We are a multicultural faith community of people dedicated to promoting Catholic values in our families and society. While we have diverse backgrounds and experiences, we are unified as a parish. We believe that in serving others we are serving God. We express this through worship of Our Lord, Jesus Christ; sharing in the Sacraments; spiritual and social growth of our members; support and consolation to those in need; and hospitality to our visitors. Our shared goal is to grow closer to God by growing in greater holiness. Our parish serves over 2,500 families and conducts Mass in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. We are part of the Diocese of Orlando and are located in West Orange County in Winter Garden, about 20 minutes north of Disney World.   Click Here For a Map To Our Church.

  Maybe you've been away from the Church for awhile. Maybe you're not sure if you want to return, but you are willing to at least take a second look. We understand. That's why we're here.

Perhaps you're not sure if you agree with or even fully understand some Catholic teachings. You may have issues concerning marriage or divorce, or even had your faith shaken by a scandal. Well, you've come to the right place.

Catholics Come Home is here for you to find the answers to those questions and concerns. We'll do our very best to provide good, solid answers to your questions. There's plenty of informative and detailed information here, so please, read on!

There's an old saying that goes: “Once a Catholic, always a Catholic.” Many people who have left the Church, for whatever reason, still feel a mysterious, even powerful draw to come back home to Her.

www.catholicscomehome.org

This is an exciting time for the Diocese of Orlando. As we approach our 40^th year of mission and ministry, we have much to celebrate. We are blessed with people of faith and vision – people who embrace and celebrate Catholic truth, transform communities, and make known the love of Christ throughout Central Florida. We are also blessed with a rapidly growing and increasingly diverse population, allowing the Gospel message to reach more people in more ways than ever before.

 

 

 

Synod Priorities

DIOCESE OF ORLANDO
SYNOD PRIORITIES

This is an exciting time for the Diocese of Orlando.  As we approach our 40th year of mission and ministry, we have much to celebrate.  We are blessed with people of faith and vision - people who embrace and celebrate Catholic truth, transform communities and make known the love of Christ throughout Central Florida.  We are also blessed with a rapidly growing and increasingly diverse population, allowing the Gospel message to reach more people in more ways than ever before.

Our Campaign goal is to raise $150,000,000. If we are blessed to raise this amount, $90,000,000 will be returned to parishes for capital improvements, debt reduction, parish or school endowments and other project identified by the parishes.  The balance of the goal, $60,000,000 will be used to meet the needs identified through the Synod process.  The following are the needs identified in that process:



CALLED TO GROW...

"But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.  To him be glory now and to the day of eternity."
                                                                    - 2 Peter 3:18

New Parishes and Missions        $5,000,000 Endowment

Parishes are the heart of the Catholic community and the primary instruments of the Church to reveal God's presence in our world.  It is in parishes that we are united together as a community of faith.  It is here that we participate most fully and intimately in the sacramental life of the Church

Our plan calls for establishing at least 10 new parishes and missions over the next decade to meet the needs of the diverse and growing Catholic community of Central Florida.  We will create and endowment to provide outright grants to new and existing mission parishes that are economically disadvantaged, throughout our nine counties, making it possible for them to advance their programs and ministries and strengthen their role as vibrant centers of Catholic Christian life.

New Schools               $4,000,000 Capital

Central Florida continues to grow at an unprecedented rate.  Estimated population growth of 65% over the next 20 years will expand the need to serve ever-increasing numbers of students throughout the Diocese.  The Campaign will help finance the creation of a new regional school model to be based in the Oviedo region of eastern Seminole County.  The area has experienced explosive development in recent years, attracting many young families with school-age children.  Future sites under preliminary study include Avalon Park, Lake Nona/Boggy Creek, Clermont and Deltona.

Capital for building new schools will come from a unique blended funding strategy that combines campaign efforts with a progressive tax exempt bond-financing plan.  This strategy will enable the fiscally responsible expansion of Catholic schools in a way that responds to the desire for a Catholic education held by a growing number of Catholic families.



Tuition Assistance             $11,000,000 Endowment

Educating our youth is a fundamental mission of the Church in Central Florida.  Catholic schools serve more than 15,000 students in the Diocese of Orlando, providing them with an excellent education, immersion in a life of faith, and a strong moral foundation - a powerful combination for forming future Catholic leaders and community servants.  The average cost to educate each elementary school child is $5,000 in the Diocese of Orlando and over $9,500 in our Catholic high schools.  Unlike other private schools, Catholic schools are committed to remaining accessible to all families. regardless of their economic means.  To realize this fundamental obligation, permanent endowments are needed to provide a steady and secure source of ongoing tuition assistance for Catholic schoolchildren whose parents deserve the support of the entire Church.




San Pedro Center           $5,000,000 Capital     $1,000,000 Endowment

Staffed by Franciscan friars, San Pedro Retreat Center provides resources, spiritual direction, and a peaceful environment to God's people as they seek to become fully alive in the love of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Weakened by hurricane damage, the facilities need renovation and expansion so that the life-changing work of San Pedro can continue in an atmosphere of prayer and renewal.  The new master plan will update camp facilities for youth retreats and improve the dining hall, conference space and sleeping rooms for all retreatants.





St. James Cathedral              $3,000,000 Capital     $1,000,000 Endowment

 As the Cathedral parish, St. James occupies a special place in the worship life of the Diocese of Orlando.  From here the Bishop is called by the Holy Father to lead and serve the local Church.  Every new priest is ordained for a lifetime of service to the Church of Orlando lies in supplication before the altar of the Cathedral and received the indelible mark of the sacrament of Ordination.  Restoration will preserve the Cathedral as the spiritual hub of the Diocese and provide an inviting sanctuary for future generations.  And additional 150 seats will accommodate the needs of a growing urban community.  The floors, transoms and lighting will be restored; and the exterior doors, pews, and stained glass windows will be replaced, creating an inviting and accessible atmosphere for all.



