About The Episcopal Shield
This symbol is the official “logo” of The Episcopal Church (TEC). It represents our history. The red, white, and blue are the colors of both the USA and the UK.
The Red Cross of St. George on a white field symbolizes the Church of England.
The blue field in the upper left corner is the Episcopal Church of the U.S.A. It features a Cross of St. Andrew, that recognizes that the first American bishop was consecrated in Scotland. The cross contains nine cross-lets or mini crosses. They represent the nine dioceses that met in Philadelphia in 1789 to form the Protestant Episcopal Church of the U.S.A.
A short history of Saint Monica’s
A small group of faithful people began meeting in one another’s homes. On February 16, 1954, they petitioned the Bishop of Florida for permission to establish an unorganized Mission of the Episcopal Church.
Members chose Monica of Hippo, the mother of St. Augustine as their patron name. Sixteen people attended the first Morning Prayer service on February 21, 1954. Services were held in a classroom of the old Jim Allen School. Every Saturday for the 2 1/2 years, members hauled church furnishings from a member’s garage to the school and set up for services. Following services, they loaded furnishings back on the truck and replaced the school’s furnishings until the next Saturday.
Members purchased two lots on Watson Avenue from St. Regis Paper Company to construct a new church building. The paper company donated two additional adjoining lots. Members broke ground on February 5, 1956. Archdeacon Robert Cowling celebrated the first Holy Eucharist in the new building on August 26, 1956. A dedication service was held on October 21 of that same year with Bishop Hamilton West officiating.
1987 marked the beginning of a period of steady growth for St. Monica’s. Between 1993 and 2000 annual attendance went from 4,699 to 9,044. We added a second Sunday service and it was still standing room only! The Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast purchased eight and one half acres on Highway 95A for the growth and relocation of the congregation. St. Monica’s Architectural Committee began working on a church design and site layout. Others developed funding plans.
Many members of St. Monica’s congregation worked on the building, its interior and grounds. The Reverend David McDowell-Fleming built the Altar and other furnishings with sycamore wood from trees lost in a hurricane. He and other parishioners also fashioned the ironwork for the new sanctuary. Members of the congregation crafted the stained glass windows as well as the Christian symbols and shields of the saints on the floor. Finally, the building was dedicated on November 14, 1999. On October 15, 2000, 104 baptized members signed a Petition for Parish Status and presented it to the Diocese. Parish status was granted on September 11, 2001.
St. Monica’s celebrated her 70th Anniversary in 2024. The family-oriented, person-to-person attitude that has been the hallmark of St. Monica’s continues today.
Saint Monica’s is an Episcopal Church in the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast
The Right Reverend James Russell Kendrick – Bishop
The Most Reverend Sean Rowe – Presiding Bishop