About St. William · Keystone Heights, Florida
St. William Catholic Church is a small but active parish serving the Keystone Heights community in Clay County, Florida, and the surrounding rural area of north-central Florida. Established in 1949 and entrusted to the Diocese of St. Augustine, the parish gathers bilingual worshippers for daily and weekend Masses, including a Spanish-language Sunday liturgy. St. William also shepherds St. Philip Neri Mission in nearby Hawthorne (established 1895), a mission church that celebrates Sunday Mass at 11:15 AM. The parish describes itself as a Catholic Christian community 'formed by the Word and gathered in the Spirit around the table of the Lord,' seeking to be faithful stewards of God's grace.
- Established
- 1949
- Patron
- St. William of York
- Rector
- Rev. Jaisemon (Jaison) Xaviour
- Diocese
- Diocese of St. Augustine
Why belong here
St. William offers a close-knit Catholic community in the heart of Keystone Heights with multiple weekday Masses, a Saturday Vigil, two Sunday liturgies (including a Spanish Mass), and a robust devotion schedule of Adoration, Benediction, Rosary, the Miraculous Medal Novena, and the Divine Mercy Chaplet. The parish runs a full Parish Religious Education program for children and teens, an OCIA process for adults, and a youth ministry — making it a welcoming place both for longtime residents of Clay County and for newcomers seeking sacramental life and faith formation in a small, family-sized setting.
Mass times at St. William
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Tuesday 6:30 – 7:00 PM (some sources list 5:30 – 6:00 PM)
- Saturday 3:45 – 4:15 PM
- Sunday 8:15 – 8:45 AM
- First Friday 9:00 – 9:30 AM (also listed as 9:00 – 10:30 AM on the parish site)
- Or by appointment
Adoration times
- Tuesday 5:30 – 6:00 PM (Adoration before 6:30 PM Confession)
- Tuesday 6:30 – 7:00 PM (Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, per diocesan directory)
- First Friday 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM (Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament)
About St. William Catholic Church
St. William Catholic Church is a parish of the Diocese of St. Augustine, located in Keystone Heights, Clay County, Florida. Founded in 1949, it serves Catholics across Keystone Heights and the surrounding rural communities of north-central Florida. The parish identifies itself as 'a Catholic Christian community formed by the Word and gathered in the Spirit around the table of the Lord,' striving to be faithful stewards of God's grace and reaching out to all.
- Parish Mission Statement on the parish homepage
- Parish phone (352) 473-4136; office hours Tuesday–Friday 9 AM – 3 PM (closed Mondays)
- Address: 275 Satsuma Street, Keystone Heights, FL 32656
History of the Parish
The parish was established in 1949 in Keystone Heights and is listed in the Diocese of St. Augustine Directory as '(Est. 1949).' Over the decades it has grown from a single Sunday-Mass community into a bilingual parish with a full weekly Mass schedule, daily devotional life, faith formation for children and teens, and pastoral care for St. Philip Neri Mission in Hawthorne. The parish is named for St. William of York, a 12th-century Archbishop of York canonized in 1226.
- Founded 1949 (Diocese of St. Augustine Directory)
- Mothers St. Philip Neri Mission, Hawthorne, FL (Est. 1895)
- Pastoral leadership: Rev. Andrzej Mitera (2019 directory) → Rev. Jaisemon Xaviour (current)
Parish Staff
The parish is led by its pastor, supported by an office manager, director of religious education, youth ministers, and a maintenance supervisor. The Our Staff page on the parish website identifies each role.
- Pastor — Rev. Jaisemon (Jaison) Xaviour
- Office Manager — Tina Lazzaro (also Coordinator of OCIA)
- Director of Religious Education — Kathryn Smersh
- Youth Ministers — Erin and Zach Zovath
- Maintenance Supervisor — Ron Burckhard
- Mission Office Manager (St. Philip Neri) — Charlagene Delk
- Mission DRE (St. Philip Neri) — Renee Brohamer
Faith Formation & Religious Education
The Parish Religious Education (PRE) program ministers to children from Pre-K through Grade 12, with separate tracks for younger students and high-school youth. The Director of Religious Education, Kathryn Smersh, coordinates the program along with sacramental catechists for First Eucharist and Confirmation.
- PRE for Grades Pre-K – 8 — Sundays 9:45 – 10:45 AM
- PRE for Grades 9 – 12 — Sundays 9:45 – 10:45 AM, plus Fourth-Sunday evenings 6:00 – 8:00 PM
- Sacramental Catechist — prepares students for Reconciliation, First Eucharist, and Confirmation
- Director of Religious Education: Kathryn Smersh ([email protected])
OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults)
For adults seeking full communion with the Catholic Church — whether unbaptized, baptized in another Christian tradition, or Catholic but uncatechized — St. William runs the OCIA process (formerly known as RCIA). It is coordinated by Office Manager Tina Lazzaro and runs formal sessions from mid-August through the week after Easter, with inquiry welcome year-round.
- Coordinator: Tina Lazzaro ([email protected])
- Formal sessions: mid-August through the week after Easter
- Inquiry welcome any time of year
- Culminates in the reception of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist at the Easter Vigil
Youth Ministry
St. William's youth ministry serves the parish's teens in Grades 9–12 and is led by Youth Ministers Erin and Zach Zovath. Activities and meetings are tied to the high-school PRE schedule and the parish's broader sacramental and devotional life.
- Youth Ministers: Erin and Zach Zovath
- High-school PRE Sundays 9:45 – 10:45 AM (Fourth Sundays 6:00 – 8:00 PM)
- Opportunities include Altar Serving, Lectoring, Ushering, and parish grounds cleanup
Music & Liturgy
Liturgical music is coordinated as part of the parish's liturgical and faith-formation life. The parish bulletin is the primary place where current schedules for choirs, cantors, and special liturgies are announced.
- Director of Music role listed in the 2019 Diocese of St. Augustine Directory (Georgia McFadden)
- Liturgical coordination with bilingual weekend Mass schedule
- Current bulletin available via the parish website
St. Philip Neri Mission (Hawthorne)
St. Philip Neri Mission is one of the oldest Catholic communities in the Diocese of St. Augustine, established in 1895 and located at 7919 US Highway 301 South, Hawthorne, FL 32640. It is pastored as a mission church of St. William Parish and celebrated its Sunday Mass at 11:15 AM as of the 2025–2026 diocesan directory.
- Address: 7919 US Highway 301 South, Hawthorne, FL 32640
- Phone: (352) 481-3353
- Pastoral care: Rev. Jaisemon Xaviour
- Office Manager: Charlagene Delk ([email protected])
- DRE: Renee Brohamer ([email protected])
- Sunday Mass: 11:15 AM
Visit, Contact & Getting Involved
St. William welcomes visitors and new parishioners. The church office is open Tuesday through Friday, 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM, and is closed Mondays. The current parish bulletin and up-to-date announcements are posted on the parish website.
- Office: (352) 473-4136
- Office email: [email protected]
- Pastor email: [email protected]
- DRE email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.stwilliamkeystone.org/
- Bulletin link available on the parish homepage
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Andrzej Miteraat least 2019
Listed as pastor in the 2019 Diocese of St. Augustine Directory; previous email [email protected].
- Rev. Jaisemon (Jaison) Xaviourcurrent
Current pastor per the parish website and the 2025-2026 Diocese of St. Augustine Directory; [email protected].