Saint James Cathedral: a Legacy of Community Building

From Germany to America, from Arlington to Altamonte, the educational heritage of the Sisters of Notre Dame enriches the lives of individuals throughout the world.

In this 13 minute excerpt from an oral history interview on March 18th, 2011 at Saint James Cathedral in downtown Orlando, Sister Mary Katherine Palisin, Sisters of Notre Dame nun, traces the history of the Sisters of Notre Dame from their religious persecution in Germany in 1875 to their welcome in the United States as educators of German immigrants.

She details the educational foundations they contributed to our country as teachers, principals, educational leaders and founders of organizations such as Notre Dame College as well as their origins in Florida.

In the 1970's teachers were needed in Florida and pastors heard from bishop friends, "If you want good teachers get the Sisters of Notre Dame." The first places in Florida that the Sisters of Notre Dame began to teach were Our Lady of Lourdes in Dunedin, Saint Mary Magdalene in Altamonte Springs and St. Joseph's in Winter Haven. Listen to this fascinating account of history and culture from Sister of Notre Dame nun, Sister Mary Katherine Palisin, Pastoral Minister at Saint James Cathedral in downtown Orlando.

In this excerpt from an oral history interview March 18th, 2011 Sister Mary Katherine Palisin, Sisters of Notre Dame nun and Director of Pastoral Ministry at Saint James Cathedral in Orlando, shares her childhood memories of Easter. 

Sister Mary Katherine Palisin, Sisters of Notre Dame nun, shares how she came to Florida to serve in the field of education. She details the communities in Florida where she taught and the transition she made  to become Pastoral Minister at St. James Cathedral in downtown Orlando in this excerpt    from an oral history interview on March 18th, 2011.

Sister Mary Katherine Palisin, Director of Pastoral Ministry at St. James Cathedral in downtown Orlando, shares how serving our community has affected her life in this excerpt (12:59) from an oral history interview on March 18, 2011.

Director of Pastoral Ministry for St. James Cathedral, Sister Mary Katherine Palisin, Sisters of Notre Dame nun, reflects on the future of Saint James Cathedral in downtown Orlando in this excerpt   from an oral history interview on March 18th, 2011.

Sister Mary Katherine Palisin, Sisters of Notre Dame nun, remembers how her parents had a "living love for this country," the United States of America, which they passed on to her and her siblings. In this excerpt from an oral history interview at St. James Cathedral on March 18th, 2011 she describes how their love for our country along with her experiences teaching in Washington, DC and diverse areas of the United States brought her to treasure America. As a teacher these are values she has tried to hand on to the children in her work in Catholic education. "We pray and we pledge.... We honor our God and we honor our country. All the ideals it stands for and all that we try to strive to do in our lives to make it the country we were meant to be."

In 1978 downtown Orlando consisted of empty storefronts and an economic recession darkened the nation. It was at this critical point in the history of Orlando that Father David Page of St. James Cathedral envisioned expanding the church at the corner of Orange Avenue and Jefferson Street. Fr. Page, a community builder, wanted to create a gathering place for community life and social functions. He wanted people to feel connnected to their community parish. Tom Wilkes, a parishioner of St. James Cathedral, arrived at St. James just weeks before the church rectory was demolished to make room for the Community Life Center. He details the church's contribution to the city beautiful in this excerpt from an oral history interview on March 26, 2011.

From a $90,000 a year thrift store for the poor to soup and sandwiches for the hungry, St. James Cathedral's history of community giving is dedicated to serving the needy in our area. As an Orlando organization tithing 10 % of their collection, St. James financially supports such worthwhile institutions as Apopka Family Learning Center, B.E.T.A. Center, Coalition for the Homeless, Covenant House of Central Florida, Fresh Start, Health Care Center of the Homeless, iDignity, JMJ Life Center, Morning Star School, Russell Home for Atypical Children and more. In this excerpt from an oral history interview at St. James Cathedral on August 15, 2011, Frank and Mary Jane Sevick highlight the origins and outreach of a few St. James community activities such as offering soup and sandwich to those hungry at lunchtime which grew into the Daily Bread and the development of the Christian Service Center. They recall St. James parishioners such as Kathy Hummel one of the founding members of B.E.T.A., Beverly Gawlick who started Outreach Love,  Dick Rupp who assisted with the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store on Parramore, and Fr. David Page who worked diligently with the downtown community to establish the Christian Service Center. The legacy of community building continues as 2,789 people in Orlando were assisted by St. James through St. Vincent de Paul donations last year. Learn more about the history of community organizations in the Orlando area and the contributions made to the lives of our citizens in this interview.