Nearly 100 new teachers, who have joined the Diocese of Venice for the 2022-2023 Academic Year, were warmly welcomed during an orientation session on July 29, 2022, at Epiphany Cathedral Parish Hall in Venice. Much of this increase is due to new enrollment.
Jesuit Father John Belmonte, Superintendent of Catholic Education, opened the meeting with morning prayer. Father explained how starting all days centered on God is part of our Faith tradition, and this will strengthen the teacher each day and throughout the school year.
“By praying the morning offering, a very simple prayer which captures who we are as Catholic educators – dedicating our entire day to God,” Father Belmonte said.
To accomplish this, Father Belmonte said their work will reinforce the building of a “Catholic School Culture,” wherever they, as teachers, are assigned. A “Catholic School Culture” is the vision, values, systems, language, expectations, behaviors, and beliefs that increase a school’s and Diocese’s chances of accomplishing the strategy of fulfilling its mission: to introduce the world to its Savior.
During a midday Mass, Father Belmonte told the new teachers how the Lord wants them to set aside their worries, with the classroom and teaching as their chance to focus.
“Focus, not on yourselves or on your worries; instead focus always on the Lord to challenge your priorities. Focus on Christ always in your classrooms, this allows you to focus on your students and on their needs,” Father continued. “Do not be afraid or preoccupied by unfamiliar curriculum. The message is to make the Lord our priority.”
Throughout the day, the new teachers, learned about the Diocese and the crucial role they will play in helping to build up the faith-life of the students and families with whom they will interact. The group comes to their new positions with a wide variety of personal and professional experiences and skills. A few in the group are new to teaching and were joyfully welcomed. Still others have years of experience. It was also revealed that many moved to the Diocese in the past three years.
Being a Catholic educator is no easy task in a culture where there are countless external influences as people are bombarded by messages that are contrary to the Faith. This, Father continued, makes it increasingly difficult to get out the message of our Catholic traditions, values and faith into the world.
“We are facing huge headwinds as a Church and as a culture,” Father Belmonte continued. “That just places, in my opinion, even more importance on what we do. In a sense it has never been more important to have you do what you do because of all the things our children and families face.”
Jennifer Falestiny, Diocesan Curriculum Specialist, explained that the Diocese of Venice Catholic schools “do things better than other school systems. We have lots of programs and procedures in place that might seem overwhelming but is actually great and you will get it eventually.”
Falestiny explained how the Diocese has actively incorporated Catholic values and virtues through the Diocesan curriculum called, “The Gifts of Christ: Truth, Beauty, Goodness, Affability, Fortitude, Humility, and Prudence.”
Throughout the day, the new teachers participated in a variety of fun tasks. Falestiny explained that the Diocese uses project-based learning to make learning visible and intentional. She offered a variety of pointers on how to incorporate such learning into the classroom with ease.
Each new teacher was provided with a comprehensive packet of information, as well as links to access numerous online exercises which will help augment their coming classroom work and make any new procedures easier to follow.
The new teachers also learned about the ongoing expansion of a project-based learning effort that is increasing the STREAM (Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Arts and Math) model.
Falestiny described the new partnership with FIRST® (For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a company that facilitates a focus on education in robotics and organize the leading robotics competition in the world. This project places students ahead of the curve in primary technology fields while continuing to promote core Catholic virtues. This approach helps students develop cognitive thought processes and gain skills such as leadership, communication, complex problem solving, teamwork and creativity. The FIRST® program began in the fall of 2021 and is in the process of being fully incorporated into the entire Diocesan school system.
This effort, along with other endeavors, was made possible through the generosity of Bishop Frank J. Dewane who made a major investment in student success through his pledge to provide all Diocesan Catholic schools with age-appropriate kits and robots using LEGO products to eventually compete at the highest levels of competition through FIRST®. This is done while incorporating Catholic values and virtues.”
