About St. Michael · Wauchula, Florida
St. Michael Catholic Church is a multicultural Catholic parish in Wauchula, Florida, serving the wider Hardee County community from 408 Heard Bridge Road. Founded as a mission in 1922 and elevated to parish status in 1976, it now ministers to over 1,000 registered families through Masses celebrated in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole. The parish is well known locally for its Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, its large Saturday-morning food pantry, and the St. Michael Outreach Center that anchors a range of charitable works. It belongs to the Diocese of Venice and operates Holy Child Mission in nearby Bowling Green.
- Established
- 1922
- Patron
- St. Michael the Archangel
- Rector
- Rev. Wilner Durosier, C.S. (Administrator)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Venice (Eastern Deanery)
Why belong here
St. Michael is a true multicultural parish family — worshiping together in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole, with over 1,000 registered families and dozens of active ministries. It offers Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, a robust Religious Education program and CYO youth group, and one of the largest parish food pantries in the region, serving more than 200 families every Saturday morning from the St. Michael Outreach Center. Add a Hispanic Charismatic Prayer Group, Cursillo and Emmaus movements, marriage dialogue, a prison ministry, a homebound Eucharist ministry, and a thrift store, and you have a parish where almost anyone in Hardee County can find a way to pray, learn, or serve.
Mass times at St. Michael
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday – Friday: 8:00 am
- Saturday: 4:30 pm
- Saturday: 6:30 pm
- Sunday: 30 minutes before each Mass
- Holy Child Mission (Bowling Green): Sunday 6:00 pm and by appointment
- Any other time by appointment through the Parish Office
Adoration times
- Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- Hour-long shifts coordinated by a daily lay coordinator (English contacts: Gloria or Margarita; see parish Adoration page for full list)
Parish History
St. Michael's roots go back to a 1915 Mass said in a Protestant home in Wauchula for about thirty farming and ranching families. After years of home Masses served by traveling priests from Tampa, Punta Gorda, Sebring, and St. Leo, the community purchased land in 1922 and built a wood church with a bell tower in 1923. The church was named for Saint Michael and became a mission of St. Paul Parish, Arcadia in 1930. It joined the Diocese of St. Petersburg in 1969 and was elevated to a full parish on February 4, 1976.
- 1915: First Mass in Wauchula, in a Protestant home
- 1922: Land purchased; 1923: wood church with bell tower built
- 1930: Officially a mission of St. Paul Parish, Arcadia
- 1969 (Oct 4): Incorporated into the Diocese of St. Petersburg; first resident priest appointed by Bishop McLaughlin
- 1976 (Feb 4): Elevated to parish status
- 1979: Holy Child Chapel (Bowling Green) dedicated
- 1987: San Alfonso Chapel (Zolfo Springs) dedicated — now closed
- 1987–2005: Served by the Redemptorist Fathers
- June 2005: Father Vincent Clemente assigned as administrator
- 2012: Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matara (SSVM) sisters begin ministry
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Faith formation for children, youth, and adults is led by Sister Therese Nikopoia Klobe (Mother Nikopoia, SSVM) as Director of Religious Education. The program was originally built up by Cuban Dominican nuns in the 1970s, and today it continues as a core ministry of the parish, complemented by the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) youth group.
- Religious Education Program for children and youth
- CYO Youth Group
- Director of Religious Education: Mother Nikopoia, SSVM
Prayer Groups & Spiritual Movements
St. Michael's offers a rich variety of Spanish- and bilingual prayer groups and lay spiritual movements, including a Charismatic Prayer Group, the Cursillo and Emmaus movements, Marriage Dialogue, and the Holy Child Prayer Group. The parish also has a chorus that supports liturgical music across its trilingual Masses.
