Melissa Ross
St. Augustine’s 450th commemoration this fall may include a visit from Felipe IV and Letizia, the King and Queen of Spain. Not only that, the organizers are seeking a papal designation for the event.
“We are celebrating the Spanish founding of America,” said Dana Ste. Claire, director of the 450th Commemoration. “The King and Queen of Spain are very much aware of this anniversary. We had a delegation go over to Marbella last year. While no one has confirmed, with the US-Spain Council International Summit coming up, we are anticipating a visit.”
St. Claire says the Vatican may play a role in the 450th as well. “The pope may very well recognize the significance of St. Augustine as the site of the first Catholic Parish Mass in the continental United States. We are hoping for that,” he said during an appearance on WJCT’s First Coast Connect.
This September, St. Augustine will commemorate 450 years as the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the United States. However, the long road toward the big celebration in the Nation’s Oldest City has been plagued with concerns about the event’s finances and planning.
“My hope is that all of the concerns have been addressed. What we are focused on now is hosting the commemoration, building St. Augustine’s destination awareness on a world stage, and growing economic development through sustainable tourism,” Ste. Claire said.
“We’re celebrating the multicultural founding of America. It happened here in 1565, not in Jamestown in 1607 or with the Pilgrims in 1620. It’s a big story and we want the rest of the world to understand it.”
