At Sunday Masses the weekend of May 14-15, 2022, Faithful in the Diocese of Venice will have an opportunity to contribute to a special collection for the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS).
Father Robert R. Cannon, Ch, Col, USAF (Ret.), knows first-hand the value of such a gift from anyone who can contribute. Not only is Father Cannon a priest of the Diocese of Venice, he is also the AMS’s Chancellor in Washington, DC. He is a vital contact for fellow Catholic priests serving worldwide as U.S. Military Chaplains, a position Father held for almost 30 years.
“It’s hard to describe how a Catholic priest affects so many people,” Father Cannon says, “just by being a priest on a base and people learn who you are, you immediately have a flock. You’re their shepherd. They don’t even have to know you. As soon as they see that Roman collar you have thousands of people that are going to be trusting you and looking for support from you. Your very presence is a great consolation and comfort to Catholic military members and families.”
But Catholic priests are increasingly in short supply on active duty these days because of attrition: aging chaplains are retiring faster than they can be replaced. Twenty-five percent of the U.S. Military’s nearly 1.2 million men and women on active duty are Catholic, but the Military’s 192 active-duty Catholic priests make up just seven percent of the Chaplain Corps. In response to the shortage the AMS, along with partner Dioceses and religious communities, has developed a thriving “Co-Sponsored Seminarian Program,” in which dozens of men are now in formation to become priest-chaplains and help relieve the shortage. This includes Diocese of Venice Seminarian Jacob C. Gwynn, who was commissioned as an Ensign in the United States Navy on Jan. 22, 2021, at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach. He is a Chaplain Candidate Program Officer, pursuing serving God and country as a Chaplain.
The AMS, which receives no government funding, has no network of local parishes to take up collections, and depends entirely on private giving for survival, now faces a $3.5 million seminary bill over the next five years. That’s in addition to the archdiocese’s annual operating budget of more than $7 million to provide religious education and faith formation for military families, an active archive of sacramental records, a tribunal to handle anomalous marriages, annulments, and other issues of canon law, travel for AMS Bishops, and other forms of pastoral care for Catholics in uniform and veterans receiving care in the nation’s Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers.
Seeing the AMS’s growing need for support back in 2012, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) approved the special collection in Parishes nationwide every three years. The first collection was taken up in 2013 with others to follow in 2016, 2019, and now, 2022.
Father Cannon was ordained in 1978 for the Diocese of St. Petersburg but became a priest of the Diocese of Venice when St. John Paul II erected the new Diocese in 1984. Father became a Chaplain in the U.S. Air Force Reserve in 1986 and was asked by the USAF Chief of Chaplains to go on extended active duty in 2003. Before his active duty, Father Cannon held several positions, including Dean of Students and Adjunct Professor of Social Sciences at St. John Vianney College Seminary in Miami, Diocesan Judicial Vicar, and Rector of Epiphany Cathedral in Venice.
He vividly recalls leaving his position as rector to answer the call to serve those who serve in faraway places. “I admit that I cried driving I-75 with a packed car up to Washington, D.C. I had come to love the people, the Cathedral. I certainly was able to relate to military personnel when they had to leave their families.”
As Father Cannon knows all too well, time and resources are precious commodities for a Catholic priest on active duty in the U.S. Military. Priests like Father Cannon can provide the time, but only the Faithful can provide the resources through the 2022 national collection on May 14-15. If you wish to contribute directly to the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, visit milarch.org/nationalcollection.
Story courtesy of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA
Mary’s example provides an opportunity for the Church to reflect on the role of all mothers in society and the Church, the Pope explained, noting how despite all of the “symbolic glorification” we give to motherhood, it is still under-valued.
Bishop Dewane stressed that the Faithful must look at radically changing their life, but with a certain zeal, or fire, welling up from within, similar to how the Blessed Virgin answered “Yes!” to the call of the Lord at the Annunciation.
Father Sullivan was born the second son of Joseph Sullivan and Ruth Keiter, on Aug. 6, 1936, in Newton, Massachusetts. Ordained to the priesthood on May 1, 1964, at St. Michael Monastery with the Passionate Congregation in Union City, N.J., Father Sullivan served for four years in the northeast leading missions and retreats.
Using vivid colors and inspiring imagery, six Diocesan Catholic school students were recently honored for their artwork as part of an All Saints Devotional Project focused on the Blessed Virgin, Queen of all Saints.
Invited to the Mass were the artists and their families, as well as principals, art teachers and junior catechists from each of the 15 Diocesan schools.
