About Our Lady of Lourdes · Boca Raton, Florida
Our Lady of Lourdes is a Roman Catholic parish in the Diocese of Palm Beach serving the western Boca Raton community in Palm Beach County, Florida. Located at 22094 Lyons Road on the southeast corner of Lyons Road and Palmetto Park Road, the parish offers daily and Sunday Mass in English and Spanish, weekly Confessions, an active Religious Education program, OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults), youth ministries, and a robust outreach including the Bernadette's Place Food Pantry and the H.O.P.E. Senior Outreach ministry. The parish community describes itself with a three-fold vision — 'reaching up' through worship and the Sacraments, 'reaching in' through faith formation, and 'reaching out' through service to neighbors — and welcomes Catholics from throughout the greater Boca Raton area.
- Established
- 1977
- Patron
- Our Lady of Lourdes (Blessed Virgin Mary, under her title of Our Lady of Lourdes)
- Rector
- Rev. Eduardo M. Medina
- Diocese
- Diocese of Palm Beach
Why belong here
Our Lady of Lourdes is a welcoming, mid-sized parish that offers the full rhythm of Catholic sacramental life — daily Mass Monday through Saturday, four weekend Masses including a Sunday evening Vigil and a Spanish-language Vigil, weekly Confession on Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings, and Eucharistic Adoration. It is a strong fit for families, with a long-running Religious Education program for First Communion and Confirmation held at the Christian Formation Center, two youth groups (CIA Youth Group for high schoolers and Teens for Christ for middle schoolers), and a Children's Liturgy of the Word during Mass. Catholics who want to grow in their faith will find a deep bench of adult formation through OCIA (formerly RCIA), the Women of Grace ten-week study, and ongoing retreats, while those called to service can plug into the H.O.P.E. Senior Outreach, Bernadette's Place Food Pantry, Respect Life, or Homebound Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion — making it easy to both belong and to reach out.
Mass times at Our Lady of Lourdes
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Friday 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
- Saturday 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM (Noon)
About Our Lady of Lourdes Parish
Our Lady of Lourdes is a Roman Catholic parish of the Diocese of Palm Beach that serves the west Boca Raton area of Palm Beach County, Florida. The parish community describes itself as a welcoming community organized around three movements — 'reaching up' through worship and the celebration of the Sacraments, 'reaching in' through faith formation for every age, and 'reaching out' in service to neighbors near and far. The parish offers daily and Sunday Mass, weekly Confession, an OCIA process for adults, a Religious Education program for children preparing for First Communion and Confirmation, youth ministry for middle and high school students, and outreach ministries that include a parish food pantry and a senior-outreach program.
- Three-fold vision: Reaching Up (worship), Reaching In (formation), Reaching Out (service)
- Parish campus includes the church, Parish Hall (named for founding pastor Msgr. O'Shea), Christian Formation Center, and Lourdes Grotto & Garden
- Listed parish #53 in the Diocese of Palm Beach directory
History of the Parish
Our Lady of Lourdes was established on June 6, 1977, when Monsignor Joseph O'Shea — previously the second pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Miami Beach — was sent by the Diocese of Palm Beach to found a new parish in the rapidly growing western Boca Raton area. The parish was created to serve Catholic families settling in the neighborhoods west of I-95 around the intersection of Lyons Road and Palmetto Park Road. The Parish Hall on the campus is named in Monsignor O'Shea's honor. By 2022 the parish was celebrating its 45th anniversary and was firmly established as one of the active faith communities of the diocese's southern deanery.
- Founded June 6, 1977
- Founding pastor: Msgr. Joseph O'Shea (formerly of St. Joseph, Miami Beach)
- Parish Hall named in honor of Msgr. O'Shea
- 45th anniversary observed in 2022
Faith Formation & Religious Education
The parish's 'reaching in' work is rooted in its Faith Formation programs, which begin with the Religious Education (CCD) program directed by Michelle Williamson. Religious Education classes meet on Wednesdays at the Christian Formation Center, with two sessions — 4:00 PM to 5:15 PM for First Communion classes only, and 6:30 PM to 7:45 PM for both First Communion and Confirmation classes — running mid-September through the end of April. The program follows a two-year sacramental preparation track for both First Holy Communion and Confirmation, and parents are recognized as the primary educators of their children in faith. The parish welcomes children aged 8 and older who have not yet been baptized into a special process for Baptism of Older Children.
