About Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal · Bokeelia, Florida
Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal is a Roman Catholic parish in Bokeelia, Florida, a small fishing village on the northern tip of Pine Island in Lee County, part of the Diocese of Venice in Florida. Founded as a mission in 1965 and elevated to parish status in 1976, the church sits at 12175 Stringfellow Road and serves both year-round islanders and seasonal Gulf Coast residents with daily Mass, a Saturday Vigil, two Sunday Masses, Eucharistic Adoration, and a strong devotional life centered on the Blessed Virgin Mary through the Miraculous Medal Novena and daily Rosary. The parish is led by Rev. Jacek "Yatcek" Mazur, with Deacon William "Bill" Beck assisting, and is known in the wider community as the home of the Pine Island Food Pantry.
- Established
- 1965
- Patron
- Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal (Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title of the Miraculous Medal revealed to St. Catherine Labouré in 1830)
- Rector
- Rev. Jacek "Yatcek" Mazur
- Diocese
- Diocese of Venice in Florida
Why belong here
Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal offers the rare gift of a full schedule in a small-island setting: daily morning Mass Monday through Friday, two Sunday Masses, weekly Eucharistic Adoration, the Miraculous Medal Novena, a daily Rosary, and a regular Chaplet of Divine Mercy. The parish welcomes new members with simple registration, walks adults through RCIA, prepares children in religious education from Pre-K through secondary grades, brings Holy Communion and Anointing of the Sick to the homebound, and through the Knights of Columbus and the Pine Island Food Pantry extends Catholic charity well beyond its own walls. It is an intimate, devotion-rich community in which a newcomer can quickly be known by name.
Mass times at Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Friday — after the 8:30 AM Mass
- Saturday — 3:00 PM to 3:45 PM
- By appointment
Adoration times
- Friday — 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM (Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament)
History of the Parish
The Catholic community that would become Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal was established as a mission in 1965, when Pine Island's growing population needed a church of its own. According to GCatholic, the church was built the following year and formally dedicated on February 4, 1967. A decade later, on November 17, 1976, the mission was canonically erected as a parish of what is now the Diocese of Venice in Florida. The original worship building still stands on the campus as the parish chapel; the current nave, parish hall, and religious education building grew up around it as the community expanded. The parish gained wider recognition after Hurricane Ian in September 2022, when Father Jacek Mazur celebrated Mass the day after the storm in a darkened church that had nonetheless escaped the worst of Ian's surge and wind. In the storm's aftermath, the parish also became the operational hub of the Pine Island Food Pantry, distributing food, water, tarps, air mattresses, and cleaning supplies to islanders in need.
- 1965 — established as a mission
- 1966 — church building constructed
- February 4, 1967 — church dedicated
- November 17, 1976 — erected as a full parish
- September 2022 — served as a refuge and food-distribution hub after Hurricane Ian
Devotions & Daily Prayer
The parish has a notably rich devotional life for its size, organized around the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of the Miraculous Medal — the devotion revealed to St. Catherine Labouré in Paris in 1830. The Rosary is prayed every day, with a special intention on Wednesdays for the protection of the Pine Island area against natural disasters. The Miraculous Medal Novena is prayed each Monday after Mass, and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy is prayed on Fridays at the opening of Adoration.
- Daily Rosary — 30 minutes before each weekday Mass
- Sunday Rosary — 7:45 AM (45 minutes before the first Mass)
- Miraculous Medal Novena — Mondays after the 8:30 AM Mass
- Chaplet of Divine Mercy — Fridays at the opening of Adoration
- Televised Mass — Sundays at 10:30 AM on WFTX-TV Fox 4 and via the Diocese of Venice website
Sacraments
The parish prepares members for the sacraments of initiation, healing, and vocation through its clergy, staff, and volunteer catechists. Baptism and Marriage require a meeting with the Pastor; the Anointing of the Sick and homebound visits are arranged through the Parish office; and adults seeking to enter the Catholic Church are welcomed through the parish RCIA process.
