ST. PATRICKS CELEBRATES ITS GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY
On Sunday morning I joined a full church at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in South Tampa in thanking Almighty God for their fifty years as a parish faith community. Begun in 1958, St. Patrick’s along with Christ the King have been the only two parishes on the South Tampa peninsula (not counting Our Lady of the Bay which is located at McDill Air Force Base and comes under the Archdiocese of the Military Services). Begun by Father David Cronin who served as first pastor for less than a year, the real “founder” is our own Monsignor John Scully who was able not only to be present but to concelebrate the Mass with us. After a series of diocesan pastors, the parish was placed in the hands of the Franciscan Fathers, Third Order Regular who continue to provide the priestly presence. It was a great day for Father Angelus Migliore, OFM, TOR and his brothers and they were and should be very proud.
The parish has just completed a renovation of its entrance to the property off Manhatten Avenue which was badly needed and adds a monumental aspect to the parish plant which is located to the rear of the property and as such is hard to see from the street. Also present on the property is Patrician Arms, a retirement residence for the elderly.
With hymns and prayers to Jesus Christ our Sovereign King, St. Patrick’s marked its first fifty years and set its sights very clearly and determinedly on the next half century. It is a family parish with a family atmosphere and has, I think, truly a “Florida Bright Future.”
This is also the second week anniversary of the beginning of this blog. Around 1000 visitors have logged in to view the ramblings and musings of this bishop, which absolutely amazes me. The opportunity to “comment” is returning today and I personally read all the comments and consider them proper to myself. From time to time, however, I am sure I will answer some of the very good questions which come to me through the comments. Thanks for reading!
Tags: Blog, Mass, Parish Visit