Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee history

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.

1851 St John Parish was formed in Warrington near the Pensacola Navy Yard and St Patrick Parish began in Apalachicola.

In 1864, Catholics in Lexington again collected funds to give their new pastor, Reverend John H. Bekkers, for the purchase of land on which to build a new church to accommodate the growing congregation.

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.

Bishop Portier established the first parish school and, by 1870, 100 pupils were enrolled at St Michael Academy.

1877 The Sisters of Mercy arrived to staff St Michael School, Pensacola, and in the following year, they opened St John School, Warrington.

Construction of the church and residence began early in 1880 and on April 29th, 1880, the cornerstone was laid by Archbishop Alemany.

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.

Lawrence Breslin the first pastor of St Paul's circa 1887

Construction began in 1897, took fourteen-years to complete, and was built on a pay as you go formula.

Bishop Ricard resigned due to health issues on March 11, 2011, and is the first bishop emeritus of Pensacola. It was then maintained for special occasions and reestablished as the site of St Peter Parish in 1909.

The Sisters returned in 1915 when Sacred Heart Hospital was founded.

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 StElizabeth 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.

1975 The Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee was established on November 6, by dividing the Diocese of Saint Augustine, which consisted of 35 counties.

1983 In July, Bishop Rene H. Gracida was transferred to the Diocese of Corpus Christi, Texas.

1984 In October, the new Dioceses of Palm Beach and Venice were established in South Florida.

1990 On June 2, Bishop J. Keith Symons was appointed second Bishop of Palm Beach where he was installed on July 31, 1990.

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.

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.

With the contractor selected, the Church closed in January of 2000 and the work began.

Bishop Ricard resigned due to health issues on March 11, 2011, and is the first bishop emeritus of Pensacola.

Corpus Christi 2014 Blessing Downtown and the City of Lexington

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.

Eleven missions were raised to the status of parishes during the last seven years here. updated April 24, 2021