easy to miss, but it has a long history in responding to the needs of the Spanish-speaking population there. It was what was called at its founding the "Spanish national church" at a time when each nationality had its own parish. It was founded by a nun in 1912 and maintained by the Redemptorist priests. It became part of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in 1970. The church served primarily immigrants from Spain in the 1910s, then Mexican immigrants in the 1940s, to Puerto Ricans in the 1950s and beyond. The ethnic composition of the parishioners has become more diverse as people from other Latin American countries move into the area, especially a new wave of Mexican immigrants.
One of the people who has served this parish is Epifanio ("Eppy") de Jesús, who is 63 years old. He was born in Arecibo in Puerto Rico and came to the mainland in 1948, at the age of 3. He was one of the first Latinos in Philadelphia to graduate from college. He co-founded the Taller Puertorriqueño, one of Philadelphia's best-known Latino cultural organizations, in 1974 with the late Ramonita Rivera. He made his living recruiting teachers for the Philadelphia School District and gave a lot of teachers their start. He is also an avid musician, playing violin, and then playing with various well-known salsa groups. Jesse Bermúdez, the founder of AMLA, another Latino cultural organization in Philadelphia, played in Eppy's band. He now lives in Harrisburg and is involved in a prison ministry, but still manages to come to Philadelphia on Sundays to assist at La Milagrosa.
Copyright 2012 by Michael Esposito. All rights reserved. Todos los derechos reservados. E-mail: meesposito@gmail.com This site updated October 9, 2011/Este sitio fue ampliado el 28 de abril de 2012 Santa Fe Travel: a division of L & M Travel - Michael Esposito: IC Travel Specialist of L & M Travel - CST# 2043262-40 L & M Travel IC Agent