The 15 Diocesan Catholic schools work conscientiously to provide Christ-centered learning experiences that are transportable to the real world and provide the opportunity for children to develop life-long learning skills and to be successful beyond the classroom.
During the orientation, the new teachers also took part in Diocesan Safe Environment training, and learned about their employee benefits from a representative of the Diocesan Human Resources Department, risk management, workplace safety, certifications process, as well as about standard and ethical conduct.
All Diocesan Catholic schools will open the week of Aug. 8. For more information about Diocese of Venice Catholic Schools, please visit https://dioceseofvenice.org/offices/offices-departments/education/.
To promote greater support and formation for couples, the Diocese of Venice Office of Family Life and the St. John Paul II Foundation are working jointly to bring “Together in Holiness” to the entire Diocese. “Together in Holiness” is a comprehensive marriage enrichment initiative that includes an annual, one-day Conference series for couples, as well as a year-round Formation series for couples in Parishes, schools, and small communities.
St. Cecilia Parish in Fort Myers hosted the blessing of a new Marian statue on July 31, 2022. The statue of Mary was donated courtesy of Retired Pastor Father Stanley Dombrowski, Oblate of St. Francis de Sales, and his sister Mary. Father Dombrowski led the blessing ceremony for the statue which sits outside, under the portico at the entrance of Marian Hall. The statue was dedicated to their parents, Stanley and Mary Dombrowski.
Members of the John XXIII Retreats Movement gathered at Campo San Jose Retreat Center in Lake Placid on July 31, 2022, to celebrate the conclusion of another retreat. More than 25 men took part in the three-day retreat with their family and others taking part on the final day for the closing Mass. This makes more than 1,000 who have returned to the faith in the Diocese of Venice through the John XXIII Movement. The Movement is a private international association of laity, with the goal of leading marginalized communities to God. After completing an initial retreat, participants are encouraged to attend faith-formation classes and weekly meetings to strengthen their faith and personal relationship with God. Rooted in Eucharistic Adoration, the ministry serves the Church and its people through love, surrender, and sacrifice. For more information about the John XXIII Movement, please contact Father Stewart at 
Every day, Catholic Charities, Diocese of Venice, Inc., serves its most vulnerable population by feeding, housing, empowering, and helping all in need. This summer, you can be the one that makes a difference. Your acts of kindness have the power to transform lives and leave a positive impact in our community. Catholic Charities, “Summertime and the Giving is Easy Appeal” is asking for your support. The giving is easy! Your gift will make a positive impact on our less fortunate brothers and sisters! Please visit 
Would you know how to help a pregnant woman in need? Maybe it’s your neighbor, cousin, niece, sister, granddaughter, or daughter. Maybe it’s someone you see in a store, restaurant, or church. Perhaps she is crying, looks distraught or is obviously being treated poorly by someone. Through a new national initiative from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) called Walking with Moms in Need, now you will know how to help. Walking with Moms in Need teaches the faithful how to help pregnant women in need, starting by letting them know they are not alone. The nationwide Catholic program calls every parishioner to learn the names of their local pregnancy help centers, the first responders for women with unexpected or difficult pregnancies. If you know of someone who is pregnant and needs help immediately, visit 
A three-year revival of devotion to the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist begins with the Diocesan phase, from June 19, 2022, through June 11, 2023. During the Diocesan Year, there will be a series of events and retreats that encourage the renewal of the Church “by rekindling a living relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist.” The pinnacle of the coming year will be a Diocesan Eucharistic Congress on March 24 and March 25, 2023. This event, which is in the early planning stages, will take place at the Convention Center and Luminary Hotel on the Fort Myers riverfront. The National Eucharistic Revival is a focused effort by the U.S. Catholic Bishops to revive a devotion to and belief in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. To learn more about the National Eucharistic Revival, visit 
Most women who choose abortion eventually realize that they made the wrong choice and face a lifetime of regret. Even if they confess this sin to a priest, they often find it difficult to accept God’s forgiveness and forgive themselves. Project Rachel is the Catholic Church’s program to help women and men come to terms with an abortion decision and find the hope and healing they need. Watch for more on post-abortion healing in the next edition of The Florida Catholic. For confidential help in English and Spanish, call 941-412-5860 or email 
Some are in a seminary college formation program, while others are in advanced programs and nearing the end of their journey, with potential Ordination to the Priesthood not too far off.
