Sacred Heart Catholic Church serves Fleming Island and Green Cove Springs, with its main church at 7190 Highway 17 South in Fleming Island and a second location at 207 Palmetto Avenue in Green Cove Springs. The parish celebrated 150 years in 2024 and is known for Roman Catholic worship, Spanish-language ministry, education from kindergarten through grade 12, grief support, and service to families in both communities. Its worship life spans the week, with Mass every morning from Sunday through Friday, two Sunday Masses, confession, adoration, and several prayer groups.
A 150-Year Parish Across Fleming Island and Green Cove Springs
Compelled by the Gospel, Sacred Heart promotes and supports Christian life through the celebration of the sacraments, educational programs, and parish ministries. Its identity is unmistakably Catholic: the parish centers the Eucharist, supports people preparing to receive the sacraments, teaches children and adults in the faith, serves the sick and bereaved, and sends members into service. The 150-year milestone gave the parish a moment to honor those who came before while looking toward the work of its younger members.
That history is visible in a two-location shape. The Fleming Island church anchors worship, religious education, music, youth work, and gatherings at Sullivan Hall. At Green Cove Springs, Spanish Mass, reconciliation, adult initiation classes, and a Friday prayer group gather people around 207 Palmetto Avenue. The parish office at the Fleming Island campus is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and parish registration is available in the church narthex, the parish office, and through an online registration form.
The parish's 150th anniversary included a time capsule prepared by Council 11220 of the Knights of Columbus. The anniversary prayer asks God to bless and reward those who came before and to fill the parish with faith and courage. That sense of continuity connects the milestone with the ministry planning and capital work of the parish.
Parish registration also helps the church welcome families into the life of the parish. The registration form records household members, contact information, Catholic sacramental status, mailing preferences, and any special needs, disabilities, or languages. This gives Sacred Heart a way to connect worship with education, parish life, and ministries that meet a family's needs.
Mass Every Morning, with Sunday and Spanish Gatherings
Mass is celebrated at 8:00 a.m. Sunday through Friday and at 5:30 p.m. Saturday in Fleming Island. A second Sunday Mass is celebrated at 10:30 a.m. Daily Mass is livestreamed on YouTube, allowing people who regularly join from a distance to participate in the same worship life.
- Sunday: Mass at 8:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. at 7190 Highway 17 South in Fleming Island.
- Monday through Friday: Mass at 8:00 a.m. in Fleming Island.
- Saturday: Mass at 5:30 p.m. in Fleming Island, followed by Spanish Mass at 7:30 p.m. in Green Cove Springs.
- Confession: Saturday from 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. in Fleming Island and from 7:00 to 7:30 p.m. in Spanish at Green Cove Springs.
- Eucharistic adoration: first Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and third Friday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
- Daily prayer: Divine Mercy Chaplet on Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. and the Rosary on Thursday at 8:30 a.m.
Sacred Heart's music ministry supports prayerful song at every Mass. Musicians, singers, instrumentalists, and the music director serve the parish, rehearse weekly, and also take part in special and Holy Day celebrations. The liturgical life also depends on altar servers, Eucharistic ministers, lectors, sacristans, ushers, and those who care for linens. These roles open as needs arise, with training arranged for each opening.
Prayer continues beyond Mass. The Divine Mercy Chaplet is prayed at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, followed by the Divine Mercy Cenacle's study of St. Faustina's diary on the first and third Tuesdays from 8:45 to 9:45 a.m. The Rosary is prayed at 8:30 a.m. Thursday after Mass, followed in some weeks by an Our Lady's Cenacle reflection. Even experienced ministers from other parishes receive training for Sacred Heart because diocesan and parish requirements apply. People who express interest are contacted when a ministry opens and a training date is set.
A Distinct Spanish Catholic Life at Green Cove Springs
Green Cove Springs gives the parish a distinctly bilingual rhythm. The Saturday evening schedule is designed for Spanish-speaking families: Spanish confession begins at 7:00 p.m., followed by Spanish Mass at 7:30 p.m. Sandra Curtis serves as Hispanic Ministry liaison and coordinates RICA, the Spanish-language Rito de la Iniciación Cristiana para Adultos, which meets Thursday evenings at 6:30 p.m. in the Green Cove Springs church.
- Friday prayer group: 7:30 p.m. at 207 Palmetto Avenue.
- First Friday Exposición del Santísimo: 7:30 p.m. at Green Cove Springs.
- RICA classes: Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in Green Cove Springs.
