Bishop Frank J. Dewane presided over a groundbreaking ceremony for the Casa San Juan Diego Affordable Housing Multifamily Development on March 16, 2026, in Immokalee.
This thoughtfully planned garden-style apartment community will offer 80 modern residences, featuring a balanced mix of 40 spacious three-bedroom and 40 comfortable two-bedroom units in land adjacent to Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish.
The Diocese of Venice partnered on the project with National Development of America, Inc. (NDA), and was supported by the Collier County Human Services Division, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Also present for the ceremony were Father Teofilo Ramirez Moreno, CS, Pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, and Father David Vidal, Pastor of nearby Ave Maria Parish, as well as Collier County officials including County Commissioner William L. McDaniel Jr., Christie Bettencourt of the Immokalee Community Redevelopment Agency and several others from various agencies.
Bishop Dewane first explained how the community’s name relates to the sacred connection between St. Juan Diego and his visions of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the name of the neighboring Parish Church.
Immokalee is a rural farming community in Collier County that lies northwest of Naples and southeast of Fort Myers. Many in the community work in the agriculture industry and safe, affordable housing is scarce.
“The Diocese is building this community because we want to offer a safe place for families to live that recognizes a certain human dignity possessed by every person,” Bishop Dewane said. “We each know what it all meant to us to have a safe and secure home growing up. The Diocese is trying to make a difference here. Housing is an important issue throughout Immokalee and other communities. By creating this housing, families with children will stay together.”
As part of the blessing, Bishop Dewane added, “The work we do here will continue to build up the Lord’s Kingdom. May the Lord bless all who will occupy this housing.” Fathers Ramirez Moreno and Vidal both assisted in the blessing of the property.
John Raymond of NDA explained the multi-year process to get the project moving forward to its current construction. He praised Bishop Dewane and the ongoing partnership between the Diocese and NDA for building affordable housing communities across the region.
“They are going to be class A, yet affordable apartments creating a foundation for children and families to thrive,” Raymond said.
Commissioner McDaniel offered praise to the Bishop for having the commitment to create the project and he said he was proud to be a small part of something so good for Immokalee.
Each apartment is designed with contemporary finishes, including granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, and private balconies. Residents will also enjoy access to inviting community amenities such as an outdoor recreation area and a welcoming clubhouse, ideal for gatherings and relaxation. With its focus on quality, community, and comfort, Casa San Juan Diego is set to become a vibrant and integral part of the Immokalee neighborhood. Estimated completion is May 2027.
While the monthly rates are not currently set, the ranges will be about half of the market rate for Immokalee. Application information will be made available closer to the completion of the project.
Casa San Juan Diego is just the latest joint-project between the Diocese and NDA. Previously, they worked together to build Casa San Juan Bosco I & II, consisting of 97 duplex homes used for farmworker housing in Arcadia, and later the adjacent St. John Paul II Villas, a 64-unit senior housing complex. Other projects include St. Peter Claver Place, a 208-unit affordable housing community in Fort Myers, Casa San Alfonso, an affordable housing community in Zolfo Springs, and San Pedro at Meadow Park affordable housing in Arcadia. An additional affordable housing project is currently in development for Bowling Green.
In addition, the Diocese has built several low-income elderly housing communities in Sarasota (2), Fort Myers (4), Port Charlotte (2), and Palmetto (2). Partnering with Catholic Charities, the Diocese created the Family Haven transitional emergency housing for individuals or families in need in North Port and Englewood, as well as Our Mother’s House, a transitional living program for mom’s with young children.
Bishop Frank J. Dewane presided over a prayer service of the Neocatechumenal Way March 11, 2026, at Jesus the Worker Parish in Fort Myers. The gathering included commissioning of several members to become local missionaries. The Neocatechumenal Way was initiated in Madrid in 1964, and is dedicated to post- and pre-baptismal formation of Christians, based on the Word of God, the Eucharist and the Christian community. The Way engages families to establish the presence of the Catholic Church in countries where the Church is absent or tiny, or to revive and strengthen the presence of Catholic communities in difficult and highly secularized areas. During the prayer service the candidates were called to offer their testimony of faith. Each candidate was called forth by name and presented a Bible and recited an oath of commitment as they were commissioned and sent to be witnesses to God in the community, announcing the Good News of His resurrection. They also committed to live their lives according to the Nicene Creed, and agreed to let the Holy Spirit drive out their sins of doubt and guide them through their lives.
