Tucked along SW 9th Avenue just south of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and a block south of Marina Mile, St. Jerome Catholic Parish has served the families of Fort Lauderdale since 1960. A few doors down, St. Jerome Catholic School has welcomed students from PreK-3 through eighth grade since 1961. Together they form an intimate faith-and-family-centered community known for its trilingual Sunday liturgy: Mass is celebrated in English, Spanish, and Mandarin, and the parish runs the full sacramental life of a Catholic congregation under the Archdiocese of Miami.
Founded as a Mission in 1960
St. Jerome Catholic Parish was established on November 10, 1960, when Bishop Coleman F. Carroll instructed Father Lamar Genovar of Our Lady Queen of Martyrs to launch a new mission church. The first Masses were celebrated at Rogers Junior High School while the parish organized itself. Founding parishioners then committed to a capital campaign that raised more than $80,000 over three years to build a church and open a school. Father Raymond Scully served as the first pastor, overseeing both projects. Enrollment for the school actually opened before the groundbreaking for a new building.
The Sisters of Saint Philip Neri, recent exiles from Cuba, accepted the call to staff the school. Their presence shaped the Catholic identity of the parish in its early decades. The parish seal still marks the fact that both parish and school were founded when Miami was still a diocese, before it became an Archdiocese in 1968.
The Pastor: Father Joseph Maalouf
Father Joseph Maalouf leads the parish as pastor. He was born in Zahle, Lebanon, in 1958 and finished high school in Beirut before the Lebanese Civil War sent him to Miami in 1976. He built a career in South Florida as a paint and body shop owner-manager, then moved into the insurance and auto industry, working as an appraiser and territory manager for USAA and managing body shops for Kendall Toyota and Toyota of South Florida.
After marrying at twenty and raising two daughters, Father Joseph answered a new call. He entered the Permanent Diaconate formation in 2005 and was ordained a deacon on December 4, 2010. Within months, in May 2011, he felt a further call to the priesthood. He entered Blessed John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, Massachusetts, on behalf of the Archdiocese of Miami in August 2012, and was ordained to the priesthood on May 13, 2017, the 100th anniversary of the apparitions at Fatima. He earned a Master of Divinity from St. John XXIII and served as Parochial Vicar at All Saints in Sunrise and at St. Maximilian Kolbe in Pembroke Pines before being assigned to St. Jerome.
Mass in Three Languages at the Chapel of the Little Flower
The parish worships in the Chapel of the Little Flower, located in the rectory building at 2533 SW 9th Avenue. The chapel is described as a space for prayer, reflection, and reconciliation, hosting weekly Mass, the Rosary, and other spiritual activities.
The regular Mass schedule is built around the chapel:
- Weekday Mass: Monday through Friday at 8:00 AM in English.
- Saturday Vigil: 5:00 PM in English.
- Sunday: 10:00 AM in English, 11:30 AM in Spanish, and 1:00 PM in Chinese (Mandarin).
Daily Mass at 8:00 AM and the Sunday 10:00 AM English Mass are livestreamed on the parish YouTube channel, making the chapel's prayer life available to those who cannot be present in person.
Reconciliation, Adoration, and the Rosary
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is offered in the chapel on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 4:30 to 6:00 PM, and on Saturday from 9:00 to 10:30 AM in the church. Confessions are also available by appointment through the rectory.
Eucharistic Adoration follows the Saturday morning Mass at 8:30 AM, and on First Fridays the chapel hosts Adoration from 7:00 to 8:00 PM. The Rosary is prayed each weekday at 7:30 AM, before the 8:00 AM Mass. A Spanish-language prayer group, the Grupo de Oración de la Parroquia de San Jerónimo, gathers in the chapel every Monday from 7:00 to 9:00 PM.
The Sacraments of Christian Initiation
Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, and the Anointing of the Sick are the parish's core sacramental ministries. Parents preparing for a child's baptism complete a registration form at the parish office and attend baptism classes held on Thursdays; the sacrament itself is celebrated on the third Saturday of the month. The same rhythm is offered in Spanish, with classes on the first Thursday and the sacrament on the third Saturday.
First Communion and Confirmation are prepared through the parish Faith Formation program rather than through the parish school. Adults and teens who have not been baptized enter through the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (O.C.I.A.), a two-year process that culminates in the reception of Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation at the Easter Vigil.
