At the heart of Gainesville, Holy Faith Catholic Church, also called Iglesia Santa Fe, is a large multicultural Roman Catholic parish with about 2,100 registered households. It is known for connecting the area's Spanish-Franciscan history with an active life of worship, family formation, and service. Its 747 NW 43rd Street campus includes a distinctive 700-seat church, a Ministry Center, and the Fr. John M. Phillips Parish Life Center amid park-like grounds.
Most parishioners are families with children, while seniors, local professionals, University of Florida students, and Santa Fe College students also belong to the community. Filipino, Hispanic, Indian, African, and other ethnic communities enrich parish life. The parish's mission is to be nourished by God's word and the Eucharist and to know, love, and serve God together as one family in union with Christ, with a vision of building a community of compassion and service.
Santa Fe Roots and a Parish Built for Growth
Holy Faith's story reaches back to Santa Fe de Toledo, a 17th-century Spanish mission serving Indigenous people in early Florida. It was one of a group of Spanish-Franciscan missions, and Santa Fe means Holy Faith in English. That connection explains the parish's two-part name and its spiritual bond with St. Francis of Assisi, its patron saint. The Franciscan inheritance is expressed through service, concern for people who are poor or marginalized, care for creation, and compassion. The parish also honors the missionaries and Indigenous people who were part of this early Catholic presence in Florida.
Established as a parish on March 1, 1973, by Bishop Paul F. Tanner, Holy Faith's first pastor was Fr. Flannan Walsh. Mass was celebrated at Gainesville Women's Club from 1972 to 1976 while the parish secured land and planned a permanent campus. In 1976 parishioners built a Social Hall and Education Building, whose Upper Hall served as a temporary worship space. The permanent church was dedicated on February 28, 1982, by Bishop John J. Snyder. It seats approximately 700 and has a pagoda shape, with its high ceiling forming a Maltese cross.
Growth continued under Fr. Walsh and then Msgr. Joseph James, who succeeded him in 1987. Under Fr. Michael Williams, beginning in 1990, the parish grew significantly, and a Ministry Center with offices, a library, and a nursery was completed in 2001. Fr. John Phillips became pastor in 2002, expanded ministries, and helped the parish acquire land for growth. In October 2004, Holy Faith adopted the Catholic Worker House of Gainesville, which offered hospitality and outreach to people experiencing poverty for more than a decade. A capital campaign began in 2013, and the Parish Life Center was dedicated on September 25, 2016. Bishop Felipe Estevez later rededicated it in memory of Fr. Phillips, who died in 2019. Fr. Emmanuel Pazhayapurackal served as pastor during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bishop Felipe Estevez appointed Fr. Jose Kulathinal as pastor on February 14, 2022; under his leadership, participation and active parish life have continued to grow.
A Liturgical Heart for Gainesville
Holy Faith places worship at the center of parish life. It describes liturgy as the Church's public, communal prayer and the Eucharistic Liturgy as the guide for its gatherings, with the Holy Eucharist at the heart of worship. The Eucharist is taught as the “source and summit” of Christian life and a visible expression of unity in Christ; full, conscious, and active participation is the aim of every celebration. The Paschal Mystery, Christ's death and resurrection, gives shape to the liturgical year, with Advent and Lent directing the community toward Christmas and Easter. The parish's sacramental life includes Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance and Reconciliation, Holy Orders, Matrimony, and Anointing of the Sick.
Formation is meant to unite mind, spirit, and heart. Baptism is presented as the gateway to the life in the Spirit and to the other sacraments; Confirmation strengthens the baptized as witnesses to Christ; and Reconciliation is approached as an encounter with God's mercy and the Church's reconciling embrace. Marriage is taught as a lifelong covenant and a public liturgical act, while Anointing of the Sick strengthens the seriously ill, the elderly, and those approaching the end of life. These teachings frame the parish's worship not as a single event but as the center of a continuing sacramental life.
Mass Times, Prayer, and Monthly Gatherings
Holy Faith celebrates Mass every day in a full weekly rhythm. The Saturday vigil is at 5:00 PM, and Saturday morning Mass is at 9:00 AM. Sunday Masses are at 8:00 AM, 9:30 AM, 11:15 AM, and 6:00 PM. Mass on weekdays is offered at 7:00 AM and 9:30 AM. The 9:30 AM Sunday Mass is usually livestreamed, with other Masses occasionally shown as well, through the parish's YouTube channel. A monthly Filipino Mass is celebrated at 4:00 PM on the last Sunday of the month.
