Farewell, Father James

James P. Valenzuela, pastor of St. Ann Catholic Church in Gulf Breeze, was issued a proclamation July 1 by Gulf Breeze Mayor Pro Tem Beverly Zimmern at city hall. Valenzuela will leave his position as parochial vicar at St. Ann’s in order to work at Nativity of Our Lord Parish and University of West Florida in Pensacola.

Valenzuela was born in Michigan and studied at several universities in Florida, earning a master’s degree in divinity and theology from St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach, Fla. He was ordained in 2005 and shortly thereafter began working at St. Ann.

For more on this story, see the July 9 issue of the Navarre Press or subscribe online.