St. Mary of the Lakes Catholic Community at 218 Oklawaha Avenue, Eustis, FL 32726-4840 US - Our Heritage of the Past
Our Heritage of the PastThe history of St. Mary of the Lakes began with the arrival of the first Catholic, Mr. C. Megargee, to Eustis in 1890. Mr. Megargee and Mr. J.J. Ott, who arrived in 1896, had to travel to Sanford for Mass. The trip was approximately 40 miles round trip.
In 1906, Eustis was established as a station out of Orlando, and the first Mass was celebrated in the home of Mr. Megargee by Msgr. Michael Fox.
In 1911, the Catholic community had grown in Eustis, and it was established as a mission of All Souls Church in Sanford. On September 22, 1911, the first cornerstone of St. Mary of the Lakes was placed. The Church held 50 parishioners. St Mary of the Lakes was dedicated on January 28, 1912, by Bishop Kenny.
In 1927, Fr. W. Humphries was appointed as the first resident pastor. In June of 1936, Fr. Doyle, Pastor, enlarged the church to seat 300 people. The expansion included the removal of the stained glass window depicting the Holy Family's Flight into Egypt and placing it over the altar.
On June 17, 1954, with approximately 150 registered families, St. Mary of the Lakes was raised to the status of a Parish.
The church continued to grow and to prosper. Construction of a new church was necessary and it began in 1977. Under the leadership of Fr. M. Hannon, it was finished and dedicated in 1979. The unique Spanish architecture (shaped like a dove) and the side placement, on a knoll, allowed for the Rectory and Parish Hall to be integral parts of the structure. Also included at the base of the knoll was a grotto with a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
In 1986, Fr. Antonio Pons, our first Spanish priest, assumed the pastorship of the Parish. Under his leadership, a Parish Center and a Rectory were completed in 1988.
Msgr. Manuel Fernandez replaced Fr. Pons in 1992. Msgr. Fernandez initiated an outreach to the migrant workers by meeting them and holding Mass at one of their homes. In 1993, a Spanish Mass was added to the weekend schedule. In 1994, the Hispanic Office was opened for the Hispanic and other migrants. In 1999, the present office building was erected on Ocklawaha Avenue, and a waterfall was added to the grotto at the front entrance of the Church.
In December of 2008, the properties at 722 and 728 S. Grove Street, across from the church were purchased. The 722 property was renovated after the decision was made to open a Free Medical Clinic due to the generosity of several doctors in the area to help the needy of the area who have no insurance. This free medical and dental clinic is a project of St. Mary of the Lakes in cooperation with St. Patrick's Community. This project was given approval by the diocese under the umbrella of Catholic Charities of Central Florida. The property at 728 was converted into a Thrift Shop. The opening for both of these facilities took place in May of 2010 after the official dedication on May 2 by Archbishop Thomas Wenski.
In August of the same year, Msgr. Fernandez decided to retire from his administrative duties. The parish was delighted to welcome Fr. Gilbert Medina who was appointed Parochial Administrator on September 1st.
Several unique things can be said about St. Mary of the Lakes:
- The Parish boundaries included most of Lake County in 1954.
- St. Patrick in Mount Dora, Blessed Sacrament in Clermont and St. Francis of Assisi in Apopka were previous missions of St. Mary of the Lakes.
- The visual tie of today's faith community and that of the first church building is the stained glass window of the Holy Family's Flight into Egypt, which was salvaged from the original church and is now placed on the wall behind the present altar.
The following priests guided the destiny of St. Mary of the Lakes from 1906-1927:
- Fr. M. Fox
- Fr. P. Bresnehan
- F. J. J. O’Riordan
- Fr. M. J. Farley
- Fr. M. J. St. John
CHRONOLOGY OF RESIDENT PASTORS AT ST. MARY OF THE LAKES
- 1927-1933 Fr. William Humphries
- 1933-1940 Fr. Patrick J. Doyle
- 1940-1944 Fr. William O’ Farrell
- 1944-1950 Fr. John F. McKeown
- 1950-1952 Fr. William O’Farrell
- 1952-1955 Fr. Charles C. Anderson
- 1955-1957 Fr. Joseph P. Daley
- 1957-1964 Fr. Michael M. Reynolds
- 1964-1969 Fr. William J. Trainor
- 1969-1986 Fr. Michael J. Hannon
- 1986-1992 Fr. Antonio M. Pons
- 1992-2010 Msgr. Manuel A. Fernandez
- 2010-Present Fr. Gilbert Medina