Holy Spirit Catholic Church

Welcome & Parish Mission

Holy Spirit Catholic Church is a community of believers in East Arlington dedicated to growing as a Eucharistic people. The published parish mission is: 'TO BE THE LIGHT TO OUR WORLD BY: PRAYING AND CELEBRATING AS A EUCHARISTIC COMMUNITY, SERVING THE LESS FORTUNATE WITH UNCONDITIONAL LOVE & GENEROSITY.' Newcomers can register at the welcome desk in the church or at the parish office, and the parish publishes a weekly bulletin, online giving, and a parishioner portal on the website.

Parish History

The parish was founded in 1966 to serve the then-new East Arlington neighborhood; the first Mass was celebrated February 13, 1966 in the Beacon Hills clubhouse. The Diocese of St. Augustine formally decreed the parish on March 25, 1966. The first church building (1971) is now the school's lunchroom; the present church was dedicated in 1992. Several of its sacramental furnishings — stained-glass windows and bas-relief Stations of the Cross — were transferred from the former Holy Rosary Church on Laura Street.

• First Mass: February 13, 1966 at Beacon Hills clubhouse — about 60 families
• Diocesan decree: March 25, 1966
• First parish church dedicated: October 3, 1971 (Bishop Tanner)
• Rectory completed: June 1974
• New church first Mass: Easter Sunday 1992
• New church blessed by Bishop John Snyder: September 20, 1992
• School founded: September 5, 1988

Sacraments

Detailed sacramental guidelines are published on the parish 'Sacraments' page, including advance-notice and registration requirements for Baptism and Marriage, and on-call Anointing of the Sick.

• Baptism Class: 3rd Tuesday of each month, 7:00 pm, in the FLC (registration required; must be a registered parishioner 6+ months).
• Baptisms: 2nd and 4th Sundays after the 11:00 am Mass.
• Marriage: contact Fr. John Peter & Cheryl Bergman at least 6 months in advance.
• Anointing of the Sick: available on-call by calling the parish office.
• Communion to the Sick and Homebound: scheduled through Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion.

Parish Staff

The parish is led by pastor Fr. John Peter Arul, MSFS, supported by two deacons and a full lay staff. Contacts for every ministry role are listed on the parish-staff page.

• Pastor: Fr. John Peter Arul, MSFS — [email protected]
• Deacon: Pat Goin — [email protected]
• Deacon & Director of RCIA: Ray Stiles — [email protected]
• Business Manager: Vickie Slade
• Admin Assistant / Communications: Armon Antolin
• Receptionist: Cristine Tuano
• Coordinator of Religious Education: Colleen Gomez
• Youth Minister: Jane Collins
• Ushers: John De Leon
• Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion: Catherine & Tracy Williams
• Lectors: Marti Pounder
• Facilities Worker: John Gomez

Ministry Directory

Thirty-plus ministries are listed on the parish website, with contact people and phone numbers for each. The parish encourages visitors to use these as a way to plug in.

• RCIA, St. Vincent de Paul Society, Knights of Columbus
• Youth Ministry (Life Teen and EDGE)
• Adult Faith Formation — Bible Study, Parish Presentations
• Liturgical: Altar Servers, three choirs, Lectors, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, Rosary Ministry, Eucharistic Adoration, Healing Prayer Ministry
• Outreach: Angels of Mercy, Homebound Ministry, Quilts for Vets, St. Paul Street Evangelization, Respect Life Coordinator, Prayer Blanket Ministry
• Service Fraternities: Legion of Mary, Society of Divine Mercy, Light of Jesus Family
• Parish Life: Coffee & Donuts, Hospitality Ministry, Wine & Cheese, Garden Ministry, Religious Store, Altar Society Cleaning Ministry, Parish Nurse/Health Ministry
• Pastoral Care: Annulment Ministry, Hope & Consolation, Another Chance Fellowship (Cancer Survivors), Annulments

Faith Formation & Religious Education

Religious Education for K through 8th grade meets every Sunday 9:30 am – 10:45 am, August through May. The parish publishes downloadable Parish Presentations as part of adult faith formation, including a 'Mustard Seed' series and a blog series on the Eucharist by a former pastor. The RCIA program prepares adults for full initiation into the Catholic Church under the direction of Deacon Ray Stiles.

• Religious Education (K–8): Sunday 9:30 – 10:45 am
• RCIA: led by Deacon Ray Stiles
• Adult Faith Formation: Parish Presentations available for download

Youth Ministry — EDGE & Life Teen

Holy Spirit uses the Life Teen movement for high-school teens and EDGE for middle-school youth. As an 'Eucharist-centered movement within the Roman Catholic Church, Life Teen leads teenagers and their families into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ and His Church.' The youth minister is Jane Collins (cell: 678-458-3546, [email protected]).

• Life Teen (high school): Sunday 12:30 – 2:00 pm
• EDGE (middle school): starting in September; time to be determined
• Youth Minister: Jane Collins

Holy Spirit Catholic School

Holy Spirit Catholic School (Pre-K through 8th grade) shares the campus at 11665 Fort Caroline Rd. Founded by Msgr. James Heslin in 1988 with twelve 4-year-olds, it has grown one grade at a time and graduated its first 8th-grade class in May 2000. It earned initial Florida Catholic Conference accreditation in December 2000, and the campus grew to include a primary-grade addition (1995), a library and computer lab (1999), and the Msgr. Heslin Parish Center / gymnasium (2005). The school markets itself as 'Authentically Catholic, Academically Excellent since 1988.'

• Address: 11665 Fort Caroline Rd., Jacksonville, FL 32225
• Phone: (904) 642-9165
• Opened: September 5, 1988 (Pre-K)
• First Principal: Theresa Moore (1991)
• Founding Pastor: Msgr. James Heslin
• Current Pastor: Fr. John Peter Arul, MSFS

Live Stream & Online Resources

Holy Spirit livestreams Masses through its website and Facebook page. All weekday Masses and the Sunday 11 am Mass are broadcast live (a Facebook account is not required to watch). Recordings include the Installation Mass of Fr. John Peter Arul with Bishop Erik Pohlmeier, the 2024 First Holy Communion Mass, the last Sunday Mass with Fr. Amar Nagothu, and ongoing Bible Series video archives. Other resources on the site include a Bulletin, Online Giving, Funeral Resources, Marriage Resources, and a Parishioner Portal.

• Live Stream page: holyspiritchurchjax.org/live-stream-mass
• Facebook Live backup: facebook.com/holyspiritjax
• Bible Series Archives online