Jose Vega Espinola, MA, BCC
Chaplain II
Jose Vega Espinola Biography and Information
Jose Vega Espinola joined Baptist Health in 2020 as a Staff Chaplain and currently serves as a Chaplain II within the Spiritual Care Department. He is dedicated to providing compassionate spiritual care and emotional support to patients, families and team members during times of illness, crisis and healing.
Prior to joining Baptist Health, Jose served as Director of World Relief Jacksonville, a humanitarian nonprofit organization that assists refugees and immigrants from around the world as they rebuild their lives in Northeast Florida. He is an ordained minister and currently serves as International Minister at Chets Creek Church.
For more than 25 years, Jose has faithfully served the Jacksonville community, particularly within the Hispanic population. His extensive ministry experience includes pastoring two Hispanic churches in Jacksonville and serving as a liaison to Hispanic pastors through the Jacksonville Baptist Association. Throughout his career, he has demonstrated a deep commitment to servant leadership, community engagement and spiritual care.
Jose earned a Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling from Liberty University and a Bachelor of Arts in Theology from the Baptist Theological Seminary in Asunción, Paraguay. He completed one unit of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) at Centro Médico Bautista in Paraguay and seven additional CPE units at Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville. Jose is a Board Certified Chaplain (BCC) through the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC).
A native of Paraguay, South America, Jose is fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, English and Guaraní. His multicultural background and language skills enable him to connect with and support individuals from diverse cultures and faith traditions.
Outside of his professional and ministry responsibilities, Jose enjoys spending time with his family. He is the proud father of a son, Jesse, who serves in the United States Marine Corps. His personal interests include soccer, racquetball, basketball, reading and listening to 1980s music.