“When we pray to the saints, it is intended to help us grow in affection – not necessarily for those things in this world, as important as they might be – but instead to grow in affection to the things of God so that we can keep those at the center of our lives,” Father continued. “And if we are able to be affectionate to not only the things of this world but also to the things that are of part of Heaven, then we begin to live our lives directed toward God and toward a destiny of eternity with a life with God in Heaven.”
The six winning artists were selected from among 150 entries from Diocesan Catholic students and were recognized at a reception in the Parish Hall following the Mass. Among the winners was a mosaic painting created by fifth graders from St. Ann Catholic School in Naples, as well as five other individual artworks, with the honorees selected by representatives from the Diocesan Department of Catholic Education.
This recent devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary included age-appropriate catechesis for students so that they can carry with them a life-long devotion to the Blessed Virgin.
At its most basic elements, the All Saints Devotional Project is intended to build the Catholic identity of not just each Diocesan school, but of each student, family, teacher and faculty member.
Eager teens learned about the new “Young Catholic Leaders” program, which is a post-Confirmation Religious Education course for teenagers who have been confirmed and want to continue the learning about Catholic Identity. The first meeting was just the beginning of a journey, as these teens will meet several times a year and discuss some of the bigger questions facing young people today.
“All of us are asked to emulate saints and work toward holiness,” Chrzan said. “Having a young man as a role model who is in the process of becoming a saint gives the ‘Young Catholic Leaders’ someone to honor, pray to and ask for intercessions.”
The Golden Rose Awards were presented during an April 30, 2022, luncheon at Epiphany Cathedral in Venice. The Golden Rose Award seeks to recognize the basic tenets of the Council of Catholic Women – spirituality, leadership and service.
“We recognize those girls who exhibit outstanding qualities in spirituality, leadership ability, while also completing a meaningful service project,” Weiss said. “We received a great response and are proud to honor these young ladies with the Golden Rose Award.”
The St. Andrew Catholic School Veggie Races capped off STREAM Night on April 28, 2022, in Cape Coral. The night included a variety of STREAM (Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Arts, Math) demonstrations throughout the schools. The highlight was the end of the evening Veggie Races. These races pit students against each other with racecars designed exclusive with vegetables – with a few skewers to hold everything together. The track was an inclined ramp with parallel lanes for the two competitors. The goal was to first get to the bottom without the racecar falling apart and then going as far as possible down the track. A great time was had by all as the students had use creativity and practicality to create a successful racecar.
Third graders at St. Catherine Catholic School in Sebring made pinecone birdseed feeders as part of a project to their Plants and Animals Science Unit on April 29, 2022. The patron saint of animals, St. Francis of Assisi, built bonds of love with all of the kinds of creatures in the animal kingdom. However, St. Francis had a special relationship with birds, who often followed him around and rested on his shoulders, arms, or hands as he prayed or walked around outside.
On April 30th, the middle school boys and girls track teams at Donahue Catholic Academy of Ave Maria Parish in Ave Maria, competed at their conference championships on April 30, 2022, and both teams came home Champions. Way to go teams!
Dedicated by St. John Paul II, Divine Mercy Sunday honors St. Faustina’s vision of Jesus Christ – His message of love and peace for the world. For many in the Diocese of Venice, the Feast of Divine Mercy takes on a powerful meaning when they participate in a private or public prayer called the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.
St. Faustina wrote in her diary what Jesus told her: “I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls but especially for poor sinners. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon these souls who approach the fount of My Mercy… let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be many.”
At St. William Parish in Naples, Divine Mercy Sunday included the traditional afternoon prayer service. This opened with a procession with the Color Corps of the Knights of Columbus followed by children and adults who placed red and white flowers before the image, then the image was blessed with holy water. Next, was an Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, a reflection from Father Steven Clemente, a recitation of the Divine Mercy Litany, and singing of the Divine Mercy Chaplet. The prayer service concluded with a veneration of the image of Divine Mercy. A large painting of the Divine Mercy image, created in 2019 for the Parish by Rosalie Polivika Ramstead, was on display during the prayer service.
During the prayer service at St. William Parish several reflections and passages from the diary of St. Faustina were read. At the conclusion, the faithful were invited to come forward and pray before the image of Divine Mercy.
Citing Pope Francis, who said the sins of clerical abuse of minors has a toxic effect on Faith and hope in God, Msgr. Dubois said some have maintained their Faith “while for others the experience of betrayal and abandonment has led to a weakening of Faith in God. It is the great miracle of hope which prevails against the deepest darkness that can be present in our lives. Our loving Lord is forever on the side of all who suffer, of all the victims – particularly the defenseless and abused child – bringing healing to so much pain and hurt.”