St. Mary Academy in Sarasota hosted a cocktail party which was a resounding success March 12, 2026. School leadership brought donors together who share the vision for the mission of the school with programs for diverse learners, five to fifteen years old. St. Mary Academy works with children who are struggling academically, and children with special learning needs. Students are average to above-average in intelligence and may have: Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD), Dyslexia, Speech and Language Disorders, Attention Deficit Disorders (ADD), Anxiety, high-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), or other exceptionalities. Students learn in classes of 13 students or fewer and are taught by certified teachers. The school also has occupational and speech therapists on-site. The school was given a $50,000 match challenge from the Kaminski Family Foundation, of which the leadership was thankful, and the school is poised to exceed the goal! Bishop Frank J. Dewane and Father John Belmonte, SJ, Superintendent of Catholic Schools were present, along with the school staff, parents and donors for an evening of impact
The Televised Mass for the Homebound on Palm Sunday (March 29, 2026), and Easter Sunday (April 5 and celebrated by Bishop Frank J. Dewane), will air for a full hour on both Sundays. Because of the length, these two Sundays the broadcast will air at a special time. For viewers in the northern portions of the Diocese (DeSoto, Hardee, Highlands, Manatee, and Sarasota counties), the Masses will air at 10:30 a.m. on the CW Network. In the southern portions of the Diocese (Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry, Lee counties), the Masses will air at 8 a.m. on FOX Florida. Please check your cable provider for channel listings. The televised Mass is also always available online at 
At St. Mary Academy in Sarasota, Julie Drapper’s 7th grade class used the book, “A Long Walk to Water” by Linda Sue Park, which was explored in depth. In the book, Nya and Salva must work to survive daily challenges as 10-year-olds during wartime where no clean water is readily available. In this experience, the students analyzed their own walking with a jug of water and compared and contrasted the experiences Salva and Sya had to work through each new day. Keeping in mind their creativity and problem-solving skills, the goal of the students was to think like Nya and Salva about what skills helped Mya and Salva the most and why. The students also learned about the water crisis in our world. Including facts, such as 1 out of 9 people (783 million) worldwide do not have access to safe and clean drinking water. Or, in developing countries, nearly 80% of illnesses are linked to poor water conditions meaning better water sanitation and hygiene could prevent the deaths of close to 300,000 children per year. The reality is that every day, millions of people walk miles a day to get water for their families. To represent what it feels like to carry water for a specified distance, the students walked a lap around the field, carrying one-gallon jug of water weighing 8.34 pounds. To help add a greater immediacy to the project, the class was in regular contact with a missionary (a teacher from St. Mary Academy) who was doing work in Uganda and offering real life examples of people in need.
Fourth grade students in the classes of Emily Flynn, Karen Speitzer, and Drew Weston-Ball at St. Ann Catholic School in Naples, did flower dissections. While learning to identify the parts of a flower, students worked with lab partners to dissect a flower and observe its different structures. They also learned the importance of making detailed observations and keeping accurate records. After mastering the names and functions of each flower structure, students then learned about the reproductive cycle of flowering plants.
The Diocesan Catholic schools students are so good at STREAM that they excel in regional competitions. Students from St. Andrew Catholic School in Cape Coral brought home the gold at the Education Regional Science Fair on Feb. 6, at Florida Gulf Coast University in Estero. Lorie Esperance placed first in Behavioral/Social Sciences, also receiving the Marie Glasgow and AAUW Friends STEM Award, an FGCU scholarship, an APA Certificate of Achievement, and additional recognitions. Lily Corby attained first place for Environmental Engineering and a special award from AIM Engineering and Surveying, Inc. Liam Farinelli & Xavier Darmanin placed first in Mathematics & Computational Science, receiving scholarships to FGCU. Adeline Kish received the NOAA Taking the Pulse of the Planet Award and Honorable Mention. Samuel Rau and Thomas Varela received third place in Physics and José Nasiff and Simon Arevalo also received special awards. Well done everyone!
Alex Olivares, Catholic Charities Regional Director, spoke about the different outreach done in the community which puts an emphasis on helping people where they are, making them feel dignified and loved while letting them to know people care.
The evening also included a special song by the Children’s Center children. Catholic Charities staffer Mark David Anderson, who competed on American Idol, also sang.
To celebrate the 76th birthday of Bishop Frank J. Dewane on March 9, 2026, the Catholic Center staff gathered in the main conference room in Venice. In addition to singing “Happy Birthday,” an Irish poem expressing the blessing of priests was presented. Two birthday cakes, one chocolate and one vanilla, and fresh fruit were offered.
Chloe, an eighth grader at St. Martha Catholic School in Sarasota recently received her 1st Place Award in the Family Rosary “Try Prayer! It Works!” Art Competition sponsored by the Family Rosary Holy Cross Family Ministries. Holy Cross Family Ministries is a family of Catholic ministries that inspires, promotes and fosters the prayer life and spiritual well-being of families throughout the world.
