Timeline
Bishop Dewane was born in Green Bay on March 9, 1950, the third child of Eleanor and Ben Dewane, devout Irish-Catholics who owned and operated a dairy farm. St. James Parish in Cooperstown, Wisc., was the center of community life for the Dewane family, which included four children.
After high school graduation Bishop Dewane attended the University of Wisconsin where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences.
He earned a Master’s Degree in International Administration from The American University in Washington, D.C.
Prior to entering the seminary, he worked for the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) in Moscow, Russia, and then for a subsidiary of PepsiCo in New York City.
Bishop Dewane began his studies for the priesthood at Notre Dame University in South Bend, Ind., where he completed one year of philosophy.
He then studied theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. While in Rome, he also completed advanced studies in canon law at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas.
On July 16, 1988, Bishop Dewane was ordained to the priesthood and appointed to the Diocese of Green Bay as assistant pastor. He also worked for the Diocesan Tribunal.
Assistant pastor at Sts. Peter and Paul Parish in Green Bay
In 1991 he was appointed to serve as a member of the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations in New York City. He had been serving in the Diocese of Green Bay as assistant pastor at Ss. Peter and Paul Parish in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Cairo, Egypt
Beijing, China
Copenhagen, Denmark
From 1995 to 2001 Bishop Dewane served on the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum.”
Istanbul, Turkey
Rome, Italy
In 2001, he was appointed Under Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, a post he had held at The Vatican until 2006. The primary responsibility of the Pontifical Council is to promote justice, peace, development and human rights world-wide. As Under Secretary, then-Monsignor Dewane was an official delegate of the Holy See to numerous international conferences and world summits.
Durban, South Africa
Monterrey, Mexico
Kyoto, Japan
Attended the Fifth Ministerial Meeting of the World Trade Organization, Annual Meetings of the Board of Directors of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund
Cancun, Mexico
On April 25, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI named him Coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese of Venice in Florida.
On July 25, 2006 Bishop Frank J. Dewane was ordained as a Bishop at Epiphany Cathedral.
Mexico City, Mexico
On January 19, 2007, Bishop Frank J. Dewane was installed in his current role as the second Bishop of the Diocese.
Became a member of an international delegation of Church leaders on a mission to press G8 European leaders to honor commitments made to aid Africa.
Member of an international delegation from Catholic Relief Services which celebrated the 50thAnniversary of CRS’s work in Tanzania.
Tanzania
Bishop Dewane was elected as Chairman of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and serves a three year term.
Bishop Dewane travels to Rome to visit with the Holy Father for the Ad Limina visit as part of the Southeastern United States Conference of Bishops.




