The brief history of Holy Redeemer Catholic Church is founded on LOVE. The very name, Holy Redeemer, given to this parish in Palm City, Florida, embodies LOVE. God so LOVED his people that he sent Jesus Christ to save them from sin. And Christ so LOVED us that he gave His life to redeem us from sin.
From the inception of Holy Redeemer, the people of the parish, under the spiritual leadership of the founding pastor, Reverend Bernard F. Powell, Pastor Emeritus, Reverend Martin B. Mulqueen and current Pastor, Reverend Martin L. Dunne III have been returning Christ’s LOVE. They have sacrificed in order to provide a fitting Church in which to show their LOVE of God through prayer and worship and they have sacrificed to provide the other facilities required for LOVING service to their neighbors.
Caring LOVE is the Christian attribute that best describes this parish, and this narrative endeavors to capture this LOVE by reflection on activities during over 40 years of the parish’s existence.
The Story of a Christian Community
Holy Redeemer Catholic Church was established by the Most Reverend Edward A. McCarthy, Archbishop of Miami, in mid 1983, to serve the small but growing Catholic population in the Palm City area. The Archbishop appointed the Reverend Bernard F.Powell as founding pastor of the new church, effective September 1, 1983.
Initially the parish consisted of 77 families but had no physical facilities to house the typical Christian community activities.
In the early days of Holy Redeemer, Mass was conducted wherever space could be found. The first Masses were celebrated by Father Powell on September 3 and 4, 1983, outdoors, on the grounds of the then-Chapman School of Seamanship. Various parishioners opened their homes for daily Mass.
Arrangements were soon made for indoor Masses and the first Saturday p.m. Mass was celebrated in the Palm City Civic Center on September 24, 1983. Sunday Masses were celebrated at Palm City Elementary School. Also, on September 25, with 19 volunteer teachers, a Religious Education Program for 114 children was initiated.
Shortly thereafter, on October 10, the congregation met to form a Steering Committee to develop the committees and programs necessary for the activities of the parish and also to lay plans for fundraising for a multi-purpose Parish Center.
One of the earliest efforts was the establishment of an Outreach program to aid those in need. Through the generosity of the founding parishioners, Outreach was able to provide food, clothing and toys to 30 area families at Christmastime, 1983, just a scant three months after the parish was founded.
One of the first committees established was a Social Committee whose initial meeting in early November led to the first parish-wide social, a family Thanksgiving picnic-brunch held on November 27, at Palm City Elementary School after the 9:30 a.m. Mass.
Plans were quickly in place for raising funds for the construction of a multi-purpose Parish Center, and the Holy Redeemer community moved forward with impressive speed. On Easter Sunday, April 22, 1984, following the 9:30 a.m. Mass, ground was broken for the new Parish Center. It was completed in time for Christmas of 1984.
Angelo Gheradi
From a Multi-Purpose Parish Center to a Real Church 1985-1992
Although the parish would initially have to make do with a single facility to serve its spiritual and religious education activities as well as its administrative needs and volunteer and social programs, Father Powell believed that Palm City and Holy Redeemer would grow rapidly. He felt that the Parish Center would only meet Holy Redeemer’s needs for a short time and that within a very few years additional building would be necessary. Therefore, the Parish Center was designed to accommodate expansion in an evolutionary manner in order to minimize future building costs.
Just as Father Powell anticipated, Holy Redeemer grew rapidly. Each year saw a significant increase in families registered, with nearly 1,000 families by the eighth anniversary in September, 1991. Because the Parish Center could only seat 350 for Mass, the schedules for Mass had to be continually expanded; by the time the new church was started in April, 1992, there were two Masses Saturday afternoons and four on Sunday mornings, with standing room only at most Masses. Clearly a separate, larger building was required for Holy Redeemer’s spiritual needs.
