Grandparents, a vital link to the past – most importantly regarding Faith – were welcomed to St. John Neumann Catholic High School in Naples for a special celebration.
On Nov. 4, 2022, the celebration opened with a Mass celebrated by Bishop Frank J. Dewane as students sat with their grandparents in Our Lady of the Angels School Chapel. Afterwards, everyone went to the Student Life Center for a luncheon.
During the Mass, Bishop Dewane praised the Grandparents Day event saying it reflects the sense of family the school projects, honoring a vital part of that community.
“In the role of mentors of the family, of tradition of faith, of patience, of love, it’s you grandparents who are in a unique position to have a positive influence,” Bishop Dewane said. “You carry the traditions of your families, the Church and the society we live in. I ask that you take that role seriously. Students, you owe a great deal to your grandparents. Recognize that, and express gratitude often.”
Bishop Dewane cited Pope Francis who often speaks about grandparents. The Holy Father established the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly in 2021, which is celebrated in late July each year.
“The Holy Father calls you to teach family roots, where it is they come from,” Bishop Dewane said. “Have boldness, take action in the role of holiness. Give that example by being the light of Christ, as we are all called to be. By your granddaughter or grandson being here at St. John Neuman, I say to all of you – congratulations for the role you have performed.”
Following the Mass, several grandparents, and their grandchildren, thanked the Bishop for his presence and for acknowledging the roles both have to play in building up the faith of each other.
One grandparent, Charlotte Noelke, travelled from Minnesota to attend the event with her granddaughter, Sophie Boos. “As soon as I received the invitation, we made the plans. I am so happy she is at a Catholic high school. It is a great education and a wonderful opportunity for her to grow in her faith.”
The luncheon concluded with a slideshow of the students with their grandparents and a request that the families take selfies to share for next year’s slideshow.
This was the 18th Annual Hispanic Festival and an estimated 12,000 people descended on the Parish for this return event following a hiatus in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Father Celestino Gutierrez, Pastor of St. Jude, officially opened the Hispanic Festival with a prayer. This followed a “Parade of Flags” when each country represented at the festival was announced, and the respective flags brought forth cheers from the crowd.
Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School junior Addison Dempsey took the silver medal in the Class 2A girls Florida High School Athletic Association Cross Country State Championship on Nov. 5, 2022, in Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee. Dempsey crossed the 5,000-meter (or 3.1 mile) race in 17:54, just 11 seconds behind the winner. The Mooney girls’ team came in 25th overall, with Kate Ruaona placing 11th. The Sarasota boys finished in 20th, with the top runner, Christian Kline placing 37th. At the same event, the Bishop Verot Catholic High School runners from Fort Myers also participated, with sophomore Mackenzie De Lisle placing fifth. The boy’s team took fifth place overall, with the top runner, Grayson Tubbs, placing 16th. Congratulations everyone!
The Veterans of Foreign War Golden Gate Post 7721 visited St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic School in Naples on Nov. 4, 2022, to teach the eighth graders how to properly fold the American flag in advance of the school’s Veterans Day Tribute on Nov. 11.
Fourth grade science students at St. Martha Catholic School in Sarasota learned all about Thermal Energy the week of Nov. 1, 2022. The students each constructed their own solar oven and placed the components for s’mores in them before bringing them outside to cook. The result: the ovens worked, and everyone had a delicious snack created in their own oven!
A fun time was had during “Silly String” festivities at St. Joseph Catholic School in Bradenton on Nov. 4, 2022. The fun was a follow-up celebration to the successful annual Eagle Run fundraiser held earlier in the month. The seventh-grade class, which had great success during the Eagle Run, also celebrated with a McDonald’s party.
The demand was great,” said Eddie Gloria, CEO of Catholic Charities DOV. “Catholic Charities stepped up to do what had to be done even as many of our staff and volunteers suffered losses from Ian.”
The basics of food and water were available at each site, some from donations of individuals, families, Parishes, non-profit groups and even corporations. The majority of what was distributed was in the form of FEMA Disaster Relief supplies, which included cases of bottled water and boxes of meals-ready-to-eat.
“We are past the first phase, which is responding to the immediate aftermath of this disaster,” Branam said. “Now we are focusing on helping people rebuild their lives. This means case management and support with getting people back into their homes whenever possible. Even if a family didn’t have serious damage in the storm, many had time off from work that they really could not afford. Others had damage they cannot afford to take care of, and still others need to relocate.”
While Catholic Charities will always accept donations of cleaning supplies and food such as rice, beans and cooking oil, the real need is for financial donations, Gloria said.
