Our Past

In 1914, Fr. Phillip Gruethoff, a friend of the Gerlach family and pastor of St. Mary Parish in Crown Point Indiana, came on leave to Camp Walton and took over the duties of temporary pastor. Realizing the need for a permanent church in Camp Walton they visited Bishop Allen in Mobile Alabama to ask for permission to erect a church. Adam Gerlach donated $500.00 to the project and Bishop Allen matched the donation and gave permission for the church to be built.

The first church was a white frame rectangular building with a bell tower, seating about fifty people. It was built in the vicinity of what is now the corner of First and Shell Streets. Some of the interior furnishings were donated by St. Mary Parish in Crown Point Indiana (the home parish of the Gerlach family and the parish of Fr. Gruethoff) and because of their help the new church in Camp Walton was named St. Mary and dedicated in 1915 by the Most Reverend Edward P. Allen, Bishop of Mobile Alabama.

At the end of his leave, Fr. Gruethoff returned to his parish of St. Mary in Indiana and the new St. Mary Church became a temporary mission of St. Michael Church in Pensacola. In 1916 the bishop realized the need for a permanent pastor of St. Mary and appointed Fr. August Beyne (a native of France) as Pastor of St. Mary Church in Camp Walton. Fr. Beyne originally came on leave. He arrived by ferry and was persuaded to stay the night at the Indianola Inn. Joe Gerlach said, "He came for a night and stayed 20 years."

Since there was no rectory, Mrs. Cecilia Rivard extended the hospitality of her house to Fr. Beyne and he remained there until his transfer from St. Mary in 1936. It wasn’t until 1937, under the leadership of the new pastor, Fr. McGovern, that a rectory was completed. It took the combined financial help of Bishop Toolen of Mobile, the parishioners, and the mission churches to complete the project.

In 1939 the new pastor, Fr. Sherman, reportedly prayed to the Blessed Mother to help him build a new church. She did! The church funds consisted only of $400.00. It was decided that the entire amount was to be used to build a grotto in honor of the Blessed Mother, with the prayer that she would obtain the necessary funds for the new church. Soon the funds began to come in allowed the building of the new church. The grotto can still be seen beneath the vines next to what is now called Old St. Mary Church.

The parish continued to grow and in 1970 ground was broken for yet another new church. It was built according to the reforms of the Vatican Council II. On Holy Thursday, March 30, 1972 the present church was opened under the visionary leadership of Monsignor Patrick Cunningham. It was a beautiful and impressive ceremony with 114 children receiving their First Holy Communion. The proceeds from the first collection ever taken up went to the St. Vincent de Paul Society for the help of the poor. Monsignor Cunningham's vision in purchasing a 22 acre tract of land allowed the building of a school in 1960 and the building of a new church in 1970 with plenty of land left for future growth. The newest building is the Mother Teresa Community Outreach building which houses the Thrift Shop (providing service to the poor and extra income for the school for over 25 years) and the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

From the beginning to the present St. Mary has continued to grow and because of that growth it has been divided and established four more parishes, three to the east and one to the west. The faith that was planted as a mustard seed has taken root and established itself as one of the largest parishes in the diocese. St. Mary has grown from a parish of less than fifty people to almost two thousand families. It is now one of the largest parishes in the diocese.

Since the completion of the church in 1972, St. Mary’s parish continues to grow. Because of this growth it has been divided by establishing four more parishes -three to the east and one to the west. The faith that was planted as a mustard seed has taken root and established itself as one of the largest Parishes in the Diocese.

In the year 2005, St. Mary’s School was recognized nationally as a Blue Ribbon School. This is the first in Okaloosa County for any elementary or middle school and the first Catholic elementary school to receive this award. The school continues to meet the needs of three counties and has had made some physical improvements in these last five years.

In the spring of 2006, the parish broke ground for the Fr. Mullen Parish Life Center. Over 35,000 square feet of space will become available to the parish in the summer of 2008. This space will provide a permanent gymnasium, school cafeteria, youth area, fitness area and four meeting rooms to meet the spiritual, social and academic needs of our parish. There is much excitement and joy as the parish continues to meet the needs of the community.

