About St. Joseph Haitian Mission · Pompano Beach, Florida
St. Joseph Haitian Mission is a Catholic mission church located at 1210 NW 6th Avenue in Pompano Beach, Florida, operated as a mission of St. Elizabeth of Hungary Parish within the Archdiocese of Miami. Established in 1979 to serve the Haitian immigrant community in Broward County, the mission today also ministers to a growing Spanish-speaking population, offering Sunday Masses in Haitian Creole and Spanish. The simple multipurpose building serves as a church, a site for religious education, and a gathering place for social activities for more than 1,000 area residents. Pastoral oversight is provided by the pastor of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, with the mission continuing to focus on helping immigrant families settle into life in the United States while providing children's counseling referrals and faith formation.
- Established
- 1979
- Patron
- St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- Rector
- Rev. Fritzner Bellonce
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Miami
Why belong here
St. Joseph Haitian Mission is a warm, trilingual Catholic home for Haitian and Latino immigrant families in Pompano Beach. Worship is offered in Haitian Creole and Spanish, with weddings and funerals available, religious education on site, and a parish community that walks alongside newly-arrived immigrants as they adjust to life in the United States. The mission also connects families with counseling services for children and offers a gathering place for social activities, all on the same grounds as St. Joseph Manor — affordable senior housing for low-income elders.
Mass times at St. Joseph Haitian Mission
Weekly Mass schedule
St. Joseph Haitian Mission at a Glance
St. Joseph Haitian Mission is a Catholic mission church of the Archdiocese of Miami, located at 1210 NW 6th Avenue in Pompano Beach, Florida. It was founded in 1979 to serve Haitian Catholic immigrants in the area and today offers Sunday Mass in both Haitian Creole (6:30 p.m.) and Spanish (12:30 p.m.). The mission is administered as part of St. Elizabeth of Hungary Parish and shares its grounds with St. Joseph Manor, an affordable senior housing development built by the Archdiocese of Miami.
- Type: Mission of St. Elizabeth of Hungary Parish
- Diocese: Archdiocese of Miami
- Address: 1210 NW 6th Avenue, Pompano Beach, FL 33060
- Sunday Spanish Mass: 12:30 p.m.
- Sunday Creole Mass: 6:30 p.m.
- Weddings and funerals available by arrangement
History of the Mission
The Catholic organization in Pompano Beach that served Haitian immigrants in the 1970s was formally designated St. Joseph Haitian Mission in 1979. Its first administrator was Father Thomas Wenski, who simultaneously oversaw Pierre Toussaint Haitian Mission in Miami. After Mass was first celebrated at San Isidro, the mission moved in 1982 into a house owned by the Archdiocese of Miami; under the Haitian priest Father Saindous, that house served the community as church and meeting place for eight years. Father Wenski later spearheaded construction of the current multipurpose structure, which functions as church, religious education site, and social gathering space for more than 1,000 people.
- 1979 — Mission formally established; administered by Father Thomas Wenski
- Early years — Mass celebrated at San Isidro
- 1982 — Mission moved into an Archdiocese-owned house
- 1982–c.1990 — Father Saindous (Haitian priest) leads the community
- Multipurpose church/education/social building constructed under Wenski's guidance
- 2009 — Mission closed and merged with St. Elizabeth of Hungary during economic downturn
- December 2010 — Reopened and rededicated by Archbishop Wenski
Reopening in 2010 and the St. Joseph Manor Connection
After its 2009 closure, Archbishop Thomas Wenski announced the reopening of the mission in 2010, the year after he was appointed Archbishop of Miami. The mission was rededicated in December 2010 and has since continued to serve the Haitian and Latino community. On April 11, 2025, Archbishop Wenski returned to the property to bless St. Joseph Manor II, a five-story, 150-unit affordable housing community for low-income seniors built on land the Archdiocese of Miami has owned since the early 1960s.
- December 2010 — Reopened by Archbishop Wenski
- Archbishop Wenski: 'I said we are going to reopen the church'
- St. Joseph Manor II opened April 11, 2025 (150 units, low-income seniors)
- Manor property owned by the Archdiocese of Miami since the early 1960s
Languages and Community Life
Mass is celebrated in Haitian Creole and Spanish, reflecting the mission's original ministry to Haitian immigrants and its current outreach to Spanish-speaking families in Pompano Beach. The mission focuses on families and helps immigrants acclimate to life in the United States, providing parents with information about counseling services and other community resources.
- Haitian Creole Masses
- Spanish Masses
- Counseling referrals, especially for children
- Information for parents on community services
Ministries and Outreach
In addition to nurturing spiritual needs through the Eucharist and religious education, the mission provides counseling referrals — mainly for children — and gives parents information about services available in the wider community. The mission's multipurpose building doubles as a gathering place for social activities, supporting the community-building work that has been central to the mission since its founding.
- Religious education / catechesis on site
- Children's counseling referrals
- Family and immigrant support services
- Social activities and community gatherings
Clergy and Pastoral Oversight
St. Joseph Haitian Mission is administered as a mission of St. Elizabeth of Hungary Parish, Pompano Beach. The current pastor of St. Elizabeth of Hungary — and therefore the priest who oversees the mission — is Father Jean Jadotte, appointed by the Archdiocese of Miami effective June 2024. The mission's founding administrator, Father Thomas Wenski, is now Archbishop of Miami and remains personally connected to the community; he reopened the mission in 2010 and blessed St. Joseph Manor II in April 2025.
- Father Thomas Wenski — founding administrator (1979); now Archbishop of Miami
- Father Saindous — Haitian priest who guided the mission from 1982
Contact and Visiting the Mission
The mission is located at 1210 NW 6th Avenue, Pompano Beach, FL 33060, on the same grounds as St. Joseph Manor I and St. Joseph Manor II. For more information about Mass times, weddings, funerals, or other services, parishioners and visitors are encouraged to call the mission office.
- Address: 1210 NW 6th Avenue, Pompano Beach, FL 33060
- Phone: (954) 941-3095
- Phone: (954) 941-3115
- Website: saintelizabethofhungary.org/about-us/st-josephs-mission/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Thomas Wenski1979–early 1980s (administrator at founding)
Now Archbishop of Miami; personally reopened the mission in December 2010 and returned to bless St. Joseph Manor II in April 2025.
- Father Saindous1982–c.1990
Haitian priest who guided the mission after it moved into the Archdiocese-owned house in 1982; the house served the community for eight years.