History

 

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 of the 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 by 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. In 2003, Fr. Pierre Dorvil, the Immaculate Conception Haitian Mission priest, arrived in residence with an office on the Epiphany campus. Over the years, the parish became a vibrant reflection of the diverse ethnic groups that live in its inner-city neighborhood. 

The original Faith Formation program at Epiphany not only taught the Catholic Faith to 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 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 started and was held in the 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 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 the shared space. However, beginning in 2020, the St. Joseph Vietnamese Mission purchased a closed church property in the Town and Country area of Hillsborough County and after renovations, St. Joseph Mission moved in and officially became St. Joseph Vietnamese Parish. 

During the shared time, there were monthly Family Rosary and Game Nights, the Annual Epiphany Ball (known as the Epiphany Celebration as the Parish expanded beyond just the Social Hall capacity), First Friday activities, Catholic Enrichment Week, and monthly Sunday potlucks. These activities have since evolved as the Parish grew and evolved. 

The church's interior slowly started to change after Fr. Palka's arrival - first with the installation of the altar rail and new ambo. Next came a "new" century-old marble baptismal font. Then, in 2020 (during the lockdowns that spring), the sanctuary and altar were completely redone. The classrooms in the school building have been remodeled as well. The Rectory was renovated in 2025.

A significant portion of the faithful in the Diocese of St. Petersburg have made pilgrimage over the years to Epiphany to worship according to the liturgical norms of Summorum Pontificum. The faithful have devotedly celebrated the Mass and Sacraments according to the Missale Romanum of 1962 and its complementary liturgical books.  In 2024, as Diocesan Bishop, Most Reverend Gregory Parkes, listening to the spiritual and pastoral needs of the faithful and with pastoral solicitude for the community which gathered at Epiphany of our Lord Parish, determined that the Diocese ought to provide a stable and fitting place for prayer and sanctification through the Sacraments — particularly Penance and Holy Communion — to these devout pilgrims.

On July 1, 2025, after consultation with the interested parties and with the spiritual good of the faithful in mind, Bishop Parkes decided to erect EPIPHANY OF OUR LORD SHRINE and entrust the pastoral care of the faithful and administration of the Shrine to the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest. The geographical area of Epiphany Parish was reallocated to neighboring parishes, as the Diocesan Shrine is intended to serve the faithful of the entire diocese and, as such, has a non-territorial mandate. The clergy of the Institute of Christ the King arrived on September 1, 2025.