About Our Parish

The Church

Despite the long ride over the narrow Seven Mile Bridge from Big Pine Key to San Pablo’s Church in Marathon, Catholics made the trip every Sunday in 1957. Father James Connaughton traveled from Marathon to Big Pine Key to discuss establishing a mission. In 1957 the mission’s first Mass was celebrated in a makeshift chapel the recreation building at Mary Johnson’s Trailer Park, across the street from the present church. Though no title had formally been given to it, Father Connaughton said it was Saint Mary of the Pines.

The mission received its official status and name Saint Peter Mission Catholic Church in April 25, 1962, and attained parish status in 1969. The parish has served the area with hurricane relief since the 1960s. When Hurricane Donna hit in 1960 damaging the Marathon church, Big Pine parishioners lent assistance. When Hurricane George hit the Lower Keys leaving many homeless, the parish sheltered and fed more than 3,000 a day on donated water, food, ice, and clothing; along with area churches, it has established and participates in an ecumenical outreach for storm recovery.

When Hurricane Irma hit in 2017 it totally destroyed the church and rectory and much of the Lower Keys landing the parish in the front page of the Wall Street Journal. Rev. Jesus “Fr. Jets” Medina welcomed the immediate relief and recovery efforts of the International Red Cross who made their camp on the parish baseball-soccer field. The church and rectory were completely rebuilt under the pastorship of Fr. Jets and rededicated by Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski in 2021.