Church of the Holy Child

St. Maryʼs Church in Daytona may well be called the “Mother” of Church of the Holy Child. The Rector of St. Maryʼs realized that many in his congregation were traveling great distances to worship. So with great forethought and many contacts with the Diocese, five missions were established – St. James in 1890, Grace Church in 1893, Holy Trinity in 1923, St. Timothy in 1939 and our own Church of the Holy Child in 1963.

The mission process started in February 1963 with the first service being held on April 28th in the cafeteria of Highlandʼs Elementary School with 48 parishioners in attendance. Our first permanent church was a prefab facility on Flomich Avenue in Holly Hill, Florida. While the facility may have been prefab, the congregation was the cornerstone. Members were faithful, united, and filled with the Holy Spirit; values which continue to be evident today.

In 1980, under the direction of Father Ed Watson, (the Shepherd of our church from 1974 to 1983), the decision was made to move to the present location in Ormond Beach. The Church is situated on five acres in the heart of Ormond Beach. Since the move in 1983, Church of the Holy Child has been blessed with consistent spiritual leadership. Fr. Joe Maher served our congregation from 1983 to 1996. Fr. Comforted Keen was called to lead us in 1998 until his retirement in June, 2013.