Bishop Frank J. Dewane celebrated a Mass for the seminarians on July 25, the Feast of St. James the Apostle. The Bishop encouraged the men to take the time during the Convocation to continue to hear the Call to Holiness and reflect Christ in the life they live.
“Following the Call to Holiness through the coming year will build you up and make you a stronger man of God as you reflect Jesus Christ,” the Bishop concluded. “Continue to listen as the Lord brings you along that journey that He has prepared for you. May each of you be blessed this year to hold before yourselves that Call to Holiness and to live it each day.”
The multi-day retreat occurs late in the summer as a time of prayer and reflection before each man returns to his respective seminary. During the week the seminarians were led by Father Shawn Roser, Diocese Vocations Director, with additional presentations by Father Mark Yavarone, Oblate of the Virgin Mary, Director of Spirituality at the retreat center, and Jesuit Father John Belmonte, Diocese of Venice Superintendent of Catholic Education.
This annual observance took on a special meaning this year with the recent completion of extensive repairs and remodeling of the church. This work included a new roof, replacing the flooring, pews, and creating additional space for a cry room and other upgraded touches. The welcoming worship space is befitting of this close-knit Hispanic Catholic community.
Father Oscar Mendoza, who is Administrator of the Mission and nearby St. Michael Parish in Wauchula, opened the Mass with a blessing of the new worship space.
Before the Mass, Deacon Ramiro Hernandez led the faithful in a procession with a statue of the Holy Child Jesus, which included the faithful singing praise to Jesus Christ.
“There is a strong personal connection for the faithful to this Mission,” the Deacon explained. “To have the work of the community come together, through donations and physical labor is particularly rewarding for everyone. It reminds everyone of the time when this was how churches were built and supported, by the community and for the community.”
Father Claudio Stewart, Diocese Hispanic Ministries Director, explained that the 2021-2022 program “The Christian Virtues” was a natural follow-up to earlier Faith Formation offerings. That initial three-year program (2018-2020) included a series on the “Magisterium,” with a thorough explanation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church; “Revelation and Introduction to the Sacred Scriptures;” and the “History and Tradition of the Church.” The 2020-2021 offering was on the “The Seven Sacraments.”
The idea behind the initial three-step Spanish Faith Formation Program within the Diocese was to quickly help bridge the gap in formation for Hispanics in the Diocese for whom English is not their first language. This gap had created isolation among some, and the program became empowering to Hispanic Catholics who often felt they were outsiders in the Catholic Church within the U.S., primarily due to the language difference.
The Faith Formation classes were divided into five geographic regions of the Diocese to allow easier access to the courses. Students could participate in-person or online. Instructors included priests, women religious and deacons. Each level became increasingly sophisticated, challenging the participants to take a fresh look at the Catholic Church. The certificates were distributed in June and July at regional locations.
With six Parishes visited through July 22, 2022, the summer camp has brought hundreds of children and teens closer to the Lord. Recent stops included St. Catherine Parish in Sebring, St. John XXIII Parish in Fort Myers and St. Joseph Parish in Bradenton.
Each week there is a potluck when the missionaries get to meet the parents and the participants in the camp show off some of the things they learned. The potluck at St. Joseph on July 19 was a double celebration with a cake marking Father Ligenza’s birthday.