Reconciliation is available on Saturdays from 9:30 to 10:45 AM and from 3:00 to 4:30 PM, as well as by appointment. The first Friday has a particularly rich devotional rhythm. The 9:30 AM Mass is followed by exposition of the Blessed Sacrament; from 10:00 to 11:00 AM the parish prays its first hour of adoration with devotion to the Sacred Heart, and from 11:00 AM to noon there is prayer and reflection, with the Angelus at 11:55 AM. A Healing Mass with prayer teams begins at 6:00 PM, followed at 7:00 PM by exposition, adoration, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, and Benediction. On the third Tuesday, a Healing Mass with the Sacrament of the Sick is celebrated at the 9:30 AM Mass.
Outside Mass, the church is open for personal prayer with the Blessed Sacrament from 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM Monday through Saturday and on Sunday between Masses. The Rosary is prayed daily at 9:00 and 10:00 AM. A Charismatic Prayer Group meets in the chapel at 7:30 PM on Thursdays. On the third Tuesday, a Rosary prayer and potluck begins at 6:30 PM, and a Rosary to Our Lady of Lourdes is prayed at 6:00 PM on the last Friday of the month.
Children's formation and youth ministry have their own Sunday rhythm. Family Faith Formation for pre-K through grade 8 meets on most Sunday mornings during the academic year, and The Mix, the middle school group, meets before class on most Sundays. Catholic Youth Ministry for students in grades 8 through 12 gathers in the Youth Room at 4:00 PM on most Sundays. Families also gather for a monthly first-Friday potluck, and children participate in a special class at the 9:30 AM Mass on the last Sunday of most months.
Children, Youth, and Family Faith
Family Faith Formation, formerly called CCF, is the center of Sunday formation for children. Classes span pre-K through eighth grade, while sacramental preparation classes meet monthly for children in grades 1, 2, 8, and 9. On the last Sunday of most months, children gather at the front of the church for the 9:30 AM Mass and serve in various liturgical ministries. The parish asks families to contribute program fees for books, crafts, shirts, and materials, but says a child or family will not be excluded because of inability to pay.
Catholic Youth Ministry supports students from eighth through twelfth grade with retreats, youth conferences, Catholic summer camps, and community service projects. Vacation Bible School is generally a five-day parish-wide program for preschool children ages 3 and 4, with children in kindergarten through fifth grade serving as crews alongside middle school, high school, and adult volunteers. The Catholic curriculum carries the bishops' imprimatur and uses the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition of the Bible. A family session is included on the second day.
Parents have quarterly cafés during Family Faith Formation, usually featuring a guest speaker on raising a Catholic family. The monthly Parents Night Out includes free childcare in the Holy Faith nursery. Families also share the Prayer Share Journal and a Holy Family statue in rotation, taking the materials home for a week of daily family prayer. The first-Friday family potluck pairs a shared meal with fellowship and discussion of the Gospel reading for the coming Sunday.
Family life also includes retreats, game and movie nights, seasonal prayer gatherings, and an annual festival, Christmas play, and cookie-sharing celebration. The wider parish supports St. Patrick Interparish School, Queen of Peace Academy, and St. Francis Catholic Academy, but Holy Faith's own formation is rooted in Family Faith Formation, sacramental preparation, and youth ministry.
Adult Formation, OCIA, and Serving at the Liturgy
Adult formation at Holy Faith is called “Catholics On The Move,” or COTM. It presents faith formation as preparation to witness the living Jesus with knowledge, wisdom, mercy, and compassion, and to share the joy of the Gospel. The parish organizes opportunities for encounter through liturgy, classes, retreats, small groups, and prayer experiences. Bible study offerings have included the Gospel of Luke, Revelation, and a biblical timeline, while book and topic groups have explored prayer, Jesus and the Eucharist, and the Catholic Mass.
OCIA, the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, welcomes unbaptized adults, baptized adults seeking full communion with the Catholic Church, and baptized Catholics who need Confirmation and First Communion. Preparation for unbaptized adults requires at least a full year and four stages of prayer, Scripture, lessons, reflection, and community involvement, with a sponsor. Children age 7 and older follow the same process with age-appropriate catechesis. An OCIA inquiry is offered every Wednesday at 7:00 PM in the Parish Life Center as a no-commitment opportunity to ask questions and reflect on one's faith story.
Adult Confirmation is conferred twice each year, once in a rotating local parish and once at the Cathedral Basilica in St. Augustine, with diocesan preparation required. Those who want to explore serving at Mass can become ushers, lectors, altar servers, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, or music ministers. Training begins with a two-hour general session and continues with group or individual practical instruction. The parish trains new ministers even for people who served elsewhere, holds sessions about three times a year when enough people are ready, and requires the pastor's approval before service begins.
Music ministry prepares singers, cantors, instrumentalists, and choirs for Sunday liturgies, sacraments, and other Church celebrations. Altar servers may be adults or young people age 9 and older; extraordinary ministers must be at least 18. Music training is offered, and no prior special training is required.
