50 years
Msgr. Joseph E Stearns
Monsignor Joseph E. Stearns was born in 1945 in Worcester, Massachusetts, the youngest of five children to Pauline (Cote) and Peter Stearns. Msgr. Stearns studied at Eymard Prep Seminary of Blessed Sacrament Fathers in Hyde Park, New York and St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach, Florida. Ordained to the Priesthood on May 20, 1972, in Miami, he served as Parochial Vicar at Our Lady of the Lakes in Miami Lakes, Little Flower Parish in Coral Gables, and Sacred Heart Parish in Homestead. Monsignor was serving as Pastor of St. Margaret Parish in Clewiston in 1984 when the Diocese of Venice was established. His next assignment was as Pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Punta Gorda, then as Pastor of St. William Parish in Naples, and finally, before retiring, as Pastor of St. Michael the Archangel Parish on Siesta Key. As announced from the Office of the Bishop on June 11, 2010, then-Pope Benedict XVI, bestowed Papal Honors on Msgr. Stearns, along with four other Diocesan Priests, in recognition of their dedication and exemplary service to the Church. This Papal Honor elevated him to the rank of Monsignor, as Chaplain to His Holiness. This group of priests was the first to receive this honor in the history of the Diocese of Venice. Through the years, Msgr. Stearns has served on numerous advisory boards including the College of Consultors and the Presbyteral Council. Having retired in March 2015, Monsignor has assisted at several Parishes including Incarnation Parish in Sarasota and Our Lady of the Angels Parish in Lakewood Ranch.
Father David M. Foley
Born in 1939, in Somerville, Massachusetts, Father David M. Foley is the only child of Catherine (Maloney) and David Foley. Father Foley studied at the Stigmatine Fathers and Brothers Minor Seminary in Wellesley, Massachusetts, then later at the Theological College of Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Ordained to the Priesthood on May 20, 1972, in Bartlett, Tennessee, for the Diocese of Memphis, Father Foley served in Parishes in Memphis, Selmer, Millington, Ripley, Dyersburg, Bolivar and Covington until his retirement in 2002. Upon his retirement, Father Foley moved to Collier County where he assisted at several Parishes through the years.
Father Adrian M. Wilde, O. Carm.
Carmelite Father Adrian M. Wilde was born in 1946 in Birmingham, England, and is the second child of six children born to Margaret “Peggy” (Lees) and Marcel Wilde. Father Wilde joined the British Providence of the Order of Carmelites in 1965 and started his novitiate at Aylesford Priory, Kent, England. After being professed there in 1966, Father then continued his studies in Dublin, Ireland, and next at Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. After his Ordination to the Priesthood in Kent on July 16, 1972, Father Wilde was assigned to Aylesford Priory and Allington Castle in Kent, English Martyrs Church in London, Hazelwood Castle in Yorkshire, and as Director of the Shrine of St. Jude in Faversham. Taking part in an applied theology sabbatical at the University of California – Berkeley, Father Wilde then began assignments with the Pure Heart of Mary Province of the Carmelites in the U.S. and served at Parishes in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, and then in Houston Texas. He became a U.S. citizen in 2007 and in September 2008 was assigned as Pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Grove City. After six years in Grove City, Father Wilde travelled to El Salvador, Peru and Australia, before helping at the Carmelite Chapel in Peabody, Massachusetts, and in a semi-retired status at a high school in Encino, California. In 2019, Father Wilde returned to Florida and became a member of the community at Carmel at Mission Valley in Nokomis where he is currently Prior.
Deacon Raymond J. Barrett
Deacon Raymond J. Barrett was born in 1933 to Margaret A. Barre (Beuhne) and William F. Barrett. Deacon Barrett studied at St. Joseph Seminary in Washington, D.C., and was ordained to the Permanent Diaconate on September 30, 1972; part of the second Diaconate Class for the Archdiocese of Washington. Before relocating to Florida, Deacon Raymond served at Parishes in Washington, D.C., and Maryland, as well as in Prison Ministry, Hospital Ministry and assisting for 20 years at a retired priest nursing home in Washington. He also worked with the Little Sisters of the Poor. In the Diocese of Venice, Deacon Barrett served at St. Raphael Parish in Lehigh Acres until his retirement in 2013, and continues to assist when he is able. In September 2022, Deacon will celebrate 66 years of marriage to his wife, Valerie (Lord). The couple have been blessed with five children, 12 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren. Before retiring in 1989, Deacon Barrett spent his career as a printer and proofreader for the U.S. government. In addition, for 61 years, he served as a volunteer firefighter for Prince George’s County, Maryland.
