ORLANDO  |  Father Sandro Jimenez is the first priest officially assigned to Las Lomas region of Orlando’s sister diocese in the Dominican Republic. His arrival to what has long been mission territory marks a new era for the people of mountains. From Aug. 2-9, 2026, the priest made his first visit to the United States to experience the place where love flows to his people. It was the first time a priest from the region visited the Diocese of Orlando mission office and the people who so richly continue to give of themselves for others.

“Coming to the United States for the first time is a beautiful experience, but especially interesting because I wanted to see the place from where this love for Las Lomas comes,” Father Jimenez said.

He spent time meeting with mission directors, deacons and communities, visited local sites like the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe and NASA, celebrated Mass and offered a talk at St. John Vianney Parish in Orlando.

“I am not here as a tourist, but to bear witness of the love you all have for my community, for my mountains, for my people,” he told those gathered at St. John Vianney.

When volunteers first began serving in the mountains more than 30 years ago, people there had very little, and almost no opportunity for formation or access to the Sacraments.

“When we say Las Lomas, we are talking about nine very poor communities,” Father Jimenez said. “They lived in the mountains, they had no school, no potable water, no highways, no electricity. It is surprising to see how much has happened through the collaboration of the mission and its volunteers. Today our children have schools, water to drink, and our families have houses. Young people can go to university thanks to the mission. The mission is important because it brought health, education, homes, and spirituality, which is indispensable.”

There are now two deacons in the area, a direct result of evangelization. Father Jimenez is grateful for the villagers and their kindness and care.

“They have no material wealth, but they have God in their hearts,” the priest said. “I go to bring them the Gospel and I leave evangelized. I am so grateful to God for letting me be in the midst of these people. It is marvelous.”

For more than a decade, Father Fred Ruse served the region on behalf of the Diocese of Orlando. He often took sacerdotal candidates to visit the seminary. There he met Father Jimenez as a young priest. The two have great affection for one another and Father Jimenez underscores the importance of Father Ruse’s, and now his own presence in Las Lomas.

 “It is essential to have a permanent priest there for the enrichment of spiritual life. Assisting in offering the Sacraments-Baptism, Confession, First Holy Communion, Matrimony, and helping families when someone passes,” Father Jimenez said, adding he credits the seeds sown with the formation of deacons, community leaders, future doctors and ministerial heads.

When asked why the Mission Office wanted Father Jimenez to come visit, Raquel Céspedes, mission office director said, although many priests have gone to discover the realities of the people of Las Lomas and to minister to them – “Never did a priest from Las Lomas cross paths to personally come to know the place from which so many efforts, so much generosity, and so much love for the Dominican people was born.”

For her, this is why Father Jimenez’s visit bore special meaning. “It was not simply about traveling to another place, but to go in search of those, from the Diocese of Orlando, who have put their hearts and hands at the service of the mission. It was important to know first-hand where that strength is born, from where that fountain of love springs, which, year after year, reaches so many people in our mountains. In a certain way, it was like walking to the spring to better understand the river,” she said. “This visit was much more than an encounter between priests and particular parishes. It was a living reminder that although we are separated by borders and oceans, we are part of the same body, called by the same Father and united by the same mission.”

The sisterhood between the two dioceses was built one step at a time, through encounters, sacrifices, and loving gestures. She said Father Jimenez’s trip “adds a new page to that story: a page that reminds us that bridges of faith are built in both directions.”

“Today we give God thanks for permitting this meeting. Thank you to those who have planted seeds all these years, who have accompanied the mission from afar, and who have crossed paths to find themselves face to face with their brothers,” she said.

To learn about mission trips to the Dominican Republic or how you can contribute, contact Zwamy Parra at zparra@orlandodiocese.org. The Mission Collection will take place Oct. 18 and 19.

By Glenda Meekins of the Florida Catholic staff, August 19, 2026