Florida

Local Catholic Church History and Catholic Ancestors

of

The geographic area of Florida is in the ecclesiastical province of Miami which includes the Archdiocese of Miami (Florida) and Dioceses of Orlando, Palm Beach, Pensacola-Tallahassee, St. Augustine, St. Petersburg and Venice (all in Florida). See Map below.

Using the map as a reference to the diocesan jurisdictions, select the area you wish to research from the list below:

Archdiocese of Miami

Diocese of Orlando,

Diocese of Palm Beach,

Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee,

Diocese of St. Augustine,

Diocese of St. Petersburg,

Diocese of Venice

For Byzantine Catholic click here.
(all in Florida, U.S.A.)

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Genealogical Research of Catholic Ancestors
Florida
Online web sites found for the Archdiocese and Dioceses are below. Select from the following list, or scroll down the page:
Archdiocese of Miami (Florida) and Dioceses of Orlando, Palm Beach, Pensacola-Tallahassee, St. Augustine, St. Petersburg and Venice (all in Florida).
For links to Byzantine Catholic Churches scroll down or click here:

MAP of the Archdiocese and Dioceses of Florida

The Catholic Church In Georgia: (A History from 1790 on the web site of Archdiocese of Atlanta) "...Florida was detached in 1969 to become the Province of Miami..." See Also: Local Catholic History & Genealogy Guide for Georgia*

Florida Catholic Conference

The Florida Catholic Newspaper - P.O. Box 609512 • Orlando, Florida 32860

includes a Directory of Florida Catholic Churches and Diocese

Archdiocese of Miami (Florida) [Diocese est. 1958, Archdiocese 1968¹]

The Archdiocese of Miami encompasses the southern Florida counties of Broward, Dade and Monroe, including the Keys.

(official; in English or en Español.. site)

Archdiocese of Miami History and Parish Directory

St. Mary Cathedral

St. Thomas More - Boyton Beach, FL
St. Luke - Coconut Creek, FL
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish [Ukrainian]

St. Jude Parish [Melkite]

St. Dominic Parish

Mother of Our Redeemer

Our Lady of Lebanon Parish [Maronite] (English, Arabic, Spanish)

Notre Dame d'Haiti Parish [Creole]

Saint Agatha Catholic Church

St. Brendan High School Alumni - Miami, FL
St. John Neumann -
Saint John Vianney Minor Seminary High School Alumni - Miami, FL

St. Michael the Archangel Parish

St. Monica Catholic Church - Miami, FL
St. Rose of Lima Parish - Miami Shores, FL.
Good Sheperd Parish

St. Timothy Parish

St. Thomas the Apostle - Miami, FL
St. Patrick Catholic Church - Miami Beach, FL
Blessed Trinity - 4020 Curtiss Parkway - Miami Springs, FL 33166
St. Andrew Catholic Church -

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church -

Blessed Sacrament[est. 1960] - Oakland Park, FL
St. Edward Catholic Church -

Parish Community of St. Maximilian Kolbe - Pembroke Pines, FL
St. Isadore Catholic Church - Pompano Beach, FL

Diocese of Orlando (Florida) [est. 1968¹] with

The Diocese of Orlando encompasses the eastern central Florida counties of Brevard, Lake, Marion, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole, Sumter and Volusia.

Parish Directory & Map
Diocese of Orlando History

Annunciation Church - Altamonte Springs, FL
Immaculate Heart of Mary - Candler

Mailing address: 10670 S. E. Maricamp Road - Candler, FL 34472

Blessed Sacrament Parish -

5135 North U. S. 1, Cocoa, FL 32927

Church of Our Savior -

5301 North Atlantic Avenue - Cocoa Beach, FL 32931
Phone: (321) 783-4554

St. Paul - Daytona Beach, FL with History of Parish
St. Clare Catholic Community - Deltona, FL Parish History from 1989.
Holy Name of Jesus Parish -
St. Timothy - Lady Lake, FL
Church of the Resurrection -

