Msgr. Anthony A. La Femina, a retired priest and iconographer who previously served as Administrator of St. Isabel Parish on Sanibel, died Dec. 30, 2019. He was 86.
Msgr. La Femina was born Nov. 19, 1933, in New Haven, Conn., and was one of three children of Anthony and Natalie (D’Amato) La Femina.
In his academic formation, Msgr. La Femina attended Providence College, Dominican Fathers, Seminaire de Philosophie and Grand Seminaire in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, University of St. Paul in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and Angelicum in Rome, Italy. He was ordained May 27, 1961 at the Cathedral of St. Jerome in Montreal, Canada. For the Diocese of Saint-Jérôme, in the Province of Quebec, Canada, Monsignor served in parishes in Rosemère, Deux-Montagnes, before serving on the Diocesan Tribunal, then as the Vice-Chancellor and later as Chancellor of the Diocese.
Msgr. La Femina was appointed as an official at the Congregation for Divine Worship of the Holy See in 1969 and served there for many years. He was incardinated in the Diocese of Venice, from the Diocese of Saint-Jérôme, in December 1986. He also served as an official of the Pontifical Council for the Family.
Within the Diocese of Venice, Msgr. La Femina assisted at several parishes and including in 1998 as Administrator of St. Isabel Parish in Sanibel. Prior to his retirement in 2008, Msgr. La Femina also served in the Diocese of Charleston as Director of the Office of Volunteers. Most recently, he was Chaplain to the Knights of Columbus Bishop Charles B. McLaughlin Assembly 1818 in Venice.
In addition to serving as a priest, Monsignor was a well-known iconographer. Images he created were most notably used worldwide during the 2000 Jubilee. He was also a scholarly author.
He is survived by numerous relatives. A funeral will take place at 10 a.m., Jan. 18, at Epiphany Cathedral, 310 Sarasota St., Venice. A viewing will take place starting at 8:30 a.m.
St. Mother Teresa once said, “It’s not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving.” Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School in Sarasota loves taking part in giving back to the community from serving meals to the homeless to food and toy drives.
To kick off the giving season, Mooney students and staff participated in a Thanksgiving food drive that provided over 65 families with a full Thanksgiving meal as well as served over 200 homeless lunch in the downtown Sarasota area on Nov. 27.
The Cardinal Mooney chapter of the St. Vincent de Paul Society collected new toys to support Andrew’s Toybox and delivered them Dec. 19, just in time for Christmas, to the pediatric wards of Sarasota and Manatee Memorial Hospitals.
The 60 residents of Sunshine Meadows Nursing Home in Sarasota received items on their Christmas list Dec. 13, as part of an effort by the Cardinal Mooney staff as well as by different members of clubs on campus.
Also taking part of the giving season was the Cardinal Mooney Cougar Band which performed at the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport and University Town Center mall to help bring cheer to those travelling and shopping during the holidays.
Service in the community
Every student at Cardinal Mooney participates in giving back through community service and is required to complete 100 hours of service during their four years at the college preparatory school.
Most students have well over the 100 hours including senior Aaron Dhanhai who has 612 hours, with 550 of those hours as a volunteer at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. Junior Mallory Allbritton has more than 440 hours with Sarasota Disaster Relief Services, 4H and Future Farmers of America (FFA). Allyson Galvin, a sophomore, has 330 hours working on various service projects with Our Lady of Angels Parish in Lakewood Ranch. Cooper Flerlage, a freshman, already has over 330 community service hours, mostly with the Sarasota County Summer Camp Program.
The family environment of Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School fosters spiritual growth and prepares all students to become servant leaders in the world by performing over 30,000 community service hours a year.
Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School, a Christ-centered, college preparatory institution is celebrating its 60th Anniversary. The school prepares students to serve and lead by nurturing spiritual growth, cultivating the talent of all students, and challenging them to pursue academic excellence.