Compassion Beyond the Parish Campus
Holy Faith's most extensive outreach is to people who are sick, elderly, homebound, or otherwise in need. The parish serves 14 hospitals, retirement communities, nursing homes, assisted-living and memory-care facilities, hospice facilities, rehabilitation facilities, and individual patients at home. Approximately 65 trained Outreach Communion and Prayer Ministers visit on established schedules, offering bedside Communion or weekly group Communion services. In a typical week, the ministers see about 400 patients. The parish also provides Anointing of the Sick and Last Rites through its priestly ministry.
The ministry to elderly parishioners recognizes that about 22 percent of the parish's adults are older adults, many living alone or with a spouse and sometimes unable to drive or keep up with current technology. Its Listening Volunteer Ministry maintains contact by phone, email, chat, or in-person visits for conversation, shared interests, and reading, with referral to a professional when more assistance is needed. Volunteers receive training, background checks, and mentoring.
On the first Sunday of each month, a collection is specifically dedicated to people who are poor and in need. The money supports local charitable organizations and, with the pastor's approval, assistance requests received by the parish. Holy Faith's social justice work also includes a food drive on every third weekend of the month, from 4:45 to 6:00 PM Saturday and 9:00 AM to noon Sunday, and a Prison Ministry.
The parish's wider network connects it with Catholic Charities, the local Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Peaceful Paths, UF Health Street, and the Rural Women's Health Program. Peaceful Paths is described as a certified domestic violence center offering emergency shelter, a 24-hour helpline, advocacy, children's programming, crisis counseling, support groups, awareness efforts, and violence prevention. These relationships place Holy Faith's compassion within a broader local care network that includes food, clothing, housing, health, and family support.
Franciscan Service, Stewardship, and Shared Gifts
Holy Faith's service is also expressed through its Respect Life, Healing, Evangelization, Lazarus funeral-support, Coffee and Donuts, and Welcoming ministries. The parish lists prison ministry, Catholic Charities, food drives, family events, and support for the sick among opportunities for service. In the spirit of its Franciscan patron, this work joins prayer and sacramental life to attention for human dignity, vulnerable neighbors, and the responsibilities of Christian discipleship.
Stewardship is taught as a way of life: life, talents, and resources are gifts from God, received with gratitude, used responsibly, and shared generously. Parishioners are encouraged to give time in prayer and presence, talent in ministry service, and treasure in financial support for the parish and charity. Online giving through ParishSoft supports weekly, biweekly, monthly, twice-monthly, quarterly, or annual gifts, and text-to-give is also available. Holy Faith says it has more than 600 volunteers serving its ministries.
Parish organizations include the Knights of Columbus, Council of Catholic Women, Martha's Guild kitchen committee, Men's and Moms groups, Rosary and prayer groups, Bible and book groups, study groups, and a crafts group and garden. Council roles support leadership, finance, stewardship, liturgy, faith formation, strategic planning, events, and safety. The scale of volunteer participation supports the parish's goal of building a community of compassion and service in Christ.
A Gathering Place with a Long Reach
The campus gives worship, formation, and service a shared setting. The 1982 church has the distinctive pagoda form and Maltese-cross ceiling, while the 2016 Parish Life Center supports ministries for years to come and honors Fr. John M. Phillips. The earlier Ministry Center includes offices, a library, and a nursery. Prayer spaces include a Grotto of Our Lady of Guadalupe in front of the church, a garden of the Blessed Mother near the Ministry Building, and a Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in the new courtyard. The gift shop and library are open Monday through Friday from 10:00 AM to noon and Sunday from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Parish contact information includes the location at 747 NW 43rd Street and weekday office hours of 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM.
Pastoral leadership is shared by Pastor Fr. Jose Kulathinal, CMI; Parochial Vicars Fr. Emmanuel P. Joseph, CMI, and Fr. Justino Moreno; Priest in Residence Fr. Christopher Ezeonu, who serves University of Florida students; and Deacon Michael Demers. Letty Valentin directs liturgy and adult formation, and Cristina Logan leads music ministry. Mark Beachy coordinates outreach to the sick, elderly, and poor; Frank Mackritis chairs social justice outreach; Reena Arndt chairs the Stewardship Council; and Peggy Wilson and Patty DeHaan serve as spiritual directors.
From a Women's Club to a church seating 700 and from a temporary Upper Hall to a dedicated Parish Life Center, Holy Faith has grown while keeping its Santa Fe and Franciscan inheritance close. Its daily Masses, formation for every age, global and local service, and more than 600 volunteers embody the vision of a community of compassion and service in Christ. Holy Faith remains a place of prayer at the heart of Gainesville, rooted in the Eucharist and continually reaching toward the people and needs of the surrounding community.