Jacksonville, Fla., Celebrates First Protestant Prayer in US
Jacksonville, Fla., celebrated its Christian heritage on Tuesday—a heritage many in the U.S. have never heard about.
On May 1, 1562, Jean Ribault sailed into what is now called the St. John’s River in Jacksonville. He named it The River of May. He met with the indigenous, Mocama-speaking Timucua Indians on the North side of the river and claimed the land for France by placing a stone onto the ground in her honor.
What many don’t know is that Ribault was a French Huguenot. Jacksonville City Council woman Kimberly Daniels, who also pastors Spoken Word Ministries in Jacksonville, helped her city celebrate its spiritual heritage. She calls Florida the “First Coast” state.”
Daniels points to historical documents that prove that on June 30, 1564, the Huguenots declared a day of thanksgiving and offered the first Protestant prayer in America at Fort Caroline: “We sang a psalm of Thanksgiving unto...
