Saint Leo Abbey, located in
Pasco County, Florida, traces its beginnings to 1882 when
Judge Edmund F. Dunne founded the
Catholic Colony of
San Antonio. Sent by Archabbot
Boniface Wimmer of Saint Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, Father Gerard Pilz, O.S.B., arrived in 1886 as the first
Benedictine in Florida. He was dispatched to Florida in response to a request by
Bishop John Moore of
St. Augustine for a German-speaking priest to minister to the growing German-immigrant population of the colony. In 1888, Saint Vincent Archabbey transferred ministry to the colony to Mary Help of Christians Abbey in Belmont, North Carolina. In February 1889, Benedictine nuns arrived from Allegheny, Pennsylvania and founded
Holy Name Monastery. In addition to providing priests for the churches of the Catholic Colony, the monks went on to establish Catholic parishes in not only nearby
Dade City, but also
Zephyrhills,
New Port Richey,
Brooksville,
Crystal River, and
Ocala. They even established parishes as far away as
Farmingdale, NY and
Cuba. In the early part of the 20th century, St. Leo's Benedictines monks could be found in churches and missions throughout the northern half of peninsular Florida. Saint Leo Abbey also sent missionaries to Argentina in the second half of the 20th century. St. Leo continued to supply priests for Catholic congregations throughout
Pasco,
Hernando and
Citrus counties until the last decade of the 20th century.
Saint Leo University On June 4, 1889, the Florida Legislature approved the charter that allowed the Catholic religious order to build and operate a school that later became Saint Leo University. The Benedictines transferred title of the University to an independent board in 1969.
Church of the Holy Cross Abbot Francis Sadlier commissioned an abbey church to be built in 1935. The Church was designed by Tampa architect Frank Parziole in the Romanesque style. The Church of the Holy Cross was consecrated on January 29, 1948 and was added to the
National Register of Historic Places in 1998 as part of the St Leo Abbey Historic District.
St. Leo Abbey Historic District On January 7, 1998, the St. Leo Abbey Historic District was added to the
U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The
district is in
St. Leo, Florida on the campus of
Saint Leo University, located at 33701
CR 52. It encompasses , and contains three historic buildings.
Abbots of Saint Leo The following individuals have served as Abbots of Saint Leo Abbey: ==Present day==