St. Augustine will serve as the launching point for the 2026 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage as organizers announced a new East Coast route that connects faith, history and national identity during the country’s 250th anniversary year.
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The National Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche at Mission Nombre de Dios was featured in the EWTN series Hidden Gems: Catholic Shrines Across America. Produced by renowned Catholic media personality Michael O’Neill—known nationwide as the “Miracle Hunter”—and hosted by Nell Andrzejewski, the series invited viewers into the rich history and heartfelt devotion found at America’s most treasured Catholic shrines.
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A welcome message from our Rector, Very Rev. Timothy Lindenfesler.
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On September 8, 1565, Spanish Admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés came ashore at what is now St. Augustine, Florida, and formally claimed the land for Spain, establishing the settlement that would become the first permanent European settlement in what is now the continental United States. Shortly after landing, Father Francisco López de Mendoza Grajales, chaplain of the expedition, celebrated a Mass of thanksgiving, marking the beginning of Catholic parish life in this new land.
From that moment, Catholic parish life and Eucharistic devotion took root in this new land. Missionaries who followed proclaimed the Gospel among Indigenous peoples and established a Catholic presence that has endured for more than four and a half centuries.
Mission Nombre de Dios and the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche stand as living witnesses to that sacred beginning. Within the area known as the “sacred acre” are the Historic Chapel and the Rustic Altar. Archaeological research indicates that the area in proximity to the present Rustic Altar marks the site where the 1565 Mass of thanksgiving occurred. The Great Cross, located nearby but outside the sacred acre, was erected in the 1960s as part of the 400th anniversary observance of the founding of St. Augustine and stands as a memorial to that historic event and the enduring Catholic presence in this land.