As a nationally accredited school, Mooney is now offering the new rigorous AP Capstone diploma; as well as a full honors curriculum; Advanced Placement courses; dual enrollment; and learning strategies programs. Student-athletes participating in over 30 athletic teams have won district, sectional, and regional titles with three state titles this year. With a 100 percent acceptance rate to college, Cardinal Mooney graduates earned more than $9 million in scholarships in 2019.
Filipino Catholics arounds the Diocese of Venice and around the world have a custom in preparation for Christmas of participating in a novena of Masses at Dawn, known as Simbang Gabi.
Celebrated at several parishes in the Diocese, for the first time the tradition was celebrated at the Vatican by Pope Francis. The Holy Father opened the celebration at St. Peter’s Basilica on Dec. 15, Gaudete Sunday.
“Through this celebration we want to prepare ourselves for Christmas according to the spirit of the Word of God that we have listened to, remaining constant until the Lord’s definitive coming,” Pope Francis explained.
The Simbang Gabi tradition in the Philippines dates back to the 17th century and was introduced to the Philippines by Spanish friars to allow the farmers to hear Mass before going to the fields early in the morning. Filipinos hang a star outside their homes, and attend early morning Masses on each of the nine days before Christmas.
This tradition is also known by its popular Spanish name as the Misa de Gallo, or “Mass of the Rooster,” commonly indicating the pre-dawn Christmas Eve Mass. The novena serves as spiritual preparation for Christmas, in commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ. The celebration is also seen as a way of requesting blessings from the Lord, as most people believe that if one completes the whole series of nine dawn Masses, wishes will be granted.
Pope Francis noted that as Filipinos have migrated throughout the world, their traditions and devotions have followed. In the Diocese of Venice, the full novena has been celebrated at St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish in Port Charlotte for many years. Where the Filipino Catholic community is smaller, Incarnation Parish in Sarasota and St. Andrew Parish in Cape Coral, abbreviated novenas were observed.
Although this tradition is not exclusive to Filipinos, its observance is strong and distinctive in the Philippine Catholic culture.
The Holy See allows the Simbang Gabi Masses to differ from the traditional Advent Season readings and requirements. This exception allows the readings to be directly associated with the Christmas Season and the Church is also decorated while the priests wear white vestments. The exception to this guidance is if the Mass is celebrated as part of Gaudete Sunday, which maintains its precedence.
As at the Vatican, the Simbang Gabi Mass at St. Andrew Parish was on Gaudete Sunday. Following the Mass there was a reception in the Parish Hall where there was a potluck dinner was served with a variety of traditional delicacies including rice cakes, seafood and noodle dishes, as well as pastries and other sweets. The choir sang Christmas songs in English and Tagalog, the language known by most Filipinos,
Tradition dictates that time changes during this celebration of the Holy Mass for the novena. It is no longer the same moment of Advent that is celebrated during the day, everything becomes Simbang Gabi, but when the sun rises it returns to the Advent Season. It is because we are living that magical moment that is before the sun rises.
This is an important and growing Catholic tradition as the faithful prepare their hearts waiting for that dawn when the sun rises. The sun rise is associated with Jesus Christ, bringing with it a new hope, new life.
It is believed that participating in the novena of Masses brings many blessings, mostly for the family. Some also believe that if you attended the Simbang Gabi you would find your future spouse, which naturally increased the popularity of the tradition.
On Jan. 5, the Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord, the Feast Day of Epiphany Cathedral in Venice, Bishop Frank J. Dewane presided over a tri-lingual Mass (English, Spanish and Polish). This annual tradition includes the different language communities that are based at the Cathedral. At the beginning of the Mass, Bishop Dewane blessed the Cathedral where it is inscribed 20+C+M+B+20 (the year and the initials of the three magi) above the main interior entrance to the Church.
Senior apartments available in Arcadia
Brand new apartments are move-in ready at St. John Paul II Villas of Catholic Charities in Arcadia. The senior community (55 years and older) has a community center and numerous activities throughout the year. Rents start at $459 for a one bedroom and $626 for a two bedroom. Income restrictions apply. All units include washer/dryer, microwave, dishwasher, garbage disposal, and some units have a walk-in shower. If you are interested, please contact the leasing office at 863-884-2123 (TTY711).