25 years
Father Hugh J. McGuigan, OSFS
Father Hugh J. McGuigan, Oblate of St. Francis de Sales, was born in 1953 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the second of the nine children of Jeanne Marie (Tomas) and Hugh A. McGuigan. Father Hugh studied at Allentown College (now de Sales University), in Center Valley, Pennsylvania; De Sales School of Theology with Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.; and Nova Southeastern University. After serving as a brother with the Oblates for 25 years, Father McGuigan was Ordained to the Priesthood on May 31, 1997, in Wilmington, Delaware. As a priest, Father McGuigan served at Bishop Verot Catholic High School in Fort Myers, first as Dean of Students, and then as Principal. On weekends, Father assisted at St. Katharine Drexel Parish in Cape Coral, Resurrection Parish, St. Cecilia Parish, St. Vincent de Paul Parish and Our Lady of Light Parish, all in Fort Myers. Following his time at Bishop Verot, Father McGuigan was assigned as Parochial Vicar to Our Lady of Light Parish and was installed as the Pastor in 2005 where he continues in this role.
Father Patrick T. O’Connor, OSFS
The fourth of five children born to Kathleen (Smith) and Joseph O’Connor, Father Patrick T. O’Connor, Oblate of St. Francis de Sales, studied at De Sales University in Center Valley, Pennsylvania; De Sales School of Theology with Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.; and Loyola College in Baltimore, Maryland. Ordained to the Priesthood on May 31, 1997, in Wilmington, Delaware, Father O’Connor served at Parishes in Reston, Virginia, and Shallotte, North Carolina. Within the Diocese of Venice, Father O’Connor has previously served as a Chaplain at Bishop Verot Catholic High School in Fort Myers, Parochial Vicar at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Immokalee and St. Ann Parish in Naples. In 2009 he was assigned as Administrator of Jesus the Worker and San Jose Mission, both in Fort Myers. There he was instrumental in the construction of a new Church for Jesus the Worker and was named Pastor in 2014 when Jesus the Worker was erected as the 60th Parish in the Diocese of Venice. For the past 15 years, Father O’Connor has ministered in the Spanish-speaking immigrant community after teaching himself the language.
Father Leszek M. Sikorski
Father Leszek M. Sikorski was born in Drezdenko, Poland in 1964, the youngest of the three children of Lucja (Duzalska) and Zygmunt Sikorski. Father studied in Poland and then at Ss. Cyril and Methodius National Seminary in Orchard Lake, Michigan; at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland; Fordham University in the Bronx, New York; Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia; and the Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island. After his Ordination to the Priesthood on October 25, 1997, at Epiphany Cathedral in Venice, Father Sikorski served as Parochial Vicar at St. Andrew Parish in Cape Coral and Sacred Heart Parish in Punta Gorda. While earning an advanced degree, Father Sikorksi served in the Bronx. He was commissioned as a Lieutenant Junior Grade in March 2004 into the U.S. Navy Chaplain Corps. While serving in the U.S. Navy, Father Sikorski served aboard numerous vessels as well as at bases in the U.S. and throughout the world, including Japan, Bahrain and Spain. Part of Father’s service included taking part in numerous humanitarian missions, as well as being instrumental in supervising the renovation of two chapels. Since 2020, Father has been assigned as a Command Chaplain with the U.S.S. John F. Kennedy (CVN-79), a nuclear aircraft carrier currently under construction in Newport News, Virginia. As part of his military service, Command Chaplain Sikorski has earned the Fleet Marine Forces Qualified Officer pin, as well as the following decorations: four Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, the Combat Action Ribbon among additional service awards.
