About St. Faustina Catholic Church · Clermont, Florida
St. Faustina Catholic Church is a parish of the Diocese of Orlando located in Clermont, Florida, on the north end of the Four Corners area near the Walt Disney World Resort corridor. It is the first parish in the United States named explicitly after St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, the Polish nun whose visions inspired the modern Divine Mercy devotion. Today the parish serves English- and Spanish-speaking Catholics with daily Mass, a Spanish Sunday liturgy, religious education from Pre-K through 8th grade, OCIA, an active Knights of Columbus council, and ministries spanning outreach, liturgy, faith formation, hospitality, and respect-life work.
- Established
- 2006
- Patron
- St. Maria Faustina Kowalska (Saint Maria Faustina of the Most Blessed Sacrament)
- Rector
- Father Carlos J. Cabán Vázquez
- Diocese
- Diocese of Orlando
Why belong here
St. Faustina is a young, growing parish family rooted in the Divine Mercy devotion of its patron saint, with a striking new church of its own in the heart of Clermont's Four Corners community. Daily Mass, a Spanish Sunday liturgy, weekly confession, First Friday adoration, Holy Hour with the Divine Mercy Chaplet, robust religious education from Pre-K through 8th grade, OCIA for adults, and ministries ranging from hospitality and bereavement to Respect Life and Knights of Columbus give every age and language group a way to belong. The parish also reaches out to snowbirds and visitors staying at the Walt Disney World and Route 192 resorts, offering a warm 'parish away from home' for traveling Catholics.
Mass times at St. Faustina Catholic Church
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.
- By appointment
Adoration times
- Wednesday Holy Hour: 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (with Divine Mercy Chaplet)
- First Friday Adoration: 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Parish History
St. Faustina was established in September 2006 under Bishop Thomas Wenski to meet the spiritual needs of the rapidly growing Catholic population in the Four Corners area. Over the next sixteen years the community worshipped in four different temporary spaces, built by volunteer parishioners piece by piece, before dedicating its own striking red church on February 4, 2023. The parish's founder, Father Stephen Phillips, is remembered fondly for the humble — and occasionally improvised — beginnings, including the now-famous cookie diplomacy that silenced a bar's jukebox during that very first Saturday Mass.
- Established September 2006 by Bishop Thomas Wenski
- Founding pastor: Father Stephen Phillips
- First Mass: Saturday, September 30, 2006 at 4:00 p.m. at the Westgate Inn on Route 192 (168 parishioners)
- Temporary locations: Westgate Inn banquet room (2006), Homer's Bar-B-Q ('St. Homers'), Zak's strip-mall storefront on Hwy 27 (blessed Dec. 24, 2010), Glenbrook Commons Shopping Plaza (first Mass Dec. 19, 2015)
- Groundbreaking: January 9, 2022 by Bishop John Noonan at 15551 N. Boggy Marsh Road
- Dedication of permanent church: February 4, 2023 by Bishop John Noonan
Faith Formation and Religious Education
Faith Formation at St. Faustina spans from early childhood through adulthood, with all catechists fingerprinted and background-checked under the Diocese of Orlando's Safe Environment policy. Children are prepared through a two-year religious education program beginning in Grade 1, with First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion typically received in Grade 2.
- Religious Education for Pre-K through 8th Grade (Director: Marylu Mariniello, [email protected], Ext. 103)
- First Communion preparation (two-year program; also offered for older students on Saturdays)
- Confirmation Preparation (Saturday and Sunday tracks; mandatory retreat and practice)
- Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) — for adults and children of catechetical age, with Sacraments celebrated at the Easter Vigil
- Safe Environment compliance per Diocese of Orlando policy
Sacraments
The parish celebrates all seven Catholic Sacraments — Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Communion, Penance, Marriage, Holy Orders, and Anointing of the Sick — and provides dedicated preparation tracks for those entering the Church through OCIA as well as children preparing for First Communion and Confirmation. Adult OCIA candidates receive their Sacraments at the annual Easter Vigil Mass.
- Baptism, Confirmation, and First Holy Communion (Sacraments of Initiation)
- Penance (Reconciliation) — Saturdays 3:00–3:45 p.m. or by appointment
- Marriage — preparation and celebration
- Anointing of the Sick
- Holy Orders — vocational discernment support
Parish Ministries
St. Faustina's ministries are organized into Liturgical, Religious Education, Outreach, Bereavement, and Administration groupings, plus 'All Other Ministries.' Many have dedicated lay coordinators, and several bilingual tracks serve both the English and Spanish-speaking communities.
