Welcome to a Mini Photo Tour of Epiphany Cathedral

The Epiphany church building was erected in 1980 to replace a smaller edifice, what is now the parish hall.  At that time,  Epiphany Church was a church of the Diocese of St. Petersburg for the Diocese of Venice was not formed until 1984.  In 1984,  Pope John Paul II created the Diocese of Venice and named Bishop John J. Nevins as the founding bishop.  Epiphany Church was selected as the new Cathedral building primarily because of the size of the building and its geographical location in the diocese.  The church is fan shaped.  The main sanctuary of the Church seats approximately 1,300 people and an additional 300 people can be seated in the Chapel.

The narthex of the Cathedral includes the coat of arms of the Diocese of Venice and the portrait of the second bishop, Bishop Frank J. Dewane, who became the Ordinary of the diocese on January 19, 2007.  Triple double-doors serve as the main entry into the Church proper.   The ushers' room, the front sacristy,  and bishop's vesting room have entry from the narthex.

The narthex was renovated in 2001.  At that time, the mosaic tile cross was inlaid in the floor by Epiphany Cathedral workmen.

The decorative cross above the exterior narthex doors was a gift to the Diocese of Venice from the hierarchy of the Archdiocese of Mexico City in recognition for the contributions the Diocese of Venice has made in ministering to the Hispanic population in the diocese.  The cross was presented during the Millenium Celebration in 2000.

The Ushers' Room is the gathering area for the ushers who give of their service during weekend and holy day liturgies as well as special diocesan affairs.  The ushers are men and women who welcome and seat parishioners and guests, distribute the weekly parish bulletins and diocesan newspapers, and take up the offertory collections at liturgies.

The front sacristy (This word is derived from the Latin sacristia meaning the place where vestments and sacred vessels are kept.) is utilized by the priests and other ministers of the altar to vest for weekend and holy day liturgies.  The front sacristy is directly across from the usher's room in the narthex.

A small portion of the front sacristy is an area designated as the Bishop's Vesting Room.  Here the bishop vests for liturgical ceremonies.

The main altar of the Cathedral consists of St. Vincent (San Vicente) gray marble from southern Spain.  The altar is 9' long and 3'6" wide.  As is the tradition, at the dedication of the church,  relics of the saints were entombed in the altar.  These relics are of St. James, St. Vincent de Paul, the American Saints, and the Martyrs of Uganda.  Included with the relics is a letter attesting to the authenticity of the relics, signed by Bishop Thomas Larkin, the dedicating prelate, and Fr. Esteban G. Soy, the pastor of Epiphany at the time.  The front of the altar has the scene of Christ breaking bread with the disciples at Emmaus sculptured in low relief.

The mosaic of the four Gospel writers were added to the church at the time it was made a cathedral.  To the right of the altar are  St. Luke and St. John.  Luke is symbolized by an ox, an animal of sacrifice, for Luke's Gospel emphasized the atonement won by Jesus' suffering and death.   John is likened to a flying eagle, flying higher than all birds.  John knew with loftily soaring mind and clearest sight the eternal power of Christ's divinity and caused us to know this through his writings.

St. Matthew and St. Mark are depicted to the right of the altar.  Matthew is symbolized by a figure of a winged man.  His Gospel opens with the genealogy of Jesus, and his humanity is stressed by the writer.  Thus Matthew is represented by the man.  St. Mark is pictured as a lion with wings because his Gospel emphasizes the royal dignity of Christ, the secret known only to those with faith that Jesus was the Messiah.  The lion was also an ancient symbol of the victory of Christ, as evidenced in Revelation 5:5.

The patron of the Diocese of Venice is St. Mark.   The co-patron is Our Lady of Mercy.  When Bishop Nevins was installed as the first bishop of the diocese, the Cardinal Patriarch Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Venice in Italy sent relics of St. Mark to the new Diocese of Venice as a symbol of the close ties that the two dioceses share.  The Cathedral in Venice, Italy,  is the Cathedral of St. Mark.  These relics of St. Mark are displayed in a special reliquary to the left of the altar  on the wall, above the large carved symbol of St. Mark, the Evangelist, the winged lion.  The lion's head is also carved in the reliquary.

The interior mosaic above the main altar is the most recognized symbol of Epiphany Cathedral.  This terra cotta mosaic is stylized and pastel-shaded to match the tone of the theme, that is THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD, or the coming of the Learned Ones from the East.  This mosaic was done by the Spanish artist Raventos, who also created the carved Stations of the Cross in mahogany and the symbolic representations of the four Evangelists to the right and left of the main altar.  In the center of the "Epiphany" mosaic are the Virgin and Child with immediately to the left, St. Joseph.  In the upper left is an angel who represents the angelic hosts that appeared on the night of the Nativity, and below the angel, a group of shepherds.  On the right-bottom we see the Three Wise Men, Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar, who are an integral part of the Visitation of the Three Wise Kings.

The Stations of the Cross were carved out of mahogany by the Spanish artist Raventos.  The Stations of the Cross were recently refurbished by the local artist Sister Maureen Michael Byrne, SSND, at the time the Cathedral was renovated in 2001.  At this time, the Stations were cleaned and sealed.  Pictured is the Seventh Station.

