After recognizing the need for another parish to the east in North Naples, Fr. Thomas Glackin requested permission from Bishop John J. Nevins to begin a mission in 1999. Bishop Nevins notified Fr. Glackin that the Diocese of Venice owned a 40 acre parcel of land on the Northeast corner of Vanderbilt Beach Road and Collier Blvd. which would be the future site of this mission.
St. Agnes began in October of 1999 as a mission of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church. Masses were initially held in the cafeteria at Oak Ridge Middle School before moving to the cafeteria at Gulf Coast High School in 2002.
In 2001, a group was formed under the direction of Fr. Glackin to begin design on what would be the future St. Agnes mission. Arthur Kiney (Building Chairman) was responsible for obtaining design proposals from several local architects. Fr. Glackin arranged numerous trips statewide to visit parishes that had a vision similar to what he had in mind. Ultimately, Andrea Clark Brown Architects was chosen with their Southwest style mission design.
Compass Construction was hired in the summer of 2001 to begin creating a proposal for the construction of St. Agnes. Initial estimates were that the mission was going to cost approximately $5 million.
In late 2001, plans were underway to begin a capital campaign in order to raise the necessary funds to begin construction of St. Agnes mission. The capital campaign kicked off in January of 2002 and by April, $7.25 million had been pledged.
The groundbreaking of St. Agnes took place in August of 2002 with nearly 200 parishioners attending at the vacant site.
After countless governmental delays, site work finally began in January of 2003. Due to increasing difficulty in receiving a building permit and numerous changes to the original design as well as the addition of a separate chapel, construction of St. Agnes did not begin until late 2003.
Although St. Agnes was a massive and incredibly beautiful church, it was also an incredibly intricate architectural design. Construction of the church and chapel took nearly 3 years to complete. The finished product features a 28,000 square foot church with seating in the round for 1,500 parishioners. The separate 2,500 square foot chapel features movable seats allowing for antiphonal or traditional seating. Both the church and chapel feature large open spaces with wood ceilings and magnificent stained glass throughout. The flooring is finished in polished limestone with rainforest marble accents. Much of the exterior and interior feature peach travertine stone cladding. The exterior has an adobe appearance with two very large bell towers creating what Fr. Glackin envisioned as a Southwest style with a modern twist.
The first Mass was held at St. Agnes on August 15, 2006 (Feast of the Assumption). The church was dedicated on November 19, 2006 by Bishop Frank Dewane. On March 12, 2007, St. Agnes was declared a parish and Fr. Robert Kantor was assigned as administrator with Fr. John Fitch as his associate.
