submitted by Tom Madden
For the past 16 years, there has been a sign in front of an old orange grove on the west side of Highway 27 some four miles north of Highway 192 in the Four Corners area. This field was to become the home of St. Faustina Catholic Church. Years passed, signs were tattered by storms and replaced as needed. On February 4th the community of St. Faustina will gather at the new church building on that site for the first time.
St. Faustina parishioners have worshiped in different temporary locations. The first Mass was held in the ballroom of the Westgate Inn on Highway 192 in September of 2006 with 64 people attending. Later that year the parish found a temporary home in the building formerly occupied by Homer’s BBQ on Highway 27 just north of Highway 192, a facility that had a capacity of 125 in two rooms. In 2010 the congregation moved to a strip mall site on Highway 192. Even with capacity at 249, it was often “standing room only” with four English Masses and one Spanish Mass being celebrated each weekend and an additional two Masses during the winter. Late in 2015, the parish moved to space at the Glenwood Commons Center on Highway 27. Parishioners faithfully continued to contribute to a construction fund that slowly grew to a point where construction could finally begin.
Last January ground was broken for a permanent building that would house the parish whose membership now exceeds 1,200. Passers-by have seen the Church take shape; the muted red color of the building stands out among the various housing developments along Highway 27. This color, in addition to the church style and the architecture, reflects the churches in Poland where St. Faustina, patron of the parish resided. The Parish is the first in the United States named for this Polish saint.
In recent weeks the final touches including the landscaping have been applied and the Church is now ready to welcome Catholics who reside in the Four Corners area and south Clermont. Bishop John Noonan, leader of the Diocese of Orlando, will bless the new Church and celebrate the first Mass on Saturday, February 4th at 10:00 am. All Catholics and others in the community will be welcomed for daily and a full slate of weekend Masses under the direction of Father Ramon Bolatete, Pastor since 2018. The journey has been long but that old sign has finally been replaced by a permanent new sign and a beautiful Church building. St. Faustina Catholic Church is located at 15551 N. Boggy Marsh Road, Clermont 34714.
See video and details by visiting St. Faustina Catholic Church.
Visit the website – www.stfaustina.org for additional information.
