St. Thomas More's Braves at Historic Landing Re-Enactment in St. Augustine

Men of Menendez

On 4 September 2021, a first Friday, the Seminole tribe (Braves) of Saint Thomas More in Sanford Florida started their 2021-2022 season.

The day began with an early muster (6:45 am) in front of the church, where the excitement from the recent start of the school year still glowed in the eyes of all of the Braves. After ensuring that all were present and accounted for we loaded up the van and with the company of various Catholic Cadets from the Priory, as well as Father Prior, we headed up to St. Augustine to partake in this year’s re-enactment of the landing of Pedro Menendez on that beautiful Catholic city, America’s eldest. Señor Menendez claimed La Florida for Christ and for the Crown on the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (8 Sept.) in 1565.

On the ride up to St. Augustine we prayed our usual Rosary, but this time it had a special intention, the eternal rest of one Fr. Dominique Bourmaud who had given up his soul to God in the early hours of that same day after 40 years of faithful service as a priest of Christ. Upon arriving at the Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche, the Braves quickly changed into their era-specific sailor uniforms and joined the rest of the re-enactors to process around the Mission before the Mass to be celebrated by Bishop Estevez, of Saint Augustine, to open the day’s festivities.

Shortly after midday, the Braves joined Pedro Menendez, Father Prior, and many of the faithful of St. Augustine (and of Saint Thomas More) on a procession from the Mission Nombre de Dios to the Fountain of Youth, where the re-enactment of Menendez’s landing took place.

Fr. Prior offered the blessings at the re-enactment of the landing and the first thanksgiving ever held on American soil.

Once their re-enactment duties were fulfilled, the Braves shared in the thanksgiving meal, which included a piece of celebratory cake to mark such a joyous occasion. The drive back to the Priory started with the Braves’ cake-fueled laughs, which were quelled by a story of the Knights Templar that kept us captivated all the way back to the Priory’s parking lot.

From a Brave

It all started with Jose, Luis Diego, and I, saying our morning prayers. We then got into the van and said the Rosary on the way to St Augustine. When we got there we changed into our sailor uniforms, and at 12:45 pm we did a procession as part of the re-enactment of when Pedro Menendez claimed the land for God and the King of Spain. Besides the procession and petting a horse, my favorite part of the trip was eating cake with my friends.

- (Alberto A. - 9 years old)