What makes St. Isaac Jogues a special community is the diversity, sense of belonging and ownership of our people, who continue to distinguish our parish as a vibrant Catholic force in Central Florida. Our parish constantly strives to be good stewards of the gifts bestowed upon us by God. We give thanks every day for His blessings by empowering all members to share their time, talents and treasures, as God intended.
Our Mission
To serve the spiritual, social and educational needs of the people as a reconciling presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. To allow the Holy Spirit to form us into a God-centered, prayerful and caring community.
Our Vision
To be a center of worship, service and fellowship. A community of care and outreach, a place to gather and to be the presence of Jesus Christ in our world.
Our Parish History
Our parish was established in May 1987 to address the population growth in our area and to better serve the religious needs of the Catholics in Southeast Orange County.
1987-1999
Our founding pastor was Reverend Robert Hoeffner, who bought a rectory building and set up a temporary office. In Spring 1988, construction began on the parish hall. In Fall 1996, construction began on the parish administration building. In 1997, Father Phillip Nuñez III joined St. Isaac Jogues, becoming our first parochial vicar.
1999-2003
In Summer 1999, Father Robert Markunas replaced Father Hoeffner as St. Isaac’s pastor. In addition to his pastoral duties, he led Catholic radio programming for the Hispanic population in the Orlando area. During that time, planning and construction commenced of a new church building.
In Fall 2003, Father J. Fernando Gil, J.C.D. became our third pastor. Shortly after, Bishop Norbert Dorsey along with Father Gil and founding pastor Father Robert Hoeffner broke ground for the new church. In the years following, our parish grew its clergy membership to seven ordained deacons, and Father Andrew Wojtan joined us as a parochial vicar.
On May 14 2005, a new chapter in the life of St. Isaac Jogues Catholic Community began with the Rite of Dedication of the new church building. Most Rev. Thomas G. Wenski, the new Bishop of Orlando at the time, was the principal celebrant for this exciting and jubilant celebration.
2005-2021
In 2005, we welcomed Fr. Jose Muñoz to St. Isaac Jogues as our fourth pastor. Father Jose led the parish with zeal and great leadership, growing our Faith Formation programs and maturing our ministries. In June 2021, after 16 very successful years as St Isaac Jogues pastor, Father Muñoz transferred to another Orlando Diocese parish. In June 2021, we welcomed Father José Bautista as our fifth pastor, with Father Enrique Guerra as our Parish Vicar. We are very blessed to have such talented and dedicated priests leading our community.
2022 – Present
Today, we are grateful to welcome over 5,000 families to our wonderful community of faith. As we gear to celebrate the 35th anniversary of our parish in 2022, we count our many blessings, continue to mature as a community and grow closer to Christ. We look toward the future and know that there are many great blessings in store for us.