Deacon Henry de Mena
Born in 1956 in East Orange, New Jersey, to Agnes (Walsh) and Henry de Mena, Deacon de Mena earned a degree in chemical engineering from the New College of Engineering and then a degree in counseling from Seton Hall University. Deacon de Mena was ordained to the Permanent Diaconate on May 2, 1997, in Paterson, New Jersey for that Diocese. After serving at Parishes in Cedar Knolls and Madison, New Jersey, Deacon de Mena relocated to Florida. He now serves at St. Agnes Parish in Naples. Deacon Henry is married to Dorine (vander Schraff) and the couple have two children and one grandchild. Although still serving as a consultant, Deacon de Mena retired from a career as a chemical engineer in 2012. Also a bereavement counselor, he offers bereavement courses within the Diocese of Venice.
Deacon Mark Miravalle
Deacon Mark Miravalle was born in 1959 in San Francisco, California, to John L. Stone and Nora Miravalle. He studied at the St. Ignatius Institute of the University of San Francisco and later at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, Angelicum, in Rome, Italy where he earned a Licentiate of Sacred Theology and Doctor of Sacred Theology. Ordained a Permanent Deacon on June 7, 1997, in Hopedale, Ohio, Deacon Miravalle has served at Parishes in Steubenville and Hopedale, Ohio, and currently assists at Ave Maria Parish in Ave Maria as a Visiting Professor of Mariology at Ave Maria University. Beginning in 1986, he served as Professor of Theology at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, specializing in Mariology (he is the St. John Paul II Chair of Mariology) and Spiritual Theology. The author of more than 20 books in Mariology and Spiritual Theology, Deacon Miravelle was the founder and senior editor of Ecce Mater Tua, an international journal on Mariology research, and is also president of the International Marian Association. Deacon Marivalle and his wife Lisbeth Joslyn have eight children, and 12 grandchildren.
The 40 Days for Life 365 is an effort to ensure that whenever a local abortion facility exists, whether surgical abortions are taking place or not, the faithful are present showing compassion and support for those who enter such facilities.
The 40 Days for Life spring campaign began Ash Wednesday (March 2) in thousands of locations in the United States and around the world with 455 babies saved. The local campaigns in Sarasota and Fort Myers benefitted from the support of local churches, both Catholic and other Christian denominations. Each church selects a day for coverage to ensure all hours are filled. Faithful from Parishes in the northern areas of the Diocese stand witness in Sarasota, while those from the central and southern regions are witnesses outside the Fort Myers Planned Parenthood. Participants can stand vigil for as much time as they wish. Signs are provided for those who want them, while others pray the rosary.
Although Jeanne Berdeaux has been with the Diocese of Venice for 37 years, she shows no signs of slowing down. The Diocesan Respect Life Director started her work with the Diocese on April 8, 1985, just a few months after the Diocese was founded and even before the current Catholic Center was constructed. She worked in Pastoral Ministries (now Evangelization) in her early years then moved to the Respect Life Office for several years before becoming the Director in 1998. Respect Life has been her passion ever since, spreading the word about the Catholic Church’s teaching on life from conception to natural death. On her anniversary day, Bishop Frank J. Dewane congratulated and recognized Berdeaux for her hard work. Congratulations and keep up the good work Jeanne!
The Knights of Columbus Council 10757, from St. William Parish in Naples, raised the money to purchase a 3D ultrasound which was donated to the Community Pregnancy Clinics Inc. offices in Fort Myers, giving mothers and fathers in need the highest quality images of their unborn babies. The ultrasound was blessed on April 11, 2022, by Father Steven Clemente, Parochial Vicar of St. William Parish. With the science of 3D ultrasound, even at six weeks gestation, parents and family see in detail the beginning of their baby’s development. Approximately 95% of women who view these clear images choose life for their baby!
