About Saint Catherine of Siena · Orange Park, Florida
Saint Catherine of Siena Parish in Orange Park, Florida, traces its roots to a Civil War-era mission served by Father Chambron, with its official founding as a parish on February 24, 1970. The parish grew from a small wooden chapel built in 1877 to a modern church dedicated in 1981, reflecting the community’s expansion. Today, it serves a diverse congregation with Masses in English and Spanish, active ministries, and sacramental programs. The parish is part of the Diocese of St. Augustine and continues to grow through faith formation, outreach, and pastoral care.
- Established
- 1970
- Patron
- St. Catherine of Siena
- Diocese
- Diocese of St. Augustine
Why belong here
Join a parish with deep roots in the community, offering ministries that serve the poor, feed the hungry, and clothe the naked. Engage in faith formation for children and adults, participate in sacraments like Baptism, Confirmation, and Marriage, and connect with a welcoming, multilingual congregation that celebrates Mass in both English and Spanish.
Mass times at Saint Catherine of Siena
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:30–4:30pm
- Other times available by appointment
Our Parish History
St. Catherine’s presence to the Catholic community began more than a hundred years prior to its official dedication as a parish on February 24, 1970. During the years of the Civil War, the tiny mission was ministered by Father Chambron, crossing the river from Mandarin, long before the Buckman Bridge was even a vision of the county planners. In 1877, under then-Bishop John Moore, a small plot of land was deeded to the Diocese for construction of the first recorded Catholic Church in Orange Park. This small wooden white building designed to seat 54 was consecrated in 1877 under the name of St. Catherine and administered from its mother church, Immaculate Conception in Jacksonville. Its rustic steeple cross has been preserved in what is now Rooney Hall. The mission church went through cycles based on the number of Catholics in the area and was almost dismantled in 1900. However, the founding of Moosehaven in 1903 rekindled the need and Catholic services resumed once or twice a month with priests again from Immaculate Conception Parish in Jacksonville serving the mission. In 1930, a renovation of the wooden mission chapel was undertaken with the installation of gaslighting, a wood stove, and a portable organ and Father James McInerney was assigned to Sacred Heart Parish in Green Cove Springs as well as to St. Catherine’s. “Orange Park is not growing very fast, I must say,” Father Joseph Corde wrote in 1963, but change was imminent with the construction of the Buckman Bridge which would transform Orange Park into a veritable boomtown. The Sisters of St. Joseph owned land at the corner of River Road and Blake Avenue on which they had a small chapel. This property was no longer needed by the Sisters upon the closing of their orphanage of St. Mary’s in Jacksonville. This land and chapel were made available to St. Catherine’s. As a mission, it became the responsibility of Father Spellman and later Father Corde and Father Diego Conesa. In 1967, the congregation welcomes its first full-time pastor, Father Joseph Barry. By 1970, this chapel could no longer accommodate the rapidly growing community and on February 24th Bishop Paul F. Tanner elevated St. Catherine’s to parish status and assigned Father Edward Rooney its first pastor. Father Rooney celebrated Mass in the chapel and again at S. Bryan Jennings Elementary School. The new church, at the current address, was dedicated and the first Mass celebrated on Ascension Thursday, 1971. The old chapel, long-abandoned would carefully be moved down Blanding Blvd. to Moody Road where it became home to the Orange Park Community Theatre, still operating today. Within ten years, this building would be re-named Rooney Hall and would sit in the shadow of a new, far larger, modern, fan-shaped church with construction presided over by his successor, Msgr. R. Joseph James who served as pastor until 1983. The new St. Catherine’s was dedicated by Bishop John J. Snyder in June, 1981. The continued growth and needs of the community met Msgr. Vincent J. Haut who was assigned as the new pastor of St. Catherine’s in 1983.
Our Patron Saint
St. Catherine of Siena was born during the outbreak of the plague in Siena, Italy on March 25, 1347. She was the 25th child born to her mother, although half of her brothers and sisters did not survive childhood. Catherine herself was a twin, but her sister did not survive infancy. Her mother was 40 when she was born. Her father was a cloth dyer. At the age of 16, Catherine’s sister, Bonaventura, died, leaving her husband as a widower.
Pastoral Leadership
Our Staff is friendly and ready to help you with any concern. Please visit our staff page here to find the person that would suit your question the best or contact us here with general questions. Thank you!
Ministries
Ready to get involved and grow in your faith. Do all of that and more by joining some of our amazing ministries here at St. Catherine’s. Socialize with others, serve the poor, clothe the naked, feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, and minister in many other ways with our many ministries at our parish. Visit our page here to browse our different ministries. We would love to have you!
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Edward Rooney1970–1981
First pastor; celebrated Mass in chapel and at S. Bryan Jennings Elementary School; new church dedicated in 1971.
- Msgr. R. Joseph James1981–1983
Pastor who oversaw construction of the new fan-shaped church.
- Msgr. Vincent J. Haut1983–?
Assigned as pastor in 1983; oversaw formation center construction.