Trinity Cathedral

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FOREWORD
Trinity Cathedral, the oldest congregation in the City of Miami, was first assembled by Bishop William Crane Gray in 1893. Organization followed in 1896 and a small wooden structure was erected for a church building on a site of land given by Mrs. Julia Tuttle at what is now N.E. 2nd Avenue and 2nd Street. A larger edifice was built in 1912 at the same intersection, but across from the original. The present church was completed in 1926.
It is very unusual for a congregation approaching its 75th anniversary to have had only six Rectors. This speaks well for the stability of the congregation and the leadership of the clergy who have served here. To the Reverend Nathaniel Barnwell Fuller, we are indebted for the strength and spirit of optimism he gave to a small group of Episcopalians in the pioneer days of Miami. The Reverend James Cope, Ph.D., built the second church anticipating the growth of the city. The ministry of the Reverend Albert Lester Hazlett, D.D., left its mark of excellence on the members through his pastoral concern. The Rector of great vision was the Reverend Robert Theodore Phillips who, seeing the trend of Miami’s growth to the Miramar section and desiring to build a church equal in beauty to the churches of the North, encouraged architect Harold Hastings Mundy to design the church we worship in today. With the great church came the great debt. It was during the aftermath of the economic depression in this country that the Reverend George Irvine Hiller, S.T.D., accepted the challenge to pay off an indebtedness of over $200,000.00. Dr. Hiller accomplished this task by the example of his own integrity and, in 1946, Trinity Church was at last consecrated. Holy Comforter Church, today a strong parish, began as a chapel of Trinity Church to accommodate communicants and Sunday School children living in the southwest section of town. It is to the credit of Dr. Hiller that this mission was not closed and its assets sold to pay the debts of the Mother Church. Dr. Hiller’s rectorship also provided the new parish house, completed debt free in 1957, and at the time of his retirement, in 1963, he had made the interior of the church more beautiful through the completion of the stained glass windows, mosaic arch and other appointments.
We serve the Diocese of Southeast Florida, which is one of the newest dioceses of the Episcopal Church having been certified by General Convention January 1, 1970. On Easter Day of that same year, the first Bishop of our new Diocese, the Rt. Reverend James L. Duncan, D.D., proclaimed this parish church his Cathedral. The Diocesan Offices are located on property south of and adjoining the Cathedral yard.
You may wish to visit the Cathedral Bookstore in the parish house and browse among the book selection and many gift items of more than usual interest. The Bookstore is open daily from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays until Noon.
ARCHITECTURE AND APPOINTMENTS
The narthex, or vestibule, has a floor of Spanish tile in which are set various symbols of the Christian faith. The tiles were hand-painted before glazing and recent cleaning has restored their original bright colors. Please examine the narthex screen made of chestnut wood with its latice designs and gilded cherubs.