Page 5 • christianvoicemonthly.com • April 2018
W W W
.
O S P R E Y O B S E R V E R
.
C O M
FOLLOW US: 918 Lithia Pinecrest Rd., Brandon, FL 33511 657-2418 (fax) 657-4469
By Kelly Wise Valdes
Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine Every Sunday, parishioners belonging to the oldest Catholic parish in the United States, file into the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine, where mass has been celebrated for nearly 450 years. Its congregation, established in 1565, is the oldest Christian congregation in the United States as well as the oldest church structure in Florida. Often referred to as 'America's first parish' it attracts thousands of visitors who come to 'America's oldest city' to visit the beautiful church. In 1565, Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles led an expedition that landed him on the shores of what is now St. Augustine. There were four priests with de Aviles, and they began preparing to minister to the Spaniards who would arrive at this new settlement. This began the establishment of the oldest permanently occupied European settlement in America, and beginnings of what would be the first cathedral parish in the United States. Since 1565, the church has been rebuilt many times. In 1586, the city of St. Augustine was plundered and burned to the ground, including the parish church by the English pirate Francis Drake. The citizens rebuilt the city and church, but they decided they needed more security from pirates and looters. The construction of Castillo de San
Marcos, a stone fortress, began in 1672. Its completion 14 years later allowed the town to endure a siege by Carolina Governor James Moore, who attacked and burned St. Augustine in 1702. The parish church, unfortunately, was destroyed in this attack. The building of the new church took more than five years, and it was completed in August 1797. For nine decades, this building served the growing community and was elevated by the Pope to cathedral status when the Diocese of St. Augustine was established in 1870. Another fire in 1887 almost destroyed the cathedral, but the coquina and cement walls managed to thwart total destruction. When repairing the damage, the architects used the building’s original walls and structure, except for adding a new bell tower and transepts. The cathedral received its most recent renovation before St. Augustine's 400th-anniversary celebration in 1965. It was designated as a U.S. National Historic Landmark on April 15, 1970, and then in December 1976, Pope Paul VI elevated the cathedral to the status of minor basilica. Mass is still held in the structure, and the beautiful Spanishstyle cathedral draws thousands of visitors each year. The city's Spanish roots inspired the architecture of the cathedral. There are also stained glass windows showing scenes from the life of Saint Augustine of Hippo. Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine continues to honor its founders and is one of Florida's most sacred destinations. The Basilica is located at 38 Cathedral Pl. St. Augustine, Fl. For more information, visit www.thefirstparish.org or call 904-824-2806.
7 © Copyright 2012-2013 - Osprey Observer, Inc. No reproduction without written permission.
MANAGING EDITOR
ASSIGNMENT EDITOR
Marie Gilmore
Michelle Colesanti
editor@ospreyobserver.com
michelle@ospreyobserver.com
LAYOUT EDITOR
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
657-2418
657-2418
Kathi Hayes
Kathy Collins
khayes@ospreyobserver.com
kcollins@ospreyobserver.com
MULTIMEDIA NEWS EDITOR
BILLING MANAGER
657-2418
657-2418
Cyndi Cisneros
Terry Vassalotti
ccisneros@ospreyobserver.com
terry@ospreyobserver.com
DELIVERY MANAGER
GRAPHICS MANAGER
657-2418
657-2418
Chuck Hoening
Denise Graf
chuck@ospreyobserver.com
denise@ospreyobserver.com
657-2418
657-2418
CELEBRATING 16 YEARS
NEWS REPORTER
Kate Quesada 657-2418
kquesada@ospreyobserver.com
OF PUBLISHING POSITIVE COMMUNITY NEWS!
