WHO We Got To Know in July 2026

Fr. Patrick O'Doherty is the kind of priest who can make you laugh and cry in the same homily. Parishioners talk about a man who is warm, personable, and naturally funny, the kind of priest who inserts humor while inspiring and explains scripture in ways that are simple enough to carry with you all week. One parishioner said that Fr. O'Doherty brought back the strength in her faith and that she can see God preaching through him. Another said his chemistry lesson of a homily put a smile on her face for the rest of the day. He jokingly carries the letters H.H.H. behind his name, which he says stand for "holy, handsome and humble," and calls himself "the best looking and most charming" of the O'Doherty clan. The middle child of nine, raised in Cahir, County Tipperary, Ireland, he grew up in a strong Catholic household and knew he wanted to be a priest when he was six years old. "I just knew it," he has said. As a boy he was a bit mischievous and once got thrown out of the altar boys for cutting up with his friends, a story he still tells with a chuckle. But the call never left him. He entered the seminary at eighteen and was ordained on June 13, 1970 at the Cathedral of the Assumption in Thurles, County Tipperary, celebrating his first Mass in his hometown with his late mother Katherine and his siblings in the front pews. Fr. O'Doherty came to Florida knowing little more about the state than what he learned in geography class, that it was part of the United States and known for sunshine. His Irish charm followed him through every assignment, from teaching at Bishop Moore High School in Orlando to serving parishes across Central Florida before arriving at Queen of Peace in 1987, where he has been ever since. He is one of the only priests his parishioners know who makes time every single day to hear confessions, and he began preaching on the radio in 2003, now producing broadcasts several times a week. But beyond the pulpit, Fr. O'Doherty is a man of quiet routine. He wakes at 4:30 every morning for prayer and adoration, takes a mile-long walk before the sun is fully up, celebrates Mass, and spends his afternoons visiting the sick and the dying. On his day off, you will find him outside feeding his twenty-three carrier pigeons or working in his garden. When asked about retirement, he borrows an old saying: "I will die in harness." He has no intention of slowing down. "Being a priest is not a job," he says. "The priesthood is a gift."

Fr. Jarek Sztybel is the kind of priest whose smile you remember long after Mass is over. Parishioners describe it as contagious, warm, and impossible to miss. Those who have heard him preach talk about homilies that are thought-provoking and meaningful, the kind that stay with you through the week. One parishioner shared that a single line from one of his homilies stuck with her: "It's not that we don't believe, it's that we don't understand." Another said that Fr. Jarek brought back the strength in her faith, something she had not felt in a very long time. Born in Lodz, Poland, the only child of Leszek and Jadwiga Sztybel, he grew up in a warm and loving family that shaped the way he sees people to this day. He attended Catholic school and entered the seminary right after high school, knowing early that priesthood was where God was calling him. Five years into his formation, he learned about a shortage of vocations in the United States and applied to the Polish-American Seminary in Orchard Lake, Michigan, arriving in 1993. He would later trade the Great Lakes for the beaches of Florida, completing his pastoral year at St. Ignatius of Antioch Parish in Tarpon Springs before being ordained into the Diocese of St. Petersburg on June 14, 1997. In addition to his seminary studies, Fr. Jarek earned a master's degree in mental health counseling and family therapy from Argosy University in Tampa, and completed a clinical internship at Metropolitan Ministries, where he provided mental health services to the homeless population. It is the kind of work that says something about a person, choosing to sit with people in their hardest moments and listen. That same instinct has followed him through every parish he has served, from St. Margaret Mary Parish in Winter Park, where he also cared for the Polish community at St. Joseph and St. Maximillian Kolbe Parish in Orlando, to his appointment as pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary in Candler in 2026. He also serves as chairman of the board of directors for Santa Fe Catholic High School and spiritual advisor to the Council of Catholic Women in the Western Deanery. Fr. Jarek once described his move to the United States as "a great adventure," and over twenty-five years later, that sense of adventure has never really left him. Those who meet him for the first time say it plainly: he is welcoming, he is genuine, and he makes you feel like you belong. He says simply that by God's grace, he has been able to do some good work, and he is grateful for every bit of it.

