keeping the faith: St. Edward Church celebrates 65 Years in Starke
by Shannon Scrubby-Henderson
 

		Dedicated in 1941, St. Edward Catholic Church celebrated their 65th anniversary with Bishop Victor Galeone on Oct. 21, 2006. In preparation for the celebration, parishioners came together to renovate the building and grounds and received an award for “Most Improved” property by the Starke Chamber of Commerce.
		On the grounds of St. Edward’s, which faces State Road 301 in Starke, is a beautiful statue of the Blessed Mother.

Dedicated in 1941, St. Edward Catholic Church celebrated their 65th anniversary with Bishop Victor Galeone on Oct. 21, 2006. In preparation for the celebration, parishioners came together to renovate the building and grounds and received an award for “Most Improved” property by the Starke Chamber of Commerce.

On the grounds of St. Edward’s, which faces State Road 301 in Starke, is a beautiful statue of the Blessed Mother.

The small group of Catholic families who lived in and around Starke when St. Edward was founded in 1941 got their long-awaited church in an unusual way and from an unexpected quarter: the USO. It was built at the request of Catholic soldiers stationed at nearby Camp Blanding, a facility that would swell to a wartime population of nearly 55,000. For off-duty servicemen, St. Edward and its extensive recreational facilities became a home away from home. In addition to Mass and the sacraments, parish members and their guests could enjoy dancing in the pavilion, basketball, tennis, badminton, volleyball, shuffleboard and even bowling. During this period, priest-in-residence Thomas Murphy lived in quarters at the back of the church.

Over six and a half decades, population ebbs and flows have affected the size of the parish. In 2004, after resident pastor, Father William Hochheim retired, Bishop Galeone appointed Father Conrad Cowart as the administrator of the small parish community. He resides at St. Patrick’s in Gainesville.

Through all of its metamorphoses, no matter the size of the congregation, St. Edward has sustained its longstanding traditions of hospitality and generosity. “The people here are just so giving,” says Father Cowart, who serves as chaplain at Shands Hospital in Gainesville during the week and celebrates two weekend Masses in Starke. Case in point: the way church members jumped in to support large-scale renovations completed just prior to the 65th anniversary celebration on Oct. 21, 2006. Improvements included a ramp from the parking lot that replaced the outdated structure in front of the church, a new coat of stucco and exterior detailing, landscaping and an irrigation system. “It was a lot of work, but as soon as the beautification was proposed, the people responded,” says Father Cowart, who notes that upgrades were paid for out of parish funds and contributions, with no loans required. “These are people who truly love their parish,” he says, adding that the church received an award from the Starke Chamber of Commerce for being the “Most Improved” property in town.

Church member Peg Trimble, who raised five children in the parish, served as church secretary for seven years, and worked with youth groups for 17 years, has witnessed many changes since she arrived almost three decades ago. For one thing, there were a lot more children then. “We used to have seven classes of 20 kids,” she comments. “My daughter Melanie, now our director of religious education, tells me that there are now only nine or ten children in all.” Today, the parish is a community of mostly older members. Some, the Gilhoolys and Mengs, date back to almost the beginning. “My husband Paul and I came to Starke as newlyweds in 1946, back when State Road 301 was a two-lane highway called State Road 200,” says Ruth Meng. “It was a lot livelier back then. All 11 of our children were baptized at St. Edward. I remember Easters when people would stand outside the church at the window because we couldn’t fit them all inside.” Her sister-in-law Dolores, widow of Paul’s twin brother Fran, has been a member since 1
948. She raised nine children in the parish and considers it home. “It’s small, but that’s all right,” she says. “I like knowing the people.”

For many years, parish priests spent much of their time at the correctional institutions that dot the landscape in Bradford and Union counties. Father Joseph Finlay, pastor from 1982 to 1987, remembers working Friday nights, Saturday mornings and Mondays at the prisons - and the rest of the week in Starke. “I really loved St. Edward because the people were so kind,” recalls the retired priest. Father Bill Hochheim, pastor from 1989 to 2004, remembers that he was involved in the prison ministry for his first two years in Starke. “I ran back and forth between prisons, the state hospital in Macclenny and the parish. Eventually, that was taken over by others and I could stay in Starke, which was an active place in those days. I remember it as a very friendly environment, where Catholic people had a good standing. There was a custom that whenever there was a funeral procession, cars coming the other way would pull off the road out of respect. Those were good people, Catholics and non-Catholics, and we all helped each other.”

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st. edward catholic church at a glance

St. Edward Catholic Church, est. 1941 441 North Temple Avenue Starke, FL 32091-3207 (904) 964-6155 Masses: Saturday 5 p.m.; Sunday 9 a.m. Administrator: Father Conrad Cowart Registered families: 69