POSITIVE COMMUNITY NEWS THROUGHOUT BLOOMINGDALE/FISHHAWK, RIVERVIEW, APOLLO BEACH, BRANDON, AND VALRICO DIRECTOR OF MARKETING
RIVERVIEW ADVERTISING
Patricia Tracy
Carole Fluhart
ptracy@ospreyobserver.com
carole@ospreyobserver.com
FISHHAWK ADVERTISING
CHRISTIAN VOICE & VALRICO ADVERTISING
657-2418
720-810-7843
Kerrie Hoening
Trisha Becker
625-1527
919-8888
kerrie@ospreyobserver.com
APOLLO BEACH SOUTHSHORE ADVERTISING
Melissa Hartmann
833-7470
mhartmann@ospreyobserver.com
tbecker@ospreyobserver.com
If interested in advertising in our Brandon or Valrico editions, please contact us at 813-657-2418. CHRISTIAN VOICE EDITOR
Amanda Boston
ASSOCIATED WITH OSPREY OBSERVER
813-777-9824
aboston@ospreyobserver.com
Three Local Chapters Networking and Fellowship for Christian Business People
Christian Business Connections
BRANDON Every Monday from 7:45am until 9:15am Golden Corral, Providence Road Contact: Dr. Degrando Franks 813-714-8562 cd1franks@aol.com
FISHHAWK Every Tuesday from 7:30am until 9:00am Latin Grill, 3318 John Moore Rd Brandon Contact: Chris Caito 813-695-2338 chris@impactwellness.com
SOUTH BRANDON/VALRICO Every Monday from 7:45am until 9:15am Recipe Box, Bloomingdale Avenue Contact: Mike Magnant 813-417-6196
Brandon Chapter Membership Directory A/C Service
Airway systems
Dale Parker
813-671-8976
Business Attorney Sumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP
Brian Schaffnit
813-227-2261
Brandon Chamber Membership Services
Jorgie Franks-Bell
813-239-4681
Church (Local)
Dr. Degrando Franks
Lakewood Community Church of God
Newspaper
Christian Voice/Osprey Observer (Advertising) Trisha Becker
813-919-8888
Christian Voice (Editor)
Amanda Boston
813-777-9824
Performing Arts
The Florida Academy of Performing Arts
Cheryl Higgins
813-685-5998
813-714-8562
Personal Security
Damsel In Defense
Kim French
813-409-4298 813-846-7085
Coach
Max Coach
Kris Beard
813-494-3212
Quick Books Pro Advisor Meadows Consulting Group
Sandi Meadows
Dentist
Dr. Harold Welch
Betsie Welch
813-684-2279
Real Estate
Kathy & Michael Shalosky 813-857-3196
Elder Law
Suncoast Elder Law
Elsa Melendez
813-252-8656
Essential Oils
Dotera Essential Oils - Expect Amazing
Joy Perez
813-403-8757
Search Engine Optimization
TecBrat
Corry Wauford
813-551-2728
Financial Assistance
Family Promise - Homeless
Edwina Reddick
813-681-6170
Skin Care/Cosmetic
Arbonne
Gaby Matute
423-677-9916
Financial Services
Brownstone Wealth Mgmt
Ryan Hughes
813-731-5017
Sports Ministry
Fellowship of Christian Athletes
Dee Franks
813-356-8291
Handyman
Bauer Handyman Services
Larry Bauer
813-737-5544
Tax Accounting
Loren Potts and Company, P.A.
Loren Potts
813-251-8613
Bernice “Neicey” Popa
856-261-1263
Technology Consulting Technology Win!
Henry Burronphs
863-354-0849
Ella Romero
813-661-1003
Travel
Wilbur Gaynor
813-455-6255
International Missions Overland Missions
Jack Fuller
813-838-5416
Mail Marketing Mortgage
Maureen Montalvo Michael Parrado
813-368-8850 813-305-7018
Rod Burkhardt Barbara Kemp Nicolle Jones
813-655-4353 813-655-9200 813-419-7829
House/Pet Sitter Insurance
State Farm Insurance Greeting cards/Gifting- StayInTouch.me Fairway Mortgage
Keller Williams Realty
A Deal 4 Travel
Tutoring Knowledge Points Web Design Kemp Design Services Youth&FamilyCharacter Made Wonderfully