About Epiphany of Our Lord · Tampa, Florida
Epiphany of Our Lord Shrine is a diocesan shrine in the Seminole Heights neighborhood of Tampa, Florida, entrusted on July 1, 2025 to the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest (ICKSP). Originally founded as Epiphany of Our Lord Parish in 1961 by the Redemptorist Fathers to serve a blue-collar, Italian- and Irish-American community, it is now a non-territorial shrine dedicated to the celebration of the Sacred Liturgy according to the 1962 Roman Missal (the Traditional Latin Mass) and serves as a place of pilgrimage for the faithful throughout the Diocese of Saint Petersburg. The church sits at 2510 East Hanna Avenue, where three Sunday Masses are offered — two Low Masses and one Sung High Mass — along with daily Mass, generous confession times, and Eucharistic adoration.
- Established
- 1961
- Patron
- The Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ
- Rector
- Rev. Canon John J. O'Connor, ICKSP (Rector)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Saint Petersburg
Why belong here
Epiphany of Our Lord Shrine offers a unique spiritual home in the Diocese of Saint Petersburg for those devoted to the Traditional Latin Mass and the classical Roman liturgical tradition. Daily and Sunday Masses are celebrated in Latin according to the 1962 Roman Missal with an English homily, paired with a generous confession schedule (45 minutes before every Mass and additional weekday slots), daily Eucharistic adoration, and First Friday devotions. Whether you are a long-standing devotee of the Traditional Latin Mass or a pilgrim visiting Tampa, the Shrine warmly welcomes everyone near and far to join in its rich liturgical and devotional life.
Mass times at Epiphany of Our Lord
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday: 6:10–6:55 AM, 8:10–8:55 AM, 10:10–10:55 AM
- Monday: 6:10–6:55 PM
- Tuesday–Friday: 11:10–11:55 AM
- Saturday: 8:10–8:55 AM
- 45 minutes before each Mass
Adoration times
- Monday: 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
- Tuesday–Friday: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
- First Friday: 1:45 PM – 6:45 PM
- Saturday: 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM (one hour beginning after Mass)
- No adoration on Sundays or Major Feasts
About Epiphany of Our Lord Shrine
Epiphany of Our Lord is a diocesan shrine of the Diocese of Saint Petersburg located in the Seminole Heights neighborhood of Tampa, Florida. Established as Epiphany of Our Lord Parish in 1961 by the Redemptorist Fathers and re-erected as a non-territorial diocesan shrine on July 1, 2025, the Shrine is entrusted to the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest. It exists to provide a stable home for the celebration of the Sacred Liturgy according to the 1962 Roman Missal and to serve as a place of pilgrimage for the faithful throughout the diocese. The proper purposes of the Shrine are to provide abundant means of salvation through the rich liturgical and devotional life of the Roman Catholic Church; to foster the Church's Divine Worship through the Eucharist, Penance, the other Sacraments, and approved forms of popular piety; to foster appreciation of the Liturgical Tradition of the Roman Rite as celebrated according to the Missale Romanum of 1962; and, through the ministry of the Institute of Christ the King, to provide for the spiritual and pastoral care of the faithful and the administration of the Shrine.
