2003Chronological History of Epiphany of Our Lord:
05/09/1961 - Officially established under the administration of the Redemptorist Order
06/08/1961 - First Mass celebrated at 8:00 a.m. in the Seminole Heights recreation center & 10:00 a.m. in the Sligh Junior High School cafeteria
12/24/1962 - First Mass held in the Church at 2510 E. Hanna Avenue
01/06/1963 - New Church was dedicated by Archbishop Joseph T. Hurley
8/31/1965 - First class in the school started by the church & three Bernardine Sisters of St. Francis
12/01/1966 - Convent built to house the Bernardine Sisters
05/23/1969 - First Class graduated from Epiphany School
06/15/1975 - Fr. Donald Roth, C.Ss.R, a student from Epiphany School said his first Mass
01/03/1988 - Last Day of Service to Epiphany Parish by the Redemptorists
1/12/1988 - First day of residence in Epiphany Rectory by Diocesan Priest
06/01/1992 - Fr. Ignatius Tuoc is installed at Epiphany
1992 - Vietnamese Mission comes to Epiphany
2003 - Fr. Pierre Dorvil comes to Epiphany
07/01/2015 - Fr. Edwin Palka is installed at Epiphany
08/02/2015 - First Latin Mass is celebrated at Epiphany
Fr. Paul Mangiafico and Fr. Vincent Capuano (neither in-residence) have both celebrated Masses and heard Confessions here since the start of the Latin Mass at Epiphany, helping Fr. Palka as often as possible.
Epiphany of Our Lord Parish was officially established on May 9, 1961, (canonically erected on June 17, 1961) in the Seminole Heights neighborhood of Tampa, a blue collar neighborhood predominately of Italian- and Irish - American heritage. The church was dedicated on the Feast Day of Epiphany (January 6, 1963) with Fr. Philip Bardeck, C.Ss.R. appointed as the first permanent pastor. On June 6, 1963 Archbishop Joseph T. Hurley dedicated the new church which overflowed with 700 parishioners. In 1964, the second phase of the fund-raising campaign began for school construction. Ground was broken for five classrooms and an administrative wing.
A school housing grades 1-5 was opened in 1965 staffed by the Bernardine Sisters of St. Francis. The school expanded to 8 grades until it was closed in 1979 when the Bernardine sisters felt that they could no longer staff the school. There were plenty of students but most could not afford to pay tuition. The changing face of the neighborhood, with younger families moving to the Tampa suburbs and a different ethnic population moving in, became a real challenge to the parish.
The convent built in 1966 for the Bernardine sisters became the Parish Rectory after their departure, and the permanent classroom wing has become the Parish Activity Center. In 1988 the Redemptorist order turned the parish over to the Diocese and it has been staffed with Diocesan priests since that time.
In 1991 the St. Joseph Vietnamese Mission came to Epiphany Parish when Fr. Ignatius Tuoc, the Vietnamese priest in charge of the Mission was assigned to Epiphany as Pastor. With the transfer of the Pastor in 1992, Fr. Tuoc was appointed Pastor of both Epiphany Parish as well as the Vietnamese Mission and still serves in this role. The Vietnamese have become an integral part of our faith community. Since 2003, Fr. Pierre Dorvil, the Immaculate Conception Haitian Mission priest has also been in residence with an office on the Epiphany campus. Over the years, the parish has become a vibrant reflection of the diverse ethnic groups that live in its inner-city neighborhood.
During Fr. Tuoc's vicarage, many active parish groups included the Ladies Guild which sponsored many parish activities including a Christmas Party with Santa Claus for the children, Annual Bake Sale and an "Attic Fanatic" garage sale; Young-At-Heart, a group of parish elders who met once a month to share fellowship, eat lunch and have fun playing bingo for an afternoon; and an Adult Choir. A monthly Covered Dish Dinner was held for the parish community every month. Bible Study was also held for adults under the direction of the Director of Religious Education.
Our original Faith Formation program at Epiphany, not only taught the Catholic Faith to our young Catholics but also sponsored Pancake Breakfasts, Fish Frys, and other activities for the Parish. In 2007 the Mass schedule was changed as the number of our parishioners dwindled. Faith Formation for Epiphany students was discontinued in 2008 with less than 10 students enrolled. The Faith Formation program then moved under the supervision of the St. Joseph Vietnamese Mission.
As a response to the Jubilee Year 2000, First Friday Eucharistic Adoration was started and continued to be held in our Rectory Chapel on the First Friday of every month until the Rectory Chapel became too small for attendance. This led to having All-Day Adoration in the main church on First Friday.
Fr. Edwin Palka was installed as Pastor in 2015, bringing the Traditional Latin Mass with him to the parish. For five years, the St. Joseph Vietnamese Mission and the Traditional Latin Mass co-existed at Epiphany. This led to many busy Sundays with lots of activities for both groups in such a small and shared space. However, beginning in 2020, the St. Joseph Vietnamese Mission moved to another parish in the Diocese.
During this shared time, there were monthly Family Rosary and Game Nights, the Annual Epiphany Ball (now known as the Epiphany Celebration as the Parish has expanded beyond just the Social Hall capacity), First Friday activities, Catholic Enrichment Week, and Monthly after 10:30 Mass potlucks. These activities have since evolved as the Parish has grown.
