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On Sept. 8, 1565, a small band of Spaniards celebrated Mass on the shores of North Florida in preparation for starting a settlement there. They named their new home St. Augustine in honor of the saint on whose feast day they sighted land. Thus were the seeds of Christianity first sown in North America. It was here that the famed Santa Fe Trail originated and it was from here that Franciscan missionaries began the trek North and West to proclaim the Good News. It was also here that the first schools and hospitals were opened. The Diocese of Saint Augustine was established on March 11, 1870 and embraces 17 counties spanning the northeast section of Florida from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean. It covers 11,032 square miles and serves more than 177,000 registered Catholics.
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