Fr. Tom Connery is the kind of priest people describe with a smile. Those who sit in his pews talk about homilies that are honest, life-related, and always delivered with a touch of humor that makes the whole church feel a little lighter. Parishioners say that having access to Fr. Tom on a daily basis is a comforting feeling, and visitors from as far as Indialantic have said they leave spiritually fed by his teaching. Fr. Tom is one of six children and a sports fan from Queens, New York. He was ordained in 1983 and has since spent over four decades in ministry, serving in schools, summer camps, and summer mission work before being assigned to St. Theresa in 2018, a place he believes St. Therese herself guided him to. He is the kind of pastor who always speaks from the heart, the kind people thank God for sending to their parish. His allegiance still remains with his New York teams, and he is not shy about it. He enjoys going to the gym and swimming, and hopes that when he loses some weight, he will get back on the tennis court. He is the proud and devoted companion of a precious dachshund named Moses. But what truly drives Fr. Tom is people. Under his leadership, the parish launched a soup kitchen that feeds over two hundred meals a day, three hundred and sixty-five days a year. What began as a way to care for the hungry became something deeper when Fr. Tom saw in it an opportunity to evangelize, filling the space with faith conversations, Catholic materials, and communal prayer. He has since had the joy of baptizing soup kitchen attendees who came through RCIA, and watched them inspire others to follow. His greatest pleasure, he says, is still celebrating Mass at St. Theresa, the place he now calls home. Fr. Tom once said he is far from satisfied, and that is what makes the work fun.

Fritzner Bellonce was born in Bas-Limbé, a quiet coastal and agricultural community in northern Haiti, one of nine children raised on faith and farmland. His mother, Angelique, attended church daily and enrolled him in Catholic school from a young age. His father, Tercius, farmed rice, beans, potatoes, and bananas. That modest, faith-centered upbringing shaped much of what came after. His path to the priesthood carried him from Haiti to the Bahamas to South Florida, where he arrived just before turning twenty. Today, he serves as Pastor of Holy Family Catholic Parish and School in North Miami, leading a deeply multicultural congregation with Masses celebrated in Creole, Spanish, and English. Whether responding to a hurricane, accompanying migrants at the border, or simply being present to the families who fill his parish each week, those who have worked alongside him describe him as smart, sensitive to people and cultures, and quietly committed to the community around him.

John Gerard Noonan was born in Ireland. He is an educator, and humble shepherd whose life has always been centered on faith and serving others. Born in Limerick he moved to the United States at 18, his journey has taken him from seminary life in Florida to being ordained a priest in 1983, and later serving as Rector of St. John Vianney College Seminary, where his heart for forming future leaders became clear. He is now the fifth Bishop of the Diocese of Orlando a role to which he was appointed in 2010, where he now leads a diverse and growing community across nine counties, including 79 parishes, 12 missions, and many Catholic schools. If you ask those who know him, they’ll tell you he leads with quiet strength, a genuine care for people, and a deep sense of purpose rooted in his motto, “God before me and God with me.” Whether he’s supporting vocations, encouraging families, or reaching out to immigrant communities, Bishop Noonan continues to guide others with humility, consistency, and a sincere heart for service.

Husband, father, and Christian leader whose life is closely connected to the church community he now leads. As Lead Pastor of Church In The Son in Orlando, Florida, he plays a central role in shaping both the direction and everyday life of a multicultural, non-denominational congregation. His path into this role reflects a steady progression shaped by both experience and time. Before entering full-time ministry, he spent nearly two decades in the financial and insurance sector, building a background rooted in structure, responsibility, and real-world decision-making. He also studied finance at the University of Central Florida, an environment known for its practical, forward-thinking approach, which helped shape his early development. Within the church, his leadership developed over the years as he served in different roles before becoming Executive Pastor and eventually stepping into the lead position. He now leads alongside his wife, Jackie, who also serves as co-lead pastor, reflecting a shared commitment to ministry and community life. His identity as a pastor is shaped not only by his role but by a steady focus on guiding people, building connections, and helping others grow in their faith in a meaningful and consistent way.

Ivan Olmo was born and raised in New York. He is a Catholic priest, former businessman, and late vocation whose path to the priesthood came after a 23-year career in the telephone industry. Before seminary, he held management positions in sales, marketing, accounting, and human resources, earned an MBA, and built a professional life that by most measures was already settled. A conversation with a priest from New Jersey planted a seed that grew slowly over the years, eventually leading him to sell his house, volunteer at a parish answering phones, and enter Blessed John XXIII National Seminary in Massachusetts. He was ordained in 2013 at the age of forty-seven by Bishop John Noonan at St. James Cathedral in Orlando. He has since served as parochial vicar at Church of the Resurrection in Lakeland, pastor at St. Mary Catholic Church in Rockledge, and pastor at Annunciation Catholic Church in Altamonte Springs before being appointed the sixth rector of the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe in June 2025, the same place where he once sat quietly in the pews asking Our Lady for help. Those who know him describe him as joyful, gracious, and deeply welcoming, a priest whose ministry is shaped by directness, mercy, and the steady belief that it is never too late to begin again.