St. George Day:

Saint George’s Day is the feast day of Saint George as celebrated by various Christian Churches and by the several nations, kingdoms, countries, and cities of which Saint George is the Patron Saint (See Wikipedia listing for St. George Day.)

The History of St. George:

Saint George (AD 275–281 to 23 April 303), according to legend, was a Roman soldier and officer in the Guard of Roman Emperor Diocletian of the Roman army, who ordered his death for failing to recant his Christian faith. As a Christian martyr, he later became one of the most venerated saints in Christianity. In hagiography, as one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers and one of the most prominent military saints, he is immortalized in the story of Saint George and the Dragon. St. George has gone on to become the Patron Saint of the nation of England.

St George Episcopal Church grew out of a tent meeting. In October 1994, more than 200 eager Episcopalians responded to a newspaper notice and gathered in a tent to talk about establishing an Episcopal Church in The Villages. Because of the interest shown, a Mission Church was established and a priest appointed by the Bishop of Central Florida. Services began on the first Sunday of Advent 1994 in the Bingo Hall of Paradise Recreation Center. Our journey had begun.

The congregation soon outgrew the Paradise Center, and in March 1995, moved to a larger room in La Hacienda Recreation Center. In January 1996, nearly 90 members of this mission church traveled to Daytona Beach to attend the annual Convention of The Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida. During this convention, Bishop John Howe introduced our group to the Convention and announced that we had been accepted as a Parish of the Diocese. To be accepted as a Parish just slightly more than a year after we were designated a Mission is unheard of and probably set a record.

The Parish continued to grow, as did the retirement community in which we are located. And God continued to bless us. The Villages’ developer designed and built a church on Town Square, a beautiful cathedral-type structure. (This is the current Sharon Morse Performing Arts Center). The Church on the Square, Episcopal, held its first service in this building on Easter, March 30, 1997. Designed for 750 worshippers, more than 1,100 attended that first Sunday.

Although the Episcopal congregation and its first priest, Father Steve Raulerson, contributed to the design of The Church on the Square, it was paid for and thus owned by The Villages’ developer. The Episcopal congregation shared the building with a non-denominational service and other musical celebrations. We are grateful to the developer and to Abundant Life Ministries for allowing us to use this gorgeous edifice as the spiritual home of St. George Episcopal Church, a name we officially adopted at our annual Parish meeting in January 1998.

When Father Steve Raulerson left us, Father Bob Richardson served as Priest in Charge, while a Search Committee began its work. In less than a year the Committee found and called the Reverend Roger Miller, who became our rector in October 1998.

The developer allowed us to use The Church on the Square for nearly five years, enabling us to build an active congregation and become financially secure enough to support a building of our own. When that time came, a Building Committee was formed, and the project to build a new church began in the summer of 1999. A “Charrette” was held, to allow all members of St. George Parish to tell the Building Committee what they wanted in a church. A parcel of land on the corner of Paige Place and Avenida Central was purchased from The Villages’ developer, and an architect (John Dickerson) and building contractor (Clancey and Theys) were hired. A Capital Gifts Campaign was launched in October 2000,  with the help of a professional fundraiser, nearly a million dollars was raised or pledged. A bank loan was secured, and the exciting development of our own home was underway. We broke ground on our property in March 2001 and craftsmen from around the state were brought in for the construction. The Amish of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, came to build our pews and altar railings.

In May of 2002, Bishop John Howe dedicated and consecrated our new building and its contents, and St. George Episcopal Church, as we know it today, was born. It has become known as “the most beautiful church in the area,” and is a favorite “photo opportunity” for visitors and residents. However, St. George Episcopal Church is not just a beautiful building; it is the people who make up its congregation that make it great. We are grateful to the dedicated Episcopalians who had the vision to “plant” a church in The Villages. Our founding members, who along with those who came later, contributed and continue to contribute to its success.

In November of 2006, Father Roger Miller announced his retirement after 8 years of dedicated service to our community. The Diocese of Central Florida sent us Father Al Durrance as our interim pastor while our selection committee worked with the diocese to find us a new rector. Then in June 2007, Father Hugh P. Bromiley arrived from California and assumed the responsibility as the rector of St. George Episcopal Church.

In 2009, the appearance of our church changed with the expansion of the parish hall, a fresh coat of paint for the whole church and a 600 lb. cross from Ireland that stands in front of the new parish hall. The expansion of the hall, gave us a huge open space for all sorts of activities (parties, meetings, workshops & etc), a second conference room, a storage room and a full function professional kitchen.

In September 2013 Father Hugh Bromiley announced his retirement and The Reverend Canon Bill Squire was named Priest In Charge while the search committee and vestry called a new Rector for St. George.  Father John Kelly from Albany, New York, assumed responsibility as our new rector and served the St. George community for over six years.

The hallmark of Fr. John Kelly’s tenure has been “growth.” Growth in parishioner membership, in outreach programs both locally and worldwide, in programs that benefit the membership and the surrounding community, and growth through the use of technology to spread the good news of Jesus Christ, our Savior. 

Father John also guided us to enhance our worship and community service through beautiful music.  In January 2018, a Capital Fund Campaign was launched to purchase a new organ for St. George. In less than 4 months $275,000 was raised for the St. George Episcopal Church Memorial Antiphonal Pipe Organ.

The Allen RL66a Organ was a significant enhancement to our music program. It is programmable and capable of replicating sounds of the great organs of the world. With this purchase, St. George has become a focal point of quality musical performances in the community.

Our music program includes all types of music–from traditional organ music to Gospel and folk to the delight of all who worship with us and who attend our concerts.  

It has been – and continues to be – an exciting and inspiring experience for all of us who call ourselves “St. Georgians”, and who believe we can do  “All Things Through Christ,” who strengthens us. We eagerly anticipate seeing where our journey takes us next.