Bishop Emeritus Frank J. Dewane was named Coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese of Venice in Florida by Pope Benedict XVI on April 25, 2006, and on January 19, 2007, he was installed as the second Bishop of the Diocese of Venice in Florida. He served as the spiritual leader of approximately 260,000 Catholics in the 10-county Diocese of Venice in Florida for two decades, until May 13, 2026, when his letter of resignation was accepted by Pope Leo XIV, and he retired. The letter was submitted a year earlier, at age 75, as is required by Canon Law. He served as the Diocese’s Apostolic Administrator from May 13, 2026, to July 11, 2026, and is currently Bishop Emeritus, Diocese of Venice in Florida.
In addition to holding a degree from the University of Wisconsin, Bishop Dewane also completed studies at The American University in Washington, D.C., as well as from Pontifical Gregorian University and Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, both in Rome.
Prior to entering the seminary, Bishop Dewane worked for the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) in Moscow, Russia, and then for a subsidiary of PepsiCo in New York City.
Ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Green Bay in 1988, Bishop Dewane was appointed in 1991 to serve as a member of the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations in New York City, during which time he represented the Holy See at several international conferences. In 1995, he was transferred to the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum” and was later appointed Under Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.
Bishop Dewane has served as Vice-Chairman of the Board of Governors for The Pontifical North American College in Rome, Italy, and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land. He has also served on several Committees of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, including the Pro-Life Committee, the International Justice and Peace Committee, and the Subcommittee for the Pastoral Care of Migrants, Refugees and Travelers, and as a member of the Circus and Traveling Shows Ministry. Bishop Dewane has served as a member of the Board of Trustees for St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach, St. John Vianney College Seminary in Miami, Ave Maria University in Ave Maria and Ave Maria School of Law in Naples, all in Florida.
Bishop Dewane has served as chair for the USCCB Committee for Domestic Justice and Integral Human Development, on the USCCB Ad Hoc Committee against Racism, and as Episcopal Liaison for both Catholic Charities, USA and Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC).
