Notes on the Catholic Church in Florida, 1565-1876” by the Very Rev. Henry Clavreul, V.G. (SSJ, Box D, 100.0)
Brief History of the Churches of the Diocese of St. Augustine, Florida Part 1, St. Leo, FL, Abbey Press, page
11-12
This book is bounded with Father Clavreul
“Notes on the Catholic Church” It contains a brief history of St. Paul’s
Church in Pablo Beach. The building was erected in 1890 and the mission was started under the auspices of Bishop Kenny, then
pastor and only priest in Jacksonville. The church was only opened during the summer until 1921 when it became a year round
church offering mass in the winter months twice a month. During the summer many people from Jacksonville took the train
to the beach and before going swimming
attended mass at the mission church. The church did not have a full time priest assigned to it. Visiting pastors from South
Jacksonville and visiting pastors from the north who come to Jacksonville on vacation serviced it. Nearby was the Summer House
of the diocesan Sisters of St. Joseph.
Part two, page 45
St. Paul-by- the- Sea became a catholic
parish on July 6, 1923 when the Rt. Rev. Patrick Barry, S.T.D., Bishop of St. Augustine named this resort a parish and appointed
Rev. Dennis J. O’Keeffe as its first resident pastor. Father O’Keeffe had been an assistant to Rev. P.J. Bresnahan
of the Assumption Parish in South Jacksonville attending the Pablo Beach and Mayport missions
Part three contains Father Henry Peter
Clavreul’s diary
Page 65
Aug.22, 1866
St. John’s Bar, Mayport, give the
last sacraments to Ignatio Andreu, and perform the marriage of James Arnau and Antonia Fatio.
Page 168
May 14, 1866
Towards the end of June I went on the
mission to visit Mandarin, Jacksonville, St. John’s Bar (Mayport) and Fernandina, staying about a week in each place
and giving confirmation and ordering repairs and improvements rendered necessary by the war.
Part Six
Page 174
After Easter 1871 Bishop Verot visited
St. Johns as part of his visitation of the diocese
Page 147 Catholic Directory 1859
Mentions St. John’s Beach
and Diego as other stations attended occasionally by the priests
Handwritten Notebook/Journal
St. Johns Church, Mayport
Feb. 12, 1893 –July 28, 1895 -
Father Foley
Aug. 25, 1895 – July 28, 1902 –
Father Barry
Aug 1902 – Oct. 1902 –Father
O’ Reilly
Oct. 1902 – March 1903 Father Albert
11th Oct. 1903 – Jan.
13, 1907 Rev. J. Neman (?)
This journal describes the life at the
Mission Church in Mayport from 1893 to 1907. The visiting priest would make notes on his visit including how many masses were
said, how much was the offering, the holy days and patron saints days, and in some instances the sacramental acts performed
ex.: marriages, confirmations. There is mention of a parish register but as of this day the register has not be found. What
follows is a summary of the journal entries.
1893
Father Foley visits in 1893 once a month
on Feb., April, May, June and September. Says mass, teaches Sunday school, first communion classes, confirmation classes,
performs marriages, and hears confessions. Keeps track of the offerings. Seems to stay in Mayport a couple of days and says
Mass in private residences.
1894
Father Foley visits once a month every
month. There are notes on the feasts, masses, notices, sermon titles, etc. Seems to stay until Tuesday every time.
1895
Visit every month. Interesting note on
April 28th; “The bell hereafter will be rung three times every day at the Angelus: 3 times a day for Mass
or Sunday morning services: twice for S.S. and Vespers”
On June 23: “Services on Sundays
hereafter until further notice will begin at 8AM, when the priest is absent- low mass at nine when he is here.”
No notes for July
On August 25th, 1895 (P. Barry
1st visit)
On Sept. 22 – visit of Father Kenny
1896
May 31 – Father Kenny visited
Two visits in June, no August visit
1897
Father Kenny visited
June 27th – Father Faget
(?) visited – no notes for that day in the journal
Sept. 23rd -Father Kenny visited
– “I said the first mass on the new altar for the repose of the soul of A.V. Mickler”
Christmas Day –“raining heavily
all day, only 14 persons at Mass”
1898
Jan 23 – Father Kenny
Visits through June, then stop, commenced
again in October
1899
April 23 – Receipts of fair - $50.01
(ice cream, supper and grab bag, butter dish, organ, lemonade and bowl, donation by Mrs. Gavagan, $5.00)
August 28th – “baptism
of Leo, Earnest and Carlotta, children of Louis Thomas (see register)”!!!!!
“Notes- This mission was attended
on the fourth Sunday of June, July and August by the Jesuit Fathers Faget and Moore – in June by Fr. P. Faget, in July
by Fr. Moore. W.J. Kenny”
Sept. 24, 1899
“This mission was solemnly consecrated
to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the 14th Sunday after Pentecost 8-27-99. W.J. Kenny”
1900
May 27th receipts from fair$60.92
Dec. 23
“Mission during week beginning
Dec. 16th and ending Friday evening Dec. 21st given by Rev. Fr. Jn. B. Harney”
1901
Monthly visits to the parish continue
1902
Monthly visit to the parish continue
1903
Easter Sunday, on or after March 22,
visit by Fr. O’Reilly
1904
“Father O’Reilly took
my place March 13th”
March 27th
“Father O’Reilly took my
place during interim” next notation is on May 22nd, same handwriting as March, seems Father O’Reilly
did not make any entries on the journal
May 28th
“First Communion Saturday, 4 boys
and 3 girls whose names are in register” !!!
“On 4th Sunday of August
mass at Pablo unless other arrangements can be made – will notify”
Before Oct. 23rd notation
– “visited by Fr. O’Reilly”
1905
March 26th III Sunday in Lent
– Fr. B O’Reilly attended
April 23rd
“Father O’Reilly took my
place on Easter Sunday”
On June 11th handwriting changes
but there is no mention of a change in priest
Sept 24th “The banns
of matrimony are published… between James Lewis Gavagan… and Jeanette Gordon”
Oct. 22
Change of handwriting to pre June 11th
script
1906
Feb. 25 Mayport not attended
July 22nd change of handwriting
August 26
“ The next visit we (will) be on
the 4th Sunday in August as the priest visits Pablo on the 2nd Sunday of August…”Father
Bresnahan
(It seems that starting on July 22nd
Father Bresnahan is the one keeping the journal. He continues to serve the congregation at Pablo and at Mayport)
Sept 23
“Banns 1st and last
of marriage between Benjamin Strickland (non catholic) and Leonora Torrible”
Last two pages of journal Father Neman
and father Bresnahan take turns writing in the diary. Last entry was on January 13, 1907
Last page has the list of confirmands
for March 11th, 1897
A copy of this page and the title
page for the journal is attached
During my visit to the Sister’s
Archives I also viewed the following books:
Death White and Colored 1809 – 1882 Vol. II
No mention of Pablo or Mayport
St. Michael’s, Fernandina
Register of Baptisms, Confirmations, First Communions, marriages and deaths. Vol. II 1869- 1878
No mention of Pablo or Mayport
Baptisms White 1861-1881 VI
Most of the baptisms are recorded in
Latin. There is mentioned of people living in Jacksonville at the time they were baptized. I would need names of people that
were living in Mayport at that time in order to determine if they were baptized and if their baptisms were recorded in this
book.
Baptisms Colored 1848 to 1885 Vo. IV St. Augustine’s Church
Same as above, combination of records
in Latin and English, mentions people living Picolata
White marriages 1836-1882 Volume III
No mention of marriages performed outside
of St. Augustine
