ST. JULIANA CATHOLIC CHURCH - Key Persons

I was born on February 2, 1967 in Daytona Beach, Florida. My family was not Catholic, but I had a profound conversion experience when I was fourteen and entered the Catholic Church. My parish of Christian initiation was St. Brendan's in Ormond Beach. When I was sixteen, I sensed a call to the priesthood and religious life and explored many possibilities. Not finding the right place by eighteen, I decided to leave Florida and attend college in Ohio at Franciscan University of Steubenville. I continued to sense and pursue my call there. After graduating, I explored religious life for a few years but eventually "discerned out." I returned to Steubenville for a Master of Science degree in education and began working as a high school teacher and later as a school administrator. In 2004, I returned to Florida to help my ailing grandmother who lived in Stuart. In 2006, after she required twenty-four-hour care in a nursing home, I moved to Fort Lauderdale and got a job teaching English at Fort Lauderdale High School. During that period, I looked for a spiritual director and found one at St. Malachy Parish in Tamarac. After several sessions, he said, "Dan, I still think you have a vocation to the priesthood. I want you to look into it." I followed his advice, and in 2018, I applied to enter priestly formation for the Diocese of Palm Beach. To my surprise, I was accepted even at my age. I attended St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary from 2018 until graduation in 2022, and on May 14, I was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Barbarito and assigned to St. Juliana's. I am very happy to be here, and I look forward to walking with each one you on this journey of faith.

Rev. Ducasse François

fr..@stjulianawpb.com

Job Titles:

Pastor

I was born and raised in Jacmel, Haiti. I am the youngest of six siblings. After High School I joined the Secular Institute Voluntas Dei for religious life and attended the Major Seminary Notre Dame in Haiti and graduated with a MA in Theology. I was ordained to the priesthood on September 26th, 1998. I spent 4 years in the Dominican Republic where I learned Spanish and worked as Parish priest in different diocese. I moved to Florida in 2000 and since then I joined the Diocese of to Palm Beach and take upon several assignments. I was assigned as parochial vicar to Sacred Heart in Lake Worth from 2000 to 2003, St Anastasia in Ft Pierce from 2003 to 2008, and, during this period of time I have also served as administrator of Notre Dame Mission and Chaplain of John Carroll High School. From 2008 to 2010 I was assigned as parochial vicar to Holy Name of Jesus parish in West Palm Beach. And from 2010 to now I served at St Sebastian Catholic Church as a parochial vicar in Sebastian and Administrator of Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission in Fellsmere. With great enthusiasm I have accompanied the people on their spiritual journey while serving on those assignments I did manage my time to attend Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska where I graduated in 2011 with a MA on the discipline of Christian Spirituality. I am blessed with a gift of languages, I speak, Creole, French, Spanish and English. I love music, singing, reading and sports.