Saint Edward Catholic Church, Pembroke Pines

Saint Edward Catholic Church
Basic information
Location 19000 Pines Boulevard
Pembroke Pines, Florida, US
Geographic coordinates 26°00′20″N 80°24′11″W / 26.0056°N 80.4031°WCoordinates: 26°00′20″N 80°24′11″W / 26.0056°N 80.4031°W
Affiliation Roman Catholic
Territory Archdiocese of Miami
Status Active parish
Leadership Rev. Fr. John Peloso
Website www.stedward.net
Groundbreaking 4 October 1998
Completed 1999
Construction cost $3,000,000

Saint Edward Catholic Church in Pembroke Pines, Florida, was established in 1995 and constructed in 1999. Part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami, this charismatic parish is located in western Broward County.[1] Located on 190th Avenue, the parish is closest religious institution to US 27 within the county. It was the first church ever built west of Interstate 75 in Broward County and in the City of Pembroke Pines.

History

Named after Saint Edward the Confessor, the parish was established in 1994.[2] In one of his final acts before retirement, Miami Archbishop Edward McCarthy appointed Rev. Fr. Michael J. Eivers pastor of the new church. Eivers was one of the pioneers in the introduction of cell groups to the Catholic community.[3] The first parish authorized in western Broward County within the Catholic Church, a 13-acre site was marked for use by the organization on the site of an old bar.[4]

The first Mass under the parish name took place on 26 February 1995 in the home of a parishioner.[5] Additional locations would include a movie theatre and Chapel Trail Elementary School while the community grew and funding allowed for the development of a permanent facility. By 1996, St. Edward had six hundred registered families when construction on a permanent building was started.[6] By the time the church's three million dollar Parish Center had been completed in October 1999, this number had grown to approximately eleven hundred.[5]

Dedicated on 22 January 2000, the Parish Center provided parish offices and a multi-functioning building with an adoration chapel, [Religious Education] classrooms for over two thousand students yearly and a church with seating for approximately one thousand people. The building featured a completely new design within the Archdiocese of Miami. Presiding at the dedication of the facility were retired Archdiocese of Miami Archbishop Edward McCarthy and then current Archbishop John C. Favalora.[7] The pastor of the church was elevated to the title of Monsignor during the ceremony.

The closest religious institution to US 27 within the county, it was the first church ever built west of Interstate 75 in Broward County and in western Pembroke Pines.


By the beginning of 2005, the church community had grown to over three thousand registered families.[8] The multicultural parish has members representing over seventy-two different nationalities. The church was estimated to have four thousand registered families in early 2006.[4][9] With the opening of the first building at neighboring Saint John XXIII Catholic Church in nearby western Miramar in 2010, the parish's population has reportedly stabilized somewhere near three thousand registered families.[10][11]

Clergy

The following individuals have led Saint Edward Catholic Church since its creation:

Priests

Tenure Name Designation Position
1995 - 2011 Eivers, Michael J. Rev. Msgr. Pastor
1997 - 2003 Mitchell, Walter Rev. Fr. Assistant Pastor
2002 – 2003 de Paula, Cristobal Rev. Fr. Pastoral Vicar
2003 – 2009 Sarmiento, Oscar Rev. Fr. Pastoral Vicar
2009 – 2010 Plancher, Christian Rev. Fr.; s.m.m. Pastoral Vicar
2010–Present Lahens, Albert Rev. Fr. Pastoral Vicar
2011–Present Peloso, John Rev. Fr. Pastor

Deacons

Tenure Name Position
1995 - 2011 DeLuca, Arnold Parish Administrator
2005–Present Cramer, Carl
2008–2013 Ganuza, Mario

See also

References

  1. "Archdiocese of Miami - Search for Church/Schools - St. Edward". Archdiocese of Miami. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-05-26.
  2. "Saint Edward Catholic Church - St. Edward". St. Edward Catholic Church. Archived from the original on 2007-02-19. Retrieved 2007-05-26.
  3. "Saint Edward Catholic Church - History Of CELLS". St. Edward Catholic Church. Retrieved 2007-05-26.
  4. 4.0 4.1 "Chapter 14: Parishes". History of the ARCHDIOCESE OF MIAMI: 1958-2008. Strasbourg, France: Editions du Signe. 2007. p. 136. ISBN 978-2-7468-1935-1.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Church Family Albums, Saint Edward Catholic Church Parish Directory. 2nd ed, PCA International Inc., 1999.
  6. Church Family Albums, Saint Edward Catholic Church Parish Directory, Foundation Edition. 1st ed, PCA International Inc., 1996.
  7. "Saint Edward Catholic Church - Clergy". St. Edward Catholic Church. Archived from the original on 2007-02-19. Retrieved 2007-05-26.
  8. Church Family Albums, Saint Edward Catholic Church Parish Directory. 3rd ed, PCA International Inc., 2005.
  9. Gerlinde & Michael Photography, Father Mike's Family Album: St. Edward's Catholic Church 2008. Gerlinde & Michael Photography, 2008.
  10. "Saint Edward Catholic Church - Bulletin". St. Edward Catholic Church. 20 November 2010. Retrieved 2011-05-26.
  11. "Blessed John XXIII - Pastor's Corner". Fr. Ernest Biriruka. Retrieved 2011-05-26.

External links