Mary Teresa Morgan

María Teresa Morgan, Doctor of Ministry, lived a life of profound spirituality, had a passion for teaching and an unwavering love for her family. A devoted educator and servant of God, she touched countless lives through her wisdom, compassion, and example.

María, 78, was born on January 4, 1947, in Guantánamo, Cuba. She was welcomed by her parents, José María Pérez Pérez and Libertad María Campos Pérez, and her older brother Rafael Pérez. Her younger brother, José, was born in 1954. The Pérez family lived in the city of Guantánamo while María attended school at Colegio Teresiano. She took dance and piano lessons and spent many joyful hours with her friends. She also spent many weekends at her grandparents’ farm at family gatherings. María vividly remembered her time in Cuba. To her family, she was always the keeper of memories, names, and places from that time. She traveled back to Cuba in the early 2000s to revisit her childhood home.

In 1961, María left Cuba, moved to the United States with her brothers and was later joined there by her parents. She spent her junior year of high school in Cincinnati and when the family moved to New York City she graduated high school from The Mary Louis Academy. She then attended St John’s University in New York City earning her Bachelor of Arts and her Master of Arts degrees. In 1964, her youngest brother Alex was welcomed into the family.

María spent most of her adult life in Miami, Florida. In 1989, María married Bob Morgan, whom she had met through her church. Although their story began later in life, their bond was one of deep love and companionship. Bob and María shared a profound spiritual connection, as well as a love for travel which took them to many far away places. Throughout the years, their homes in Kendall overlooked a lake and their patios bloomed with plants and fruit trees. Their love for one another was so grounded that they became a source of support and guidance for other married couples in their spiritual community.

María had always lived a devout spiritual life and continued on her journey when she earned her Doctorate in Ministry from Barry University. As Dr. Morgan, she was an Associate Professor of Theology and Coordinator of the Humanities Program at St John Vianney College Seminary in Miami. María also wrote for El Ignaciano, a bilingual social justice magazine and served on its editorial board. Throughout her career, María published 19 articles and two book chapters on a wide range of theological and pastoral subjects. Her scholarly interests included Vatican II theology, feminist theology, and theological aesthetics, with a special lifelong devotion to the Spanish mystics— in particular St. Teresa of Ávila and St. John of the Cross. María was clearly beloved by her students, coworkers, and friends at St John Vianney Seminary.

María is survived by her three brothers, Rafael Pérez (Susan Pérez), José Pérez, and Alex Pérez (Viviem Caragol), and her nieces and nephew, Ana Carla Pérez Smith, Isabel Pérez, AJ Pérez, and her grand-niece Sidonia Smith.