About San Juan Diego · Fort Pierce, Florida
Centro Pastoral Hispano San Juan Diego (the San Juan Diego Hispanic Pastoral Center) is a Roman Catholic pastoral center and mission of the Diocese of Palm Beach located at 401 S 30th Street in Fort Pierce, Florida. Established in 1973, it ministers primarily to the Spanish-speaking Catholic community of the Fort Pierce area, offering daily Spanish-language Mass from Tuesday through Friday and four Sunday Masses (8:00 AM, 10:00 AM, 12:00 PM, and 6:00 PM). The center carries the patron of San Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin ("the Eagle That Speaks"), the indigenous Mexican saint and vision-bearer of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and it shares a campus-adjacent relationship with nearby St. Anastasia Parish and School.
- Established
- 1973
- Patron
- San Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin
- Rector
- Father Jaime Dorado (Administrator; St. Anastasia's pastor Father Richard George also serves the center)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Palm Beach
Why belong here
San Juan Diego Hispanic Pastoral Center is the natural Catholic home for Spanish-speaking faithful in south Fort Pierce who want Mass, confession, and rosary devotion celebrated fully in Spanish, in a community that shares their language and culture. With daily weekday Masses at 6:45 PM, four Sunday Masses (including a livestreamed 10:00 AM), Friday confessions from 5:30 to 6:30 PM, and ministries for youth (OFA), young adults, lectors, altar servers, extraordinary ministers, music, and the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary, the center weaves traditional Guadalupan devotion with practical, hands-on parish life — making it a warm entry point for newcomers, families, and young adults seeking an active, bilingual Catholic community on the Treasure Coast.
Mass times at San Juan Diego
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Fridays 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM
About San Juan Diego Hispanic Pastoral Center
Centro Pastoral Hispano San Juan Diego is the Diocese of Palm Beach's Hispanic pastoral center serving south Fort Pierce. Founded in 1973, the center is devoted to 'helping you in your spiritual growth and maturity as together we give glory to God through our worship, prayer, and service in the name of Jesus.' All listed Masses are celebrated in Spanish, and the lay ministries are organized under Spanish-language names (Ujieres, Servidores del Altar, Cofradía del Rosario). The center shares a campus with St. Anastasia Parish and School one block away, supporting a tightly interwoven Catholic presence in the neighborhood.
History
The center was established in 1973 by the Diocese of Palm Beach to serve the growing Spanish-speaking Catholic population on the south side of Fort Pierce — historically an agricultural and migrant-worker community. It is named after San Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, the indigenous Chichimec layman to whom Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared on Tepeyac Hill in December 1531. Since its founding it has worked hand-in-hand with neighboring St. Anastasia Parish and School, jointly producing the Passion of Christ Play annually for at least seventeen years and sharing major liturgies such as the 2023 Solemnity of Christ the King Mass in the school pavilion. The 'La Historia de Nuestra Iglesia' page on the parish website (sjdpc.org/nuestra-iglesia) preserves this narrative.
- Est. 1973
- Named for San Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin
- Tied to nearby St. Anastasia Parish and School
Patron Saint: San Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin
The pastoral center's patron is San Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin (c. 1474–1548), the indigenous Mexican layman canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2002. Juan Diego's Nahuatl name, Cuauhtlatoatzin, is often translated as 'the Eagle That Speaks.' He is the bearer of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the central intercessor for Mexican and Mexican-American Catholics. His feast day is December 9, immediately preceding the December 12 feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
- Feast day: December 9
- Canonized 2002 by Pope John Paul II
- Bearer of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Parish Life & Ministries
The pastoral center organizes its lay ministry around ten groups, all of which are bilingual-Spanish in practice: Altar Servers, Lectors, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, Ushers, the OFA Youth Group (Oración, Formación, Acción), Young Adults, Music Ministry, Liturgy Ministry, Prayer Ministry (Grupo de Oración), and the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary (Cofradía del Santo Rosario). Together they support weekday and Sunday liturgy, formation, and evangelization in south Fort Pierce.
- Altar Servers
- Lectors
- Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion
- Ushers
- OFA – Youth Group (Oración, Formación, Acción)
- Young Adults
- Music Ministry
- Liturgy Ministry
- Prayer Group (Grupo de Oración)
- Confraternity of the Holy Rosary
Sacraments
Sanctions for Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, and Holy Orders are coordinated through the Diocese of Palm Beach in conjunction with neighboring parishes. For Holy Orders inquiries, the parish directs individuals to Father Brian Lehnert, the diocesan Vocations Director (561-775-9552), or to schedule a conversation with a priest or deacon at St. Helen Parish (772-567-5129).
- Baptism / First Communion / Confirmation / Marriage coordination through the diocese and St. Anastasia Parish office
- Holy Orders / Vocations: Father Brian Lehnert, 561-775-9552
Annual Events & Community Outreach
Each Lent the parish collaborates with St. Anastasia to present the Passion of Christ Play at the Sunrise Theatre in downtown Fort Pierce — a live, dramatic staging of the Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Christ that has run annually for seventeen years. The feast of Christ the King is celebrated with a two-block Eucharistic procession from the center to St. Anastasia's outdoor pavilion, followed by a cultural food fair. Together these events make the center one of the more publicly visible Catholic ministries on the Treasure Coast.
- Annual Passion of Christ Play at Sunrise Theatre, Fort Pierce
- Christ the King Solemnity: Eucharistic procession + outdoor Mass + cultural food fair
- Joint ministry with St. Anastasia Catholic School
Visit, Contact & Location
The pastoral center is at 401 S 30th Street, Fort Pierce, FL 34947, immediately adjacent to St. Anastasia Parish and School (407 S 33rd Street). The office can be reached at (772) 468-0806 or by email at [email protected] / [email protected]. Parking is on the shared parish/campus lots; the center is approximately 0.2 miles from St. Anastasia, and the diocesan directory lists St. Anastasia (#7), San Juan Diego (#8), Notre Dame Catholic Mission (#6), and St. Mark the Evangelist (#9) all within Fort Pierce.
- Address: 401 S 30th St, Fort Pierce, FL 34947
- Phone: (772) 468-0806
- Email: [email protected]
- General email: [email protected]
- Official website: https://sjdpc.org
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Jaime Dorado
Administrator of San Juan Diego Hispanic Pastoral Center as of 2023, leading the Christ the King procession from the pastoral center to St. Anastasia.