Holy Spirit Catholic Church

Holy Spirit Catholic Church, a part of the diocese of Orlando, is located in central Florida in the city of Lake Wales and serves a community of Christians following the Roman Catholic tradition. The church’s mission is to carry on the teachings of Jesus Christ of discipleship, stewardship, and evangelization that were set forth in the sacred scriptures and passed down through the living tradition of the Church. Holy Spirit Catholic Church is a multicultural community that is centered around sacramental life and nourished by the Eucharist. The goals of the church are to provide a faith-filled and faith-active community centered around the Eucharist. This goal is accomplished through offering liturgies, faith-formation, discipleship opportunities,
In 1915, Reverend A. Latiolais, began celebrating the Mass in the homes of several Catholic families in the community, coming every month or two. This ensued for a number of years until 1921 when a group of winter residents from Canada established a community known as the French Colony. At this time, a permanent structure, known as St. Anne’s Shrine, was built and Mass was celebrated each Sunday during the winter months. By 1927 a new structure had been erected and would be known as the Church of the Holy Spirit. The faith community of Holy Spirit would continue to grow to the point that priests were forced to celebrate Mass at satellite locations in the community. Finally, in 1988, a new 65,340 ft² building was dedicated that would serve the needs of the entire Catholic community numbering over 750 registered families. The current structure is located at 644 South 9th Street in the heart of Lake
Service, diversity, and teamwork were prominent themes throughout the interview process. Holy Spirit Catholic Church was described as a place where healing, discipleship, inclusion, teaching, charity, compassion, joy, justice, service to others, sharing of God-given gifts and talents, and love of diversity are the driving forces in all activities conducted through the church. This is reinforced through weekly meetings with the priest and his staff. There is an environment of collaboration wherein all staff members of the local organization act as a team utilizing a collaborative style of decision making. Even though it is true that Father Vargas does have the final authority in all things at the local level concerning the day to day functioning of the organization, he discusses issues or problems with his staff and solicits their advice prior to a decision being made. This type of consultation, he indicated, fosters a sense of cooperation and teamwork, which works well for the organization. The use of the word “power” caused some discomfort and he indicated that the concept of there being one person that was more powerful did not really apply to this particular institution and was contrary to his leadership style. Instead, he indicated that it is the quality of