3855 S. Florida Avenue - Lakeland, FL 33813
Phone: (863) 646-3556

St. Paul - Leesburg, FL with Parish History from 1915.
Nativity Catholic Church - Longwood, FL
Blessed Trinity Parish -

5 S.E. 17th St. - Ocala, FL 34471

Blessed Trinity Parish -

4545 E. Anderson Rd. - Orlando, FL 32812-7320 Phone: 407-277-1702

Holy Cross Parish -

12600 Marsfield Ave. - Orlando, FL 32837-8533

Holy Family -

5125 South Apopka-Vineland Rd. - Orlando, FL 32819

Phone: (407) 876-2211

Church of Our Savior -

5301 North Atlantic Avenue - Cocoa Beach, FL 32931
Phone: (321) 783-4554

St. Jude Maronite Catholic Community - Orlando, FL

(Eparchy (Diocese) of St. Maron, Brooklyn)

The Eparchy of St. Marion (Marionite) Parish Directory FL

Diocese of Palm Beach, Florida [est. 1984¹] with Parish Directory

The Diocese of Palm Beach encompasses the southeastern Florida counties of Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee, Palm Beach and St. Lucie.

Select the county of interest from the above list to see a list of the presently existing parishes in the order in which they were established throughout each county. Select the Palm Beach Diocesan Parish Directory and MAP to locate a parish by name or county location.

Palm Beach Diocesan Parish Directory and MAP.
Cathedral of Saint Ignatius Loyola Parish [Est. 1970] (Palm Beach County)

PALM BEACH County, Florida - in the Diocese of Palm Beach

St. Ann Parish [Est. 1895] (Palm Beach County)

Sacred Heart Parish [est. 1921] (Palm Beach County)

St. Edward Parish [Est. 1926] (Palm Beach County)

St. Vincent Ferrer Parish [Est. 1941] (Palm Beach county)

St. Francis of Assisi Parish [Est. 1948] (Palm Beach County)
St. Juliana Parish [Est. 1949] (Palm Beach County)

St. Mark Parish [Est. 1952] (Palm Beach county)
Holy Name of Jesus Parish [Est. 1954] (Palm Beach County)

St. Joan of Arc Parish [Est. 1959] (Palm Beach County)

St. Mary Parish [Est. 1960] (Palm Beach County)

St. Philip Benizi Parish [Est. 1960] (Palm Beach County)

St. Luke Parish [est. 1961] (Palm Beach County)

St. John Fisher Parish [Est. 1963] (Palm Beach County)

Cathedral of Saint Ignatius Loyola Parish [Est. 1970] (Palm Beach County)

St. Paul of the Cross Parish [est. 1970] (Palm Beach County)

St. Clare Parish [est. 1970] (Palm Beach County)

St. Thomas More Parish[Est. 1972] (Palm Beach county)

Mary Immaculate Parish [Est. 1974] (Palm Beach County)

Our Lady of Lourdes Parish [Est. 1977] (Palm Beach County)

St. Jude Parish [Est. 1979] (Palm Beach County)

St. Rita Parish [Est. 1979] (Palm Beach County)

St. Patrick Parish [Est. 1987] (Palm Beach County)

Our Lady Queen of the Apostles Parish [Est. 1988] (Palm Beach County)

Queen of Peace Catholic Cemetery in Royal Palm Beach Florida
St. John the Evangelist Parish [Est. 1992] (Palm Beach County)

St. Matthew Parish [Est. 1992] (Lantana, Palm Beach County)

St. Therese de Lisieux Parish (Palm Beach County)

INDIAN RIVER County, Florida - in the Diocese of Palm Beach

St. Helen Parish [Est. 1919] (Indian River county)

Holy Cross Parish [Est. 1981] (Indian River county)

St. Sebastian Parish [Est. 1981] (Indian River county)

St. John of the Cross Parish [Est. 1989] (Indian River county)

Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission [Est. 1992] (Indian River county)

MARTIN County, Florida - in the Diocese of Palm Beach

St. Joseph Parish [Est. 1916] (Martin county)

St. Christopher Parish [Est. 1960] (Martin county)

Holy Cross Parish [Est. 1960] (Martin county)

St. Martin de Porres Parish [Est. 1973] (Martin county)

Holy Redeemer Parish [Est. 1983] (Martin county)

St. Andrew Parish [Est. 1999] (Martin county)

OKEECHOBEE County, Florida - in the Diocese of Palm Beach

Sacred Heart Parish [Est. 1964] (Okeechobee county)

ST. LUCIE County, Florida - in the Diocese of Palm Beach

St. Anastasia Parish[Est. 1910] (St. Lucie county)

St. Lucie Parish[Est. 1964] (St. Lucie county)

St. Mark the Evangelist Parish [Est. 1972] (St. Lucie county)

Holy Family Parish[Est. 1987] (St. Lucie county)

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish [Est. 1993] (St. Lucie county)

Notre Dame Mission[Est. 1995] (St. Lucie county)

Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee [est. 1975¹] (official)
Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee, Florida (unofficial) Information.

The Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee encompasses the northwestern Florida counties of Bay, Calhoun, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Oakaloosa, Santa Rosa, Taylor, Wakulla, Walton and Washington. (Select the name of the county to go to the Diocese site for parishes in that county.)

Parish Directory (by county) and Diocese MAP.
Parish Directory (alphabetical by Parish/Church name).
The Cathedral of the Sacred Heart -
Co-Cathedral of St. Thomas More -
Our Lady of Victory Parish
St. Ann Parish
Most Holy Name of Jesus Parish
St. Vincent de Paul Parish
St. Margaret Parish
St. Dominic Parish

Diocese of St. Augustine (official) [est. 1870¹]

The Diocese of St. Augustine encompasses the northeastern Florida counties of Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Levy, Nassu, Putnam, St. Johns, Suwannee and Union.

"...On September 8, 1565, a small band of Spaniards celebrated Mass on the shores of North Florida in preparation for starting a settlement. They named their new home St. Augustine, which became the oldest permanent settlement in the United States and its Cathedral-Basilica serves the oldest parish. Records from as early as 1594 are preserved in the diocesan archives..." From Background Information and History of the Diocese of St. Augustine, 1996.

A new book about the History of the Diocese of St. Augustine, written by Charles Gallagher,

Ph.D., is also available for purchase.

St. Augustine Catholic Magazine

Parish Directory by City/Town including Missions and Military parishes.

Parishes by Deanery.

Cathedral-Basilica of St. Augustine founded 1565.
Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche and Mission Nombre de Dois

Shrine history

Kathleen Bagg-Morgan, Director of Communications

Diocese of St. Petersburg, Florida [est. 1968¹]

The Diocese of St. Petersburg encompasses the west central Florida counties of Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinella.

History of the Diocese of St. Petersburg - From Juan Ponce de Leon's initial discovery of Florida and Tampa Bay in 1513 and the Spanish explorers and the missionaries who accompanied them.
Catholic Parish Life on Florida's West Coast: author, Michael J. McNally - a book for sale at the Diocese of St. Petersburg Pastoral Center - P.O. Box 40200 - St. Petersburg, FL 33743
Parish Directory
Cathedral of St. Jude - 5875 Fifth Ave. N. - St. Petersburg, FL 33710
St. Cecelia Parish Clearwater, FL
St. Thomas the Apostle - E-mail: frdab@hitter.com
St. Matthew Parish - 9111 - 90th Ave. N. - Largo, FL 33777
St. Thomas Aquinas - E-Mail: st_thomas@catholic.org
Transfiguration Parish - 4000 43rd N. - St. Petersburg, FL 33714
St. Therese of Lisieux Byzantine Catholic - History
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini - 5030 Mariner Blvd. - Spring Hill, FL 34609
Christ the King - Tampa, FL
Incarnation Parish - 5124 Gateway Drive - Tampa, FL 33615.
Sacred Heart Church & Academy -
St. Mary Parish [est. 1966] - 15520 North Blvd. - Tampa, FL 33613.
St. Paul Parish - Tampa, FL.
St. Timothy Parish - 4015 Ragg Rd. - Tampa, FL 33624
St. Ignatius of Antioch -
St. Stephen Parish - 5049 Bell Shoals Rd. - Valrico, FL 33594

