About Divine Mercy Prayer Center · Plant City, Florida
Divine Mercy Prayer Center (also called Divine Mercy Prayer House) is a Catholic retreat chapel in Plant City, Florida, run by the Vincentian Congregation of the Marymatha Province. It exists to serve the local community through daily prayer, counseling, spiritual formation, healing services, and non-residential retreats. Although it sits within the territorial boundaries of the Diocese of Saint Petersburg, it is identified as a Syro-Malabar Eastern Catholic retreat center under the Eparchy of St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Chicago, and it is one of more than 50 Vincentian prayer and retreat centers around the world connected to the apostolate that began at Potta Ashram in Kerala, India.
- Patron
- Divine Mercy (the Chaplet and devotion to the Merciful Savior)
- Rector
- Rev. Fr. Thomas Antony VC (Director)
- Diocese
- St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Chicago (Eparchy); located within the territorial Diocese of Saint Petersburg (Latin-rite diocese of reference).
Why belong here
Devotees visit Divine Mercy Prayer Center for a focused, retreat-style Catholic experience rather than a typical Sunday parish. The Center hosts daily weekday Mass paired with Eucharistic Adoration and Confession, monthly First-Friday healing vigil nights with preaching and a Healing Mass, and scheduled non-residential retreats such as the Young Adults' Retreat and Inner Healing Retreat. It is a place for people seeking prayer, spiritual direction, and inner healing in the Vincentian preaching tradition, and it welcomes walk-in faithful as well as those who register for retreats.
Mass times at Divine Mercy Prayer Center
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday–Friday 5:45 PM (immediately before the 6:30 PM Mass)
- First Fridays during the Vigil Night (7:00 PM–11:00 PM)
Adoration times
- Monday–Friday 5:30 PM–6:30 PM (Adoration before daily Mass)
- First Fridays 7:00 PM–11:00 PM (Vigil Night Adoration)
About the Divine Mercy Prayer Center
Divine Mercy Prayer Center (also styled 'Divine Mercy Prayer House') is a Catholic prayer and retreat chapel at 2905 S Frontage Road in Plant City, Florida. Its self-stated mission is to serve the local community through prayer, counseling, and spiritual formation, with every program designed to deepen faith and bring healing to those who seek it. The Center is staffed and directed by priests of the Vincentian Congregation (VC), Marymatha Province.
- Mission: prayer, counseling, and spiritual formation
- Charism: Vincentian preaching of Popular Mission retreats
- Identity: retreat chapel and spiritual formation center (not a territorial parish)
History and Vincentian Roots
The Center is an overseas mission of the Vincentian Congregation, a society of priests founded in India in 1927 in the spiritual tradition of St. Vincent de Paul. The Vincentians have run 'Popular Mission' retreats in parishes since 1952, and from their base at Potta Ashram (est. 1977) they built a global network of retreat houses, including the well-known Divine Retreat Centre at Muringoor, Kerala. Today more than 51 Vincentian prayer and retreat centers operate worldwide; the Plant City house is the Vincentians' Tampa-area base in the United States, alongside Divine Prayer Centre in Washington, New Jersey.
- Vincentian Congregation founded in India, 1927
- Marymatha Province formed January 1, 1990
- Two Vincentian houses in the USA: Washington, NJ and Plant City (Tampa), FL
Diocesan and Eparchial Status
Although the Center sits geographically within the Diocese of Saint Petersburg (Florida), it is canonically an Eastern Catholic retreat center under the Eparchy of the St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Chicago. It is listed in the Diocese of Saint Petersburg's Eastern Catholic Churches directory with its own line for retreats and prayer services.
- Territorial diocese: Diocese of Saint Petersburg
- Eparchy: St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Chicago
- Type listed on diocesan directory: Retreat Center
First Friday Vigil Night and Healing Services
On the First Friday of each month, the Center hosts its signature Vigil Night in English, running from 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM. The evening begins with Adoration, continues with preaching, and culminates in a Healing Mass. Confession is available throughout the vigil. This night-vigil pattern echoes the Vincentian Popular Mission retreats held in Kerala.
- Adoration: 7:00 PM
- Preaching: 8:30 PM
- Healing Mass: 9:30 PM
- Runs to 11:00 PM
Non-Residential Retreats
The Center schedules periodic non-residential retreats that run in the afternoons and evenings, allowing local faithful to attend without an overnight stay. The 2026 retreat calendar posted on the website includes a Young Adults' Retreat in early August and an Inner Healing Retreat at the end of October into early November.
- Young Adults' Retreat — August 7, 8 & 9, 2:00 PM–7:00 PM
- Inner Healing Retreat — October 30, 31 & November 1, 4:00 PM–8:00 PM
- Registration by email
Counseling and Spiritual Direction
Beyond scheduled liturgies and retreats, the Center offers spiritual counseling and spiritual direction, walking alongside individuals who seek healing, peace, and a deeper prayer life. Visitors are invited to 'gather each day in prayer, lifting the needs of our community to Jesus' and to be accompanied on their spiritual journey.
- Spiritual counseling
- Spiritual direction
- Daily community prayer
Leadership
The Center is led by Rev. Fr. Thomas Antony VC, who serves as Director. The Diocese of Saint Petersburg directory has also listed Rev. Fr. Abhilash Antony VC as Director in a separate record, suggesting a recent change of leadership between the two Vincentian priests.
- Director: Rev. Fr. Thomas Antony VC (per official website)
- Director: Rev. Fr. Abhilash Antony VC (per Diocese of St. Petersburg directory)
Visiting and Contact
The Center is at 2905 S Frontage Road, Plant City, FL 33566, on the I-4 corridor east of Tampa. The published phone number is (813) 813-567-1226, and the website is divinefl.org. Email contact for retreats and inquiries is given as [email protected] on the website; the diocesan directory lists [email protected].
- Address: 2905 S Frontage Road, Plant City, FL 33566
- Phone: 813-567-1226
- Website: divinefl.org