About Our Lady of Guadalupe · Immokalee, Florida
Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish is a Roman Catholic parish in Immokalee, Florida, in the Southern Deanery of the Diocese of Venice in Florida. Founded on December 12, 1957, to serve the spiritual needs of Mexican migrant farmworkers in this agricultural community, the parish has grown into a multilingual hub where Mass is celebrated in Spanish, English, and Haitian Creole. The Scalabrinian Missionaries of St. Charles (C.S.) staff the parish, reflecting its historic mission to migrants. After decades in a church built in 1989, a larger sanctuary — roughly double the size — was dedicated by Bishop Frank J. Dewane on July 20, 2019, accompanied by a new 5,000-square-foot Father Richard Sanders Pastoral Center.
- Established
- 1957
- Patron
- Our Lady of Guadalupe
- Rector
- Rev. Teofilo Ramirez Moreno, C.S. (Missionaries of St. Charles / Scalabrinian)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Venice in Florida
Why belong here
Our Lady of Guadalupe is the spiritual heart of Immokalee's working immigrant community, where the same Catholic faith is lived in Spanish, English, and Haitian Creole. A family can find daily Mass, weekly confession in two languages, baptisms prepared in multiple languages, and a pastoral center that hosts parish meetings and cultural events. Worshipping here means joining a congregation rooted in the Scalabrinian missionary charism of accompanying migrants — a parish that quite literally built its new church so that no one in the surrounding agricultural community would be turned away.
Mass times at Our Lady of Guadalupe
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Thursday 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM (English)
- Thursday 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM (Spanish)
- Thursday 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM (Spanish)
- Before each Mass (per parish directory listing)
Parish History
Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish traces its roots to December 12, 1957, when it was founded as a mission to the Mexican migrant farmworkers working the fields around Immokalee. The Scalabrinian Missionaries of St. Charles have served the community from the beginning. The first permanent church was dedicated on December 12, 1989; thirty years later, on July 20, 2019, Bishop Frank J. Dewane dedicated a far larger new church on the same campus, accompanied by the Father Richard Sanders Pastoral Center.
- Parish founded and dedicated: December 12, 1957
- First church dedicated: December 12, 1989
- Ground broken for new church: January 2017
- Construction delayed by Hurricane Irma (2017)
- New church dedicated by Bishop Frank J. Dewane: July 20, 2019
- Father Richard Sanders Pastoral Center blessed the same day
Clergy & Parish Staff
The parish is pastored by Scalabrinian missionaries and supported by a lay team. The pastor, parochial vicar, and deacon listed on the Diocese of Venice parish page are named below, along with parish-office staff.
- Rev. Teofilo Ramirez Moreno, C.S. — Pastor (Missionaries of St. Charles)
- Rev. Patrick Bernard, C.S. — Parochial Vicar
- Melanio Valdes — Deacon
- Jorge Alvarez
- Maricela Menera — Bookkeeper & Parish Secretary
- Receptionist (parish office)
Sacraments
The parish prepares and celebrates the Sacraments of Baptism and Reconciliation in multiple languages to serve its diverse community.
- Baptism — last weekend of every month (Spanish/English)
- Baptism — 1st Sunday of the month (Haitian Creole)
- Reconciliation — see confession schedule above
New Church & Pastoral Center (2019)
The current sanctuary, dedicated July 20, 2019, is roughly double the size of the previous building and was designed with a masonry-and-metal exterior. It features a drive-through porte-cochère and an exterior fountain and shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe. Bishop Dewane blessed the adjoining Father Richard Sanders Pastoral Center the same day — a 5,000-square-foot facility with eight meeting rooms used for parish meetings and cultural events. The 1989 church building on the campus is being repurposed as a parish hall.
- Drive-through porte-cochère
- Exterior fountain with shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe
- Masonry-and-metal construction
- Father Richard Sanders Pastoral Center — 5,000 sq ft, 8 meeting rooms
- Former 1989 church converting into parish hall
Diocese & Deanery
Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish belongs to the Diocese of Venice in Florida and is part of the Southern Deanery.
- Diocese of Venice in Florida
- Southern Deanery
Visit, Contact & Office Hours
The parish office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 12:00 noon and again from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM. Visitors are encouraged to call ahead for the latest schedule details.
- Address: 207 S. 9th Street, Immokalee, FL 34142
- Phone: (239) 657-2666
- Fax: (239) 657-3431
- Email: [email protected]
- Office Hours: Mon–Fri, 9:00 AM–12:00 noon and 1:00 PM–4:00 PM
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Carlos Reyes-Ramirez, C.S.through at least July 2019 dedication
Scalabrinian pastor at the time of the 2019 new-church dedication; broke ground with Bishop Dewane in January 2017.
- Father Isaia Birollo, C.S.
Served at Our Lady of Guadalupe for four years and was present at the 1989 dedication of the original church; concelebrated the 2019 dedication.