About Jesus the Worker · Fort Myers, Florida
Jesus the Worker is a Spanish-language Catholic mission church in East Fort Myers, Florida, founded in 1973 as a mission of St. Vincent de Paul Parish and elevated to full parish status in the Diocese of Venice in 2014. Located at 881 Nuna Avenue, it serves a predominantly Hispanic community of farmworkers and laborers drawn largely from Mexico and Central America, with all Masses celebrated in Spanish. The parish is known for its food pantry outreach, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic and after Hurricane Ian in 2022, and is currently pastored by Rev. Benjamin Casimir (Administrator) with Rev. Jose Del Olmo as Parochial Vicar.
- Established
- 1973
- Patron
- Jesus the Worker
- Rector
- Rev. Benjamin Casimir (Administrator)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Venice
Why belong here
Jesus the Worker offers a warm, fully Spanish-language Catholic home for the working families, immigrants and farmworkers of East Fort Myers and Tice, with daily Mass, Saturday vigil, and two Sunday Masses all celebrated in Spanish. The parish combines traditional devotions — monthly First Wednesday and First Friday adoration, regular confession before every Mass, prayer groups, rosary, and Knights of Columbus — with concrete outreach through its food pantry that has fed hundreds of households during the pandemic and natural disasters. A small Oblate-and-religious-staff team under the Diocese of Venice keeps this mission-sized parish deeply personal and family-oriented.
Mass times at Jesus the Worker
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 6:30 PM (30 minutes before every Mass)
- Sunday: 8:30 AM
- Sunday: 11:30 AM
Adoration times
- Wednesday: 6:00 PM (First Wednesday of the month)
- Friday: 7:30 PM (First Friday of the month)
History & Identity
Jesus the Worker was founded in 1973 as a mission chapel of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Fort Myers, giving Spanish-speaking Catholics in East Fort Myers and Tice their own regular place of worship. After more than forty years as a mission, the Diocese of Venice elevated it to full parish status in October 2014 — making it the 60th parish in the diocese and naming Father Patrick O'Connor, O.S.F.S. as its first pastor. The parish today remains small and family-centered, drawing its congregation largely from Mexican and Central American farmworker families.
- Founded 1973 as a mission of St. Vincent de Paul Parish
- Elevated to full parish in October 2014 — the 60th parish of the Diocese of Venice
- First pastor: Rev. Patrick T. O'Connor, O.S.F.S. (Oblates of St. Francis de Sales)
- Serves about 5,000 Catholic families in East Fort Myers and Tice
Parish Clergy & Staff
The parish is currently led by an Administrator with a Parochial Vicar, supported by three religious sisters who direct liturgy, parish ministry, and religious education.
- Rev. Benjamin Casimir — Administrator
- Rev. Jose Del Olmo — Parochial Vicar
- Rev. Patrick T. O'Connor, O.S.F.S. — Pastor (named 2014)
- Sister Greta Chavarria-Batista — Director of Liturgy
- Sister Maria Isabel Jaimes — Parish Ministry
- Sister Rosemary Le — Director of Religious Education
Prayer Groups, Charismatic Renewal & Lay Associations
A network of weekly Spanish-language prayer and formation groups animate the parish's spiritual life, alongside the Knights of Columbus and a Charismatic Renewal group. Each meeting has its own coordinator listed on the parish site.
- Prayer Group — Mondays 7:00 PM (Cecilia Jimenez)
- Prayer Group — Wednesdays 7:00 PM (Mauricio Carvajal)
- Prayer Group — Thursdays 7:00 PM (Francisca Chavez)
- Men's and Women's Groups — Thursdays 7:00 PM (Araceli Soto / Francisco Juarez)
- Youth Group — Wednesdays 7:00 PM
- Couples Group — Fridays 7:30 PM (Adrian & Silvia Ortiz)
- Charismatic Renewal Group — Third Friday of the month, 7:30 PM (Maria Rodriguez)
- Knights of Columbus — Third Wednesday of the month, 7:00 PM (Grand Knight Anselmo Hipolito)
Parish Outreach: The Food Pantry
The parish food pantry has become one of the best-known Catholic outreach ministries serving the immigrant community of East Fort Myers. Run largely by volunteers and stocked through local donations, the Harry Chapin Food Bank, and a USDA grant, it distributed food to roughly 100 households per week during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. After Hurricane Ian in September 2022, the pantry again coordinated distribution of water, food, clothing, diapers and feminine products brought in by Catholic Charities and partner radio stations. Father O'Connor has publicly committed the parish to keeping the pantry open as long as resources last.
- Weekly food distribution to immigrant and farmworker families
- Partners with Harry Chapin Food Bank and USDA
- Major disaster response during COVID-19 (2020) and Hurricane Ian (2022)
- Donations accepted at 881 Nuna Ave., Fort Myers, FL 33905 or via the Diocese of Venice online giving platform
Religious Education & Parish Ministry
Faith formation is led by Sister Rosemary Le (Director of Religious Education), with Sister Maria Isabel Jaimes supporting Parish Ministry and Sister Greta Chavarria-Batista directing Liturgy. Together they coordinate sacramental preparation, ongoing faith formation, and the parish's liturgical celebrations.
- Religious Education — Sister Rosemary Le
- Parish Ministry — Sister Maria Isabel Jaimes
- Liturgy — Sister Greta Chavarria-Batista
San José Mission
As a companion mission of Jesus the Worker, San José extends the parish's pastoral reach with additional Spanish-language Masses on Saturday evening and Wednesday evening.
- San José Mission — Saturday 7:00 PM (Spanish)
- San José Mission — Wednesday 7:00 PM (Spanish)
Visit, Contact & Directions
The parish sits on Nuna Avenue in East Fort Myers and is easy to reach from I-75. Office hours and bilingual pastoral support are available through the listed phone and email.
- Address: 881 Nuna Ave., Fort Myers, FL 33905
- Phone: (239) 693-5333
- Fax: (239) 693-5626
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://jesustheworker.org/home-english
- From I-75 take exit 24 west on Luckett Road; pass the signal light to Nuna Avenue and turn right to 881 Nuna Ave.
- Diocese: Diocese of Venice — Central Deanery
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Patrick T. O'Connor, O.S.F.S.2014–recent
Oblate of St. Francis de Sales; named pastor when Jesus the Worker was elevated from mission to parish status in October 2014. Led the parish's food pantry response during COVID-19 (2020) and Hurricane Ian (2022).