Jamaican Boys’ Orphanage Named in Honor of Fr. Joseph Trovato, CSB, Set to Open This Year

In a rural region of St. Ann Parish, Jamaica, two new orphanages will soon provide safe homes for 70 boys and girls, paying tribute to the late Father Joseph Trovato, CSB, a beloved Basilian priest and long-time professor at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, NY. The project is spearheaded by the Rochester-based charity Eight 4 World Hope, which has been raising funds to build these facilities that embody Father Trovato’s legacy of love and compassion, particularly through their Christian focus.

Father Trovato, who passed away in July 2020 at the age of 90, was deeply admired throughout his 30-year career at St. John Fisher College, where he served as the first director of Campus Ministry from 1959 to 1989. He built lasting relationships with students, many of whom he later married or baptized. His role as a mentor and spiritual guide extended beyond the college, as he continued his ministry for another 30 years at Christ the King Parish (now Saint Kateri) in Irondequoit.

One of the orphanages, the Father Joseph Trovato C.S.B. Home for Boys, is being constructed on five acres of land in Jamaica’s St. Ann Parish. The facility, designed by Hughan Reid, a teacher at Rochester’s East High School, will house 72 boys between the ages of 9 and 14. It includes outdoor space for the children to engage in activities such as basketball, soccer, and gardening, as well as opportunities to learn about raising chickens and goats. The grounds offer the boys not just a place to live, but also a nurturing environment where they can grow and thrive.

The orphanages, supported by Eight 4 World Hope, represent the continuation of Father Trovato’s life’s work. Since its founding in 2009, the organization, led by Deacon Kevin Carges and six other St. John Fisher College graduates, has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to build or improve schools in impoverished communities in Jamaica. Through their efforts, they have touched the lives of countless children, continuing Father Trovato’s mission of spreading love, compassion, and faith across the globe.

This project has already seen significant progress, with construction well underway and an expected completion later this year.