History of our Diocese
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The Catholic Church in Northwest Florida has a rich history.
1559
Spanish colonists, accompanied by five Dominican priests and a lay brother, arrived in Pensacola. The first Mass was offered on August 15, 1559. This is regarded by most historians as the first documented Mass at an undisputed European settlement in what is now the continental United States. Devastated by a hurricane, the settlement was abandoned two years later.
1674
Gabriel Diaz Vara Calderon, bishop of Santiago de Cuba, visited the Franciscan missions in present-day Madison, Jefferson and Leon counties, along the Apalachicola River. He administered the sacrament of confirmation to Native American converts.
1698
Pensacola was resettled by Spain and troops built the Presidio of Santa Maria de Galve which includes a chapel for soldiers.
1704
During Queen Anne’s War between British and Spanish forces across their North American colonies, Antonio Cuipa and his companions are killed by British and Creek soldiers during the destruction of Mission San Luis near what is now Tallahassee.
1763
With the Treaty of Paris, an exodus of Spanish Catholics took place during the British occupation of Florida.
1781
On May 11, Spain captured Pensacola, and the Church’s presence was restored when Father Pedro Velez was sent to minister at the Spanish Garrison. St. Michael Parish was established and has served continuously since that time.
1787
The Diocese of San Cristobal of Havana was established, and Bishop Jose de Trespalacios y Verdeja assumed jurisdiction of Cuba and the territories of Louisiana and the Floridas.
1791
Bishop Cyril of Barcelona visited Pensacola and found 245 Catholics among the 572 residents.
1795
The east and west of Florida were placed in the new Diocese of New Orleans. The first bishop was Luis Penalver y Cardenas, former vicar general of Havana. He visited Pensacola in 1798.
1806
The Floridas returned to the Diocese of Havana.
1823
St. Michael Parish, Pensacola, was incorporated under the territorial laws of Florida, now a possession of the United States. The Floridas returned to the Diocese of Louisiana and the Floridas.
1826
Vicariate of Alabama and the Floridas established.
1829
The new Diocese of Mobile was established and included both Alabama and the Floridas. Bishop Michael Portier, first bishop, traveled from Pensacola to St. Augustine and back amid great hardship and hostility, seeking to strengthen the Church across north Florida.
1837
Bishop Portier established the first parish school and, by 1870, 100 pupils were enrolled at St. Michael Academy.
1846
First attempt at a permanent church in Tallahassee; it burned down in two years.
1850
All of Florida east of the Apalachicola River was transferred to the jurisdiction of the newly established Diocese of Savannah with Bishop Francis X. Gartland, first bishop. The ten western counties of North Florida remained in the Diocese of Mobile.
1851
St. John Parish was formed in Warrington near the Pensacola Navy Yard and St. Patrick Parish began in Apalachicola. Apalachicola was then a flourishing cotton export center.
1861
The Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, at the request of the Confederate general, arrived in Pensacola and staffed an infirmary until 1865. The Sisters returned in 1915 when Sacred Heart Hospital was founded.
1870
The Diocese of St. Augustine was established and included all of Florida east of the Apalachicola River. Bishop Augustin Verot was named first bishop and participated in the First Vatican Council.
1877
The Sisters of Mercy arrived to staff St. Michael School, Pensacola, and in the following year, they opened St. John School, Warrington.
1885
After the destruction of three previous buildings by fire, the present St. Michael Church was built and dedicated the following year by Bishop Jeremiah O'Sullivan of Mobile.
1891
At the request of Mercedes Ruby, a structure known as St. Joseph Church was dedicated by Bishop O’Sullivan. It served as a church and school. Reverend Robert Fullerton was pastor of this first black parish in the Diocese of Mobile which served the local community. In 1894, the present church building was dedicated.
1927
Bishop Thomas J. Toolen became sixth bishop of Mobile and guided the Church in Alabama and Northwest Florida for more than 40 years, traveling extensively by automobile and establishing numerous parishes, schools and institutions.
1939
At the request of Father John J. Raleigh, the Sisters of Charity of St.Elizabeth from New Jersey arrived to reopen St. Joseph School
1958
The Diocese of Miami was established to include 16 counties in South Florida.
1967
In May, the present Sacred Heart Church, Pensacola, was dedicated by Archbishop Thomas J. Toolen of Mobile. In September, St. Thomas More Church, near the campus of Florida State University, Tallahassee, was dedicated by Archbishop Joseph P. Hurley of St. Augustine.
1968
In February, Bishop Paul F. Tanner was named seventh bishop of St. Augustine. In June, the Diocese of Miami was raised to Archdiocese and the province of Miami was established to include all of the dioceses of Florida. At the same time, the new Dioceses of St. Petersburg and Orlando were created. The ten counties of northwest Florida, formerly a part of the Diocese of Mobile, were transferred now to the Diocese of St. Augustine.
1975
The Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee was established on November 6, by dividing the Diocese of Saint Augustine, which consisted of 35 counties. Until May 8, 1968, the ten counties west of the Apalachicola River were part of the Diocese of Mobile while the eight counties east of the river were part of the Saint Augustine Diocese from its establishment in 1870.
On November 6, Bishop Rene H. Gracida, former auxiliary bishop of Miami, was installed as first bishop. Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Pensacola, was named the Cathedral and St. Thomas More Catholic Church, Tallahassee, the Co-Cathedral. The new diocese was placed under the Patronage of St. Michael the Archangel and St. Thomas More.1983
In July, Bishop Rene H. Gracida was transferred to the Diocese of Corpus Christi, Texas. Msgr. James Gallagher served as diocesan administrator for four months. On November 8, Bishop J. Keith Symons, former auxiliary bishop of St. Petersburg, was installed as the second Bishop of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee.