Religious Education programs also had to be expanded. By the beginning of classes in September, 1992, the program had 261 children enrolled, with 30 teachers conducting 19 classes weekly. Here, too, crowding was obvious. The spaces used as classrooms were also being used for meetings of the volunteer groups, with much rearranging of furniture and facilities. Moreover, audio-visual equipment and other teaching aids were sorely lacking.
All of the administrative and volunteer program office activities, including Father Powell’s office, were housed in four cramped spaces; and parish needs were difficult to meet under such crowded circumstances.
Social activities used the same space where daily and weekend Masses were held necessitating continual set-up and take-down work.
All during this rapid expansion, parishioners continued with the spirit of generosity that permitted construction of the Parish Center so soon after the establishment of Holy Redeemer. Consequently, the mortgage on the Parish Center was fully paid by March, 1990 and planning for a separate church building was begun almost immediately.
Again the parishioners’ generosity and commitment was put to the test to meet stringent Diocesan requirements for cash-in-hand before construction could commence. Once more rising to the occasion, ground-breaking took place on April 8, 1992; and a beautiful new church building was completed in time for the Children’s Mass on Christmas Eve, 1992.
New Church Dedicated on Palm Sunday 1993
Completion of certain aspects of the church remained to be accomplished during the first quarter of 1993. Plans for the dedication ceremony were made; and on Palm Sunday, April 4, 1993, the Most Reverend J. Keith Symons, Bishop of the Diocese of Palm Beach, officiated at the dedication of the new church.
Bishop Symons told the parishioners, “Like Solomon’s joy in the Temple of old and the sacrifices the Jews made to build their Temple, it is the sacrifices of the people of Holy Redeemer Parish that have made possible the completion of this facility for the worship of almighty God and the joyful dedication we celebrate this afternoon.”
“This church gives you a facility that expresses outwardly the inner faith that you have. From here we leave renewed, recharged, as we reach out in the true spirit of Christ to others whom we meet in our everyday lives.” Bishop Symons said.
At that time, just 10 years after its founding, Holy Redeemer was a loving caring Christian community of over 1,200 families with extensive volunteer efforts involving 550 parishioners and an impressive physical plant for the many parish activities.
About the Artist
The liturgical artist responsible for the interior design features of the church was Angelo Gheradi of Park Ridge, Illinois. Since 1948, Mr. Gheradi has designed liturgical settings, mosaic works, stained glass windows and renovations for more than 300 churches.
Gheradi was born in Chicago in 1924 and returned to Italy with his family in 1929. He spent most of his youth in Stazzena, Italy. He attended the School of Design in LaSpezia and studied art in Florence. When his family returned to Chicago in 1947, he began studies at the Art Institute of Chicago. He has received many awards and recognition for his art work including an award for “Excellence in Design Work in the United States” from the Italian chamber of Commerce. His most gratifying accomplishment was his selection as the designer for the setting for the Papal Mass in 1979 at Chicago’s Grant Park.
Administration & Religious Formation Center
As Holy Redeemer had grown, religious education classes and administrative staff activities grew even faster. The Parish Center was totally inadequate for the educational and administrative needs of the parish. The completion of the Administration & Religious Formation Center in November, 1993, changed all that. The building contains space for parish administrative functions and volunteer programs and for religious education. The building has been designed to provide for Holy Redeemer’s immediate needs and should be adequate to provide for the parish’s continuing growth.
The first floor includes a well-designed reception area for parishioners’ contact with the parish staff. The pastor’s office and conference room provide him with suitable quarters for his spiritual leadership endeavors and counseling work. Space is available for the accounting and financial staff in the same building with other administrative functions which should improve communications and work flows. There are offices for the priests and deacon to facilitate their liturgical and family life efforts and for the several ministries involved with the many parish volunteer efforts. Additionally, a large, well designed room is available for those who assist the staff with typing, mailing, filing and telephone contacts.
The second floor, housing the Religious Education Director’s office, is devoted to religious formation, particularly for the children of the parish. Nine religious meeting rooms of varying sizes are available for classes. Each is equipped with audio-visual teaching aides and there is ample storage space throughout.
