Catholic school teachers and catechists in parishes gathered recently for their annual Summer Institute to broaden their understanding on a variety of topics.

The 120 teachers heard from two priests and two of their fellow catechists in discussions about Scripture, the Liturgy, Social Justice and dealing with students with special needs in a program offered by the Office of Catechetical Ministry at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Retreat and Spirituality Center.

Father Jerry Austin, O.P., a professor at the Blessed Edmund Rice School for Pastoral Theology, gave a lecture entitled “Praying and Living the Mass: What does it mean to participate in the Eucharist.”

Father Austin spoke about the Real Presence and what each person offers when going to Mass. “We offer ourselves in union with Christ,” he reminded the teachers.

A theology of Eucharist presupposes a theology of Baptism, Father Austin stated. Through Eucharist (as a verb and not just a noun) we become ‘all the more that which we already are,’ quoting St. Augustine.

“The goal of Eucharist is divine-human Communion or ‘deification.’ It is a symbol of our unity as Catholics who are receiving the Christ in a real sense,” he said.

Father Michael Hughes, pastor of Our Lady of Miraculous Medal Parish in Bokeelia, spoke about St. Paul as a fitting end the conclusion of the Year of St. Paul.

Father Hughes reminded everyone that while St. Paul is a great saint he was also Jewish and considered himself following the Jewish/Hebrew traditions as he spread the word of Christianity. Remembering this fact, and the times he lived in, help put into context his teachings and writings which were the first of the Gospels of the New Testament to be written, within 10 years of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

“He is remembered in his letters or epistles, Romans, in particular,” Father Hughes said. “Remember these are letters to his flock or to the people he is trying to convert. He was competing against others who wanted to keep the strict Hebrew ways even with the new teachings of Jesus as a guide. It was St. Paul who was able to convert the Gentiles because he understood the need to ease the transition for many new believers.”

Other speakers at the Summer Institute included: Kristine Neumayer Jenkins, director of faith formation at St. Cecilia Parish in Fort Myers, who spoke about the roots of Catholic social teaching and what Social Justice means in the Catholic Church and how it all relates to each persons own spirituality and community; and Kathy Lynn, a teacher at Dreams are Free School at Bishop Nevins Academy in Sarasota, who spoke about how to deliver faith formation to students who have specific learning needs and to their families and provided different strategies and techniques so everyone can participate.

The Summer Institute provides opportunities for Catholic school teachers and catechists in parishes to earn 12 hours toward diocesan certification. Each teacher must continually earn and update their education to remain certified by the Diocese.

The past year was one of the most successful in getting the word out and bringing people together for promoting Life issues in the Diocese of Venice.

This was the good news reported to the Coalition for Life during their annual meeting June 13. at St. Charles Borromeo School by Jeanne Berdeaux, Director of the Diocese Respect Life Office.

The coalition represents a variety of organizations and programs which support life issues throughout the Diocese, and are coordinated by the Respect Life Office. About 80 people from throughout the Diocese participated in the meeting.

Bishop Frank J. Dewane attended the meeting and offered words of encouragement to the people who spread the word about the Life issues in the Catholic Church here in the Diocese.

He also spoke during a Respect Life Mass June 14 at Blessed Pope John XXIII Parish in Fort Myers which commemorated the start of a new Respect Life program there.

“As part of the covenant we make with God when we receive the Body and Blood of Christ we must have a respect for all types of life, particularly those most vulnerable and needy,” Bishop Dewane said. “Put into action the words of Christ. Respect life at every stage, from conception to natural death.”

The work to continue the battle has been impacted by the economy, Berdeaux reported. Donations and cutbacks by government agencies mean the impacts on spreading the word and helping the vulnerable is getting more difficult. One area where the impacts have been felt the hardest has been in the area pregnancy resource centers. These centers offer pregnant women a wide range of support while encouraging them to carry their baby to term.

Such programs can include help lines, residential services, medical facilities or other support groups. While many of the programs are not run by the Diocese, each program recognized by the Respect Life Office signed an agreement embracing the Florida Bishop’s criteria for life issues.