Just past the midpoint of Advent, we all have been provided an initial time of fruitful preparation for the coming of Christ into our hearts and homes. As we look toward the end of Advent and the coming of Christmas, the call to become “A Disciple of Christ” in a new way should come to mind each day. This Advent, the Diocese of Venice launched a campaign to be “A Disciple of Christ,” to invite Christ in a personal and transformative way into our hearts that leads us to follow Him intentionally and willfully. At this time, it is fitting to find newness in our relationship with Christ, to ask oneself, “How can I be more ‘A Disciple of Christ’ in my own life’?”
This beginning allows each of us a fresh start as well as a focal point which, of course, is Christ Himself. In the words of St. Gregory of Nyssa, “He who climbs never stops going from beginning to beginning, through beginnings that have no end. He never stops desiring what he already knows.” This is what it means to both become and to be a disciple, since it is Christ that we desire and His love that we know. It is never too late to begin anew, to follow Christ and invite Him into our hearts.
The Season of Advent began with the focus on the Second Coming of Christ, when He comes in glory to judge the living and the dead. The portion of the Season which we are entering now sets its gaze on the first coming, the coming of the Christ Child. With roughly a week left of Advent and in view of the quickly approaching Christmas Season, why not up our game? Make the most of the opportunity of preparation for the coming of the Christ Child into our own lives. Our beginning points may be different, as St. Gregory told us, but we continue to move from beginning to beginning so that Christ may be born in our hearts again and again.
The Gospel of Luke tells us of the Archangel Gabriel’s announcement of the coming of Christ. Mary, in a special way, displays what it means to be a disciple, and she is, in fact, the first “Disciple of Christ.” When she hears the Word of God spoken to her, she responds in faith, exclaiming, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word” (cf. Luke 1:38). This is the essence of living the Gospel: “may it be done to me according to your word”; it is an acceptance and a response to God. In this way, all ought to be “A Disciple of Christ,” eager to receive His call and respond with love and faith. Then let us act and boldly allow Christ to take precedence in our lives in every respect.
Another example to be taken from this is the hearing and listening to God’s Word. How often do we allow the Bible to collect dust on the coffee table or on a bookshelf? Jesus said that His sheep hear His voice, He knows them, and they follow Him (cf. John 10:27). In this Season of preparation and in the following Season of Christmas, open your Bible with your family. “Take and read” as the Lord spoke to St. Augustine. In this you will find the “words of eternal life” (cf. John 6:68) present in Our Lord who is “the Way, and the Truth, and the Life” (cf. John 14:6) and you will know what it means to be “A Disciple of Christ.”
Looking toward the end of Advent and preparing for the coming of the Christ Child, be always aware of His Second Coming; be prepared to meet Christ as a disciple. Recognize the ways that He gives His love and respond to that love!
I wish you a fruitful remainder of the Advent Season and indeed a very Blessed and Merry Christmas! Know that you are in my prayers and please keep me in your prayers as we prepare for the coming of Christ into our hearts so as to be “A Disciple of Christ.”
Now is the time of year that people are planning their busy seasonal social schedule with lots of interesting activities to choose for evenings of elegance or just casual fun.
While choosing from the many opportunities Southwest Florida has to offer, consider these events for a chance to give back to the community. Proceeds go directly to help our brothers and sisters in Christ who are in need through the many programs of Catholic Charities Diocese of Venice Inc.
In most cases, the Catholic Charities galas are elegant black-tie affairs, but no matter what the attire, all of the proceeds will go directly to help those in the community where the event is held. This means that by buying a ticket you could literally help feed families, teach children to read or even prevent some from becoming homeless. Beginning in late January through April there are 10 chances to support Catholic Charities in an entertaining and unique way.
“These Catholic Charities Galas and events are of critical importance as it brings like-minded and faith-filled people together for a good cause,” explained Catholic Charities Diocese of Venice Inc. CEO Philomena Pereira. “Each gathering serves to help educate people about a critical need in the area, while at the same time offering everyone chance to have fun.”
