About Tallahassee, Florida:
The history of Catholicism in Tallahassee starts with Hernando de Soto’s 1539 expedition, which wintered in the area and celebrated the first Christmas Mass in North America, marking an early Catholic presence. From 1656 to 1704, Mission San Luis served as a key mission, acting as the western capital of Spanish Florida with a mix of Apalachee and Spanish residents.
Mission San Luis was destroyed in 1704, and after Florida was ceded to Britain in 1763, Catholic presence dwindled over the following decades.
Catholicism revived in the 1820s with the advent of French settlers, leading to the construction of the Church of St. Mary in 1845, the first permanent church in Tallahassee. The community expanded, with Blessed Sacrament Church built in 1898. The Co-Cathedral of St. Thomas More, rooted in a 1930s student center, was completed in 1967 and became a co-cathedral in 1975 with the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee’s formation.
In 1824 Tallahassee was chosen as the capital of Florida, primarily because it was the midway point between the two principal cities of that time, Saint Augustine and Pensacola.
Catholic places of interest in Tallahassee, Florida
Co-Cathedral of St. Thomas More: known for its beautiful architecture, welcoming atmosphere, and active parish life.
Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church: traditional services and offers a range of Mass times, making it accessible for visitors, has Perpetual Adoration.
Good Shepherd Catholic Church: many Masses available
Mission San Luis de Apalachee: While not an active church today, it is a reconstructed 17th-century Spanish mission where Franciscan friars once ministered to the Apalachee people.
St. Louis Catholic Church:
Traveling to Tallahassee, Florida:
Tallahasse International Airport (TLH) has flights to several U.S. cities, primarily Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas-Fort Worth, Fort Lauderdale and Miami. There is no train service to Tallahassee,The Amtrak line running through Tallahassee has been left vacant since Hurricane Katrina damaged the track from New Orleans to Florida’s capitol in 2005.