There are now many new Parish Activity Groups established (and still growing!). The Ladies Guild (ECCW), started under Fr. Tuoc's vicarage is still very busy, with an Annual Pecan Sale Fundraiser, Prayers and Pennies for Sisters and Semmies (supporting our Parish's vocations), and the Annual Epiphany Celebration, to name a few. Alongside the Knights of Columbus, our men are active with Holy League and the Fraternal Society of St. John the Apostle. The Fraternal Society of St. John the Apostle hosts many events at Epiphany and has been influential in bringing notable guests and Pontifical High Masses to Epiphany. Activities for the children include Youth Group for both middle school and high school, American Heritage Girls, Troops of St. George, and Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.
The church's interior slowly started to change after Fr. Palka's arrival - first with the installation of the altar rail and new ambo. Then, in 2020 (during the lockdowns that spring), the sanctuary and altar were completely redone. The classrooms have been remodeled as well. There are still many ideas in the works for more renovations for our parish.
Our parish is ever-growing and the Latin Mass community is thriving here at Epiphany. Please visit our Photos Tab to see all the parish activities since Fr. Palka's arrival at Epiphany in 2015.
A school housing grades 1-5 was opened in 1965 staffed by the Bernardine Sisters of St. Francis. The school expanded to 8 grades until it was closed in 1979 when the Bernardine sisters felt that they could no longer staff the school. There were plenty of students but most could not afford to pay tuition. The changing face of the neighborhood, with younger families moving to the Tampa suburbs and a different ethnic population moving in, became a real challenge to the parish.
The convent built in 1966 for the Bernardine sisters became the Parish Rectory after their departure, and the permanent classroom wing has become the Parish Activity Center. In 1988 the Redemptorist order turned the parish over to the Diocese and it has been staffed with Diocesan priests since that time.
In 1991 the St. Joseph Vietnamese Mission came to Epiphany Parish when Fr. Ignatius Tuoc, the Vietnamese priest in charge of the Mission was assigned to Epiphany as Pastor. With the transfer of the Pastor in 1992, Fr. Tuoc was appointed Pastor of both Epiphany Parish as well as the Vietnamese Mission and still serves in this role. The Vietnamese have become an integral part of our faith community. Since 2003, Fr. Pierre Dorvil, the Immaculate Conception Haitian Mission priest has also been in residence with an office on the Epiphany campus. Over the years, the parish has become a vibrant reflection of the diverse ethnic groups that live in its inner-city neighborhood.
During Fr. Tuoc's vicarage, many active parish groups included the Ladies Guild which sponsored many parish activities including a Christmas Party with Santa Claus for the children, Annual Bake Sale and an "Attic Fanatic" garage sale; Young-At-Heart, a group of parish elders who met once a month to share fellowship, eat lunch and have fun playing bingo for an afternoon; and an Adult Choir. A monthly Covered Dish Dinner was held for the parish community every month. Bible Study was also held for adults under the direction of the Director of Religious Education.
Our original Faith Formation program at Epiphany, not only taught the Catholic Faith to our young Catholics but also sponsored Pancake Breakfasts, Fish Frys, and other activities for the Parish. In 2007 the Mass schedule was changed as the number of our parishioners dwindled. Faith Formation for Epiphany students was discontinued in 2008 with less than 10 students enrolled. The Faith Formation program then moved under the supervision of the St. Joseph Vietnamese Mission.
As a response to the Jubilee Year 2000, First Friday Eucharistic Adoration was started and continued to be held in our Rectory Chapel on the First Friday of every month until the Rectory Chapel became too small for attendance. This led to having All-Day Adoration in the main church on First Friday.
Fr. Edwin Palka was installed as Pastor in 2015, bringing the Traditional Latin Mass with him to the parish. For five years, the St. Joseph Vietnamese Mission and the Traditional Latin Mass co-existed at Epiphany. This led to many busy Sundays with lots of activities for both groups in such a small and shared space. However, beginning in 2020, the St. Joseph Vietnamese Mission moved to another parish in the Diocese.
During this shared time, there were monthly Family Rosary and Game Nights, the Annual Epiphany Ball (now known as the Epiphany Celebration as the Parish has expanded beyond just the Social Hall capacity), First Friday activities, Catholic Enrichment Week, and Monthly after 10:30 Mass potlucks. These activities have since evolved as the Parish has grown.
There are now many new Parish Activity Groups established (and still growing!). The Ladies Guild (ECCW), started under Fr. Tuoc's vicarage is still very busy, with an Annual Pecan Sale Fundraiser, Prayers and Pennies for Sisters and Semmies (supporting our Parish's vocations), and the Annual Epiphany Celebration, to name a few. Alongside the Knights of Columbus, our men are active with Holy League and the Fraternal Society of St. John the Apostle. The Fraternal Society of St. John the Apostle hosts many events at Epiphany and has been influential in bringing notable guests and Pontifical High Masses to Epiphany. Activities for the children include Youth Group for both middle school and high school, American Heritage Girls, Troops of St. George, and Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.
The church's interior slowly started to change after Fr. Palka's arrival - first with the installation of the altar rail and new ambo. Then, in 2020 (during the lockdowns that spring), the sanctuary and altar were completely redone. The classrooms have been remodeled as well. There are still many ideas in the works for more renovations for our parish.
Our parish is ever-growing and the Latin Mass community is thriving here at Epiphany. Please visit our Photos Tab to see all the parish activities since Fr. Palka's arrival at Epiphany in 2015.