About San Pablo · Marathon, Florida
San Pablo Catholic Parish is a Roman Catholic parish in Marathon, in the Middle Florida Keys, belonging to the Archdiocese of Miami. Founded on January 8, 1956, as the Mission of the Holy Cross, it was elevated to parish status and renamed San Pablo in 1958. The parish serves a small but geographically vast community spread across the Keys, including many seasonal residents, and is known for its open-to-all prayer garden that draws visitors from across the region.
- Established
- 1956
- Patron
- St. Paul (San Pablo)
- Rector
- Rev. Kris Bartos
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Miami
Why belong here
San Pablo is a small, welcoming parish with a long Keys history and an unusually large pastoral reach — its boundaries span 93 miles of island communities — yet it stays personal. The parish celebrates Mass in both English and Spanish, runs religious education for more than 30 children, has restarted its RCIA program for adults, and partners with KAIR (Keys Area Interdenominational Resources) to serve people in need across Monroe County. Members also care for the famous open-all-day Prayer Garden, which draws hundreds of thousands of visitors at Christmas.
Mass times at San Pablo
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- First Fridays following the 8:00 AM Mass
- Saturdays at 3:00 PM
- By appointment — call the parish office at (305) 289-0636
History of San Pablo Parish
San Pablo traces its roots to 1949, when Father Mairing first traveled from Key West to celebrate Mass in the Marathon homes of the Woodburn and Fenton families. As the congregation outgrew private homes, a store, a theater, and a lumber yard, land was donated and a chapel named the Mission of the Holy Cross was built in 1950. The mission was elevated to parish status in 1958, renamed San Pablo, and its current church on 122nd Street Ocean was completed for Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve 1958 and formally dedicated on April 16, 1959 — the first Catholic church dedication in the Florida Keys in 103 years.
- Founded January 8, 1956 as Mission of the Holy Cross
- Renamed San Pablo, February 1958
- First dedicated Catholic church in the Florida Keys since 1856
- School opened September 2, 1958 with 102 children and four Sisters of the Holy Name
- Fourteen pastors have served the parish
Faith Formation and RCIA
The parish runs a religious education program serving more than 30 children, with classes held on Sundays between Masses so families can attend Mass together around them. The RCIA process has been active in recent years — restarted in 2019 with 13 adults in formation — preparing newcomers to enter full communion with the Catholic Church. Children are also being initiated as altar servers, including new servers from families recently arrived in the Keys.
- Religious education for 30+ children, Sundays between Masses
- RCIA for adults
- Altar server ministry
- Summer Camps (since Father Connaughton's time)
Parish Ministries and Groups
San Pablo's ministry life extends back to its founding pastor Father Connaughton, who organized the Ladies Altar Society, Catholic Youth Organization, Summer Camps, and Men's Booster Club. Today's ministries include a Women's Club described by the pastor as a very important part of parish life, faith formation for children and adults, altar service, and ongoing maintenance of the parish Prayer Garden — cared for nearly two decades by Director of Operations Paul Navarra.
- Ladies Altar Society
- Catholic Youth Organization
- Men's Booster Club
- Women's Club
- Altar Servers
- Prayer Garden ministry
Outreach and Community Partnership
Outreach in the Keys is built on cooperation with other community agencies. San Pablo is a partner with KAIR — Keys Area Interdenominational Resources — a Marathon-based organization that centralizes care for local people in need, including those experiencing homelessness. The parish also hosts visits and tours from Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami, which oversees social services across South Florida.
- KAIR — Keys Area Interdenominational Resources partner
- Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami collaboration
- Religious education outreach to seasonal families
The Prayer Garden
Built and maintained by parishioners, San Pablo's Prayer Garden is open 24 hours a day and serves as a quiet space for reflection year-round. During the Christmas season it is especially striking, with more than half a million lights on display, drawing visitors from across the Keys and beyond.
- Open 24 hours a day, year-round
- 500,000+ Christmas lights
- Cared for by Director of Operations Paul Navarra (since ~2000)
Hurricane Irma Recovery and Rebuilding
Hurricane Irma, one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record at 185 mph peak winds, made landfall in the Middle Keys in September 2017 as a Category 4 storm and severely damaged San Pablo's rectory, parish office, annex building, and sea wall. In partnership with the Archdiocese of Miami's Building and Properties Office, the parish spent several years replacing those structures on the main campus, set back from the surrounding water and built to current hurricane and FEMA flood-elevation codes (about four feet above sea level and a foot higher than the church). The new sea wall is six inches higher than the original, driven largely by environmental runoff regulations.
- Irma struck September 2017 at Category 4 / 185 mph
- New rectory and office relocated to main parish campus
- Replacement structures meet current hurricane and FEMA flood elevation codes
- New sea wall raised 6 inches to meet environmental runoff rules
San Pablo Catholic School
San Pablo Catholic School opened on September 2, 1958, three months before the church itself was completed. Its original classrooms were two prefabricated buildings floated 125 miles by barge from Miami Beach to Marathon, arriving at Yacht Harbor Island on August 18, 1958. On that same day, four Sisters of the Holy Name from Albany, New York — Sister Frances Alice, Sister Mary Georgette, Sister Olive Denise, and Sister Cecilia Rose — arrived to teach, and the school opened to 102 children.
- Opened September 2, 1958
- 102 students in the inaugural year
- Classrooms barged 125 miles from Miami Beach
- Originally staffed by four Sisters of the Holy Name from Albany, NY
Visit, Contact, and Location
San Pablo Catholic Parish is located oceanside at 550 122nd Street Ocean, Mile Marker 53.5, in Marathon, Florida 33050. The parish office can be reached at (305) 289-0636 (fax 305-743-8192) or by email at [email protected]. Mass is livestreamed on the parish YouTube channel for those unable to attend in person, and recordings remain available afterward.
- Address: 550 122nd Street Ocean, Marathon, FL 33050 (Mile Marker 53.5)
- Phone: (305) 289-0636
- Fax: (305) 743-8192
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.sanpablomarathon.org/
- YouTube: UCqgoZa58-Hh0BYYGg2UKawA
- Facebook: /San-Pablo-Catholic-Church/113411162024735
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Mairing1949–1954
Traveled from Key West to celebrate Mass in pioneer homes, then in the Fenton store, Brantner's theater, and Struck's lumber yard; first shepherd of the Mission of the Holy Cross from December 1950.
- Father James Connaughton1956–~1958
First pastor appointed January 8, 1956 by Bishop Hurley over 93 miles of Keys parishes; organized the Ladies Altar Society, CYO, summer camps, Men's Booster Club, and helped open St. Mary of the Pines chapel on Big Pine Key in 1957.
- Msgr. John Glorie1989–1991
Served as administrator of San Pablo before being named pastor of St. Elizabeth of Hungary in Pompano Beach in 1991.
- Father Gerald Morris1994–2013
Moved to San Pablo from Our Lady Queen of Heaven in North Lauderdale; served as administrator until 2000 and pastor until 2013.
- Father Luis Alberto Perez2018–~2022
Named pastor in July 2018; led parish through the Hurricane Irma recovery and rebuilding of the rectory, offices, and sea wall.
- Father Kris BartosFebruary 2022–present
Ordained 1985 for the Archdiocese of Detroit; transferred to Miami; appointed pastor of San Pablo effective February 2022.