Holy Redeemer is a large and vibrant Christian community and the existence of the Administration and Religious Formation center is essential to its effective operation.
From the inception of Holy Redeemer, the people of the parish, under the spiritual leadership of the founding pastor, Reverend Bernard F. Powell, Pastor Emeritus, Reverend Martin B. Mulqueen and current Pastor, Reverend Martin L. Dunne III have been returning Christ’s LOVE. They have sacrificed in order to provide a fitting Church in which to show their LOVE of God through prayer and worship and they have sacrificed to provide the other facilities required for LOVING service to their neighbors.
Caring LOVE is the Christian attribute that best describes this parish, and this narrative endeavors to capture this LOVE by reflection on activities during over 40 years of the parish’s existence.
The Story of a Christian Community
Holy Redeemer Catholic Church was established by the Most Reverend Edward A. McCarthy, Archbishop of Miami, in mid 1983, to serve the small but growing Catholic population in the Palm City area. The Archbishop appointed the Reverend Bernard F.Powell as founding pastor of the new church, effective September 1, 1983.
Initially the parish consisted of 77 families but had no physical facilities to house the typical Christian community activities.
In the early days of Holy Redeemer, Mass was conducted wherever space could be found. The first Masses were celebrated by Father Powell on September 3 and 4, 1983, outdoors, on the grounds of the then-Chapman School of Seamanship. Various parishioners opened their homes for daily Mass.
Arrangements were soon made for indoor Masses and the first Saturday p.m. Mass was celebrated in the Palm City Civic Center on September 24, 1983. Sunday Masses were celebrated at Palm City Elementary School. Also, on September 25, with 19 volunteer teachers, a Religious Education Program for 114 children was initiated.
Shortly thereafter, on October 10, the congregation met to form a Steering Committee to develop the committees and programs necessary for the activities of the parish and also to lay plans for fundraising for a multi-purpose Parish Center.
One of the earliest efforts was the establishment of an Outreach program to aid those in need. Through the generosity of the founding parishioners, Outreach was able to provide food, clothing and toys to 30 area families at Christmastime, 1983, just a scant three months after the parish was founded.
One of the first committees established was a Social Committee whose initial meeting in early November led to the first parish-wide social, a family Thanksgiving picnic-brunch held on November 27, at Palm City Elementary School after the 9:30 a.m. Mass.
Plans were quickly in place for raising funds for the construction of a multi-purpose Parish Center, and the Holy Redeemer community moved forward with impressive speed. On Easter Sunday, April 22, 1984, following the 9:30 a.m. Mass, ground was broken for the new Parish Center. It was completed in time for Christmas of 1984.
Angelo Gheradi
From a Multi-Purpose Parish Center to a Real Church 1985-1992
Although the parish would initially have to make do with a single facility to serve its spiritual and religious education activities as well as its administrative needs and volunteer and social programs, Father Powell believed that Palm City and Holy Redeemer would grow rapidly. He felt that the Parish Center would only meet Holy Redeemer’s needs for a short time and that within a very few years additional building would be necessary. Therefore, the Parish Center was designed to accommodate expansion in an evolutionary manner in order to minimize future building costs.
Just as Father Powell anticipated, Holy Redeemer grew rapidly. Each year saw a significant increase in families registered, with nearly 1,000 families by the eighth anniversary in September, 1991. Because the Parish Center could only seat 350 for Mass, the schedules for Mass had to be continually expanded; by the time the new church was started in April, 1992, there were two Masses Saturday afternoons and four on Sunday mornings, with standing room only at most Masses. Clearly a separate, larger building was required for Holy Redeemer’s spiritual needs.
Religious Education programs also had to be expanded. By the beginning of classes in September, 1992, the program had 261 children enrolled, with 30 teachers conducting 19 classes weekly. Here, too, crowding was obvious. The spaces used as classrooms were also being used for meetings of the volunteer groups, with much rearranging of furniture and facilities. Moreover, audio-visual equipment and other teaching aids were sorely lacking.
