Rodriguez

The Rev. José Rodriguez, vicar of Iglesia Episcopal Jesús de Nazaret, Orlando, has been honored with special recognition from the U.S. House of Representatives as a “Distinguished Leader in Florida.”

In the September announcement, Rep. Darren Soto (D-Fla.), who represents the 9th District, noted that Rodriguez’s desire “to build up a resilient community where all families have access to safe communities, a living wage, affordable housing, and health care” is one of the many examples of his leadership in cultivating relationships.

Rodriguez moved from Puerto Rico with his mother and father in 1987. He was the first member of his family to attend college; he graduated from Rollins College in Winter Park with a bachelor’s degree and from the University of Central Florida with a master’s degree. Since that time, Rodriguez has worked tirelessly helping and connecting communities across various ethnicities in Central Florida.

After serving for more than a decade as the Episcopal chaplain at UCF, Rodriguez moved into his role in 2017 as vicar of Iglesia Jesús de Nazaret. Shortly after his arrival, Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria, both record-setting hurricanes in multiple categories, brought billions of dollars of damage to the Caribbean and U.S. mainland. Rodriguez and his church immediately became the driving force in the area and in the Diocese of Central Florida to provide and direct aid to thousands of families affected by the hurricanes, particularly many Puerto Ricans who were displaced to Central Florida. 

Even three years after those hurricanes, Rodriguez and his team of “abuelitas,” a group of Spanish-speaking “grandmothers” from local churches, are still helping families in Central Florida. He also has joined UCF RESTORES, a clinic within the university’s College of Sciences that offers treatment to veterans, professionals and survivors living with stress-related disorders. 

Last year, Heart of Florida United Way named Rodriguez among honorees for its 2019 Change Makers Impact Award. The award recognizes “key players who make our community a better place to live.” Rodriguez was awarded the Impact Leader for Advocacy for his work during and after the hurricanes.