When the Benedictine Sisters of Florida came to San Antonio nearly 125 years ago, Pasco County was in its infancy.
“Truly, it was part of Hernando County when the sisters came,” said Sister Roberta Bailey, prioress of Holy Name Monastery.
There were five Benedictine Sisters and they came to the area from Elk County, Pa., Bailey said.
“They came by train to Jacksonville and by horse and carriage the rest of the way,” she added. Along the way, the sisters saw snakes, encountered Native Americans for the first time, and heard about alligators.
“It must have been a terrifying experience,” Bailey told a crowd gathered for a Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting on Jan. 21.
The Benedictine Sisters arrived on Feb. 28, 1899, and began their ministries on March 1.
To honor the sisters’ long tradition of service, a 125th Anniversary Gala Celebration is planned on the very same day that they arrived in the area — just 125 years after those first sisters arrived.
Besides the gala, the sisters also expect to mark the year by moving into their new home that’s now under construction on the south side of State Road 52 at Wichers Road. The sisters expect to make the move in the fall.
The sisters also have received a gift of $100,000 from a donor who wishes to remain anonymous toward their “Recall the Past, Celebrate the Present and Embrace the Future” campaign, which aims to raise $500,000 to ensure the completion of their new Holy Name Monastery.
Ground was broken for their new quarters in October, after the sisters sold 37 acres of land to Saint Leo University. The acreage included the site of the Holy Name Monastery on State Road 52, which is directly west of the university.
The sisters also sold some parcels on the south side of the road to the university. Saint Leo plans to use the land to accommodate enrollment growth.
The sisters decided to leave the monastery, where they’ve been living since it was completed in 1961, because the building had become too large for their current needs. It also had become both a financial and maintenance burden, Bailey said.
“In those days, we had the high school boarding school, plus 65 sisters that were housed in that building. Today, we have 15 sisters and we don’t have the high school,” Bailey said.
To make the move, the sisters will need to do a bit of downsizing, Bailey said. The new building will be one-third the size of the sisters’ current quarters.
If you go
WHAT: The Benedictine Sisters of Florida celebrate 125 years of service with a cocktail hour, a silent auction and dinner.
WHEN: Feb. 28, 5:30 p.m.
WHERE: Tampa Bay Golf and Country Club Ballroom, 10641 Old Tampa Bay Drive, San Antonio
COST: $50 per person
INFO: (352) 588-8320
Note: This story was updated to correct when Pasco County was incorporated.
Published Jan. 29, 2014
