About 150 catechists from across the Diocese of Venice gathered for a workshop themed, “The Sacraments of Initiation: Liturgy as Biblical Narrative,” on Oct. 18, 2025, at St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Port Charlotte.
The workshop was organized by the Diocesan Office of Catholic Education and Religious Education.
Bishop Frank J. Dewane closed the workshop with the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass which fell of the Feast of St. Luke the Evangelist. During the Mass, Bishop Dewane thanked the catechists for being the Light of Christ on the front lines of educating the faithful of all ages.
Bishop Dewane spoke about adhering to the fundamentals of teaching the doctrinal context of who we are as followers of the Lord – ”Who is it we say we are?” “Who is it the Lord says He is?”
“Without some of the basic doctrinal points the spiritual gets watered down,” Bishop Dewane said. “The Church teaches that parents are the first and best educators of their faith, but it is the job of the catechist to reach out so as to complement and supplement that education. You do it in a time when faith can be easily sidelined. Help your students turn to the Scriptures and find themselves in those words. They need to know that they each have a role to play, and what you do each day helps them achieve that – growing closer to the Lord.”
The featured speaker was Dr. Luke Arredondo, Executive Director of the St. Brendan Center for Evangelization and Spirituality in the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee. His talks were titled: “The Biblical Story of Baptism and Confirmation,” and “The Eucharist and Divine Accompaniment.”
Several catechists said the workshop reaffirmed the work they are doing, as they saw others facing the same obstacles in helping the faithful to have the same unending love for Christ that they carry in their hearts.
