About Mother of Our Redeemer · Miami, Florida
Mother of Our Redeemer is a Roman Catholic parish and school in northwestern Miami-Dade County (Hialeah/Miami Lakes area) within the Archdiocese of Miami. Founded on July 1, 1988, by Father Fernando Compaired, the parish serves more than 2,000 registered families through seven weekend Masses in English and Spanish. The community worships in a Parish Center (the chapel of the Holy Family/Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament) while fundraising continues for a future main sanctuary. The parish also operates a PreK-3 through 8th grade Catholic school (founded 2002/2003) and runs extensive outreach, formation, and devotional ministries serving a largely Hispanic Catholic population.
- Established
- 1988
- Patron
- Our Lady, Mother of Our Redeemer (the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title 'Mother of the Redeemer')
- Rector
- Rev. John P. Hernandez (Pastor, installed June 2019)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Miami
Why belong here
Mother of Our Redeemer is a bilingual (English–Spanish) parish that lives out its faith through both traditional devotions and active outreach: a daily-open Eucharistic chapel, Legion of Mary, Emmaus Women, Rosario de la Aurora, a Respect Life group, OCIA for adults, religious education, a parish school PreK-3 through 8, Knights of Columbus, a parish festival, and direct charitable aid for emergency rent, medicine, food, and clothing. Families looking for a parish where their children can be educated in a Catholic school, where Spanish-speaking and English-speaking Catholics worship side-by-side, and where Eucharistic adoration and the rosary remain central will find a strong, welcoming home here.
Mass times at Mother of Our Redeemer
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday 9:00 am – 9:30 am
- Tuesday 9:00 am – 9:30 am
- Wednesday 9:00 am – 9:30 am
- Thursday 9:00 am – 9:30 am
- Saturday 4:00 pm – 4:45 pm
Adoration times
- Daily Eucharistic Adoration in the Chapel: 7:30 am – 9:30 pm (per parish site; extended on First Fridays)
- First Friday: Adoration/Benediction 8:00 pm – 9:00 pm in the Church
Parish History
Mother of Our Redeemer was canonically established on July 1, 1988, by the Archdiocese of Miami. Father Fernando Compaired, a priest from Zaragoza, Spain, was named founding administrator that July and was installed as pastor two years later. He led the parish for nearly two decades, shepherding it from its earliest Masses at American Senior High School, through a temporary storefront location, and into its first purpose-built Parish Center, which continues to serve the community.
- Founded July 1, 1988 — Archdiocese of Miami
- Founding pastor: Rev. Fernando Compaired (1988 – 2005/2007)
- First Mass location: American Senior High School, Hialeah
- First permanent facility: a storefront in a local shopping mall
- Long-term worship space: the Parish Center / Chapel of the Holy Family
Mother of Our Redeemer Catholic School
Mother of Our Redeemer Catholic School opened in 2002 on the parish campus, beginning with Pre-Kindergarten-3 through third grade and adding one grade per year thereafter. It now serves students from PreK-3 through 8th grade, offering a Catholic liberal-arts education in English within the Archdiocese of Miami curriculum framework. The school is accredited through the Archdiocese and affiliated with the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA), and features before- and aftercare, a sports program, an enrichment program for grades 2–8, advanced math in grades 6–8, an iPad program in grades 4–8, and a VPK program through the Early Learning Coalition.
- Founded 2002 (PreK-3 – 3rd grade); 4th grade added fall 2006
- Current grades: PreK-3 through 8th
- Accreditation: Archdiocese of Miami; NCEA affiliate
- School Day: 7:50 am – 2:30/2:45/3:00 pm by grade
- Beforecare (7:00–7:30 am) and Aftercare (until 6:00 pm) available
- Admissions Director: Denise Torres
- Scholarships: Step Up For Students, AAA, FES-UA, Hope Scholarship
- New school basketball court built in fall 2019
Faith Formation and OCIA
Faith formation at Mother of Our Redeemer spans childhood religious education and the adult initiation process. The parish runs an ongoing Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA, formerly RCIA) program preparing unbaptized adults and catechumens for the sacraments of initiation, alongside parish Religious Education classes for school-aged children who do not attend the parish school.
- Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA / RCIA)
- Religious Education program for parish children
- Sacramental preparation integrated with school and parish catechesis
Liturgical Ministries
Parishioners serve the parish's seven weekend and five weekday Masses as lectors, Eucharistic ministers, altar servers, musicians, sacristans, and ushers. The Music Ministry coordinates the parish's choirs and cantors for English- and Spanish-language liturgies.
- Ministers of Holy Communion (Eucharistic Ministers)
- Lectors
- Altar Servers
- Music Ministry
- Sacristans
- Ushers
Pastoral Care and Outreach
Pastoral Care at Mother of Our Redeemer includes ministries that bring the sacraments and the parish community to the homebound and sick. The Charity ministry, the parish Gift Shop, and the Telephone Prayer Line together fund and coordinate direct assistance — emergency rent, medicine, food, and clothing — for families in need within the parish area.
- Homebound & Sick ministry
- Charity / Outreach (emergency rent, medicine, food, clothing)
- Telephone Prayer Line
- Parish Gift Shop (proceeds benefit outreach)
- Respect Life ministry
Parish Life and Community Groups
Beyond liturgy and formation, Mother of Our Redeemer supports a vibrant parish life through fraternal, cultural, and service organizations. The annual Parish Festival, the Knights of Columbus council, the Loving Stitches sewing/crafting ministry, and the Pulgueros de San Francisco de Asís all provide ways for parishioners to build community outside of Mass.
- Annual Parish Festival
- Knights of Columbus
- Loving Stitches
- Pulgueros de San Francisco de Asís
Vocations from the Parish
The parish community has borne visible fruit in priestly and religious vocations. Three priests have been ordained from Mother of Our Redeemer — Julio de Jesus in 2015, and Gustavo Barros and Omar Ayubi in 2018 — and a current nun, Sister Joseph Maria, professed vows with the Carmelite Monastery of Rochester.
- Fr. Julio de Jesus — ordained 2015
- Fr. Gustavo Barros — ordained 2018
- Fr. Omar Ayubi — ordained 2018
- Sister Joseph Maria — professed vows with the Carmelite Monastery of Rochester
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Fernando Compaired1988 – 2005 (retirement; some parish sources extend to March 2007)
Founding pastor/administrator. Born July 4, 1940, in Zaragoza, Aragón, Spain; ordained June 29, 1963, for the Diocese of Jaca. Arrived in the Archdiocese of Miami in 1977. Served as parochial vicar at St. John Bosco (Miami), Corpus Christi, St. John the Apostle (Hialeah), and Our Lady of the Lakes (Miami Lakes) before being named administrator of Mother of Our Redeemer in July 1988 and pastor two years later. Led the parish through its first Masses at American Senior High School, the storefront phase, and the construction of the Parish Center; oversaw growth to more than 1,200 families. Also served on the Archdiocesan Permanent Diaconate Advisory Board and as associate director of the Spanish-speaking Charismatic Renewal Movement. Honored as a Diamond Jubilarian (60 years) at the 2023 Chrism Mass.
- Rev. Jaime (Jimmy) Acevedo2005 – January 2016
Second pastor. Built the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament / Chapel of the Holy Family that became the parish's worship space and arranged it to be open 7:30 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. Fostered a broad diversity of ministries. Transferred by the Archdiocese in January 2016.
- Rev. John P. HernandezFebruary 2016 – present
Appointed Parish Administrator by Archbishop Thomas Wenski in February 2016; installed as Pastor in June 2019. Consolidated parish ministries; oversaw construction of the parish school basketball court in fall 2019.