By Cristina Cabrera Jarro -
MIAMI| Father Joseph Valoret, former associate pastor of St. Helen Parish in Fort Lauderdale and various churches of the Archdiocese of Miami, died June 30, 2026. He was 94 years-old.
Father Valoret was born March 13, 1932, in Havana, Cuba. He attended schools led by the De La Salle Brothers, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in accounting.
He later immigrated to the United States to work as a junior executive with ITT Corporation (today ITT Inc.) in New York City, New York. Having felt called to religious life, Father Valoret began his formation by studying philosophy at St. Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire, a private Catholic college with Benedictine roots. He also studied at The Catholic University of America, in Washington, D.C.
He later moved to South Florida, and entered St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach in 1978 to complete his priestly formation.
Father Valoret was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Miami by Archbishop Edward McCarthy May 14, 1983, at St. Mary Cathedral, in Miami.
During more than 43 years of priestly ministry, Father Valoret served thousands of Catholics throughout South Florida, ministering in parishes, the Our Lady of Charity National Shrine, nursing homes, and wherever he was needed, even after his retirement from active ministry.
His first assignment as a priest was to serve at Visitation Parish, in North Miami. Next, he served at St. Agnes Parish, in Key Biscayne, followed by St. Augustine Parish, in Coral Gables.
In September 1986, he began his ministry as associate director of Our Lady of Charity National Shrine, in Miami. In March 1988, he was also assigned as chaplain to St. Anne’s Nursing Center and Residence in South Dade.
In February 1989, he was assigned associate pastor of St. Brendan Parish in Miami, and in February 1993 he was assigned to St. Helen Parish in Fort Lauderdale, from where he retired from active ministry in December 1993. Retirement, however, did not end his ministry. He continued celebrating Masses and assisting parishes throughout the Archdiocese of Miami and abroad for many years.
Upon hearing of his death, the Our Lady of Charity National Shrine, where Father Valoret continued to celebrate Mass after his retirement, shared a tribute on its social media accounts (@ermitadelacaridadmiami), noting “We will always remember Father Valoret for his tireless spirit of service, his meticulous attention to liturgical detail, his exquisite taste in organizing and his beautifying churches and chapels, as well as for his approachability, human warmth, and distinctive sense of humor, which brought so many smiles to others.”
More than 700 followers on social media reacted, responded, and shared the news of Father Valoret’s death.
Friends and well-wishers called him “a faithful priest worthy of the majesty of the Church” and “impossible to forget.”
Messages of consolation also arrived from Cuba and Spain. A note via Facebook from the Holguín Católico, a branch of Catholic communications for the Diocese of Holguín, Cuba, stated “May God embrace him and fulfill his desire to be with Him. An exemplary priest who served with joy and dedication right into his old age.”
Many people, like former parishioner Amarilis Caballero, thanked Father Valoret.
“For your beautiful homilies, your beautiful decorations, for your willingness to speak your mind without hesitation, and for the many times you made us laugh with your witty remarks,” she wrote.
“I imagine that he is already making his jokes in heaven,” wrote Jose Fraga.“We hold in our hearts the anecdotes and the lessons from his liturgies, which always led us to reflect,” wrote Ruth Desme.
“We will miss him. May God grant him a place of honor, and may he rest in peace.”
Funeral arrangements
Funeral arrangements for Father Joseph D. Valoret are as follows:
Tuesday, July 7 — St. Agatha Parish, Miami
Visitation: 9 a.m.Funeral Mass: 10:30 a.m.
Burial: Following the Mass at Our Lady of Mercy Cemetery, Doral.
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