The intact buildings and grounds of St. Ambrose Parish reflect the Roman Catholic Church’s commitment to reaching small rural communities in Florida. Catholic Mass was first celebrated with settlers in a barn at Moccasin Branch in the early 1800s. In 1875, St. Ambrose Parish was established when Father Stephen Langlade, a skilled carpenter from France, built a small wood frame church. He also built a rectory, school, convent, and a larger church by 1907. After the first convent burned in 1917, a second convent was built, and a new parish hall was added in 1938. From 1881 through 1948, students attended the school under the tutelage of the Sisters of St. Joseph, who lived in the convent. Early settlers in the area were farmers of Spanish, Irish, Minorcan, Greek, and Italian heritage, and their descendants, including families named Ashton, Floyd, Lopez, Masters, Ortagus, Pacetti, Pappy, Pellicer, Rogero, Sanchez, Solana, Solano, Triay, and Weedman, continue to live in the area and attend the small parish church. The pioneers whose daily lives were intertwined with St. Ambrose Parish are buried in the nearby cemetery.