Each day, the children’s camp begins with music to pump the children up and get them ready for the full day ahead with all the time focused on learning key lessons about their Faith with a focus on the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary. In addition to dancing, music and prayer, the children have time for activities such as crafts and games. There is time for Mass each day with additional quiet reflective time in Eucharistic Adoration and three days when there is opportunity for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Two Bishop Verot Catholic High School seniors, Adam Belof and Gavin Hart, spent the week of July 18-22, 2022, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, representing Southwest Florida at the Junior Gold Bowling Championships. This is an annual national tournament for the top male and female youth bowlers in the United States. Only the best bowlers in the nation qualify, and these two certainly represented the Fort Myers area and Bishop Verot very well!
Registration is now open for the Diocese of Venice Oct. 22, 2022, “Together in Holiness” Marriage Conference, presented in partnership with the Diocese of Venice Office of Family Life and the St. John Paul II Foundation. To register, please visit 
Because of the lengthy process of making and creating each section of a window, some as tall an 14-feet, these windows are often the last additions when a new Parish Church is completed.
Father Sebastian Szczawinski, Administrator of Our Lady of the Angels, blessed the windows during a Mass on July 24. He thanked the faithful for their support and patience and said that it was well worth the wait.
The mouth-blown glass, coming from factories in France and Germany, is made by hand and eventually folded down to a very thin sheet. The Pickel studio has many color shades and pieces that work together with lead once a client, such as Our Lady of the Angels Parish, approves the final design.
The poignant and emotional Rite places Fathers Chami, Portorreal and Young in a new rank as they are raised to the Order of the Presbyterate where they will now celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, confer the Sacraments and teach the Gospel.
“Holiness has to be the greatest gift you developed within your relationship with Jesus Christ – you took it into the seminary, and you bring that out to be here today,” the Bishop said. “It is your holiness that will be supported by your daily prayer life… Let that holiness be present always in your life… Let it be a mark of who you are as an example for others.”
When the Rite of Ordination began, the elect were called forth by Father Shawn Roser, Diocesan Vocations Director, and upon hearing their names, each stood and answered “Present.” After the homily, individually, the ordinandi knelt before the Bishop so as to promise respect and obedience to him and his successors. They then prostrated before the altar for the Litany of Supplication/Litany of Saints. The whole assembly joined in the prayer which invoked the intercession of the Saints in heaven.
The Bishop then laid his hands on the head of each man and prayed silently. All of the priests present followed to participate in this part of the Rite. Next was the Prayer of Ordination. These combine to form an essential part of the Liturgy of the Sacrament of Holy Orders.
The palms of the new priests were then anointed with the Sacred Chrism by Bishop Dewane, the sign of the special anointing of the Holy Spirit who will make their ministry fruitful. Next, the Bishop presented each new priest with the chalice (wine) and paten (bread) which they are called to present to God in the Eucharistic sacrifice saying: “Receive the oblation of the holy people, to be offered to God. Understand what you do, imitate what you celebrate, and conform your life to the mystery of the Lord’s Cross.” He repeated this commission, once each for the newly ordained priests.
During the ordination, Deacons Chami, Portorreal and Young freely presented themselves to serve God, the Church and the Bishop of the Diocese of Venice, and his successors. They also made a promise to celibacy and a promise to obedience. The reward for that choice is to serve the people of God.
Father Chami, 28, was born in Montreal, Canada, but raised in Naples, Fla. since the age of 4, and was an accomplished swimmer in high school and is a longtime parishioner of St. William Parish in Naples. He first seriously heard the call to the priesthood while at Florida State University. Since joining the Diocese as a seminarian, Deacon Chami graduated from St. John Vianney College Seminary in Miami and then studied at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. Within the Diocese, he has served pastoral assignments at St. Leo the Great Parish in Bonita Springs, Incarnation Parish in Sarasota, Sts. Peter and Paul the Apostles Parish in Bradenton, and St. Francis Xavier Parish in Fort Myers. Father has been appointed as Parochial Vicar of Holy Cross Parish in Palmetto, effective July 18 until September 30. Father then returns to Rome to complete his Licentiate Studies at the Pontifical Atheneum of St. Anselm.