Hallie Monserez, a graduating senior at Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School in Sarasota, has been nominated to the 2022 Florida Dairy Farmers Academic All-State Team. This elite program recognizes and honors 24 graduating student-athletes who excel in both athletics and academics. The 2022 Florida Dairy Farmers Academic All-State Team selection committee received applications from 51 male nominees and 69 female nominees across the state. Each nominee was evaluated on their athletic participation, academic record, extracurricular activities, community service, and essay. Hallie owns a 4.0 GPA. The National Merit Finalist lettered in three sports (cross country, track and field, and soccer) all four years of high school and holds the school record in the 4x400m relay. Hallie is a member of student government, National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, and St. Vincent de Paul Society. She earned over 150 community service hours volunteering with St, Michael the Archangel Parish, Our Lady of Angels Parish in Lakewood Ranch in Sarasota, as well as Living Lord Lutheran Church. She is the daughter of Amber and Michael Monserez and plans to attend the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana this fall. With this being one of the most important special recognition programs the Florida High School Athletic Association sponsors, 12 girls and 12 boys from all over the state will be awarded a total of $50,000 in scholarships. Each Florida Dairy Famers honoree will be recognized during a banquet on June 6, 2022.
St. Andrew Catholic School third grade students learned about landmarks on April 6, 2022, in Cape Coral. To do this, they researched various landmarks on their computers and then, with their new Robotics programing software, used their Lego kits to bring what they learned to life. This is another example of great STREAM (Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Arts and Math) cross-curricular activity.
The Bishop Verot Catholic High School Environmental Club members enjoyed the fruits of their labor with homemade salsa in Fort Myers on April 17, 2022. Each of the ingredients were cultivated from the school garden. The results were tasty.
Deacons Baldarelli and Young were among 11 ordained at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church in Boca Raton by Most Rev. David L. Toups, Bishop of the Diocese of Beaumont, Texas. The men, from different Dioceses across Florida, are studying at both St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach and Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, Massachusetts.
In his homily, Bishop Toups explained how Jesus was the Good Shepherd, and we must always be good sheep and follow the voice, and for the 11 men, that call is as deacons, and soon to be priests, all done with humble confidence and trust in the Lord.
Following the homily, the men approached Bishop Toups one-by-one, knelt and promised respect and obedience to his Bishop and his successors. To signify humble submission before God, the men then lay prostrate in the sanctuary while the assembly sang the Litany of Saints.
Deacon Baldarelli, 39, has been studying at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary since 2016. He previously graduated from John Carroll University in Ohio earning a degree in marketing. He worked in sales for 11 years prior to becoming a seminarian for the Diocese of Venice. As a seminarian, he had summer pastoral assignments at Holy Cross Parish in Palmetto and St. Paul Parish in Arcadia, and then completed a pastoral year at Epiphany Cathedral in Venice. He said he benefitted from the sage wisdom of each of his priestly mentors.
Throughout the Lenten Season, Parishes have offered extended hours for the Sacrament, in addition to offering Penance Services, where multiple priests from the region are available to hear the confessions of a large number of people.
As the Catechism teaches, the priest is acting in Persona Christi, the person of Christ, within the confessional. So, like presenting oneself at the altar to be nourished by Christ in the Eucharist, a person going to Confession, is not ultimately confessing to a priest, but confessing to and receiving forgiveness from Jesus Christ.
Rabbi Abraham Skorka and Pope Francis have served as examples of friendship and interreligious dialogue because they have lived out the call of Nostrae Aetate which acknowledges the Church’s bond with the Jewish people.
Bishop Frank J. Dewane also addressed the Catholic-Jewish Dialogue gathering, talking about the noble mission of the group.
St. Katharine Drexel Parish in Cape Coral hosted a 40-hour Devotion April 2, to April 4, 2022. This devotion included Adoration, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, praying the Holy Hour and concluded with a Mass. Father Ricky Varner, Pastor at St. Katharine Drexel, stressed the importance of focusing on the Lord through Eucharistic Adoration. The 40-hour Devotion was spilt into blocks of time throughout the three days to allow for more people to participate and benefit from spending prayerful time in the presence of the Lord.
Bishop Verot Catholic High School students in “Medical Interventions,” a third-year course in the Biomedical Sciences program in Fort Myers, visited Neogenomics on April 1, 2022, to better understand the application of the research they are doing in class and learn about potential career paths.
Catholic schools in the Diocese of Venice pride themselves on offering programs in all areas of study including science. Seventh graders at St. Catherine Catholic School in Sebring were studying DNA and genetics on March 30, 2022. As part of the lesson, they extracted their own DNA, using dried skin, and observed it in the school’s STREAM (Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Arts and Math) lab. Classes like this enable students to learn more about not only the world around them, but also about themselves: students identify themselves as unique through their DNA and, in particular, as children of God.