The Ministerio Hispano has ministry leads for choir, hospitality and ushers, Mass intentions, lectors, Eucharistic ministry, and sacristans. Rogelio Santiago, Juan Santana, Juliana Gonzalez, Joy Ayala, Jesús Sosa, and Marina Ruiz carry those responsibilities. The ministry also supports adults, young people, and children who have not yet received Baptism, First Communion, or Confirmation, helping them move through the parish's sacramental preparation.
Spanish-language participation extends beyond worship. The RICA classes combine instruction, prayer, and preparation for membership in the Catholic Church, while the ministry's Friday prayer gathering provides a regular setting for shared devotion. Together, these ministries give Spanish-speaking adults and families a place within the full sacramental and educational life of Sacred Heart.
Where Children and Teenagers Belong
Sacred Heart's parish religious education program serves kindergarten through grade 12 from August through May. Classes prepare children for the sacraments, and the program also uses separate classes, retreats, and parent meetings around First Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation. Families arriving after the start of the year may arrange a transfer from another religious education program through the Education Office.
The Children's Liturgy of the Word teaches the Gospel to children ages four to eight at the 10:30 a.m. Sunday Mass. Ministers follow a curriculum and take part fully in the Liturgy; volunteers are fingerprinted and receive background checks. The ministry is tied closely to the school calendar, so it operates during the school year and supports parents who entrust their children to parish formation.
Teenagers have a Wednesday evening youth program built around belonging, faith, leadership, service, and the encouragement of adult mentors. Opportunities include hospitality, providing food for teens, sharing resources, mentoring, and helping build a supportive community for young disciples.
The religious education year includes required parent meetings, separate preparation classes and retreats for sacraments, and opportunities for adults to become catechists or assistants. Catechists receive diocesan certification, background checks, and Protecting God's Children training. Vacation Bible School is a weeklong June program for children from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade, combining Bible stories with crafts, games, music, snacks, and an annual theme. Parents help form its team, and junior and senior high students are encouraged to serve as crew leaders.
Learning, Rosary Craft, and Prayer for Adults
Adult formation ranges from brief gatherings to sustained study. Small groups meet weekly in homes or on campus, use the same study guide, and are limited to ten people so everyone can share and relationships can form. A Wednesday morning group in Building A watches and discusses a video series, while Evening Adult Bible Study meets twice a month from September through March, with assigned readings, questions, and video explanations.
Order of Christian Initiation of Adults is a year-round process open to people age seven and older who seek membership in the Catholic Church. Preparation combines instruction, prayer, and participation in liturgical rites. Adult parishioners can serve as discussion facilitators or sponsors, accompanying a candidate through the process and helping the person join the parish community. Catechetical ministers can train as diocesan-certified OCIA catechists.
Sacred Heart also makes room for hands-on prayer ministry. Rosary Makers meet on the third Monday of each month from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the Activity Center, beginning with fellowship and a potluck before making and teaching others to fashion rosaries. The finished rosaries are blessed and distributed to homebound parishioners, nursing-home residents, religious education and sacrament classes, Respect Life, and other programs. Their wider aim is evangelization, encouragement of the Rosary, and a deeper devotion to Our Blessed Mother.
The Seven Sisters Apostolate assigns a member to a particular day of the week for a Holy Hour of prayer for a priest, deacon, or bishop. The rotation ensures that each of the parish's clergy has someone praying for special intentions and for deeper conformity to Christ. The Rosary Makers and Seven Sisters show two different ways that prayer becomes an active part of parish life: one through the making of objects that are given away, the other through a sustained personal hour of intercession.
Care for Grief, Sickness, and New Families
Homebound Communion is carried by pairs of ministers who visit registered parishioners who are permanently homebound. The volunteers are fingerprinted and complete Protecting God's Children training. The Ministries of Consolation and Bereavement offer sympathy to families who have lost a loved one, with additional service through the funeral Mass and preparation or service of food at a funeral reception.
The St. Elizabeth Apostolate supports couples who are trying to conceive, adopting, or grieving pregnancy loss. Its work includes a prayer list, short prayer emails, and meals for families welcoming a new child, with meal participation entirely voluntary. The Prayer Blanket Ministry makes small blankets for the sick, sewing on a Medal of the Immaculate Conception covered by a red fabric heart. Parishioners pray over the blankets, and they are blessed at Mass before being given to those who are ill.
GriefShare offers a 13-week program for people mourning the death of a loved one. Each weekly meeting combines a video on a grief-related topic, insight from counselors and people who have experienced bereavement, small-group discussion, and a take-home workbook with daily encouragement and practical help. Participants may join at any point in the series.