- Liturgical: Altar Servers, Readers, Usher/Greeter, Audio/Visual (Kathy Murphy & Odilia Cordeiro), Arts & Environment, Music Ministry
- Religious Education: Catechesis/Catechist, OCIA, First Communion Prep, Confirmation Prep
- Outreach: Food for All, Blood Drive, Hospitality (Tom Madden – English; Ana Nuñez – Spanish)
- Bereavement Ministry
- Respect Life
- Knights of Columbus (K of C Memorial to the Unborn Fundraiser)
- Spiritual: Bible Study, Emaus, Decade a Day, Young Adult Ministry, Spanish Couples, Memorial Mass Association
- Administrative: Finance Council, Parish Pastoral Council (Andres Pirela, Jose Velazquez – Spanish), Fundraising Volunteers, Archives
Parish Staff and Contact
The parish office is staffed Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and on Fridays from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., with an after-hours emergency line available via the main phone number. The Church is also open for personal prayer during those office hours.
- Pastor: Father Carlos Caban ([email protected], Ext. 101)
- Director of Music & Liturgy: Kelly Mucci ([email protected], Ext. 102)
- Director of Faith Formation: Marylu Mariniello ([email protected], Ext. 103)
- Operations Manager: Christian Rivera ([email protected], Ext. 104) / previously Joe Seddio
- Receptionist: Carmen Pagan ([email protected], Ext. 106)
- Pastoral Care Coordinator: Duane Hyland ([email protected], Ext. 107)
- Parish Office: [email protected] — 15551 N. Boggy Marsh Road, Clermont, FL 34714
- Phone: (352) 515-9297 — Fax: (352) 559-3920
Devotions
In keeping with its dedication to St. Faustina and the Divine Mercy devotion, the parish centers its non-Eucharistic prayer life around the Divine Mercy Chaplet and Eucharistic Adoration. A Divine Mercy statue of Jesus stands at the entrance of the church welcoming all who come to worship.
- Wednesday Holy Hour with Divine Mercy Chaplet — 3:00 p.m.
- Saturday Holy Hour with Divine Mercy Chaplet — 3:00 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. (before confessions)
- First Friday Adoration — 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
- Divine Mercy Statue of Jesus at the church entrance
Visiting from Disney or the Route 192 Resorts
St. Faustina's website explicitly welcomes visitors staying at the Walt Disney World Resorts and the Route 192 resort corridor, describing itself as a 'parish away from home' for traveling Catholics. The Hospitality Ministry is tasked with greeting visitors and their families before, during, and after Mass.
- Located just off Route 27 north in Clermont
- Hospitality Ministry greets visitors before and after Mass
- Spanish-language Sunday Mass at 5:00 p.m. available for Spanish-speaking visitors
- Daily Mass Monday–Saturday at 8:00 a.m. for resort guests looking to attend a weekday liturgy
Worship Space: Building and Architecture
St. Faustina's permanent church at 15551 N. Boggy Marsh Road was dedicated on February 4, 2023 by Bishop John Noonan. The most distinctive feature is the bright red exterior, a deliberate nod to Poland, where St. Faustina lived and where the Divine Mercy devotion took root. Bishop Noonan remarked at the dedication, 'The interior beauty and prayerfulness reflect the life of St. Faustina.'
- Permanent church dedicated February 4, 2023
- Striking red exterior honoring Poland, St. Faustina's homeland
- Divine Mercy statue of Jesus at the church entrance
- Earlier worship spaces included former restaurant and retail locations renovated by parishioner volunteers
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Stephen Phillips2006 – 2008
Founding pastor. Celebrated the first Mass on September 30, 2006, in the banquet room of the Westgate Inn on Route 192. Passed away on December 5, 2008.
- Father Fernando Gill2008 – 2009
Celebrated weekend Masses in the transition period after Father Phillips's death and before Father Desir's appointment.
- Father Jean Desir2009 – 2018
Appointed January 12, 2009. Led the first major fund-raising efforts toward building a permanent church, including Walk-A-Thons, t-shirt sales, a silent auction, and a parish cookbook, raising $500,000 by 2012.
- Father Ramon Bolatete2018 – 2023
Assigned May 1, 2018. Oversaw continued growth in families, outreach, and ministries, and received the keys to the new permanent church in early 2023.
- Father Carlos J. Cabán Vázquez2023 – present
Appointed new pastor on November 14, 2023.