Saints Devotional Project: Junior Catechist Training
The Diocese of Venice Department of Catholic Education welcomed eighth graders and their teachers and parents from all 15 Catholic schools to its first Saints Devotional Project Junior Catechist Training Oct. 22, 2021, at Epiphany Cathedral Catholic School in Venice. This Diocesan-wide project centers on hand-picked pairs of eighth graders from each school to catechize their fellow students by traveling classroom to classroom to give formal presentations about the Saints, Name Days and the Catholic devotion to the saints. These students were chosen through their demonstration of outstanding leadership, excellent instruction and unwavering devotion. The Saints Devotional Project offers opportunities to highlight the importance of leadership in the Faith, evangelization, and discipleship. The training seminar gave the junior catechists the tools and resources they need to conduct classes, while their parents and teachers participated in an orientation that outlined the significance of the devotional project.
Science experiments wow students
Science was on the agenda for students at St. Mary Catholic Academy in Sarasota on Oct. 20, 2021. The students had fun using their hands on experiments, mixing substances such as sugar, salt, vegetable oil and sand with water to predict if they were suspensions or solutions. This was followed by a great discussion as the students predicted what they thought would happen and what they saw with their own eyes.
Parish holds living rosary celebration
St. Paul Parish in Arcadia held a special living rosary celebration on World Mission Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021. The youth of the Parish led the reading of the different decades of the rosary and stood in for the different beads. They were divided into five different groups, wearing distinctive colors, representing different mission countries throughout the world.
Cathedral students stand up to bullying
Students from Epiphany Cathedral Catholic School in Venice took part in Unity Day activities on Oct. 20, 2021, by wearing orange and standing together vowing an end to bullying. Among the lessons learned was that all should follow the example of Jesus Christ and be kind to one another, no matter what. The students also went outside and stood in the soccer field spelling out the words “BE KIND” as a drone took a photo of everyone.
Lego rover helps students explore
Fifth graders from St. Catherine Catholic School in Sebring built a Lego rover as part of a STREAM (Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) project in mid-October 2021. This project helped the students explore ways scientists and engineers reach remote places, create and program “Milo” the Science Rover, and document how Milo can help discover a special plant specimen.
Boosterthon raises money for school
St. Andrew Catholic School students participated in a Boosterthon Fun Run on Sept. 21, 2021, in Cape Coral. The students had fun running while a big thanks went out to families and extended families who helped the school reach its goal of $30,000. The money will go toward allowing more flexible seating options for students in many of the classrooms.
Christ the King Novena Nov. 12-20
On the last Sunday of each liturgical year, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, or Christ the King. This year, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) urges all Catholics to take part in a Christ the King Novena from Nov. 12-20, 2021. During the nine days preceding the Solemnity, the USCCB asks all to offer their prayers to Christ the King for the freedom of the Church. The USCCB Committee for Religious Freedom, in its core document “Our First, Most Cherished Liberty: A Statement on Religious Liberty,” urged that “the Solemnity of Christ the King – a feast born out of resistance to totalitarian incursions against religious liberty – be a day specifically employed by bishops and priests to preach about religious liberty, both here and abroad.” A link to the novena can be found at www.dioceseofvenice.org.
Participating in the Mass were more than a dozen priests, as well as some 300 people from across the Diocese, representing many Parishes, various movements, Third Orders and many more.
The sessions are being planned to allow for the maximum opportunity for as many of the faithful to participate as possible. A complete schedule of the listening sessions will be announced soon.
“While what comes from our Diocese will go to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), we are not tasked with putting together a document. We are tasked to listen, to get input, put it together and ensure the points that are made at the Diocesan level.
“The Diocese is blessed to have everyone back together under one roof for the 2021 Diocesan Youth Rally,” Bishop Dewane said. “In 2020 we were apart for obvious reasons. Now is the time to bring our youth back together – celebrating our Faith and glorifying God.”
Bishop Frank J. Dewane took part in an Open House on Oct. 13, 2021 and said a blessing for the continued success of Pregnancy Solutions in their new location at 950 Tamiami Trail, Suite 105. The Port Charlotte previous location was across from an abortion doctor’s office which closed during the summer. The other locations are in Venice and North Port.
Compare that to the first 10 weeks at the new location which included 196 individual visits, including 84 ultrasounds, 99 pregnancy tests and much more, Zdrojowy continued. Other services include offering pregnancy options, adoption referrals, material support, parenting classes, support for men, and after abortion support.
On Oct. 16, 2021, they were formally recognized for their dedication to the service of others during a White Mass at St. Agnes Parish in Naples. Many of those present wore white coats, the signature clothing of the medical profession.
The keynote speaker was Paul Hiltz, the President and CEO of Naples Community Healthcare System who spoke on “Spiritual Leadership in a Secular Healthcare Setting.” Hiltz stressed the importance of spirituality in medicine and shared his experiences since the beginning of the Pandemic and the challenges of serving the physical and spiritual needs of the patients, families and staff.
Bishop Frank J. Dewane celebrated Mass for the students at St. Catherine Catholic School in Sebring on Oct. 18, 2021. The Mass is the latest in a series of Masses celebrated by the Bishop for students at each of the 15 Diocesan Catholic schools. During the Mass, which took place on the Feast of St. Luke the Evangelist, Bishop Dewane encouraged the students to focus on developing their prayer life each day.
The Venice Diocesan Council of Catholic Women hosted a retreat on Oct. 16, 2021 at Epiphany Cathedral in Venice. The bilingual retreat included talks from Father Janusz Jancarz, Spiritual Moderator for the VDCCW and Pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Venice; Father Claudio Stewart, Diocesan Director of Hispanic Ministries, and Father Thomas Heck, a retired priest of the Diocese. The women also participated in Mass, adoration and praying of the rosary.
“We find throughout Scriptures that persistence and perseverance is necessary for each of us in our prayer life,” said Bishop Dewane on Oct. 7, 2021, the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary, at Epiphany Cathedral in Venice. “Many pray the rosary every day and it has become an integral part of your life. A devotion to Our Lady through the rosary provides strength, drawing us closer to the Lord.”
This is why we meditate on the Mysteries and on the prayers, Bishop Dewane explained. “By doing so you become part of this history. Our Lady calls us to prayer and to acknowledge her Son. You do this by being the instruments of the Lord and calling others to come forth. Miracles will happen within us and within those around us because of our prayers and communications with the Lord.”
At Jesus the Worker Parish in Fort Myers, the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary is cause for celebration, as Our Lady is Patroness of Guatemala. A Mass was celebrated on Oct. 7 and a parish-wide celebration took place on Oct. 10 with a large procession through the Parish parking lot leading into Mass. The Mass was followed by festivities outside with food and music celebrating the Guatemalan culture all in honor of Our Lady.
The prayer concluded the opening ceremony for Epiphany Cathedral School’s (ECS) celebration of National Faith and Blue Weekend conducted Oct. 7, 2021 on its campus in Venice. The event recognized Faith and Blue’s campaign to develop safer and stronger communities across the nation by unifying law enforcement professionals with their local faith-based organizations.
Concluding on a note of gratitude, students gave handwritten thank you cards to every man and woman wearing a badge that day. Usually stoic faces gave way to smiles as the officers opened and read the cards aloud to one another.