CALLED TO LEAD...

"By paths unknown I will lead them.  I will turn darkness into light before them, and make crooked ways straight."   
                                                                - Isaiah 42:16

Catholic Campus Ministry Center     $5,000,000 Capital      $1,000,000 Endowment

Catholic Campus Ministry at the University of Central Florida offers a dynamic spiritual home to more than 12,000 on-campus and commuter Catholic students.  An exciting vision has been developed to build a dynamic new Campus Ministry Center at UCF that will continue to enhance and nurture the spiritual life of students while serving as the central headquarters for campus ministry throughout the nine counties of our Diocese.

Inspired by some of the most successful campus ministries in the United States, the new Campus Ministry Center will create an outreach to students to help them understand the richness of their faith, enhance their relationship with God, and expose them to the best of Catholic spirituality and tradition.  Today's students are tomorrow's Catholic leaders.  It is our responsibility to provide them with a place to grow in their religious life even as they grow in their intellectual life during the formative college years.



Recruiting and Forming                                                                                
Clergy and Lay Leaders                        $4,000,000 Endowment

The source and summit of our life in Christ as Catholics is found in the celebration of the Mass.  There is no celebration without priests who willingly give their lives in service to God and to God's people.  We have been blessed with clergy who lead their parishes with great dedication and devotion.  Yet half of the priests serving in the Diocese of Orlando are over the age 60.  Increasing endowed funding in this critical area will enable the Diocese to pursue innovative strategies to inspire new vocations.  In addition to the new Campus Ministry Center at UCF, our parishes and schools will form vocation committees to promote an awareness of vocations as a gift from God and provide information, prayer, and spiritual direction to those who are discerning their call.

Endowed funding will also provide opportunities for the Diocese to address the physical, spiritual and ministerial well-being of our priests in a way that supports their ongoing formation.  This includes participation in "Good Leaders, Good Shepherds," a two-year program with a curriculum based on leadership training and professional development.

In order to relieve the administrative burdens of our clergy, the Diocese will help recruit and train Parish Business Administrators as well as provide direction and training in the formation of Parish Pastoral Councils. This proactive effort will empower lay leadership to assume a more active role in the life and mission of the parish.  We will also provide resources for the continuing education and spiritual development of all clergy, professional staff and lay leaders of our Church.  Realizing our potential for greatness as a Church is only made possible by recruiting, developing and sustaining great leaders.




CALLED TO SHARE...

"The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common."   
                                                                                            - Acts 4:32

Catholic Charities of Central Florida     $8,000,000 Capital     $4,000,000 Endowment

As our communities grow, so does the number of poor, hungry and homeless people.  Catholic Charities is redefining its role throughout the nine counties of our diocese as a major provider of services that met the needs of the elderly, poor and marginalized - regardless of their religious, social or economic backgrounds.

The vision for Catholic Charities is to establish comprehensive centers of care and service throughout the Diocese to assist those who are in the greatest need.  We will build on our excellent base of family support and counseling programs and add new services for women, infants, and children as well as services for elderly who need help with housing and healthcare.  We will create a Health Clinic for migrant workers and build new facilities, systems and staff that will enable us to bring Christ to people in a way that truly recognizes and responds to the inherent dignity and worth of every person.



Catholic Foundation of Central Florida     $8,000,000 Endowment

In an effort to increase the vital resources needed to support the life-changing ministries in our diocese, we have established a new Catholic Foundation that will further the Church's mission and vision at every level.  The Catholic Foundation of Central Florida will represent a new paradigm for funding diocesan-wide initiatives that will strengthen our people parishes and help secure the financial resources needed to answer our call to become Alive in Christ!

The Foundation will advance the Church's mission to encourage selfless stewardship among individuals, families and organizations; safeguard and promote accountability of the gifts entrusted to its care; and engage donors to support the spiritual, educational and social needs of our faith community.

The foundations efforts will result in a sound and sustainable financial platform, reflecting our Catholic faith and virtues, enabling the Diocese of Orlando to implement the recommendations of the Synod and successfully pursue its most pressing priorities as the 21st Century unfolds.



Guided by the internal staff of the Catholic Foundation of Central Florida, Alive in Christ will fund these priorities as well as the pressing capital projects and endowment needs at the local parish and school level.

It is with great conviction and confidence in God's grace that the clergy and many members of Christ's faithful across our Diocese will lead this bold effort and ensure its success.  In the process, all who participate and who are touched by the fruits of this campaign will experience the transformational power of God's extraordinary love.

Here in Central Florida our Church is Alive in Christ!  We, as dedicated Catholics, must help continue to build the Church in Central Florida.  We are:

Called to Grow as spiritual beings through our prayers for the success of Alive in Christ.
Called to Lead by offering our time, talent and talent in the service of our Church throughout this effort; and
Called to Share by prayerfully considering a sacrificial gift.

As Pope Benedict wrote in his beautiful encyclical letter, Deus Caritas Est:

"In all humility we will do what we can, and in all humility we will entrust the rest to the Lord.  It is God who governs the world, not we.  We offer him our service only to the extent that we can, and for as long as he grants us the strength.  To do all we can with what strength we have, however, it is the task which keeps the good servant of Jesus Christ always at work: "The love of Christ urges us on."
                                                                                                    - 2 Corinthians 5:14