The upcoming events will be centered on various themes and benefit either regional or specific programs of Catholic Charities. Many of the Balls will include a cocktail hour, auction, dining and dancing. The list of events is as follows:
Jammin’ for the Mamas for Our Mothers House, 13, Boca Royale Golf and Country Club, Englewood, $50, call 941-485-6264 or 941-662-7787, joyce.scott@catholiccharitiesdov.org;
Sugar Bowl Show of Shows North Port, Jan. 25, North Port Performing Arts Center, 6400 W. Price Blvd. North Port, $20 or $25 a person, 941-426-8479;
Boots and Bandannas Dinner Dance, Feb. 15, Kingsway Country Club, Port Charlotte, $75 per person, 863-494-1068, assistant@catholiccharitiesdov.org;
Bethesda House Mardi Gras Madness, Feb. 22, Art Ovation Hotel, Sarasota, $150 a person, 941-355-4680, ext. 301 or widmyer@catholiccharitiesdov.org;
Our Mother’s House Wine Tasting, Auction and Dinner Dance, Feb. 27, Venice Community Center, Venice, $85 a person, 941-485-6264 or scott@catholiccharitiesdov.org;
Emerald Ball, March 7, Ritz-Carlton Beach Resort, Naples, $400 a person, call 239-455-2655 or email pinillos@catholiccharitiesdov.org;
Sugar Bowl Show of Shows Bradenton, March 14, Neel Performing Arts Center, at State College of Florida, Bradenton, $25, $20, $35 per person, 941-74-5448;
Venetian Charity Ball, March 21, Hyatt Regency Coconut Point, Bonita Springs, $250 a person, call 239-334-4007 or widmyer@catholiccharitiesdov.org;
AFCAAM of Catholic Charities Charity Golf Classic, April 17, Forest Country Club, Fort Myers, 239-728-4571 or tduffy1942@gmail.com.
Nativity Scene stained glass, Church of St. Catherine, Bethlehem.
Below, please find a listing of the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Mass times throughout the Diocese of Venice. The listing is in alphabetical order by the city where the Parish/Mission is located.
Tradition, prayer, reverence and music marked the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas, throughout the Diocese of Venice.
Celebrated on Dec. 12, the Feast is often linked to the Dec. 9 Feast of St. Juan Diego, the day in 1531 when Our Lady first appeared to the saint near modern day Mexico City.
Parishes throughout the Diocese celebrated this special day with a variety of events including Masses, overnight vigils, large processions, early morning prayer celebrations, and even outdoor festivities.
“Our Lady of Guadalupe means so much to me and so many others,” said Valeria Hernandez of St. Elizabeth Seton Parish in Naples. “My mother prayed to the Blessed Virgin when I was sick as a child and she told me to do so every day. I do pray to her all the time and it gives me great comfort. On this Feast Day, in a special way, we all join together to give thanks to Her and to honor Her.”
For Diego Reyes, of St. Michael Parish in Wauchula, the celebration is “every holiday wrapped into one. Our Lady of Guadalupe is the acceptance of the Hispanic people into the Universal Catholic Church. We were welcomed by the Blessed Virgin Mary with open arms. What an honor and important moment that deserves our prayerful thanks and a true celebration.”
Bishop Frank J. Dewane celebrated the Feast Day Mass at St. Elizabeth Seton Parish, joined by Administrator Father Casey Jones and Parochial Vicar Father Luis Pacheco. Following the Mass, a play depicting the story of the apparition of Our Lady was led by children of the Parish. Afterwards, a local Aztec dancer troupe performed under the church portico.
Celebrations took place in many parishes and schools throughout the Diocese. Hundreds took part in rainy procession along U.S. 41 to St. Peter the Apostle Parish in Naples on their way to Mass. At Our Lady of Grace Parish in Avon Park the Mass was followed by an outdoor festival with music, dancing and food. Diocesan Catholic Schools also took time out to celebrate Our Lady by using the moment as a teaching lesson.
