BiographyFather Paul E. Edwards-Komarc, the first of five children, was born at Scott Air Force Base outside of Bellville, Illinois on Friday March 5, 1954. He arrived at suppertime – his Mom was frying fish for dinner when her water broke! Father Paul was baptized on Palm Sunday, April 11, 1954 in the Base Chapel. After his Dad’s term in the service was ended, the family moved back home to Youngstown, Ohio. There Father Paul made his First Communion and Confirmation in St. Nicholas Parish. In 1965 his family moved to Hialeah, Florida. Father Paul graduated from high school and junior college at Saint John Vianney Minor Seminary in 1972 and 1974 respectively. He continued his priestly formation at Saint Vincent de Paul Major Seminary graduating with a B.A. in philosophy, cum laude, in 1976. He then moved on to Saints Cyril and Methodius Byzantine Catholic Seminary in Pittsburgh, PA. While there, he earned a M.A. in Eastern Christian Studies from the John XXIII Institute in New York. Father was ordained to the deaconate on Sunday May 6, 1979. Father Paul taught religion at John Carroll High School in Fort Pierce and served as deacon at Sacred Heart Parish in Homestead and Saint Coleman Parish in Pompano Beach. Father Paul was ordained to the priesthood on May 14, 1983 by Archbishop Edward A. McCarthy at Saint Mary’s Cathedral in Miami. Father’s assignments have been parochial vicar at Saint Michael Parish in Miami, Sacred Heart in Homestead and Saint John Neumann in Kendall. Father Paul then served as chaplain, teacher and wrestling coach at Christopher Columbus High School in Miami and Supervising Principal of Saint Brendan High School in Miami. Father held assignments as parochial vicar at Saint Mark Parish in Southwest Ranches and pastor of Saint Jerome Parish in Fort Lauderdale. On March 20, 2001 Father Paul was asked by Archbishop Favalora to found a parish in the city of Weston. Saint Katharine Drexel Parish was canonically erected on July 1, 2001 with Father Paul E. Edwards assigned as its administrator. Father Paul gathered parishioners for the first Sunday Masses at Indian Trace Elementary School on September 16, 2001, just five days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. On October 7, 2002, coinciding with the 44th anniversary of the canonical erection of the Archdiocese of Miami, Father Paul was canonically installed as the Founding Pastor of the parish by Msgr. Noel Fogarty, the local dean. On April 22, 2006, Father Paul passed away peacefully from a brain tumor with his family by his side. |