History

Before the summer of 1948, the few Catholic families living in Marathon traveled the two-lane Overseas Highway 50 miles to Key West to attend Mass at St. Mary Star of the Sea. The hazardous round-trip included passage over many bridges, including the old Bahia Honda and Seven Mile railroad bridges (the latter affectionately tagged "old shaky.")

On January 2, 1949 Father Mairing celebrated Sunday Mass at the home of Mr. & Mrs. A.E. Woodburn for 15 pioneer parishioners. Throughout 1949 and 1950, the ever-faithful Father Mairing would travel from Key West to Marathon. He would hear confessions in the kitchen before Mass at the homes of Louis Fenton and Woodburns.

In June 1949, Louis Fenton offered one of his stores to accommodate the growing Catholic community. The first baptisms in the Fenton store (still in existence) in July 1949 were: Charles Funk, Carol Fenton and Joseph Aldocosta. The Fenton store continued to be used until the beginning of Advent 1949, when Mr. Brantner's "old fishin' hole" theater (now Kennedy Art & Framing Gallery) was used. The first Christmas Mass was celebrated by Father Mairing at 9:30 A.M. 1949.