LANTANA | Father John Mericantante, pastor emeritus of St. Mary Parish in Pahokee, marked his 50th anniversary of priestly ordination June 6, 2025, at Holy Spirit Parish in Lantana. Many friends were in attendance at a Mass and dinner in the parish hall.
Father Raúl Cárdenas, pastor, left, and Father John Mericantante, pastor emeritus, stand next to the 16th century icon of Our Lady of Bethlehem at St. Mary Church in Pahokee.
Ordained to the priesthood at St. Eulalia Church in Winchester, Massachusetts, June 5, 1975,
Father Mericantante explained in his homily that his years as a priest have been a blessing no matter where he was located. He served “as a rural country priest” in Pahokee from 1993 to 2013.
“Although, as a young seminarian in 1967, I had thought that June 5, 1975, would never come, it did. And looking back now on 50 years as a priest, I can see how quickly my life has passed, but how richly I have been blessed in every passing year,” he said.
He fondly recalled the arrival of the Our Lady of Bethlehem icon in Pahokee and the 2012 construction of the current St. Mary Church. The Russian icon was donated by his friends, Adele and Edward Kahn of Palm Beach, owners of House of Kahn Estate Jewelers of Palm Beach and Chicago.
At the celebration, Father Mericantante received a tribute from the state of Florida through his nephew, state Rep. Chip LaMarca of Lighthouse Point. The tribute recognized Father Mericantante’s outstanding priestly service.
To view the icon or learn more about St. Mary Parish, call 561-924-7305 or visit stmarysofpahokee.com.