Other celebrations took place Diocesan Catholic Schools, where students learned about the cultural a rainy procession along U.S. 41 in Naples to St. Peter the Apostle Parish;
Our Lady appeared, dressed like an Aztec princess, to St. Juan Diego, a poor widower who was on his way to Mass. She asked, in his native language, to have the Bishop of Mexico build a church in Her honor. Skeptical, the Bishop asked for a sign. Our Lady again appeared to St. Juan Diego who shared the request of the Bishop. So, in the middle of winter Our Lady provided beautiful roses to wrap in St. Juan Diego’s tilma, a cloak made of cactus fibers. When he opened the tilma for the Bishop, the roses fell to the floor and an impression of Our Lady appeared on the tilma in the form an indigenous woman.
This apparition led to the conversion of Mexico almost overnight, when up to that time Catholic missionaries from Europe had made very little headway. The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City was built on the site of the apparitions and is one of the most visited religious shrines in the world. It is also home of the actual tilma of St. Juan Diego, which can still be seen, with the image clearly visible, nearly 500 years later.
Permanent deacons of the Diocese of Venice recently gathered at St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Port Charlotte to hear from visiting speaker Father Eusebius Martis, O.S.B.
Bishop Frank J. Dewane introduced Father Martis, a Benedictine monk of Marmion Abbey and a well-known sacramental theologian who was in the Diocese of Venice for the annual Priest Convocation in the first week of December.
While in the Diocese Father Martis also offered his expertise to a gathering of Diocesan musicians at St. John XXIII Parish in Fort Myers on Dec. 5.
During his presentation to the deacons on Dec. 7 Father Martis focused on the importance of the liturgy noting that a deacon is intimately connected with the life of the community. “The role of the deacon is to act in the best of his ability as a model for the people and show them what they are supposed to do. You articulate what the truth is.”
Father Martis noted that every moment of the Liturgy has a specific purpose and meaning and the corresponding actions by a deacon matter. Therefore, the Liturgy is not a place to let individuality shine through, he continued. “It is a place of becoming united, formed into the Body of Christ. Liturgy that manifests division does a disservice to prayer.”
The Liturgy, actions and meanings of which are described in detail in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal Rite books and the Ordo, is a ritual of repetition, a process that repeats our pilgrimage to Heaven, Father continued.
“Our unity is manifested in common gestures, shared actions and joining our voices into a harmonious voice of Christ,” Father Martis explained. “The Deacon has his own role in the Liturgy: proclaiming, occasionally preaching; universal prayer, assisting the priest, and modelling for the people their gestures and postures.”
Father Martis also spoke to musicians from various Parishes using a similar theme.
The Diocese of Venice is blessed with many generous and dedicated priests who have followed Christ’s call to act in His person in the priesthood. The Diocese is further blessed with vocations to the priesthood, evidenced by our present number of 17 seminarians.
Support of the Annual Seminary Collection, always the first weekend in the New Year, continues to be crucial as challenges increase in the educating and forming of our future priests.
This Seminary Collection, to be taken up this year the weekend of Jan. 4-5, “ensures that we continue to educate the seminarians so as priests they can serve you and your family,” Bishop Frank J. Dewane said in a letter promoting the collection. “It enables the Church’s mission of cultivating and fostering vocations, supporting the next generation of diocesan priests in their formation and all the accompanying expenses. Programs to invite more men to consider the priesthood must also be organized and funded. Your gift to the Seminarian Collection helps offset these costs.”
Further the contributions assist in the assessment given to the Diocese of Venice to contribute toward the updating of St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach. The institute is co-owned by all of the Arch/diocese in the state of Florida. It has recently been totally remodeled.
Father Shawn Roser, Diocese of Venice Director of Vocations, reflected upon the importance on supporting vocations to the priesthood and religious life, in particular during the Advent and Christmas Seasons.
“The very mention of Christmas fills us with a flood of memories and feelings,” Father Roser said. “Perhaps as children, we gazed with wonder at the infant lying in the manger scene or tried to imagine what the angels sounded like when they appeared to those shepherds long ago.”
