A LITTLE ABOUT ST. LUCIE CATHOLIC CHURCH
On August 20, 1961, within four city blocks of our present church, Monsignor Michael Beerhalter, Pastor of St. Anastasia Parish, Fort Pierce offered Mass in Port Saint Lucie at the home of Mr. and Mrs. George Petit. Within two months, Sunday Masses moved to the Port Saint Lucie Marina due to the increase of Catholics in the region.
By late summer of 1963, General Development Corporation was offering acreage on the three corners of the intersection of Prima Vista Boulevard and Irving Street for three churches. Msgr. Beerhalter purchased five acres of land, our present parish site, and broke ground for what he called a "Mission Church" on February 26, 1964. Bishop Coleman F. Carroll, Bishop of Miami, assigned Father Gerard J. Manning as Pastor of St. Lucie Parish on May 26, 1964, and formally defined the boundaries of the new parish in an official decree on October 18 of the same year.
On Sunday, May 30, 1965 Bishop Carroll encircled the newly erected St. Lucie Catholic Church with some 250 parishioners in a simple fashion to dedicate and open the church to its congregation. The church had been built at a cost of nearly $60,000. The first Mass in the new building had been celebrated on the previous Easter Sunday, April 18.
As the City of Port Saint Lucie grew, so did our Parish and in 1982 a decision was made to raze the existing church and build a new one on the site. The Parish Education Building (where the Father Hickey Center Parish Hall stands today) served as the church during the 13 months of construction. On Saturday afternoon, following reception of the Certificate of Occupancy, May 19, 1984, Mass was celebrated in the new church building for the first time. On Pentecost Sunday afternoon, June 10, 1984, Bishop Thomas Grady solemnly dedicated the new church during a special Mass at 4:00 p.m.
Today, 50 plus years later, St. Lucie is home to more than 2,700 families. Countless marriages, baptisms, communions, confirmations and funerals have taken place within her church walls. Numerous church ministries, a soup kitchen and a very active religious education program and an active youth group all are part of our vibrant community of faith.
As you browse through our website, we hope you will discover what an wonderful parish St. Lucie has become. And like the saying goes "The best is yet to come!"