- Shrine — non-territorial diocesan shrine
- Pastorate: Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest (ICKSP)
- Seminole Heights, Tampa, Florida
- Originally a Redemptorist parish (founded 1961)
History
Epiphany of Our Lord Parish was officially established on May 9, 1961, and canonically erected on June 17, 1961, in Tampa's Seminole Heights neighborhood, then a blue-collar community predominantly of Italian- and Irish-American heritage. The Redemptorists (Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, founded by St. Alphonsus Liguori in 1732) staffed the new parish. While the church was under construction, Mass was celebrated in local civic and community centers; the first Mass in the newly built church was offered on Christmas Day 1962, with chairs borrowed from two local funeral homes standing in for the still-missing pews. The church was dedicated on the Feast of the Epiphany, January 6, 1963, with Fr. Philip Bardeck, C.Ss.R., as the first permanent pastor. Archbishop Joseph T. Hurley formally dedicated the new church on June 6, 1963 before an overflow crowd of 700 parishioners. In 1964 a second fundraising campaign launched school construction, and ground was broken for five classrooms and an administrative wing. A convent built for the Bernardine sisters later became the Parish Rectory after their departure, while the permanent classroom wing was converted into the Parish Activity Center. The Redemptorists returned the parish to the Diocese in 1988, and it was staffed by diocesan priests thereafter. For years, a significant community of faithful made pilgrimage to Epiphany to worship according to the norms of Summorum Pontificum, using the 1962 Roman Missal. In 2024, Bishop Gregory Parkes determined the Diocese should provide a stable home for these pilgrims, and on March 25, 2025, he announced the parish's re-erection as a diocesan shrine effective July 1, 2025, with pastoral care entrusted to the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, whose clergy arrived September 1, 2025.
- May 9, 1961 — Parish officially established
- June 17, 1961 — Parish canonically erected
- Christmas Day 1962 — First Mass in the new church building
- January 6, 1963 — Church dedicated on the Feast of the Epiphany; Fr. Philip Bardeck, C.Ss.R., first permanent pastor
- June 6, 1963 — Archbishop Joseph T. Hurley formally dedicates the church
- 1964 — School construction begins (five classrooms and administrative wing)
- 1988 — Redemptorists return parish to the Diocese
- 2024 — Bishop Parkes determines a stable home is needed for Traditional Latin Mass faithful
- March 25, 2025 — Bishop announces re-erection as a diocesan shrine
- July 1, 2025 — Shrine formally erected on the Feast of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus
- September 1, 2025 — Clergy of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest arrive
Shrine Staff & Clergy
The Shrine is led by a Rector appointed from among the priests of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest. The Rector is assisted by a small shrine staff including a Business Manager, an Administrative Assistant, a Directress of Sacred Music, a Director of Youth Ministry, and a Director of Communications.
- Rev. Canon John J. O'Connor, ICKSP — Rector
- Mrs. JeanAnn Hays — Business Manager
- Sophia Bauer — Administrative Assistant
- Miss Mariah Ehrke — Directress of Sacred Music
- Jamiee Canfield — Director of Youth Ministry
- Ora et Labora Designs, LLC — Director of Communications
Shrine Office & Contact
The Shrine office is staffed during the week. Visitors and pilgrims are warmly welcomed to call or email with questions about Mass times, confession, adoration, or to arrange pastoral needs.
- Address: 2510 East Hanna Avenue, Tampa, FL 33610
- Phone: (813) 234-8693
- Fax: (813) 238-5060
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: institute-christ-king.org/tampa-home
- Office Hours: Mon/Wed/Fri 9 AM–3 PM; Tue/Thu 8 AM–2 PM; closed Sat/Sun/Holy Days
Sacramental & Devotional Life
Beyond the regular Mass and confession schedule, the Shrine fosters a rich devotional life rooted in the classical Roman liturgical tradition. Annual parish missions have featured guest preachers and the veneration of saints' relics (such as St. Padre Pio and Blessed Solanus Casey), with confessions and Low Mass offered in the evenings and additional morning talks during the mission.
- Traditional Latin Mass (1962 Roman Missal) with English homily
- First Friday devotions (additional 7:00 PM Mass; extended adoration 1:45–6:45 PM)
- Annual 3-Day Mission with relic veneration and evening confessions/Mass
- Sacramental care for pilgrims across the Diocese of Saint Petersburg
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Philip Bardeck, C.Ss.R.1963 (first permanent pastor)
Redemptorist; oversaw dedication of the new church on the Feast of the Epiphany, January 6, 1963.
- Fr. Edwin Palkathrough summer 2025
Served as Administrator of the Shrine after its erection on July 1, 2025, until the ICKSP clergy arrived on September 1, 2025; was parish pastor during the transition to shrine status.