Diocese of Venice (Florida) [est. 1984¹] (Official)

The Diocese of Venice encompasses the southwestern Florida counties of Charlotte, Collier, De Soto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Lee, Manatee and Sarasota.

Parish Directory by Parish name
Parish Directory by City
Epiphany Cathedral - 320 Tampa Avenue West - Venice, FL 34284

St. Paul's Parish - [est. 1885] - 1208 East Oak St. - Arcadia, FL 34266

Byzantine Catholic

The Apostolic Exarchate Armenian-Rite for the U.S. & Canada in New York (Venerable Exarch.: Hovhannes Terzakian, 1995)

Eparchy of Our Lady of Deliverance of Newark of the Syrians: Syriac Catholic Diocese for Syrians in the U. S. and Canada (Chorbishop Joseph Younan appointed as the first Bishop of this diocese in 1995)

Saint Ephrem (Syrian Rite)
St. Ephrem Syriac Catholic Mission -

Eparchy of Saint Thomas the Apostle Chaldean Diocese - U.S.A.

The Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Archparchy of Pittsburgh (Ruthenian, Hungarian and Croatian)

Eparchy of Passaic (Byzantine-Ruthenian) Parish Directory ( FL )

Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel

Other Sites of Interest
St. Therese of Lisieux Byzantine-Ruthenian Catholic - History

The Eastern Catholic Church - a short explaination and a calendar of the 12 Great Feasts of the Year.
1999 Byzantine Calendar

The Byzantine Catholic Church in America (unofficial)

Eparchy of Passaic (official)

The Eparchy of St. Maron (Maronite) Parish Directory FL

The Eparchy of Newton (Melkite Greek)

Parishes and Geographic Locations

Some Questions Answered or Educational and Reference materials to learn about the Melkite-Greek rite

St. Jude - 126 SE Fifteenth Road, Miami, FL 33129

For more information on the Byzantine Catholic Churches in the United States Click here to return to Main Local Catholic Byzantine Links

Catholic Cemeteries

Queen of Peace Catholic Cemetery in Royal Palm Beach Florida

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Historical Research of Catholic Churches & Ancestors
Florida

Spanish Conquistadors in North America (De Soto from 1539)
Catholic History of Cuba, by Ventura Fuentes, from The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume IV, 1908, by Robert Appleton Company, Online Edition, 1999 by Kevin Knight.
Catholic History of the Diocese of Havana, by Juan Alvarez, from The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume VII, 1910, by Robert Appleton Company, Online Edition, 1999 by Kevin Knight.

Catholic History of Louisiana, by Alcea Fortier, from The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume IX, 1910, by Robert Appleton Company, Online Edition, 1999 by Kevin Knight.
Catholic History of the Diocese of New Orleans, by Alcea Fortier, from The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume IX, 1910, by Robert Appleton Company, Online Edition, 1999 by Kevin Knight.

Diocese of Baltimore [Maryland, U.S.A.]

Diocese of Linares [Monterey / Nuevo Leon, Mexico]

Archdiocese of Durango [Mexico]

Catholic History in Florida, by James Veale, from The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume VI, 1908, by Robert Appleton Company, Online Edition, 1999 by Kevin Knight.