Faith Formation for Children, Teens, and Adults
Religious Education is required for everyone over the age of seven. In-person classes meet on Thursdays: children and teens gather from 6:00 to 7:00 PM, and adults from 6:30 to 7:30 PM. The curriculum moves through Pre-Communion, Communion, Post-Communion, Pre-Confirmation, and Confirmation levels, with each stage preparing students for the next sacrament or deepening their practice of the Works of Mercy.
Clayre Silva serves as the Director of Religious Education, and her office handles registration for both the parish program and the OCIA process.
Marriage, Funerals, Annulments, and the Homebound
Couples preparing for marriage begin by stopping by the rectory to complete a marriage application and provide recent Baptismal Certificates with notations, government identification, and, if applicable, a letter of permission from their home parish. Sacramental marriage requires a six-month preparation period, and parishioners receive priority. Classes, witness forms, and the Fully Engaged inventory are part of the process, and weddings cannot be arranged until the file is complete.
The parish accompanies families through end-of-life decisions and liturgical planning for funerals. Bereavement specialists help with the full rites of Christian burial. The Annulment Advocate guides petitioners through the Archdiocesan Tribunal process, including the gathering of documents, the petition, and witness preparation.
For Catholics who cannot attend Mass, a team of Eucharistic Ministers brings Holy Communion to the homebound. Those facing surgery or serious illness can arrange the Anointing of the Sick by calling the rectory at 954-525-4133.
A PreK-3 through Eighth-Grade Catholic School
St. Jerome Catholic School sits at 2601 SW 9th Avenue, a single block east of the parish. Founded in 1961 and accredited by the Florida Catholic Conference, the school serves students from Pre-K 3 through eighth grade in a faith-and-family-centered environment. The school day runs from 7:50 AM to 2:50 PM, with aftercare available until 6:00 PM.
The school describes itself as a Eucharistic family that empowers students to grow in knowledge, love, and respect. Religion is taught as an academic subject in every grade, and teachers are encouraged to teach as Jesus did. The curriculum is broad-based, with English Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, and Religion as core subjects, supported by specials and the STREAM framework. Students in kindergarten through eighth grade work one-to-one with Chromebooks, while every classroom uses Promethean Interactive Boards. iPad carts serve the full school, and programs such as IXL, i-Ready, and Renaissance Learning's Accelerated Reader reinforce skills across grade levels.
Outside the classroom, students can join the School Choir, the Band and Violin Program (K-8), the National Junior Honor Society, and a club program, along with a robust athletic program. Recent graduates have moved on to St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Cardinal Gibbons, and Archbishop McCarthy. Safety is taken seriously: the campus is fully gated, with video entrance, lanyards and ID badges for teachers and volunteers, video surveillance throughout the school and playgrounds, and a full-time Fort Lauderdale police officer on campus. Faculty, staff, and volunteers are background-checked and CPR and AED trained.
Parish Ministries and Stewardship
The Stewardship page frames parish life around time, talent, and treasure, inviting every household to share their gifts. Active ministries and groups include:
- Men's Club
- Council of Catholic Women
- Grupo de Oración de la Parroquia de San Jerónimo (Spanish prayer group)
- Talleres de Oración
- Eucharistic Ministers and Lectors
- Altar Servers, Ushers, and Choir
- Chinese Apostolate
- Respect Life
- Annulment Advocates
- Religious Education for Children
- Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA)
- Retreats and the Fall Festival Committee
- Lectio Divina Bible Study
Online giving is available through ConnectNow Giving, with a mobile app and text-to-give option for those who prefer to support the parish electronically. The school also benefits from Maschio's Food Service for hot lunches, and families can purchase uniforms through Risse Brothers School Uniforms in Plantation.
A Parish Open to Newcomers
St. Jerome Catholic Parish and School describe themselves as open and welcoming. School admissions are open to students regardless of religion. The Faith Formation program welcomes children, teens, and adults. Confessions are available in English and Spanish, and Mass is celebrated in three languages. Whether a family is registering for school, preparing a child for First Communion, planning a wedding, or simply walking in for a weekday Mass, the chapel doors on SW 9th Avenue are open, and the Rosary is prayed each morning before Mass begins.