The media are invited to attend the Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg’s 50th Anniversary Mass, which will be celebrated on Saturday, June 16, 2018 at 11 a.m. at the Cathedral of St. Jude the Apostle (5816 5th Ave. N., St. Petersburg). Because of the reverence that is maintained during a liturgical ceremony, media will have limited access. Media should enter the Cathedral at the doors on the southwest side of the building (facing 5th Ave. N.) and check in with Teresa Peterson, the Executive Director of Communications.

Due to limited seating, the Anniversary Mass will be a ticketed event and is not open to the public. However, the Anniversary Mass will be live video streamed online and broadcast on radio for those who cannot attend in person.

About the Anniversary Mass:

  • Archbishop Christopher Pierre, the pope’s ambassador to the United States (known as an Apostolic Nuncio), has confirmed that he will be attending.
  • Bishop Gregory Parkes will be the principal celebrant.
  • Bishop Emeritus Robert Lynch will deliver the homily.
  • Five other bishops will also be in attendance.
  • Priests, sisters, deacons, seminarians, teachers, administrators, parishioners and other representatives from ministries throughout the Diocese of St. Petersburg will be in attendance.
  • Banners that represent each of the Diocese’s 81 parishes and missions will be on display to highlight diocesan unity across our five counties of Pinellas, Hillsborough, Citrus, Pasco and Hernando.
  • The Mass will include a reading in Spanish. Also, the Prayers of the Faithful will include petitions in seven different languages: Portuguese, English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Polish, Korean and Tagalog.
  • Bishop Parkes will bless a newly unveiled mosaic at the Cathedral of St. Jude the Apostle that depicts Father Juan Xuarez’s landing in St. Petersburg in 1528. The Spanish missionary priest was the first Catholic bishop who was appointed to serve in the United States. The mosaic was created by Tampa artist, Anne Marie Kearney of JapaStudios Mosaics.

Additional Information:

  • The Pinellas County Commission has recognized June 17, 2018 as Diocese of St. Petersburg Day.
  • On June 17, 1968, a Mass was celebrated at the Cathedral of St. Jude the Apostle to establish the Diocese of St. Petersburg and to install the area’s first Bishop, Most Reverend Charles B. McLaughlin.

For more information, contact Teresa Peterson at 407-432-1974 or by e-mail: tlp@dosp.org.

To learn about the history of the Diocese of St. Petersburg, visit www.dosp.org/diocesan-history.

About the Diocese of St. Petersburg

The Diocese of St. Petersburg is comprised of over 470,000 Catholics and includes 74 parishes, 7 missions, 48 schools and early childhood centers, and a variety of social service, health care, housing and pastoral ministries located within the five counties of Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando and Citrus. Mass is celebrated in 12 languages and we are led by our fifth bishop, Most Reverend Gregory Parkes who was installed on January 4, 2017.