Monsignor Edward Pace High School
By: Surella Rodriguez
The Mission Club at Monsignor Edward Pace High School is an extracurricular club that has been established to serve the needs of the local community. They serve to help the families of Monsignor Pace High School, then the needs of families within the Archdiocese of Miami and finally the greater world community including their sister schools in Haiti that are in the Sister Diocese of Port-de-Paix.
The Mission Club has been providing service for over 35 years and partners up with local and national organizations. Whether it be Basketball game tickets with the Miami Heat, Hockey game Tickets with the Florida Panthers, Soccer games with Inter-Miami, and Baseball game tickets with the Miami Marlins, the Mission Club has connected the Pace community with a philanthropic opportunity while enjoying the world of sports.
The Mission Club also collect items like food and funds for local parishes like Pace Pantry, Annunciation, Encuentros Juveniles- migrant farm workers in South Dade, Immaculate Conception, Las Marianitas in Opa Locka, Marian Center, Mother of Our Redeemer, San Lazaro, St. James, St. Monica and additionally donated to Immaculate Conception in Perry, Florida for Hurricane Relief.
Throughout the academic year, the mission club hosts multiple fundraising activities involving the Pace student body. One of the favorites is the 31-year-old traditional “Battle of the Bands & DJs” where Pace students perform their talents to raise money for the club. During the holidays, the Mission Club writes Christmas cards for the Marian Center and stuff Christmas Stockings with Candy to provide the families in Broward County. They host Advent Dress Down Week, No Shave November and Tons of Love Annual Thanksgiving Food Drive.
At Msgr. Pace the Catholic values of service are instilled in each student and during the fall, the mission club conducts a school-wide food collection competition called the “Tons of Love Tournament”. The grades compete to see who will win the appraised trophy at the Tons of Love Mass. The Mass is always hosted on the last day before Thanksgiving break and provides the student body with a reminder of the blessings we are grateful to have but also to give. The Tons of Love 2023 Champions were the junior class of 2025, together with the rest of the student body, they collected around 3,000 pounds of food and fundraised over $1,000 that were used for Publix gift cards to give the families in need.
In 2023, the Mission Club raised $30,000 and collected 3,000 lbs. of food. The Pace community is immensely proud to have extracurricular clubs like the Mission Club making an impact in society while developing leaders through faith and service.