	Our Past
	In the early 1900's the Catholic population of Camp Walton (now Ft. Walton Beach) was served from St. Joseph Parish in Pensacola Florida. The trip by boat took six hours each way. Because of the hardship of the travel, services were held only once a month. In 1914, Fr. Phillip Gruethoff, a friend of the Gerlach family and pastor of St. Mary Parish in Crown Point Indiana, came on leave to Camp Walton and took over the duties of temporary pastor. Realizing the need for a permanent church in Camp Walton they visited Bishop Allen in Mobile Alabama to ask for permission to erect a church. Adam Gerlach donated $500.00 to the project and Bishop Allen matched the donation and gave permission for the church to be built. The first church was a white frame rectangular building with a bell tower, seating about fifty people. It was built in the vicinity of what is now the corner of First and Shell Streets. Some of the interior furnishings were donated by St. Mary Parish in Crown Point Indiana (the home parish of the Gerlach family and the parish of Fr. Gruethoff) and because of their help the new church in Camp Walton was named St. Mary and dedicated in 1915 by the Most Reverend Edward P. Allen, Bishop of Mobile Alabama. At the end of his leave, Fr. Gruethoff returned to his parish of St. Mary in Indiana and the new St. Mary Church became a temporary mission of St. Michael Church in Pensacola. In 1916 the bishop realized the need for a permanent pastor of St. Mary and appointed Fr. August Beyne (a native of France) as Pastor of St. Mary Church in Camp Walton. Fr. Beyne originally came on leave. He arrived by ferry and was persuaded to stay the night at the Indianola Inn. Joe Gerlach said, "He came for a night and stayed 20 years." Since there was no rectory, Mrs. Cecilia Rivard extended the hospitality of her house to Fr. Beyne and he remained there until his transfer from St. Mary in 1936. It wasn’t until 1937, under the leadership of the new pastor, Fr. McGovern, that a rectory was completed. It took the combined financial help of Bishop Toolen of Mobile, the parishioners, and the mission churches to complete the project. In 1939 the new pastor, Fr. Sherman, reportedly prayed to the Blessed Mother to help him build a new church. She did! The church funds consisted only of $400.00. It was decided that the entire amount was to be used to build a grotto in honor of the Blessed Mother, with the prayer that she would obtain the necessary funds for the new church. Soon the funds began to come in allowed the building of the new church. The grotto can still be seen beneath the vines next to what is now called Old St. Mary Church. The parish continued to grow and in 1970 ground was broken for yet another new church. It was built according to the reforms of the Vatican Council II. On Holy Thursday, March 30, 1972 the present church was opened under the visionary leadership of Monsignor Patrick Cunningham. It was a beautiful and impressive ceremony with 114 children receiving their First Holy Communion. The proceeds from the first collection ever taken up went to the St. Vincent de Paul Society for the help of the poor. Monsignor Cunningham's vision in purchasing a 22 acre tract of land allowed the building of a school in 1960 and the building of a new church in 1970 with plenty of land left for future growth. The newest building is the Mother Teresa Community Outreach building which houses the Thrift Shop (providing service to the poor and extra income for the school for over 25 years) and the St. Vincent de Paul Society. From the beginning to the present St. Mary has continued to grow and because of that growth it has been divided and established four more parishes, three to the east and one to the west. The faith that was planted as a mustard seed has taken root and established itself as one of the largest parishes in the diocese. St. Mary has grown from a parish of less than fifty people to almost two thousand families. It is now one of the largest parishes in the diocese. Since the completion of the church in 1972, St. Mary’s parish continues to grow. Because of this growth it has been divided by establishing four more parishes -three to the east and one to the west. The faith that was planted as a mustard seed has taken root and established itself as one of the largest Parishes in the Diocese. In the year 2005, St. Mary’s School was recognized nationally as a Blue Ribbon School. This is the first in Okaloosa County for any elementary or middle school and the first Catholic elementary school to receive this award. The school continues to meet the needs of three counties and has had made some physical improvements in these last five years. In the spring of 2006, the parish broke ground for the Fr. Mullen Parish Life Center. Over 35,000 square feet of space will become available to the parish in the summer of 2008. This space will provide a permanent gymnasium, school cafeteria, youth area, fitness area and four meeting rooms to meet the spiritual, social and academic needs of our parish. There is much excitement and joy as the parish continues to meet the needs of the community.