About Centro Guadalupano Mission · Wahneta, Florida
Centro Guadalupano Mission is a Spanish-language Catholic mission in the small community of Wahneta, just outside Winter Haven in Polk County, Florida. It belongs to the Diocese of Orlando and serves a community that is predominantly made up of Mexican and other Hispanic immigrant families, anchored by a deep devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe. All Masses and most parish life are celebrated in Spanish, and the mission gathers people around the rosary, Eucharistic Adoration, the OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults), the Cursillo movement, and an annual December feast in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe with processions, traditional dress, and cultural presentations.
- Patron
- Our Lady of Guadalupe (Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe)
- Rector
- Rev. Nicholas O'Brien
- Diocese
- Diocese of Orlando
Why belong here
Centro Guadalupano is a Spanish-speaking Catholic home for the immigrant and Mexican-American families of Wahneta, where every Mass, every rosary, and every ministry is offered in Spanish and rooted in Marian devotion. The mission has become a place of remarkable sacramental harvest — 44 people entered the Church at one Easter alone, drawn by ministries like OCIA, the rosary, Cursillo, and weekly Eucharistic Adoration. Parishioners who visit find a tight-knit community that walks alongside economically disadvantaged and immigrant families, celebrates Our Lady of Guadalupe each December with processions and traditional dress, and forms its members through the choir, hospitality, lectors, altar servers, comfort ministry, and a vibrant pastoral council.
Mass times at Centro Guadalupano Mission
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
Adoration times
- Eucharistic Adoration concluding with Holy Hour (Hora Santa) at 7:00 PM (day not specified on mirror site; check parish for current day)
About Centro Guadalupano Mission
Centro Guadalupano Mission is a Spanish-language Catholic mission of the Diocese of Orlando serving the predominantly Mexican and Hispanic-immigrant families of Wahneta, a small town just outside Winter Haven in Polk County, Florida. The mission's motto, displayed on its materials, is 'En compañía de María perseveramos en la oración y el servicio' — 'In Mary's company we persevere in prayer and service.' Every Mass is celebrated in Spanish, and parish life is shaped by devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe.
- Motto: 'En compañía de María perseveramos en la oración y el servicio.'
- Located at 2150 Bomber Road, Wahneta, FL 33880
- All Masses in Spanish
- Part of the Diocese of Orlando, Western Deanery
History & Community Roots
In 2022 Bishop John Noonan asked Dominican Father Dubernay Rodas Grajales to serve as administrator pro-tem of Centro Guadalupano. He found a community eager to organize itself, and helped launch the ministries of the rosary, Cursillo, and Eucharistic Adoration — and, crucially, OCIA catechesis for families who had never received the Sacraments. The result was an extraordinary sacramental harvest: 44 parishioners aged 7 to 46 signed as catechumens at the 2023 Rite of Election, with 18 more candidates to follow. Father Rodas was incardinated into the Diocese on May 22, 2024 and moved to St. Mary Magdalen, while Father Luis Osorio went on to become pastor of Holy Spirit Parish, Lake Wales in December 2024. The mission was formally incorporated in February 2023.
- 2022: Dominican Father Dubernay Rodas Grajales arrives as administrator pro-tem
- 2023: 44 catechumens from Centro Guadalupano among 200 signed at the Rite of Election
- Feb. 15, 2023: Mission incorporated as 'Centro Guadalupano Catholic Mission Wahneta, Inc.'
- May 22, 2024: Father Rodas incardinated into the Diocese of Orlando
- Dec. 10, 2024: Father Luis Osorio installed as pastor of Holy Spirit Parish, Lake Wales
Clergy & Parish Staff
The mission is currently served by Father Nicholas O'Brien as pastor, with Father Delvis Mederos Fernandez as parochial vicar and Susan Simonson as Business Operations Manager. Father Mederos is the priest who has publicly described the mission's recent sacramental growth, noting he had never seen so many people enter the Church at once.
