Editor’s note: Father John Belmonte, SJ, who has been Diocesan Superintendent of Catholic Education since 2020, shares how Bishop Dewane supports Catholic education.
“Toiling early and toiling late,
Toiling patiently, day by day;
Joy and peace on the farmer wait,
As he faithfully works away.”
Ellwood Roberts
Growing up on his family farm in Wisconsin taught Bishop Frank J. Dewane, as the poem suggests, the importance of hard work, dedication and faithfulness. For almost 20 years of service as our Bishop, those are lessons he has taught all of us.
You would be hard-pressed to find a harder working Bishop anywhere. While it is clear that his dedication and faithfulness have been to the people of the Diocese, “toiling early and toiling late,” it has been a dedication and faithfulness that has always been rooted in the Lord.
As the Superintendent of Catholic Education, it has been my privilege to witness the service that Bishop Dewane has rendered to Catholic school students, teachers and families. By my estimate, over the years, he has celebrated more than 800 school Masses and graduations. At every school Mass and every meeting with students and teachers, the Bishop has shared his wisdom and his love for the Church. His hard work and dedication undoubtedly has borne fruit. He has educated thousands of young people in the Catholic faith.
During his tenure, the Diocesan Catholic school system has doubled in size, proudly claiming the reputation today as the fastest growing Catholic school system in the country with a current enrollment in excess of 6,700. In 2008, Bishop Dewane added one school, St. Catherine in Sebring, and in 2017 he added Ave Maria Catholic Academy in Ave Maria, and he leaves plans for two more.
Under his leadership, the Diocese created a K-12 STREAM (science, technology, religion, engineering, art, and math) and Robotics curriculum, the only one of its kind in the country that serves every student at every school. This past year 30 middle school and high school Robotics teams competed in the fifth annual Diocesan-wide Robotics tournament called the Lion’s Cup.
Bishop Dewane also integrated the Catholic faith and the life of virtue into the curriculum with what he calls, “The Gifts of Christ.” He has fostered a strong Catholic culture that produces faithful leaders of good moral character through the virtues of Truth, Beauty, Goodness, Affability, Fortitude, Humility, and Prudence.
Beyond the curricular innovation and unprecedented growth, Bishop Dewane has guided our schools and Diocese through hurricanes Irma, Ian, Milton and Helene. Repair and restoration work kept schools open, children educated and families supported. Similarly, his determined leadership during the COVID pandemic kept children safe and resulted in never closing a school or a classroom throughout the 2020-21 school year.
“Joy and peace on the farmer wait,” says the poet. It is the prayer of everyone associated with Catholic education in the Diocese of Venice that much joy and peace in his retirement would be the reward for the hard work, dedication, and faithfulness of Bishop Frank J. Dewane.