The seasons are a magical time of year, full of lights, life, and love of God and neighbor through acts of charity and prayer, Father Roser added.
“The ‘Yes!’ of Mary – even the ‘Yes!’ of Joseph – in answer to the call from God, led to the miracle of Christmas and that in a similar way, when we say yes to God’s will for us in our vocation, He can work powerfully through us,” Father continued. “As Christmas approaches, we should prepare our hearts, like mangers, to receive the Christ child once again. And so, as Our Lord is the Father’s gift to us, let us make our lives a gift back to Him. Please generously contribute to the Seminary Collection!”
Your gift to this important collection provides vital financial support which is working to ensure the future of the Church in the Diocese of Venice.
If you feel the Lord May be calling you to lay down your life for Him and His Church as a priest or religious, please contact Father Shawn Roser at 941-484-9543 or roser@dioceseofvenice.org.
Every student at Cardinal Mooney participates in giving back through community service and is required to complete 100 hours of service during their four years at the college preparatory school.
Celebrated at several parishes in the Diocese, for the first time the tradition was celebrated at the Vatican by Pope Francis. The Holy Father opened the celebration at St. Peter’s Basilica on Dec. 15, Gaudete Sunday.
This tradition is also known by its popular Spanish name as the Misa de Gallo, or “Mass of the Rooster,” commonly indicating the pre-dawn Christmas Eve Mass. The novena serves as spiritual preparation for Christmas, in commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ. The celebration is also seen as a way of requesting blessings from the Lord, as most people believe that if one completes the whole series of nine dawn Masses, wishes will be granted.
On Jan. 5, the Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord, the Feast Day of Epiphany Cathedral in Venice, Bishop Frank J. Dewane presided over a tri-lingual Mass (English, Spanish and Polish). This annual tradition includes the different language communities that are based at the Cathedral. At the beginning of the Mass, Bishop Dewane blessed the Cathedral where it is inscribed 20+C+M+B+20 (the year and the initials of the three magi) above the main interior entrance to the Church.
While choosing from the many opportunities Southwest Florida has to offer, consider these events for a chance to give back to the community. Proceeds go directly to help our brothers and sisters in Christ who are in need through the many programs of Catholic Charities Diocese of Venice Inc.
“These Catholic Charities Galas and events are of critical importance as it brings like-minded and faith-filled people together for a good cause,” explained Catholic Charities Diocese of Venice Inc. CEO Philomena Pereira. “Each gathering serves to help educate people about a critical need in the area, while at the same time offering everyone chance to have fun.”
Celebrated on Dec. 12, the Feast is often linked to the Dec. 9 Feast of St. Juan Diego, the day in 1531 when Our Lady first appeared to the saint near modern day Mexico City.
Celebrations took place in many parishes and schools throughout the Diocese. Hundreds took part in rainy procession along U.S. 41 to St. Peter the Apostle Parish in Naples on their way to Mass. At Our Lady of Grace Parish in Avon Park the Mass was followed by an outdoor festival with music, dancing and food. Diocesan Catholic Schools also took time out to celebrate Our Lady by using the moment as a teaching lesson.
This apparition led to the conversion of Mexico almost overnight, when up to that time Catholic missionaries from Europe had made very little headway. The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City was built on the site of the apparitions and is one of the most visited religious shrines in the world. It is also home of the actual tilma of St. Juan Diego, which can still be seen, with the image clearly visible, nearly 500 years later.
Bishop Frank J. Dewane introduced Father Martis, a Benedictine monk of Marmion Abbey and a well-known sacramental theologian who was in the Diocese of Venice for the annual Priest Convocation in the first week of December.
Support of the Annual Seminary Collection, always the first weekend in the New Year, continues to be crucial as challenges increase in the educating and forming of our future priests.
“The very mention of Christmas fills us with a flood of memories and feelings,” Father Roser said. “Perhaps as children, we gazed with wonder at the infant lying in the manger scene or tried to imagine what the angels sounded like when they appeared to those shepherds long ago.”