“We have 29 life-affirming agencies here in the Diocese,” Berdeaux said. “They are changing the world two lives at a time and they are on difficult times in an economic sense. If we lose some of these programs, the impact would be devastating.”

Berdeaux spoke about how nearly all of the programs have been forced to cut back on personnel and services.

“We can’t let this go unnoticed,” she declared. “People need to know what is happening.” On the good side, there was an increase in the numbers of people participating in the organized vigils in front of the abortion clinics. Vigils taking place during the 40 Days for Life in the fall and during the week leading up to the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade in January brought huge crowds. Many of those were led by Bishop Dewane.

The opening of the new Planned Parenthood regional headquarters in Sarasota, the third largest abortion clinic in the United States at the time of its opening in October 2008, was a setback for the group but it also attracted more participants to the vigils, Berdeaux said. One of those vigils prevented a woman from having an abortion, and the good news is that Baby David was born on the Feast of the Annunciation in March.

Another big campaign during the past year was to get postcards signed and delivered to area representatives protesting a possible Freedom of Choice Act. About 115,000 postcards were sent to each senator in Florida in February.

Berdeaux also reported that the second year for the Novena of Masses for Life has more than tripled in scope with 134 Masses taking place throughout the nine months between March and December and will include more than 40 parishes. Coming in the next year, there will be another 40 Days for Life rally and rallies in January.

New this year will be expanded opportunities for educating the public when pro-life speakers come to the area to speak, Berdeaux said. Scott Klusendroff, author of “Making Abortion Unthinkable,” will be in the area in September. Other changes will be a new vigil to take place between Ash Wednesday and Palm Sunday.

The day ended with a distribution of awards by Bishop Dewane to parish representatives for their work on a variety of projects throughout the year. St. Francis Assisi Parish in Grove City and Our Lady of Miraculous Medal Parish in Bokeelia were recognized with plaques for raising more than $1,000 each in the past year in the Pennies for Babies Program. This program of Catholic Charities collects money to directly support women in stressful pregnancies with rent, utilities and other necessities.

The top awards for participation in the postcard campaign went to St. Ann Parish in Naples and Our Lady of Light Parish in Fort Myers for collecting more than 6,000 postcards each. For participation in the 40 Days for Life vigil the top awards were presented to St. Martha Parish in Sarasota and Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Venice for having 70 or more participants during the vigil.

The students at Epiphany Cathedral School spent the entire year bringing in their soda can tabs one or two at a time. Those tabs were collected and gathered throughout the year, ultimately totaling more than 18 pounds or 22,806 tabs.

The collection of the tabs started with the inspiration of middle school language arts teacher Beth Donofrio.

She remembered when she was a teacher 12 years ago about a former Epiphany student who decided to make an explosion for his G.I. Joe in the woods behind his house. He poured gasoline onto a pile of debris and set it aflame with a match. Unfortunately, he was engulfed and suffered third degree burns all along his back, from his neck clear down to his ankles.

He spent four months in the Shriners Burn Institute in Cincinnati, Ohio, recovering from the burns themselves and the resultant skin grafts, eventually returning to school with a sort of “wet suit” designed to protect his new skin.

The vivid memories inspired the teacher, upon her return to the school after spending time raising her own children, to relay the story and encourage each of her students to pull off their soda can tabs and bring them into school.

“I see kids in every grade approaching Mrs. Donofrio with a single tab or a pocketful they’ve collected from their lunch table,” said Principal Irene Lynch. “Families collect them at home and send them into school in old Pringles containers and baggies of all sizes. It’s nice to know that the part of our mission statement that says ‘building a caring community that serves others’ is not just a rote recitation but actions that we choose to carry out every day.”

The Shriners collect these tabs, recycle them, and use the money to help fund their hospitals. After collecting tabs for one academic year, the students of Epiphany Cathedral School brought 18 pounds of tabs to the Shriners Center in Sarasota in mid-June. According to the Shriners Pull Tab FAQs, that’s 22,806 tabs.