The cathedra (from the Greek kathedra meaning seat) is the seat or throne of the diocesan bishop.  This seat symbolizes the teaching authority of the bishop.  The word cathedral is derived from this same Greek word, for the cathedral is the building that houses the seat of the diocese.  Frequently, the bishop's crosier is displayed near the cathedra.  The crosier is the staff given to each diocesan bishop as a symbol of his role as a shepherd of the flock of the church and as a sign of his governing office.

Liturgical music plays a vital role in celebrations at Epiphany Cathedral.   The organ at Epiphany Cathedral is a 36-rank Klug and Schumacher Pipe Organ, a rarity in southern Florida.  In addition to the Pipe Organ, the musical programs are enhanced by a Yamaha Semi-Concert Grand Piano with Midi.

The Choir Room can easily be accessed through the antechamber between the church and the chapel, on the organ side of the church.  The Choir Room is utilized by all of the musical groups in preparing for liturgies or other services during the year.

The pipes for the pipe organ are located to the left and right of the mural for the most efficient acoustics.  The pipes are serviced by a second floor catwalk.

New radial pews were installed in the Cathedral when the Church was renovated in 2001.  At the same time, the floor tile was renewed.  Radial pews conserve on space and allow for greater seating capacity.

The Cry Room is an area set aside for families with small children who may be a distraction to the rest of the congregation during liturgies because of crying and behavioral issues. 

The daily sacristy is located between the church and the church's chapel.  The vestments, altar linens, candles, sacred vessels, and other accoutrements for the celebration of sacred liturgies are kept in the sacristy.  The sacristans are men and women who volunteer to maintain the goods in the sacristy, keep them in proper repair, and set up for daily and weekend liturgies.

The inner sacristy is used for storage and to cleanse and purify the sacred vessels.

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Father Domingo Iturgaiz, O.P., a Dominican priest from Spain and a much accomplished artisan, designed and created the stained glass windows throughout the church.  Each lump of colored glass was shaped into dimensional pieces and later each piece was fitted into a proper place in order to fix in solid stylized form the original artistic concepts  projected to tell in religious art the story of creation and redemption.  The faceted glass is bound piece to piece with epoxy resins.  The windows in the Chapel (three on each side) represent six of the seven Sacraments.  Once Epiphany became a Cathedral, the seventh sacrament , Holy Orders, was represented in the rear of the Chapel, above the entrance doors.  The window pictured is in the Chapel.   Additional information on the Chapel windows can be found HERE.

These windows from the Cathedral radiate the morning sunshine and heighten the windows' vibrant color.  Additional information on the Cathedral windows can be found HERE.

The Chapel is the area where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved.  It can be separated from the main sanctuary by a 14 foot moveable wall.  The Chapel is utilized for daily Mass in the summer season, funerals, and for private devotion to the Blessed Sacrament.  The Chapel seats 300 people.

The Confessionals or Reconciliation Rooms are located along the back wall of the Chapel.  These rooms are designed in such a way to provide for face-to-face Reconciliation as pictured above or the traditional screen as pictured below.

The traditional screen in the Confessional (Reconciliation Room).  These Confessionals are located at the rear of the Chapel.

When the Cathedral was renovated in 2001, the original Tabernacle was replaced.  (A Tabernacle is the receptacle or case where the Blessed Sacrament is kept.)  The original Tabernacle was donated to St. Therese of the Child Jesus Mission in Buckhead Ridge, Florida.  The new Tabernacle, designed and created in Spain, was the benefaction of Father Peter Brudzynski.

The entrance closest to the Memorial Gardens (or to the right of the main doors) leads to the Epiphany Gift Shop.  In this entry way, is listed the names of those who have gone before us and whose cremains are interred in the Memorial Garden.

The Epiphany Gift Shop has more merchandize per square inch than perhaps any other gift shop in the Venice area!  Here in the Gift Shop you are bound to find the perfect gift for Baptisms, First Communions, Confirmations, and other significant family and religious events.  From rosaries, to statues, to crucifixes, to greeting cards, to prayer cards, the Gift Shop is extremely well stocked.

The Memorial Gardens are located to the right of the Gift Shop entry to the Church (northeast corner).  The Garden was established in 1990 for use as sacred ground by members of Epiphany Cathedral Parish (and immediate family) who desire to have cremains interred near the Cathedral.  The Garden is an area for devotion and meditation.

Epiphany Parish celebrated its Golden (50th) Anniversary in 2005.  As part of the festivities and celebration, women of the parish designed and sewed the decorative quilt which is on display in the rear of the Church.  This beautiful quilt not only traces the history of the parish but also visually depicts many of the ministries and organizations of the parish.

The Holy Oils are displayed in the left anteroom between the Church and the Chapel, near the daily sacristy.  The Holy Oils are blessed each year by the bishop at the Chrism Mass during Holy Week.  The three Holy Oils from left to right are the Oil of the Sick (OI), the Sacred Chrism (SC), and the Oil of the Catechumens (OS).  The Oil of the Sick is used for Anointing the Sick.  The Sacred Chrism is used in the administration of Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders and in the Rite of Dedication of new churches.  The Oil of the Catechumens is used in the administration of Baptism and for the anointing of adults preparing for Baptism.

This piece of religious art is on display in the southern anteroom-entrance of the Cathedral.  It depicts Jesus with his Apostles and is hammered in metal.  The art was done by a young artist from Switzerland who died at an early age in an automobile accident.  Sr. Maureen Michael Byrne, SSND refurbished this piece of art in 2001.

THIS CONCLUDES OUR TOUR.