All of the administrative and volunteer program office activities, including Father Powell’s office, were housed in four cramped spaces; and parish needs were difficult to meet under such crowded circumstances.
Social activities used the same space where daily and weekend Masses were held necessitating continual set-up and take-down work.
All during this rapid expansion, parishioners continued with the spirit of generosity that permitted construction of the Parish Center so soon after the establishment of Holy Redeemer. Consequently, the mortgage on the Parish Center was fully paid by March, 1990 and planning for a separate church building was begun almost immediately.
Again the parishioners’ generosity and commitment was put to the test to meet stringent Diocesan requirements for cash-in-hand before construction could commence. Once more rising to the occasion, ground-breaking took place on April 8, 1992; and a beautiful new church building was completed in time for the Children’s Mass on Christmas Eve, 1992.
New Church Dedicated on Palm Sunday 1993
Completion of certain aspects of the church remained to be accomplished during the first quarter of 1993. Plans for the dedication ceremony were made; and on Palm Sunday, April 4, 1993, the Most Reverend J. Keith Symons, Bishop of the Diocese of Palm Beach, officiated at the dedication of the new church.
Bishop Symons told the parishioners, “Like Solomon’s joy in the Temple of old and the sacrifices the Jews made to build their Temple, it is the sacrifices of the people of Holy Redeemer Parish that have made possible the completion of this facility for the worship of almighty God and the joyful dedication we celebrate this afternoon.”
“This church gives you a facility that expresses outwardly the inner faith that you have. From here we leave renewed, recharged, as we reach out in the true spirit of Christ to others whom we meet in our everyday lives.” Bishop Symons said.
At that time, just 10 years after its founding, Holy Redeemer was a loving caring Christian community of over 1,200 families with extensive volunteer efforts involving 550 parishioners and an impressive physical plant for the many parish activities.
About the Artist
The liturgical artist responsible for the interior design features of the church was Angelo Gheradi of Park Ridge, Illinois. Since 1948, Mr. Gheradi has designed liturgical settings, mosaic works, stained glass windows and renovations for more than 300 churches.
Gheradi was born in Chicago in 1924 and returned to Italy with his family in 1929. He spent most of his youth in Stazzena, Italy. He attended the School of Design in LaSpezia and studied art in Florence. When his family returned to Chicago in 1947, he began studies at the Art Institute of Chicago. He has received many awards and recognition for his art work including an award for “Excellence in Design Work in the United States” from the Italian chamber of Commerce. His most gratifying accomplishment was his selection as the designer for the setting for the Papal Mass in 1979 at Chicago’s Grant Park.
Administration & Religious Formation Center
As Holy Redeemer had grown, religious education classes and administrative staff activities grew even faster. The Parish Center was totally inadequate for the educational and administrative needs of the parish. The completion of the Administration & Religious Formation Center in November, 1993, changed all that. The building contains space for parish administrative functions and volunteer programs and for religious education. The building has been designed to provide for Holy Redeemer’s immediate needs and should be adequate to provide for the parish’s continuing growth.
The first floor includes a well-designed reception area for parishioners’ contact with the parish staff. The pastor’s office and conference room provide him with suitable quarters for his spiritual leadership endeavors and counseling work. Space is available for the accounting and financial staff in the same building with other administrative functions which should improve communications and work flows. There are offices for the priests and deacon to facilitate their liturgical and family life efforts and for the several ministries involved with the many parish volunteer efforts. Additionally, a large, well designed room is available for those who assist the staff with typing, mailing, filing and telephone contacts.
The second floor, housing the Religious Education Director’s office, is devoted to religious formation, particularly for the children of the parish. Nine religious meeting rooms of varying sizes are available for classes. Each is equipped with audio-visual teaching aides and there is ample storage space throughout.
Holy Redeemer is a large and vibrant Christian community and the existence of the Administration and Religious Formation center is essential to its effective operation.
