Our Lady of the Rosary at 2348 Collier Parkway, Land O Lakes, FL 34639 US - Profile and History of OLOR...

On October 5, 1952, the newly-formed community of Our Lady of the Rosary celebrated its first Mass at the VFW Hall on U.S. 41 in Lutz (now Land O' Lakes). It would be nearly six years before the community built its own church building, with the help of local contributors and the guidance of men like Fr. James Hoge, Fr. Cassian Foley, and Fr. Michael Leap, all members of the Benedictine Order at St. Leo Abbey. That building was located near the southwest corner of U.S. 41 and State Road 54. From that point in 1958, Land O' Lakes witnessed steady growth, as Tampa spread further northward. In 1979, a parish center was built to accommodate parish social functions. From 1973 to 1994, Fr. Stephen Dambrauskas pastored the flock of Our Lady of the Rosary, witnessing an increase from about 100 families to 700! In July 1994, Fr. Ronald Aubin took over the reins after Fr. Steve's retirement. From the beginning, Fr. Ron saw the need to plan for future expansion of the parish to keep up with that of Land O' Lakes, Wesley Chapel and Lutz. On the feast of the Assumption, August 15, 1998, Fr. Ron and several hundred members of the parish blessed the new parish property and broke ground on a 27-acre site on Collier Parkway, just north of State Route 54. On November 17, 1999, more than 860 members and visitors attended a Mass of Dedication, as Most Rev. Robert N. Lynch, Bishop of St. Petersburg, presided over the ceremony. From its humble beginnings in 1952, Our Lady of the Rosary has enjoyed more than 50 years of ministry to the people of South-Central Pasco County, and has grown to over 1700 families, with more subdivisions being planned near our parish property. May God bless us with many more years of service to our brothers and sisters in the Diocese of St. Petersburg!

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