The Northeast Florida Area celebrated the Feast of Our Lady of Philermo with Bishop Pohlmeier and the Diocese of St. Augustine during the 459th anniversary of the Founding of St. Augustine. America’s oldest city was founded by the Spanish on the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lady on September 8, 1565, the very day the Great Siege of Malta was lifted half a world away.  

A reenactment of the Spanish landing is presented each year including Holy Mass and the first Thanksgiving feast shared with the indigenous population. Given the significance of this day for the Order of Malta, who attributed the victory of the Great Siege to Our Lady of Philermo, the Northeast Florida Area has become a mainstay at the annual celebration at Mission Nombre de Dios in St. Augustine, operating a comfort station under the colors of the Order, providing water, sunscreen, and insect spray to the crowd.  

Knights and Dames then join the liturgical procession for Mass with the Bishop at the rustic outdoor altar on the very spot where the first Mass was offered 459 years ago.