The Diocese of Venice is mourning the death of Rev. Jerome Kaywell, a priest of the Diocese of Venice, who passed away unexpectedly on February 23, 2026. Father Kaywell was 72 years of age; he was ordained into the Priesthood on October 25,1991, at Epiphany Cathedral, Venice, Florida.
Father Kaywell has served at Sacred Heart Parish in Punta Gorda since 2004, first as Administrator and then as Pastor since 2008. Father Kaywell also served as Parochial Vicar at St. Andrew Parish in Cape Coral from 1991 to 1999 and at St. John the Evangelist Parish in Naples from 1999 to 2004.
Please pray for the repose of his soul and the consolation of his family. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in eternal peace.
Father Jerome “Jerry” Kaywell (1953-2026)
Born in in 1953 in West Palm Beach, and one of five children, Father Kaywell attended St. Francis College in Loretto, Pennsylvania. Father Kaywell entered seminary at St. Francis Seminary, also in Loretto, and later St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach. After being ordained on October 25, 1991, at Epiphany Cathedral in Venice, Father Kaywell served as Parochial Vicar at St. Andrew Parish, Cape Coral from 1991-1998; Parochial Vicar at St. John the Evangelist Parish, Naples from 1999-2004; and at Sacred Heart Parish, Punta Gorda, since 2004, and as Pastor there since 2008.
At Sacred Heart, Father Jerry helped the Parish recover from Hurricane Charley in 2004, which destroyed the Parish Church. A new church was dedicated and blessed by Bishop Frank J. Dewane on Nov. 23, 2008, and at that time Father Kaywell was named to Pastor. In 2022, during Hurricane Ian, the Parish Center and rectory were flooded and suffered severe damage and taking nearly two years to repair.
Father Kaywell previously served on the Diocesan Presbyteral Council, 1994-2002, and was St. Vincent de Paul Society Chaplain for the Sacred Heart Conference, one of the largest St. Vincent de Paul Conferences in the United States.
Prior to becoming a priest, Father Jerry was an award-winning professional musician, composer and producer of television and film, earning a Grammy Award.