A March 31, 2022, field trip to Florida Gulf Coast University in Estero by fifth graders from St. Francis Xavier Catholic School in Fort Myers helped the young students learn about wildlife that is native to Florida. The program, called the “Panther Posse,” brings in wildlife experts to share images and research that is ongoing about the Florida panther as well as other wildlife, including black bears. The presentation is a mix of fun and hands-on science. Students learned to identify trail markings of different wildlife as well as what dangers the wildlife face from pollution and interaction with people. The students left the program as newly launched naturalists and scientists.
Students at the different schools in Lee County heard from a specialist the week of March 29, 2022, about how to navigate technology and social media in today’s world. Robert Hackenson Jr. of Dynamic Influence spoke with students at St. Andrew Catholic School in Cape Coral, St. Francis Xavier Catholic School in Fort Myers as well as at Bishop Verot Catholic High School in Fort Myers. These lessons provided basic tips on the pitfalls of providing too much information about yourself online. The safety aspects could not be overstated as online predators try to manipulate people of all ages to endanger the users in different ways. Hackenson used age-appropriate examples to ensure the students understood these dangers. One of the focuses was on Social Media Land Mines, which included never revealing your location, details about your home or private life and much more.
Student groups from St. Andrew Catholic School in Cape Coral and St. Francis Xavier Catholic School in Fort Myers were given a sneak peek of the musical “Cinderella” at Bishop Verot Catholic High School on April 1, 2022. Two special previews were offered for the younger students who saw the elaborate production by the Verot Theater Department. Afterwards, the students were able to meet some of the cast and people who worked behind-the-scenes to make the show happen. Full performances were offered throughout the subsequent weekend.
Pope Francis wrote to all the Bishops in the world, asking them to join him in offering “a solemn Act of Consecration of humanity, and Russia and Ukraine in particular, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.” The Act of Consecration took place on the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, when the Angel Gabriel told Mary that she would conceive and bear “the Son of the Most High” through the power of the Holy Spirit.
In a nearly full Cathedral, including students from Epiphany Cathedral Catholic School, Bishop Dewane remarked how important it was that the faithful gather “as a people of God, brothers and sisters in Christ, in response to the Holy Father. We gather to pray for the conflict going on in the Ukraine and the suffering that has been inflicted upon the people of Ukraine. It is a Consecration of humanity, as the Holy Father put it – in particular for those in Russia and Ukraine. This is a gesture of not just the Pope, Bishops, or priests, but of the Universal Church.”
For example, students at St. Catherine Catholic School in Sebring joined in the Consecration by praying the rosary. Students at Bishop Verot Catholic High School in Fort Myers gathered in their courtyard to recite the Act of Consecration. At Incarnation Parish in Sarasota, the faithful, as well as students from Incarnation Catholic School joined together. The Consecration also included time for Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
Pope Francis said during remarks from Rome that the consecration “is no magic formula but a spiritual act… It is an act of complete trust on the part of children who, amid the tribulation of this cruel and senseless war that threatens our world, turn to their Mother, reposing all their fears and pain in Her Heart and abandoning themselves to Her.”
Bishop Dewane added that the Act of Consecration “is about people who are suffering. The Lord calls us to be His instruments and to pray and to call upon our Faith; to call upon Christ; to call upon the saints; to intervene to relieve that suffering that we see so much of – also intervene in that war in Ukraine.”
The practice of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary is closely linked to the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima. During the third apparition, on July 13, 1917, the Blessed Virgin Mary told three visionaries that God sought to establish the devotion to Mary’s Immaculate Heart in the world, stating that if this request was not granted, Russia would “spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church.” Pope Francis, and previous Popes, have led various consecrations to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, for example, St. John Paul II’s consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on March 25, 1984.
Bishop Dewane has stressed the importance of continued prayer for those suffering. Also, the Diocese of Venice has made it possible for the faithful to contribute toward charitable relief and assist in providing humanitarian aid, as well as necessary recovery efforts.
