About St. Sylvester · Gulf Breeze, Florida
St. Sylvester Parish is a Roman Catholic parish in Gulf Breeze, Florida, belonging to the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee. Located on a 16-acre campus at 6464 Gulf Breeze Parkway, the parish serves English- and Spanish-speaking Catholics on the Gulf Breeze peninsula between Pensacola Bay and the Santa Rosa Sound. Its current worship building was dedicated in July 2008 as a 22,000-square-foot church seating 1,200 — at the time the largest-capacity church in the diocese. The parish runs a full sacramental and faith-formation life including daily and Sunday Masses in English and Spanish, OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) catechumenate, religious education for children, ACTS retreats, a St. Vincent de Paul conference, Knights of Columbus council, and Eucharistic Adoration.
- Patron
- St. Sylvester (Pope)
- Rector
- Father John F. Kelly
- Diocese
- Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee
Why belong here
St. Sylvester offers a large, active parish community with one of the biggest sanctuaries in the diocese, plus a full sacramental life — daily Mass, Saturday Vigil and three Sunday Masses (one in Spanish), Saturday and Sunday confession, and First-Friday Eucharistic Adoration from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. Faith formation runs the full life cycle through OCIA for adults (English and Spanish), a Religious Education program for children, and ACTS retreats, while outreach is anchored by a St. Vincent de Paul conference and a Knights of Columbus council. The parish's bilingual character — with a dedicated Hispanic Ministry directed by Father Alvaro Gonzalez — and its location on the Gulf Breeze peninsula make it a welcoming spiritual home for families across the western Panhandle.
Mass times at St. Sylvester
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM (English)
- Sunday: 4:00 PM – 4:30 PM (English and Spanish, before the 5:00 PM Spanish Mass)
Adoration times
- First Friday Eucharistic Adoration: 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
History and Development of St. Sylvester Parish
St. Sylvester grew with the Catholic population of the Gulf Breeze peninsula in Santa Rosa County. By 1990 Father Steven O'Connor — the first priest ordained for the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee in 1977 — had been assigned as pastor, serving the parish for twelve years. In 1993 the parish adopted a master plan for its 16-acre campus that guided subsequent construction. Father John F. Kelly, the current pastor, led a capital campaign that culminated in a May 14, 2006 groundbreaking celebrated by Bishop John H. Ricard and the July 2008 dedication of a new 22,000-square-foot, 1,200-seat worship building — the largest-capacity Catholic church in the diocese at the time of its dedication.
- 1990 – Father Steven O'Connor begins tenure as pastor (serves through 2002)
- 1993 – Master Plan adopted for the 16-acre campus
- May 14, 2006 – Bishop John H. Ricard celebrates groundbreaking for the new church
- July 2008 – New 22,000-square-foot, 1,200-seat church dedicated
- Pastor Father John F. Kelly and Building Campaign chair Chick Alberghini lead the building effort
Worship Building and Architecture
The current St. Sylvester Church was designed by QG (Quina Grundhoefer) Architects and dedicated in July 2008 at a construction cost of about $7 million. The 22,000-square-foot worship building seats 1,200 people, making it the largest-capacity Catholic church in the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee at dedication. The project completed the multi-phase campus master plan that had originated in 1993, and was recognized by the Greenhut construction firm among its portfolio of award-winning religious projects.
- Architect: QG (Quina Grundhoefer) Architects
- Size: 22,000 sq. ft.
- Seating capacity: 1,200
- Construction cost: approximately $7 million
- Campus: 16 acres
Mass and Sacrament Schedule
The parish offers a full weekly schedule including a Saturday Vigil Mass, three Sunday Masses (two in English and one in Spanish), and daily Masses Monday through Friday, plus a First Saturday Mass and Holy Day liturgies. Confessions are heard Saturday and Sunday afternoons, and First Friday Eucharistic Adoration runs from 6:00 to 9:00 PM. The parish also livestreams Mass.
- Saturday Vigil: 4:00 PM (English)
- Sunday: 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM (English); 5:00 PM (Spanish)
- Weekdays: Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri 8:30 AM; Wed 6:00 PM
- 1st Saturday: 9:00 AM; Holy Days: 8:30 AM and 7:00 PM
- Confessions: Sat 3:00-3:30 PM; Sun 4:00-4:30 PM (English and Spanish)
- First Friday Adoration: 6:00-9:00 PM
Clergy and Parish Staff
Father John F. Kelly serves as pastor, with Father Alvaro Gonzalez — a Trinitarian Missionary priest from Colombia and the diocesan director of Hispanic Ministry — as parochial vicar. A team of pastoral and administrative staff supports the parish offices at 6464 Gulf Breeze Parkway, including directors of Religious Education, OCIA, ACTS, and the St. Vincent de Paul conference.
