About St. Margaret · Clewiston, Florida
St. Margaret Parish is a Roman Catholic parish in the Diocese of Venice serving the farming community of Clewiston, Florida, on the south shore of Lake Okeechobee in Hendry County. Founded in 1932 with a church built and dedicated in 1931, the parish is home to roughly 400 families and celebrates Mass in both English and Spanish each week. It also sponsors Santa Rosa de Lima Mission in nearby Montura Ranch Estates, a Spanish-language mission begun informally by St. Margaret and Our Lady Queen of Heaven Parish (LaBelle) and formalized in 2002.
- Established
- 1932
- Patron
- St. Margaret
- Rector
- Rev. Jean Woady Louis
- Diocese
- Diocese of Venice in Florida
Why belong here
St. Margaret is a bilingual Catholic home for the lake-region families of Clewiston, offering Mass in both English and Spanish every weekend and midweek. The parish supports faith formation for all ages through a dedicated Director of Religious Education, reaches out to the wider community through a Catholic Charities food pantry, and gives Spanish-speaking Catholics their own mission church at Santa Rosa de Lima in Montura Ranch Estates — all in a tight-knit community of about 400 families.
Mass times at St. Margaret
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 5:00pm (October–May)
- Saturday 6:30pm
Adoration times
- Thursday 9:00am
Parish History
St. Margaret Mission had its beginnings in the late 1920s, when the first permanent priest was assigned to minister to Catholic families in the growing farming community on the south shore of Lake Okeechobee. Before that, travelling priests had only intermittently visited the area to celebrate Mass in private homes. A church was built and dedicated in 1931, and the mission was formally established as a parish on Aug. 7, 1931, as part of the then-Diocese of St. Augustine. The Parish Hall was dedicated in 1967. The Diocese of Venice's parish profile lists the official founding year as 1932, and on Feb. 5, 2022 the parish marked its 90th anniversary with Bishop Frank J. Dewane — Mass was held in the Parish Hall with overflow under a tent.
- Late 1920s: first permanent priest assigned to Clewiston
- 1931: church built and dedicated; mission established as a parish (Diocese of St. Augustine)
- 1932: founding year used by the Diocese of Venice profile
- 1967: Parish Hall dedicated
- 1973–2000: served by the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
- Feb. 5, 2022: 90th anniversary Mass celebrated by Bishop Frank J. Dewane
Faith Formation and Religious Education
Faith formation at St. Margaret is coordinated by Sister Soledad Tun, Director of Religious Education. As a bilingual parish, formation is offered to support both the English-speaking and Spanish-speaking families of Clewiston and the surrounding Hendry County area.
- Director of Religious Education: Sister Soledad Tun
- Sacramental preparation and ongoing faith formation for parish families
Hispanic Ministry
Hispanic Ministry at St. Margaret is led by Sister Yuri Margarita Pena Sansores, a member of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Light (MHML). The parish offers a full slate of Spanish-language liturgies — Saturday 7:00pm, Sunday 12:00pm and Wednesday 7:00pm — and serves as the spiritual home for many Spanish-speaking farmworker families in the Clewiston area.
- Hispanic Ministry coordinator: Sister Yuri Margarita Pena Sansores
- Spanish Masses: Saturday 7:00pm, Sunday 12:00pm, Wednesday 7:00pm
Outreach: Catholic Charities Food Pantry
St. Margaret Parish is one of the host sites for Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Venice, operating a weekly food pantry out of its parish offices. This outreach is part of the parish's broader mission of serving the poor in Hendry County and the Lake Okeechobee region.
- Weekly food pantry hosted on the parish grounds
- Part of Catholic Charities Diocese of Venice
Santa Rosa de Lima Mission (Montura Ranch Estates)
Santa Rosa de Lima Mission was developed for the growing Catholic community in Montura Ranch Estates, just south of Clewiston. Initially administered jointly by priests from St. Margaret and Our Lady Queen of Heaven Parish in LaBelle, Mass was first celebrated in a barn, then in a community center. In 2002 a permanent sanctuary was purchased and Santa Rosa de Lima was formally established as a mission of St. Margaret Parish. The mission serves about 100 families, and Mass is celebrated only in Spanish. Santa Rosa de Lima is served by Father Jean Woady Louis together with St. Margaret.
- Location: Montura Ranch Estates, south of Clewiston
- Originally served from a barn, then a community center
- Permanent sanctuary purchased in 2002; formal mission of St. Margaret
- About 100 families; Mass in Spanish only
- Currently pastored alongside St. Margaret by Father Jean Woady Louis
Visit, Contact and Location
St. Margaret's worship site is at 208 N. Deane Duff Ave., Clewiston, FL 33440, in Hendry County along the south shore of Lake Okeechobee. The parish mailing address is 318 E. Osceola Ave., Clewiston, FL 33440. The parish office can be reached at (863) 983-8585 or by email at [email protected].
- Worship address: 208 N. Deane Duff Ave., Clewiston, FL 33440
- Mailing address: 318 E. Osceola Ave., Clewiston, FL 33440
- Phone: (863) 983-8585
- Fax: (863) 983-9673
- Email: [email protected]
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Jean Woady LouisInstalled Feb. 9, 2025
Installed as Pastor of St. Margaret Parish and Santa Rosa de Lima Mission by Bishop Frank J. Dewane.