The parish's care of those who are hurting also extends beyond Holy Communion and grief support. Bereavement ministers can contribute as liturgical ministers at a funeral Mass or provide food for the reception, connecting the comfort offered by the church with practical help for the family. The St. Elizabeth and Prayer Blanket ministries likewise combine prayer with tangible forms of care for families, children, and people facing illness or loss.
Service That Takes Shape Locally
Scrappy Sewers turns donated fabric into a steady stream of practical help. The group of 14 to 20 women meets Thursdays in Building A, learns a new technique each month, and works on baby blankets, burp cloths, bibs, changing pads, pacifier clips, stuffed animals, tote bags, prayer quilts, and other items. Its recipients include agencies serving babies, the Green Cove Springs food pantry, Seeds of Love Ministry, nursing homes, cancer offices, and survivors of domestic violence at Quigley. The ministry produces two to four thousand items each year.
The sewing group also responds to specific needs, including wheelchair caddies and pads, fidget mats, seasonal decorations and Christmas gifts for nursing-home residents, heart pillows and other comfort items for cancer offices, and blankets and pillowcases for domestic-violence survivors. Everything begins with donated fabric or funds from members and the wider community.
Food Is Love responds to short-term household needs through meal trains organized with technology, along with prayer, compassion, and companionship. Members can identify a parishioner's need for help, then choose which opportunities to take. The Parish Outreach Office assists people in Green Cove Springs, Fleming Island, and the parish with utility bills, sometimes partial rent assistance when funds allow, and referrals to community resources. The office is open Tuesday and Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., by appointment, and assistance is offered once in a 12-month period.
Respect Life organizes education and resources around a culture of life from conception to natural death. Walking with Moms in Need accompanies local pregnant and parenting women who need support, connects them with community resources, and offers ways to respond through the CarePortal sharing platform. The ministry welcomes people who support Choose Life. Rosary Makers, prayer blankets, and the parish's other prayer ministries also serve alongside this work.
Knights, Catholic Women, and Youth Organizations
Council 11220 of the Knights of Columbus has supported the parish and the Fleming Island and Green Cove Springs community for more than 25 years. Its quarterly service day brings Catholic men together for practical work such as yard care, painting, power washing, and small-structure repair or replacement. The council often works alongside youth at these projects and joins with the Council of Catholic Women, which contributes desserts, blankets, and handmade prizes to parish events.
The council's guiding principles are charity, unity, fraternity, and patriotism. Its dinner events raise funds for local organizations and scholarships for seniors heading to college. On service days it also invites youth to join, helping keep younger members connected to the council's work.
The parish's Council of Catholic Women is an affiliate of the National Council of Catholic Women, with ties to the Florida council and the Diocese of St. Augustine council. Its programs support women in spirituality, leadership, education, and service. Causes supported by the council include the food pantry, medical clinic, pro-life ministry, parish outreach, respite care, homelessness concerns, and support for religious vocations.
Sacred Heart also hosts two youth organizations. Boy Scouts of America Troop 309 serves boys ages 11 to 17 and meets year-round on Tuesday evenings. American Heritage Girls welcomes girls ages five to 18 and meets on Tuesdays during the school year. Both are approved by the Diocese of St. Augustine and take part in Catholic Outdoor Adventure Day and diocesan religious medal programs.
Sullivan Hall and the Family Life Center
The parish is building a Family Life Center through a capital campaign titled “His Heart. Our Hands. Building our Future,” with a stated goal of $4.25 million. Its campaign prayer asks that the time, talent, and treasure offered by parishioners be used to bring others into relationship with God and to build up the community of faith. One-time and recurring campaign contributions can be made through online giving.
The capital campaign treats construction as an extension of the parish mission rather than merely a building project. The prayer behind the effort asks that gifts of time, talent, and treasure be used to build a community of faith and draw others into relationship with God. Giving envelopes, one-time gifts, and recurring electronic contributions all support the effort.
Sullivan Hall, the parish's large gathering space, hosts parish events and can be rented for outside functions, with Arlene Manalo handling rental inquiries. It welcomes new parishioners at a luncheon, brings youth and ministries together, and provides a setting for parish gatherings. The Family Life Center effort is paired with a broader stewardship idea: responsible use of time, talent, and treasure strengthens both relationship with God and relationship with one another. An annual ministry fair and welcome brunch also help people find ways to serve.
Under Father Marek Dzien as pastor, Father Ramon Obregon as parochial vicar, and Deacon Richard Hay, Sacred Heart continues to connect sacramental worship, education, family support, and concrete service. Its two locations make that connection visible: the Fleming Island church remains the center of parish life, while Green Cove Springs gives the Spanish community a church of its own within the same parish.