- Rev. Nicholas O'Brien — Pastor
- Rev. Delvis Mederos Fernandez — Parochial Vicar
- Susan Simonson — Business Operations Manager
Parish Ministries & Coordinators
Centro Guadalupano runs an unusually rich network of lay ministries for a mission of its size, organized and led by named parish coordinators. These groups form the backbone of the community's liturgical life, formation, and outreach.
- Consejo Pastoral (Pastoral Council)
- OCIA — Jorge Sevilla, Coordinator
- MESC — Esperanza Santiago, Coordinator
- Coros (Choir) — Tony Alvarado, Coordinator
- Hospitalidad — Esteban Verdugo, Coordinator
- Proclamadores (Lectors) — Gloria Martiney, Coordinator
- Monaguillos (Altar Servers) — Verónica Loredo, Coordinator
- Ministerio de Consuelo — Claudio López
- Rosary, Cursillo, and Eucharistic Adoration groups
- Our Lady of Guadalupe feast / Juan Diego theatrical team
Our Lady of Guadalupe Annual Celebration
Each December the mission reenacts the 1531 apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe to St. Juan Diego on the hill of Tepeyac. Parishioners gather before dawn on Dec. 12, then on Dec. 14 process to Mass dressed in traditional Mexican clothing, followed by food and cultural presentations. Lay leader Flavio Villanueva, who attended a Juan XXIII retreat in 2013, has directed the parish's theatrical presentation for the community for the past several years.
- Dec. 12: Pre-dawn reenactment of the apparition
- Dec. 14: Procession with Our Lady of Guadalupe and Mass in traditional dress
- Cultural presentations and shared meal
- Director: Flavio Villanueva
Faith Formation & OCIA
Faith formation for both adults and children is centered in the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA), coordinated by Jorge Sevilla. The mission's OCIA program became nationally noticed when 44 of its members were among the 200 catechumens signed at the 2023 Rite of Election; catechists included Betty Chavez (ages 13–18) and Maria (Gilda) Romero (ages 18–46), with Jorge and Margarita Sevilla leading the children's formation.
- OCIA Coordinator: Jorge Sevilla
- Children's catechesis: Jorge and Margarita Sevilla
- Teen catechesis (13–18): Betty Chavez
- Adult catechesis (18–46): Maria (Gilda) Romero
- 44 elect signed at the 2023 Rite of Election
Outreach to Immigrant Families
Beyond the liturgy, Centro Guadalupano aims to walk alongside economically disadvantaged and immigrant families as traveling companions by providing educational opportunities and social assistance. The mission organizes extracurricular activities outside regular school hours so that the children of immigrant households can take part in educational and formation programs — a concrete response to the hardship its members face as immigrants.
- Educational opportunities for children of immigrant families
- Social assistance and resource referral
- After-school / extracurricular formation activities
- Welcoming ministry to new arrivals
Visit, Contact & Practical Information
The mission office is open weekday mornings, and the Saturday Vigil Mass is livestreamed on social media for those unable to attend in person. Phone, fax, and email contacts are listed below for sacramental inquiries and general information.
- Address: 2150 Bomber Road, Wahneta, FL 33880
- Phone: (863) 299-3854
- Fax: (863) 299-8247
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: centroguadalupanowahneta.org
- Office hours: Monday, Thursday, Friday 8:00 AM – (close time published in Spanish as '9:00 am a 5:00 pm' window — confirm by phone)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Dubernay Rodas Grajales2022 (administrator pro-tem)
Dominican priest who organized ministries (rosary, Cursillo, Eucharistic Adoration) and launched the OCIA catechumen initiative that produced 44 new elect at the 2023 Easter Vigil. Incardinated into the Diocese of Orlando on May 22, 2024; later assigned to St. Mary Magdalen, Altamonte Springs.
- Rev. Luis OsorioPrior to Dec. 2024
Colombian priest who served Centro Guadalupano before being installed as pastor of Holy Spirit Parish, Lake Wales, on Dec. 10, 2024. Known for ministry to multicultural communities.
- Rev. Nicholas O'Brien2024–present
Current pastor; listed as president of the incorporated Centro Guadalupano Catholic Mission Wahneta, Inc.