Human beings naturally have a goal of personal fulfillment. A rather vague topic, achieving goodness can be defined so differently by any group of people. But Dr. Lisa Kotasek (affectionately known to her students as Dr. K), Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School 11th grade Theology teacher, has continued an inspiring tradition to make this commitment to the common good: the “Thank You Card Revolution.”
Kotasek connects the “Thank You Card Revolution” to Scripture, specifically to “This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice in it and be glad” (Ps. 118:24). For the junior class at Mooney, the 160 students rejoice in God’s goodness through their creative letters. All handmade, these cards signify the genuine character of each writer, an example of spreading positivity based on the idea that “if you receive one, you write one.” Expressing one’s feelings in this way encourages the gift of affability, where we spread joy and evangelize with the joy of the Gospel message.
Mooney senior Jessica Kaszubski said the “Thank You Card Revolution” was just as impactful. “I remember last year, Dr. K asked us to make a thank you card for someone in our class before we left. I remember writing a card for one of my friends, and I know that she still has it to this day. It was a very generous and thoughtful thing for Dr. K to have us do.”
Another Mooney senior, Cooper “Froggy” Flerlage was also fond of this selfless activity. A football player, track and field athlete, and choir singer, Cooper “loved the project-based learning… I’ll never forget Christmas in G-102 where we read aloud about St. Nick and enjoyed the season.”
Moving forward, Dr. K challenges all card receivers to stop by to get a blank card to send to someone else. This builds upon the Diocese of Venice Gifts of Christ initiative created by Jennifer Falestiny, Diocesan Curriculum Coordinator, into projects like this “revolution” during the school year. One of these gifts, unity, was expressed in a homily by Father John Belmonte, SJ, Diocesan Superintendent of Catholic Education, to Mooney’s student body upon their return after Hurricane Ian.
With its roots in German, Halloween (Hallow’s Eve) actually translates to Holy/Saints Evening, or evening of All Saints’ Day.
On Oct. 28, the St. Joseph second graders visited a nearby assisted living facility. In addition to trick-or-treating, the students performed Halloween poetry and songs for the residents. That same night, the school and Parish hosted a Truck-or-Treat where families went all out to come up with different themes.
Incarnation Parish in Sarasota offered the veneration of First Class Relics in between each Mass on the vigil and solemnity. On display at the Parish were relics from St. Catherine of Siena, St. Dominic, St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, St. John of the Cross, St. Faustina, St. Francis of Assisi and many more. The idea for this grew from a spring tour of the “Relics of the Vatican” which drew great interest.
These sessions were part of the Diocesan Phase of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of Bishops, “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission,” as requested by His Holiness Pope Francis.
Overall, more than 1,000 of the faithful participated in the synodal process, including both young and old, women and men, English and Spanish-speaking. Findings were compiled in a detailed report shared with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in June. Similar sessions to those held in the Diocese of Venice were held around the country and around the globe; a synthesis of all Diocesan reports will be shared with the Vatican.
Inquirers must be Catholics in good standing and fully initiated into the faith for at least five years. If married, there must be evidence of a stable marriage for at least five years and the wife of an applicant must be willing to support her husband in this endeavor and to participate in a formation weekend program for at least the first two years. Single men must understand that deacons remain celibate following ordination.
To help ease the burden of the planning process, the Catholic Community Foundation of Southwest Florida has made available a free Personal Estate Planning Record Book. This record book is intended to help collect and organize important information and to serve as a valuable tool for your estate planner and loved ones. By being prepared, you will save both time and money. You will also simplify the process for those you love when they need to access your important life documents.
Bishop Frank J. Dewane presided over the Admission to Candidacy of 14 seminarians at Pope St. John XXIII Seminary, in Weston, Massachusetts, on Oct. 26, 2022. Among those admitted to candidacy was Diocese of Venice Seminarian Carlos Galeso. Each of the seminarians have been approved by their respective Bishops and will continue in their studies to become Catholic priests. Each man publicly expressed his intention to complete his preparation for Holy Orders and his resolve to fully invest himself to that calling.
The Incarnation Catholic School middle schoolers took part in a Science Fair in Sarasota on Oct. 28, 2022. The students did an amazing job impressing the judges, teachers and each other. Each student, or team, did various experiments and documented their results, including the purpose of the project, a hypothesis, materials and procedures to conduct the experiment, data collected and the results. This was all displayed, including various graphs and images, to be judged and available for others to learn.
St. Paul Parish in Arcadia celebrated World Mission Sunday, on Oct. 23, 2022, with a procession of children wearing traditional clothing representing the different regions of the world. The children then sat on the steps of the altar while World Mission Sunday was explained. World Mission Sunday is celebrated in all the local Churches as the feast of Catholicity and universal solidarity so Christians the world over will recognize their common responsibility with regard to the evangelization of the world.