Cuba

Havana

Louisiana

Havana

Savannah

The Catholic Church In Georgia: A History from 1790 on the web site of Archdiocese of Atlanta) "...Florida was detached in 1969 to become the Province of Miami..."
See: Local Catholic History & Genealogy Guides for

+ Louisiana + Georgia + Cuba + Spain + France +

Catholic History in Georgia, by Jarvis Keiley, from The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume VI, 1909, by Robert Appleton Company, Online Edition, 1999 by Kevin Knight.

Savannah

Cathedral-Basilica of St. Augustine founded 1565
Catholic Parish Life on Florida's West Coast: author, Michael J. McNally - a book for sale at the Diocese of St. Petersburg Pastoral Center
Catholic Southwest: A Journal of Catholic History and Cultural experience in the southwest. The title below is an example of the interesting and academic articles on this site!

Church Courts, Marriage Breakdown, and Separation In Spanish Louisiana, West Florida, and Texas, By Light Townsend Cummins.

Brief History of the Diocese of St. Augustine founded in 1870
Archdiocese of Miami History
A Brief History of the Catholic Church in Bay County, FL
The Florida Catholic
Spanish Language Catholic Internet Sites / Sitios Católicos en el Internet en Español. - Compilado por: Philip M. O'Neill, Theology and Philosophy Librarian, Barry University Miami Shores, Florida, 1999.
History of the Diocese of St. Augustine, written by Charles Gallagher,Ph.D.,
Augustine Diocesan Archives and Links
Former Bishops of the Diocese of Augustine
Locate Catholic Churches and Mass Times in the United States - for Florida

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Catholic Biographies
If you know of a web site for a biography of a Catholic with a Florida connection, please let me know.

Former Bishops of the Diocese of Augustine

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Local Florida History, Genealogy and Directory Links

Official Cities (unofficial) for Florida by Kevin & Tamie Hyde
The State of Florida (Government).
Florida Office of Vital Statistics:
How to get copies of certificates of birth, death, marriage, or divorce in Florida.

Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research
Florida Conquest Trails by Donald E. Sheppard
Florida's Historic Places Atlas
Florida History Timeline from 1497
The Floridians: A Social History of Florida - an interactive Florida history text book

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Contact: Webweaver

I am voluntarily creating this site as a helpful guide to researching the history of the local Catholic Churches and to help genealogists who are researching Catholic ancestors in this geographic area.
Though links to this page for Catholic Church, genealogical, historical research and non-profit use are encouraged, please do not download the page without requesting permission since it contains copyright protected material.
If you have a suggestion, find an error, or have a site that you believe will be helpful, please let me know. --Ann Mensch

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Copyright 1998, 1999, 2000-2006, by Ann Mensch. All Rights Reserved.
References used include:

¹1990 Catholic Almanac. Felician A. Foy, O.F. M. (Editor), Rose M. Avato (Associate Editor). Huntington: Our Sunday Visitory Publishing Division, Our Sunday Visitor, Inc.
and
1998 Catholic Almanac. Felician A. Foy, O.F. M. and Rose M. Avato (Editors and Compilers). Huntington: Our Sunday Visitory Publishing Division, Our Sunday Visitor, Inc.

²New Advent, Inc. From the Catholic Encyclopedia, copyright © 1913 by the Encyclopedia Press, Inc. Electronic version copyright © 1997 by New Advent, Inc. (A Catholic Web Site transcribing The Catholic Encyclopedia: an International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline and History of the Catholic Church. Herbermann, Pace, et al. (Editors). Imprint: Appleton (New York) 1907-1912.)

Information learned from the web sites for the Archdioceses, Dioceses, and Catholic Church.

List:

Archdiocese of Miami (Florida) [Diocese est. 1958, Archdiocese 1968¹]

   Diocese of Orlando (Florida)   [est. 1968¹]
   Diocese of Palm Beach (Florida)   [est. 1984¹]
   Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee (Florida)   [est. 1975¹]
   Diocese of St. Augustine (Florida)   [est. 1870¹]
   Diocese of St. Petersburg (Florida)   [est. 1968¹]
   Diocese of Venice (Florida)   [est. 1984¹]