About St. Ambrose · Deerfield Beach, Florida
St. Ambrose Catholic Church is a Roman Latin rite parish in Deerfield Beach, Florida, belonging to the Archdiocese of Miami and the Northeast Broward Deanery. Founded on August 16, 1962 by Father Sebastian Loncar, the parish began with Mass in a local junior high auditorium, soon grew into a thriving community, and today serves roughly a thousand worshippers weekly. It operates an attached Catholic school (St. Ambrose Catholic School, opened 1964), a religious education program for grades 1–8, the OCIA process for adults, and ministries that include St. Vincent de Paul, a food pantry and thrift shop, the BLESS Ministry for Life, and outreach to the elderly, disabled and bereaved.
- Established
- 1962
- Patron
- St. Ambrose of Milan (Bishop and Doctor of the Church)
- Rector
- Fr. Dariusz Zarebski, S.D.S. (Salvatorian)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Miami (Northeast Broward Deanery)
Why belong here
St. Ambrose is a long-established parish with deep roots in Deerfield Beach and a robust daily and weekly Mass schedule, including a Saturday Vigil and five Sunday Masses, plus daily Mass Monday through Saturday and a long block of Wednesday Eucharistic Adoration. Families can hand their children off to a fully accredited parish school (St. Ambrose Catholic School, opened 1964), a Sunday CCD program for grades 1–8, First Communion preparation, and an OCIA process for adults joining the Church. Members serve the broader community through St. Vincent de Paul, a parish food pantry and thrift shop, outreach to the elderly and bereaved, and the active BLESS Ministry for Life, while also enjoying parish traditions like an annual school-and-church carnival.
Mass times at St. Ambrose
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM (in the Chapel)
- Saturday 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM (in the Chapel)
- Or by appointment
Adoration times
- Wednesday 2:00 PM – 7:00 PM (1st hour begins with the Rosary, 2nd hour with the Divine Mercy Chaplet, last 3 hours in silence)
History of St. Ambrose Parish
St. Ambrose was established on August 16, 1962 by Father Sebastian Loncar, who celebrated the new parish's first Mass in the Deerfield Beach Junior High School auditorium. Attendance reached about 450 within weeks, and the community soon moved to two storefronts on Federal Highway (today the site of King Toyota), which parishioners themselves renovated into a chapel of wooden folding chairs and donated statues. By the time weekly Mass attendance neared 1,000, a permanent church and school had been built and dedicated in 1964. The school grew grade by grade, adding a second school building and a covered walkway by 1967, and today the school complex spans three buildings with locker rooms, coaches' offices, a warehouse, and tennis and basketball courts. The present church was later built on the same South Federal Highway campus, where the parish now runs a thriving stewardship community anchored by school, religious education and outreach programs.
- Founded August 16, 1962
- First pastor: Father Sebastian Loncar
- First Mass: Deerfield Beach Junior High School auditorium
- Storefront chapel on Federal Highway (now King Toyota site)
- Church and school dedicated 1964
- Second school building and covered walkway added 1967
Religious Education & OCIA
St. Ambrose runs a Catechetical Program aimed at forming adults, youth and children into faithful disciples of Jesus. The parish-based CCD program serves children in grades 1–8 on Sunday mornings, with First Communion preparation meeting on Wednesday afternoons. Adults seeking full initiation into the Catholic Church are welcomed through OCIA (the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults), which meets on Wednesday evenings. Registration forms are available through the Rectory Office.
- CCD Grades 1–8: Sundays 11:30 AM – 12:45 PM
- First Communion classes: Wednesdays 4:00 – 5:30 PM
- OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults): Wednesdays 7:00 – 8:15 PM
- Baptism preparation class: first Tuesday of each month (by appointment, registered member 6+ months)
- Returning and new student registration forms downloadable from the parish website
St. Ambrose Catholic School
Opened in 1964 — just two years after the parish's founding — St. Ambrose Catholic School shares the parish's original commitment to forming students spiritually, socially and academically in a nurturing Catholic environment. The school is fully accredited by the FCC (Florida Catholic Conference) and now operates across three campus buildings that include PE locker rooms, coaches' offices, a warehouse, and tennis and basketball courts. The school and parish partner on a full calendar of community events open to parishioners and the wider neighborhood.