- Baptism — parents meet with the Pastor for instructions and a date; registered parishioners only
- Marriage — couples must see the Pastor at least six months before the intended wedding date
- Anointing of the Sick & Homebound Visits — arranged through the Parish office
- RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) — Mondays at 6:30 PM in the PLC Meeting Room
Religious Education & Faith Formation
Religious education is offered for children from Pre-K through secondary grades during the school year, meeting on the 1st and 3rd Sundays from 9:30 to 10:25 AM — a schedule that conveniently fits between the two Sunday Masses. James Lisi serves as the parish's Religious Education coordinator. The parish also hosts a Prayer & Scripture Group that meets on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays at 4:00 PM in the Religious Education Building.
- Children's Religious Education — 1st and 3rd Sundays, 9:30–10:25 AM, Sept–May, Pre-K through secondary grades
- RCIA — Mondays at 6:30 PM
- Prayer & Scripture Group — 1st and 3rd Tuesdays at 4:00 PM
- Religious Education contact: James Lisi — [email protected]
Parish Ministries & Outreach
The parish runs a small but active network of ministries that combine spiritual, charitable, and fellowship work. The Knights of Columbus are active locally (contact Luis Ramos), the Bereavement Group is currently on hold, and the parish has a well-developed Volunteer Ministry that requires VIRTUS certification, fingerprinting, and a Diocesan Safe Environment video for those working with children or vulnerable adults. Its largest single outreach is hosting the Pine Island Food Pantry on its campus, serving roughly 150 families a month and drawing support from all the island's churches, regional grocery partners (Publix, Winn-Dixie), and the Harry Chapin Food Bank in Fort Myers. After Hurricane Ian, the pantry ran nearly every day to meet acute need.
- Knights of Columbus — Luis Ramos, 239-560-6380
- Volunteer Ministry — VIRTUS certification, fingerprinting, Safe Environment training
- Bereavement Group (on hold)
- Pine Island Food Pantry — on the parish campus, ~150 families/month
- Visits to the Sick and Homebound — by arrangement with the Parish office
Parish Staff & Leadership
The parish is led by Rev. Jacek "Yatcek" Mazur as Pastor, with Deacon William "Bill" Beck assisting in liturgical and pastoral ministry. The small staff includes a Parish Secretary, an Accountant, and a coordinator of Religious Education. Parish Office Hours run from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM, Monday through Friday.
- Rev. Jacek "Yatcek" Mazur — Pastor ([email protected]; cell 239-898-6846)
- Deacon William "Bill" Beck — [email protected]
- Donna Wallis — Parish Secretary ([email protected])
- Janice Jurus — Accountant ([email protected])
- James Lisi — Religious Education ([email protected])
- Parish Office Hours — 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM, Monday through Friday
Becoming a Parishioner
New parishioners are warmly welcomed. Registration forms are available in the entrance of the church or at the Parish office; they can be filled out on the spot, returned in person, or mailed. The Parish office is also the first point of contact for scheduling baptisms, weddings, anointings, home visits, and a meeting with the Pastor.
- Registration forms — in the church entrance or at the Parish office
- Office address — 12175 Stringfellow Road, Bokeelia, FL 33922
- Office phone — (239) 283-0456
- Office email — [email protected]
Hurricane Ian & Pine Island Recovery
Although the original 1966 chapel suffered interior damage after an HVAC unit was torn off, the main church and parish hall were largely spared the storm surge that devastated other parts of Pine Island. Father Mazur, who rode out the storm in the rectory, celebrated Mass the next day in the darkened church, drawing a single family of four and growing steadily in the weeks that followed. The parish simultaneously became the staging ground for relief efforts, with the Pine Island Food Pantry running nearly every day and the parish distributing food, water, tarps, air mattresses, diapers, blankets, fans, and cleaning supplies to neighbors in need.
- Mass resumed the day after the storm (Sept. 29, 2022) in a darkened church
- Pine Island Food Pantry ran at near-daily capacity post-Ian, later settling at three in-person days and two delivery days per week
- Parish hosted community reunions, supplies, and pastoral support for months after the storm