During the Annual Convocation for Priestly Renewal, Bishop Gregory Parkes presented this award to Father Gilberto Quintero who currently serves as Administrator of Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission, in Wimauma.

The Diocesan Priestly Growth and Enrichment Commission chooses the priest and submits the name to the Bishop for final approval. 

“We nominated Father Gilberto because of his service in Multicultural Ministry. Father Gilberto serves our Hispanic communities with amazing love and dedication, and during this challenging time for our migrants, we wanted to honor one among us who has always been a voice of Christ’s love and justice,” said Father Gary Dowsey, a member of the Commission.

About Father Quintero

Gilberto Ramiro Quintero was born to Gilberto and Marina Quintero on March 13, 1957, in Managua, Nicaragua. He was one of eleven children. On December 3, 1988, he was ordained to the priesthood for the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor of Central America and Panama. 

“Father Gilberto,” as he is best known, served at parishes in Nicaragua for 15 years, Honduras, and Guatemala, including five years as Vicar General in the mission Diocese of Trujillo, Honduras. During this time, he also earned a Bachelor of Psychology degree from the University of Central America in 2001. 

After visiting siblings in Miami and attending a retreat at Saint Leo Abbey in 2003, Father Gilberto saw the need for Spanish-speaking priests in west central Florida and became especially interested in providing pastoral ministry to migrants. He was granted permission by his Superior to take an assignment in our Diocese and was appointed as Parochial Vicar of St. Clement Parish, Plant City, where he served from 2003 to 2006. He was then appointed as Parochial Vicar of St. Cecelia Parish, serving from 2006 to 2015. During that time, he was granted an Indult of Departure from the Franciscan Order and was incardinated into the Diocese of Saint Petersburg on May 1, 2007.

From 2013 to 2022, Father Gilberto was assigned as Secretary for the Office of Multicultural Ministries for the Diocese of Saint Petersburg, providing resources and support to Hispanic communities throughout the Diocese, while continuing to meet the demands of parish work. He has also served as a member of the Clergy Incardination Committee (2012-2017), the Presbyteral Council (2015-2017), and the Priest Personnel Board (2018-2020). 

On July 1, 2015, Bishop Robert Lynch appointed Father Gilberto as Administrator of Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission, in the rapidly developing Wimauma area. His steady leadership and selfless support of local Catholics are the reasons for the continued growth of the Mission. 

In January 2020, Father Gilberto was granted a sabbatical leave to participate in the Institute for Continuing Theological Education, at the Pontifical North American College, in Rome. When his sabbatical was suddenly cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, he returned to Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission but eventually completed the program in 2023.

About Father de Cancer

Father Luis de Cancer is one of the Martyrs of La Florida, a cause for canonization for 58 men, women, and children who were killed because of their Catholic faith between 1549 and 1712. Father Luis de Cancer, a native of Spain, was martyred in Pinellas County while seeking to spread Christianity in the New World.

He came to the New World in 1518 and worked successfully among the native peoples of Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, and Guatemala. A disciple of the famed Indian protector, Bartolomeo Las Casas, Father de Cancer had particular success in Guatemala. His efforts were so successful in an area known for its bellicose natives, that it was renamed the “Province of True Peace.” De Cancer believed that aggression and violence were counter-productive to the spread of the Gospel and that the native peoples needed to be treated with dignity.

Having read of several failed expeditionary attempts to Florida, de Cancer became convinced that a true missionary effort needed to be undertaken. By late 1547 he had received permission to undertake such an expedition. The Santa Maria de la Encina set out from Vera Cruz, Mexico in early 1549 with de Cancer and three other Dominicans bound for Florida. He insisted that it be an unarmed vessel.

Father de Cancer’s high ideals were put to the test as he arrived on the shores of Tampa Bay in May 1549. Undoubtedly marred by previous contacts with Spanish Conquistadors, the native peoples were very suspicious of this latest venture. Despite warnings from the captain, de Cancer pressed onwards and continued to make contact with the natives despite the fact that one of the Dominicans had already disappeared. Just a few days after celebrating a Corpus Christi Mass ashore, Father Luis de Cancer, a remarkable man of peace and Gospel virtue, was martyred on June 26, 1549, by a band of Indians shortly after setting ashore in the sight of his companions.

To view the list of previous award recipients, click here.

To learn more about the Martyrs of La Florida, click here.