- Charismatic Prayer Group (Spanish)
- Cursillistas (Cursillo movement)
- Group of Emmaus (men and women)
- Marriage Dialogue
- Holy Child Prayer Group
- Parish Chorus
Outreach, Charity & Social Ministry
The St. Michael Outreach Center, located on the parish campus to the left of the church, is the hub of the parish's charitable work. The SSVM sisters have expanded the food pantry into a major community ministry, supplemented by a thrift store, a baby program, Catholic women's counseling (CCW), a homebound-Eucharist ministry, and a prison ministry.
- St. Michael's Market Food Pantry — open Saturdays 7:00–8:45 am, assists 200+ families weekly
- St. Michael Thrift Store
- Counseling for Catholic Women (CCW)
- Baby Program
- Home Visitation and distribution of the Eucharist to the sick
- Prison Ministry
- Walking with Moms in Need — contact through the Parish Office
Chapel Missions
In addition to the main church in Wauchula, the parish historically serves two chapel missions in surrounding Hardee County communities: Holy Child in Bowling Green and San Alfonso in Zolfo Springs.
- Holy Child Mission — 4313 Chester Ave, Bowling Green, FL 33834; phone (863) 375-4881; Sunday Spanish Mass 7:00 pm; Confession Sun 6:00 pm and by appointment
- San Alfonso Chapel — Zolfo Springs; dedicated 1987; currently closed, reopening date unknown
Clergy, Religious & Staff
The parish is led by an Administrator and Parochial Vicar, supported by a permanent deacon, religious sisters from the Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matara (SSVM) and other communities, and a lay staff team.
- Rev. Wilner Durosier, C.S. — Administrator
- Rev. Juan Lorenzo — Parochial Vicar
- Deacon Ramiro Hernandez
- Sister Faithful Konkolics — Parish Ministry
- Sister Maria de Talpa Vargas Espinoza — Parish Ministry
- Sister Maria Sabiduria Alcaino Ponce — Parish Ministry
- Mother Nikopoia, SSVM — Director of Religious Education
- Erika Wood — Parish Administrator (staff)
- Cristina Zamora — Administrative Assistant
- Mickey Shames — Bookkeeper
Getting Involved & Volunteering
Anyone wishing to volunteer in the parish — at the church, Religious Education building, food pantry, Outreach Center, or Holy Child Mission — must first complete the parish's Volgistics application and required policies. The parish describes its ministries as a chance 'to learn more, pray more, or serve more.'
- Complete the Volunteer Application through Volgistics
- Sign required policies: Protecting Children, Good Moral Character, Code of Conduct with Children
- Volunteer PINs are issued for sign-in at the church, RE building, food pantry, Outreach Center, and Holy Child Mission
Visit, Contact & Practical Info
Parishioners and visitors can reach the parish office by phone, email, or in person during posted office hours. The site is bilingual (English and Spanish) and the parish is part of the Diocese of Venice's Eastern Deanery.
- Address: 408 Heard Bridge Road, Wauchula, FL 33873
- Phone: (863) 773-4089 | Fax: (863) 773-5641
- Email: [email protected]
- Parish Office Hours: Mon–Fri 8:30 am – 4:00 pm (closed for lunch 12:00–1:00 pm)
- Website: www.stmichaelwauchula.org
- Diocese: Diocese of Venice (Eastern Deanery)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Lachet, S.J.circa 1923–1930s
Jesuit priest who came down from Tampa once a month and lived in the sacristy of the new 1923 wood church; served when St. Michael was a mission of St. Paul Parish, Arcadia.
- First resident priest (name not published)appointed Oct 4, 1969
Appointed by Bishop Charles McLaughlin when the mission joined the Diocese of St. Petersburg.
- Redemptorist Fathers (Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer)1987–2005
Missionary order that served the parish for 18 years, alongside the Vincentian Sisters of Charity of Pittsburgh.
- Father Vincent ClementeJune 2005–
Diocesan priest assigned as the new administrator in June 2005 after the Redemptorists departed.
- Rev. Wilner Durosier, C.S.current
Current Administrator per the Diocese of Venice parish page.