- Director of Religious Education: Michelle Williamson (561-483-2440 ext. 1429; [email protected])
- Two-year preparation for First Communion and Confirmation
- Classes on Wednesdays at the Christian Formation Center
- Sessions: 4:00–5:15 PM (First Communion only) and 6:30–7:45 PM (Communion + Confirmation)
- CCD Catechist volunteers welcomed
- Baptism for Older Children (age 8+) pathway
OCIA — Christian Initiation of Adults
The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA, the post-Vatican II ritual that replaced the older RCIA name) is offered for adults who consciously and freely seek the living God through a process of conversion of the heart led by the Holy Spirit. The parish's OCIA coordinator is DeLisle Callender, M.A.
- Coordinator: DeLisle Callender, M.A.
- Open to unbaptized adults, baptized Christians seeking full communion, and Catholics seeking Confirmation
Youth & Young Adult Ministry
The parish runs two youth groups for young parishioners. The CIA Youth Group serves high school students who want to share their time and gifts with the church community and grow personally and spiritually. Teens for Christ gives middle school students a similar opportunity to be part of the Catholic faith community and develop their faith. Children's Liturgy of the Word during Mass is led by Muriel Morales, B.S.
- CIA Youth Group (high school)
- Teens for Christ (middle school)
- Children's Liturgy of the Word — Muriel Morales, B.S.
Women of Grace & Adult Formation
The Women of Grace program at Our Lady of Lourdes seeks to affirm women in their dignity, vocation, and femininity as daughters of God through ongoing spiritual formation. The ten-week study empowers women to transform the world and is led by Cynthia Hitson. Adult Faith Formation is coordinated by Parish Clergy and offers ongoing learning opportunities in Sacred Scripture, family life, relationships, public service, and the common good.
- Women of Grace — Cynthia Hitson (ten-week study)
- Adult Faith Formation — Parish Clergy
- Vocations discernment — Parish Clergy
Outreach & Charity
The 'reaching out' arm of the parish includes several active ministries. H.O.P.E. (Helping Older People Everyday) Senior Outreach, led by Mary Viadero, is a parish-based ministry committed to helping older parishioners who are homebound, infirm, or alone. The Homebound Ministry sends forth Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion weekly to bring the Eucharist, Scripture, and parish news to private homes, hospitals, hospices, and assisted-living facilities within parish boundaries; Patricia Lambert coordinates this ministry. Bernadette's Place Food Pantry, under Sharon Benedict, provides food assistance to neighbors in need. The Respect Life committee, under Paul Herron, advances the Church's teaching on the dignity of human life.
- H.O.P.E. Senior Outreach — Mary Viadero
- Homebound Ministry / Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion — Patricia Lambert
- Bernadette's Place Food Pantry — Sharon Benedict
- Respect Life — Paul Herron
- Annual Diocesan Services Appeal participation (2025 parish goal: $215,000)
Parish Staff
The parish is led by Rev. Eduardo M. Medina as pastor and is assisted by Rev. Jose Pelagio Padit as assisting priest and Deacon Francis Fau. Faith Formation staff include Michelle Williamson (Religious Education), DeLisle Callender, M.A. (OCIA), Patricia Lambert (Homebound), Muriel Morales, B.S. (Children's Liturgy), and Cynthia Hitson (Women of Grace). Outreach coordinators include Mary Viadero (H.O.P.E. Senior Outreach), Sharon Benedict (Bernadette's Place Food Pantry), and Paul Herron (Respect Life).
- Rev. Eduardo M. Medina — Pastor
- Rev. Jose Pelagio Padit — Assisting
- Deacon Francis Fau
- Michelle Williamson — Religious Education
- DeLisle Callender, M.A. — OCIA
- Cynthia Hitson — Women of Grace
- Muriel Morales, B.S. — Children's Liturgy
- Patricia Lambert — Homebound
- Mary Viadero — H.O.P.E. Senior Outreach
- Sharon Benedict — Bernadette's Place Food Pantry
- Paul Herron — Respect Life
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Msgr. Joseph O'Shea1977–founding pastor
Founded the parish on June 6, 1977, after being sent from St. Joseph Parish, Miami Beach, where he had previously been the second pastor. The Parish Hall is named in his honor.
- Rev. Eduardo M. Medinacurrent
Current pastor per official parish website and diocese directory.