A Diocesan Shrine is Established for the Community that celebrates the Pre-Vatican II Liturgy
Bishop Gregory Parkes has established a diocesan shrine in Tampa to care for the spiritual needs of the faithful who find solace in the liturgy celebrated according to the 1962 Roman Missal. The Roman Missal is the liturgical book that guides the celebration of the Mass. Devotees often refer to the former liturgy as the “Traditional Latin Mass.”
Bishop Gregory Parkes has established a diocesan shrine in Tampa to care for the spiritual needs of the faithful who find solace in the liturgy celebrated according to the 1962 Roman Missal. The Roman Missal is the liturgical book that guides the celebration of the Mass. Devotees often refer to the former liturgy as the “Traditional Latin Mass.”
Bishop Parkes established Epiphany of Our Lord Shrine effective July 1, 2025, on the site of the former Epiphany of Our Lord Catholic Church.
“A shrine is a place of prayer, but it's also a place of pilgrimage where the faithful come because of a particular devotion they might have,” said Bishop Parkes, explaining the intention of a shrine according to Canon Law.
The process that led to the decision to establish Epiphany of Our Lord Shrine began with a request from members of Epiphany of Our Lord Parish, with the encouragement of their pastor, Father Edwin Palka. The parishioners were seeking a way to conform to the norms established by the late Pope Francis in Traditiones Custodes, which introduced restrictions to the liturgical practices of those celebrating the former liturgy of the Roman Rite
“Epiphany Shrine has the charism, or the devotion to the Epiphany of our Lord Jesus Christ, and also as a place for those who make a pilgrimage to come and celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass,” said Bishop Parkes, describing the particular devotion the Shrine will support.
The Second Vatican Council, commonly known as Vatican II, was a pivotal event in the Catholic Church, convoked by Pope John XXIII in 1962 and concluding under Pope Paul VI in 1965. One of its significant outcomes was the promotion of the liturgy in the vernacular (the modern language of the people), to encourage full, active, and conscious participation of the faithful.
To ensure the Shrine’s devotional mission and purpose, Bishop Parkes has entrusted the pastoral care of the faithful who worship at the Shrine to the priests of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, a religious community dedicated to the liturgy celebrated according to the Roman Missal of 1962.
“The antecedent liturgy is a beautiful expression of our Catholic Tradition, which the popes since John Paul II have allowed to continue as an exception. The popes have done this for the good of those faithful who are devoted to the former liturgy.” said Father Joseph Waters, Vicar General and Judicial Vicar of the Diocese of Saint Petersburg.
Father Palka currently serves as Administrator of the Shrine until September 1, 2025, when Reverend Canon John O’Connor, I.C.K.S.P., will begin his tenure as Rector. Father Palka will be assigned other responsibilities to be announced later.
Did you know? Here is the difference between a parish and a shrine:
A parish is a community of the Christian faithful, normally determined by territorial limits, whose pastoral care is entrusted to a pastor under the authority of the diocesan bishop.
A shrine is a designated church or other sacred place to which the faithful can make a pilgrimage for a special reason of piety, with the approval of the bishop.
