Most Reverend Bishop Frank J. Dewane serves as the spiritual leader of approximately 250,000 Catholics in the 10-county Diocese of Venice in Florida. He was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI in 2006 as the second Bishop of the Diocese.
Bishop Frank J. Dewane was named Coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese of Venice in Florida by Pope Benedict XVI on April 25, 2006, and on January 19, 2007, he was installed in his current role as Bishop of the Diocese.
In addition to holding a degree from the University of Wisconsin, Bishop Dewane also completed studies at The American University in Washington, D.C., as well as from Pontifical Gregorian University and Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, both in Rome.
Prior to entering the seminary, Bishop Dewane worked for the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) in Moscow, Russia, and then for a subsidiary of PepsiCo in New York City.
Ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Green Bay in 1988, Bishop Dewane was appointed in 1991 to serve as a member of the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations in New York City, during which time he represented the Holy See at several international conferences. In 1995, he was transferred to the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum” and was later appointed Under Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.
Bishop Dewane currently serves as Vice-Chairman of the Board of Governors for The Pontifical North American College in Rome, Italy, and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land. He also currently serves on the Pro-Life Committee for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), and is a member of the Board of Trustees for St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach, St. John Vianney College Seminary in Miami, Ave Maria University in Ave Maria and Ave Maria School of Law in Naples, all in Florida.
Previously, Bishop Dewane has served as chair for the USCCB Committee for Domestic Justic and Integral Human Development, and on the USCCB Committee for International Justice and Peace, the USCCB Ad Hoc Committee against Racism, and the USCCB Subcommittee for the Pastoral Care of Migrants, Refugees and Travelers. Bishop Dewane has also served as Episcopal Liaison for both Catholic Charities, USA and Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC).
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