- Address: 363 SE 12th Avenue, Deerfield Beach, FL 33441
- Phone: (954) 427-2226 | Fax: (954) 427-2293
- Email: [email protected] (per school website)
- Website: https://www.stambrosecs.org/
- Accredited by the Florida Catholic Conference
- Community events: Trunk or Treat, Thanksgiving Luncheon, Christmas Pageant, Catholic Schools Week, Father-Daughter Dance, Mother-Son Laser Tag, Advent Wreaths, Lenten Fish Fry, Parish Carnival, Confirmation and First Communion Retreats
Parish Ministries and Outreach
St. Ambrose has long been a stewardship parish whose members run most of the outreach themselves. Charitable works include a parish food pantry and thrift shop for neighbors in need, an active St. Vincent de Paul Society, and ministries that visit the elderly, disabled and bereaved. A volunteer-staffed parish gift shop and an annual carnival help fund school and church activities. The parish is also well known regionally for its BLESS Ministry for Life, a pro-life apostolate that prays outside a local abortion clinic and stages the annual 3,000-flag display on Federal Highway for Respect Life Month.
- Saint Vincent de Paul Society
- Parish Food Pantry
- Parish Thrift Shop
- Outreach to the elderly, disabled and bereaved
- Volunteer-staffed Parish Gift Shop
- Annual Parish Carnival
- BLESS Ministry for Life — daily 10:35 AM group prayer at the church; monthly program 2nd Thursday at 1:00 PM; prayer vigils Mon/Tue/Fri outside East Cypress Women's Center, 962 E. Cypress Creek Rd., Fort Lauderdale; website www.blessforlife.org; email [email protected]
Parish Staff and Clergy
The parish is currently served by a Salvatorian pastor and two parochial vicars, with a deacon assisting in liturgical and pastoral ministry. The clergy team is listed by the Archdiocese of Miami and on the parish website.
- Fr. Dariusz Zarebski, S.D.S. — Pastor (Salvatorian)
- Fr. Iguintz Calixte — Parochial Vicar
- Fr. Edgardo 'Gary' De Los Santos — Parochial Vicar
- Deacon Jerry
- Mary Ann Crespo — Website administrator (per Catholic Church Directory)
Sacraments at St. Ambrose
The parish celebrates the standard sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church. Baptisms are scheduled by appointment only after the family has been registered parishioners for at least six months and have attended the monthly Baptism class. First Communion preparation is offered for children, and adults preparing for full initiation journey through OCIA. Couples preparing for marriage should contact the Rectory Office for guidance.
- Baptism — by appointment; requires 6 months of parish registration and attendance at the first-Tuesday-of-the-month Baptism class
- First Communion — preparation Wednesdays 4:00–5:30 PM
- Confirmation — preparation retreats offered through the school and parish
- Marriage — contact the Rectory Office
- OCIA — Wednesdays 7:00–8:15 PM for unbaptized adults and those seeking full communion
Patron: Saint Ambrose of Milan
The parish is named for St. Ambrose (340–397), Bishop of Milan and one of the four original Latin Doctors of the Church. Born in Trier to a Roman Christian family, Ambrose was serving as governor of Liguria and Aemilia when, in 374, the people of Milan acclaimed him as bishop — though he was still a catechumen. He was baptized, ordained and consecrated within a week on December 7, 374, the date now observed as his feast day. Ambrose is famously the teacher who catechized and baptized St. Augustine, and is the patron saint of Milan and of beekeepers. His liturgical legacy endures in the Ambrosian Rite and the hymn tradition of the Western Church.
- Feast day: December 7
- Patron of Milan and of beekeepers
- Doctor of the Church (declared 1298 by Pope Boniface VIII)
- Teacher and baptizer of St. Augustine of Hippo
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Sebastian Loncar1962 (founding administrator)
Celebrated the parish's first Mass at the Deerfield Beach Junior High School auditorium in 1962 and led the move into two storefronts on Federal Highway; oversaw construction and 1964 dedication of the church and school.