“We collect 800-900 pounds every two to three months,” said Marylou Ellis, the Pull Tab Chairman for the Sarasota Shriners. The Sarasota Shriners have been collecting the tabs since 1992 and has recycled 60,494 pounds totaling $29,123.54 for the Shriners Hospital for Children in Tampa. All this money has been donated to the Wheel Chair Repair Fund.

Donofrio plans to continue the collection in the 2009-10 school year encouraging people in the community to bring their soda can tabs into the school in hopes of beating the 18 pounds collected this year.

Anyone interested in helping Epiphany Cathedral School beat their 18-pound donation this year can bring their tabs to the school office where Donofrio and her classes will have a collection box starting in August.

For the first time since its founding, San Antonio Parish has a relic of their patron saint.

Bishop Frank J. Dewane presented the relic of St. Anthony of Padua to San Antonio Administrator Father Jacek Mazur during Mass on June 13, the Feast Day of St. Anthony.

The relic, and the unique reliquary that holds it, were gifts from the Friars of the Province of St. Anthony in Padua, Italy, was presented to the parish as part of the ongoing “Year of Celebration” commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the Diocese of Venice came as surprise to Father Mazur and the gathered parishioners.

Father Mazur said he was overwhelmed by the presentation of the relic by Bishop Dewane.

“This is a great feast we can celebrate with this wonderful place and wonderful community living under the guidance of St. Anthony,” he said.

St. Anthony of Padua is the patron saint of the poor, also against shipwrecks, starvation and of American Indians, animals, boatmen, elderly people, fishermen, harvests, mail, Portugal, travelers, travel hostesses, and watermen, and perhaps mostly famously as patron of lost articles.

Reciting the prayer: “Good St. Anthony, please come around. Something has been lost and must be found” or the children’s version “Tony, Tony, Rally 'round. Something's lost and must be found,” or any prayer to Saint Anthony asks his intercession to Our Lord for help. Common symbols associated with St. Anthony are a book, bread, Infant Jesus or a lily.

He was proclaimed as "Doctor of the Universal Church" in 1946 by Pope Pius XII and is regarded as the most well known Franciscan saint, after St. Francis of Assisi.

Born to a noble family in Lisbon, Portugal, in 1195, St. Anthony rejected his family’s wealth and became an Augustinian. Moved by the Franciscan martyrs of that time, killed for preaching the Gospel, he left his order, joined the Friars Minor and left Portugal to evangelize. He was such a gifted speaker that he attracted large crowds. Wherever he went, throughout Italy and France, he preached the Gospel. He spoke in multiple tongues and is said to have performed miracles.

He died at the young age of 36 and was canonized in record time. The fame of many miracles brought about through his intercession convinced Pope Gregory IX to shorten the period for his canonization, and Anthony was proclaimed a Saint on May 30, 1232, just 11 months after his death.

Bishop Dewane told the parishioners that they need to draw on the courage of St. Anthony and “take that inspiration as an example to go out and evangelize.”

In Christianity, relics are the material remains of a deceased saint or martyr and objects closely associated with those remains. Relics can be entire skeletons, but more usually they consist of a part such as a bone, hair or tooth. Pieces of clothing worn by the deceased saint or even an object that has come in contact with a relic is also considered a relic.

For centuries great care has been taken to authenticate relics, particularly through the issuing of an accompanying statement of authenticity.

In the case of the relic of St. Anthony of Padua at the Shrine of St. Anthony in Italy there is no question of authenticity. New relics of the saint were obtained when the saint’s tomb was opened in anticipation of his 800th birthday, which was celebrated in 1995; the relic at San Antonio Parish is one of those. The Latin inscription indicates that it is ex cute, dried skin or tissue. The relic came with a certificate of authenticity as a “first class” relic.

The relic at San Antonio Parish will be preserved and put on display on special days throughout the year, including the Feast Day of St. Anthony. When a new church is built, the relic would then be placed under the altar stone.