1984
In October, the new Dioceses of Palm Beach and Venice were established in South Florida. The State of Florida now numbers seven dioceses.
1990
On June 2, Bishop J. Keith Symons was appointed second Bishop of Palm Beach where he was installed on July 31, 1990. The Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee remained vacant for a period of one year. Msgr. James Amos served as diocesan administrator.
1991
Bishop John Mortimer Smith, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Newark, was appointed on June 25, to be the third bishop of Pensacola- Tallahassee. He was installed in the Civic Center at Pensacola on July 31. Bishop Smith was appointed bishop of Trenton in November 1995 and installed in February of 1996. Msgr. James Amos served as administrator from February 1996 until March 1997.
1995
Bishop Smith was reassigned by Pope John Paul II as the bishop of Trenton, New Jersey. The Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee remained vacant for a period of one year. Monsignor James Amos served as diocesan administrator.
1997
Bishop John H. Ricard, SSJ was installed as the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee on Thursday, March 13, at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Pensacola. He was appointed by Pope John Paul II and succeeded Bishop John M. Smith. Bishop Ricard resigned due to health issues on March 11, 2011, and is the first bishop emeritus of Pensacola. Archbishop Thomas Wenski served as apostolic administrator until a new bishop was appointed.
2000
Pensacola-Tallahassee celebrates 25 years as a diocese.
2011
Bishop John H. Ricard, SSJ, retires as diocesan bishop due to ill health. Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski of Miami is appointed episcopal administrator of the diocese.
2012
The Basilica of St. Michael the Archangel was dedicated Feb. 10, in recognition of the importance of the parish and its long history, being the oldest continuously operating parish in the Province of Miami. Bishop Gregory L. Parkes, a priest of the Diocese of Orlando, ordained to the episcopacy and installed as the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee on Tuesday, June 5, at St. Paul Catholic Church in Pensacola. He was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI and succeeded Bishop John H. Ricard, SSJ.
2016
On November 28th, Most Reverend Gregory L. Parkes was reassigned by Pope Francis as bishop of the Diocese of St. Petersburg, FL. His installation Mass was celebrated on January 4 of the following year.
2017
William A. Wack, CSC, a priest serving in the Diocese of Austin, succeeded Bishop Parkes and was ordained and installed as the sixth bishop of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee on August 22, at the Pensacola Bay Center. He was appointed by Pope Francis and succeeded Bishop Gregory L. Parkes.
The Catholic Church in Florida has experienced many changes and great growth over the years. This brief history only recalls highlights. Known to God alone and recorded in the silent pages of eternal history are the innumerable prayers, sacrifices and great heartfelt generosity of hundreds of thousands of men and women. Grateful for their gift of faith, they have shown well their appreciation to almighty God by their ongoing determination to pass the "Light of Christ" onto the future.The Catholic population is most numerous in the western section of the Diocese (Pensacola) where 40 percent of the total population lives. The remaining 60 percent are nearly equally divided in the areas of Fort Walton Beach, Panama City and Tallahassee. There are few Catholic households in the vast seven rural counties along the 200 mile stretch of highway from the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Pensacola, to the Co-Cathedral of St. Thomas More, Tallahassee.
Northwest Florida is not highly populated or industrialized. It is mostly made up of rural farming communities, which have dedicated vast acreage to growing trees for major paper product companies. Economic well-being is greatly due to the large military presence in the diocese. There are seven military bases in the diocese. Among those bases is Eglin Air Force Base, which is the largest United States Air Force Base in the world. Eglin Air Force Base covers 765 square miles or three Northwest Florida Counties. In addition to numerous military personnel, civilian men and women are employed as support staff.
Significant economic factors in Northwest Florida are the three Air Force bases at Eglin, Hurlburt, and Tyndall; the three Naval bases at Pensacola Naval Air Station, Corry, and Whiting; and one Coast Guard Base in Panama City. Naval Air Station, Pensacola, is the training center for all pilots for the United States Navy. These military installations provide employment to area residents and support commercial businesses and enterprises, which have been built around Northwest Florida Bases.
There are 50 parishes and six missions in the diocese. There is a resident pastor in every county except three: Holmes, Jefferson and Liberty. Many parishes in the less populated areas are subsidized by mission societies such as the Catholic Extension Society; the American Board of Catholic Missions; the Commission Among the Blacks and Indians; and Missionary Cooperative Appeals personally made by the diocesan bishop in other dioceses of Florida.
None of the counties in this diocese are growth impact areas, although four are predicted to experience substantial growth in the next ten years. Two more are expected to grow at a lesser rate while little or no expansion is anticipated for the other 12 counties. There is considerable evidence of development along the shore of the Gulf of Mexico, which is the southern boundary of the diocese.
From a rural and sparsely populated area of the "Old South" 50 years ago, some areas of this Northwest Florida diocese have developed into modern communities. Much of this has come from the expansion of military bases since World War II, improvements in communication and transportation, the growth of the aerospace industry, and from air conditioning. Improved building methods have also allowed construction on the sand that is a heavy component of our soil.Some of the smaller communities have grown slowly. Others have progressed significantly. Eleven missions were raised to the status of parishes during the last seven years here.
updated October 16, 2024