- Father John F. Kelly — Pastor
- Father Alvaro Gonzalez — Parochial Vicar / Director of Hispanic Ministry
- Eileen Bowman — Director of Religious Education
- Brian Hagensick — OCIA Coordinator
- Barbara Eley — ACTS Coordinator and English Baptism Coordinator
- Maribel Byrd — Religious Education Assistant
- Debra Wade — St. Vincent de Paul contact
- Jerry Klosinski — Knights of Columbus contact
- Judy Carron — Columbiettes contact
- Bob Gambera — Sacristan
- Mark Burson, Connie Smith, Nicki Rosa-Miranda, Carmen Moawd, John Eaves, Anne Flynn, Adriana Fajardo, Bruce Trumbull — parish staff
Faith Formation and Religious Education
Faith formation at St. Sylvester spans the full life of the parish, from children's religious education to adult OCIA catechumenate offered in both English and Spanish. Eileen Bowman directs Religious Education; Maribel Byrd assists. Brian Hagensick coordinates OCIA in English; a parallel OCIA Spanish track is run in conjunction with the parish's Hispanic Ministry.
- Children's Religious Education program (Eileen Bowman, Director)
- OCIA — English (Brian Hagensick, Coordinator)
- OCIA — Spanish (with Father Alvaro Gonzalez)
- ACTS retreats (Barbara Eley, Coordinator)
- Religious Education Assistant: Maribel Byrd
Hispanic Ministry and Spanish-Language Life
St. Sylvester is a bilingual parish. A 5:00 PM Sunday Mass is celebrated in Spanish, confession is offered in Spanish from 4:00-4:30 PM on Sundays, and the Hispanic Ministry is led at the parish and diocesan level by Father Alvaro Gonzalez. Hispanic Administrative Assistant Carmen Moawd and other staff support Spanish-speaking parishioners and visitors.
- Spanish Sunday Mass: 5:00 PM
- Spanish Confessions: 4:00-4:30 PM Sunday
- OCIA en español
- Diocesan Hispanic Ministry led by Father Alvaro Gonzalez
Parish Ministries, Outreach and Devotions
The parish runs a wide range of ministries and devotional groups, including parish-based outreach through the St. Vincent de Paul conference, fraternal organizations such as the Knights of Columbus and Columbiettes, and devotional life centered on Eucharistic Adoration, the rosary, and Holy Day liturgies.
- St. Vincent de Paul Conference (Debra Wade, contact)
- Knights of Columbus (Jerry Klosinski, contact)
- Columbiettes (Judy Carron, contact)
- First Friday Eucharistic Adoration (6:00-9:00 PM)
- Tuesday Rosary after 8:30 AM Mass
- Thursday Rosary for the Unborn and for Our Country (8:00 AM and 9:00 AM)
- Assumption Novena — August 15 (after 4:00 PM Mass) and August 16 (after 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM Masses)
- Liturgical roles — Sacristan (Bob Gambera), Music ministry
Sacraments
St. Sylvester prepares and celebrates the full range of Catholic sacraments for parishioners and visitors, with English and Spanish preparation tracks available.
- Baptism — English coordination by Barbara Eley; Spanish via Hispanic Ministry
- First Communion and Confirmation — through the Religious Education program
- Marriage — contact the parish office
- Anointing of the Sick — by request through the parish office
- Reconciliation — Saturdays 3:00-3:30 PM and Sundays 4:00-4:30 PM
- OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) — English and Spanish
Visiting, Location and Contact
St. Sylvester's 16-acre campus is centered at 6464 Gulf Breeze Parkway, Gulf Breeze, FL 32563, on the Gulf Breeze peninsula between Pensacola Bay and the Santa Rosa Sound. Visitors and parishioners can reach the parish office by phone at (850) 939-3020 (fax 850-725-0257).
- Address: 6464 Gulf Breeze Parkway, Gulf Breeze, FL 32563
- Phone: (850) 939-3020
- Fax: (850) 725-0257
- Website: https://www.stsylv.org
- Diocese: Pensacola-Tallahassee (https://ptdiocese.org)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Steven O'Connor1990–2002
Assigned as pastor in 1990; served twelve years. He had been the first priest ordained for the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee (December 26, 1977 by Bishop René H. Gracida). After St. Sylvester he served as pastor of St. Rose of Lima, Milton (2002-04) and Our Lady of Victory, Crestview (2005-2007).
- Rev. John F. Kelly2002–present
Guided the parish through the capital campaign, groundbreaking (May 14, 2006, with Bishop John H. Ricard), construction and dedication (July 2008) of the new 22,000-square-foot, 1,200-seat worship building. Listed as current pastor on the parish staff page.