After a three-year effort to reignite faith in, and reverence for, the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist, the Diocese of Venice hosted a Eucharistic Missionary Conference Feb. 7, 2026, at the Church of the Resurrection of Our Lord Parish in Fort Myers.
During the Conference the participants were challenged to become Eucharistic Missionaries just as Jesus Christ has called all to evangelize. Unlike the early disciples the modern definition of being Eucharistic Missionaries does not mean spreading the Gospel in a foreign land or going door-to-door with the Good News, but the Lord is asking each of us to evangelize here in the Diocese of Venice, among fellow parishioners, family, friends, and neighbors.
This was the message Bishop Frank J. Dewane shared for the participants in the Conference. “Now that the three-year (National Eucharistic) Revival is complete, you must allow yourself to be the Lord’s messenger; to be a Eucharistic Missionary, and to be His invitation to all those you meet.”
Bishop Dewane said that being a Eucharistic Missionary doesn’t mean someone has to be the holiest person, but instead they need to be the example of Christ by the life they live and then, through the grace of the Holy Spirit, be willing to point toward the Eucharist. This requires a familiarity with the Eucharist and having a personal relationship with God in their own lives.
“Who is Jesus Christ to you?” Bishop Dewane asked. “As a Eucharistic Missionary, you are saying a certain ‘Yes!’ to all that Christ is doing for his Church in the Most Holy Eucharist.
To get the message of finding Christ in the Eucharist out into the world, missionaries must reach out to other people who might not have a deep relationship with Christ. They can be found in the pews, the people one greets at each Mass, or in the coffee social afterwards but are perhaps not seen at Eucharistic Adoration, Bishop Dewane said.
“Do we ever invite them? Tell them what you get out of going to Adoration. It might feel uncomfortable doing that, but schedule to meet at Adoration or to talk about it in a less formal setting,” Bishop Dewane said. “A missionary, by definition, has to step outside of themselves. It is about the message they carry. It is about Jesus Christ.”
The Bishop explained that missionaries will be able to identify someone in the spirit of humility for their role is to be the leaven, the voice of Christ.
“When you ask some to join you at Adoration, to Mass, or to a social event at your Parish, you are interceding for that person with the Holy Spirit,” Bishop Dewane continued. “If you get a negative response, don’t give up, because Jesus would want you to continue doing His work. You have to ask the Lord to allow you to be His instrument in spreading His presence in the world. You are going to be surprised by the number of individuals who will respond in a positive way. We have to continue to pray that the Holy Spirit will enliven the individual to know Christ more profoundly within the Eucharist.”
Bishop Dewane celebrated the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass to open the Conference. The Mass was followed by Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction, setting the appropriate tone for the rest of the Conference.
The keynote was offered by nationally recognized Catholic presenter, best-selling author, and radio host, Jon Leonetti. His presentations were entitled: “Sacrament Most Holy, Sacrament Divine” and “Saints and the Eucharist.”
Leonetti opened by explaining that there is no other meaning, reason or purpose in our lives as Catholics than to become saints and with the goal of being in heaven with God for all eternity.
“Everything must be aimed toward that end,” Leonetti said. “We all start from where we need to be. You do this by asking what it is God wants of you. What the Lord says He wants for us will make us infinitely happier and brings more peace than anything we ask or bring into our own lives.”
To achieve this, Leonetti said we must give ourselves to God, which is only possible when we learn to trust God and what He wants for us. “From that trust comes the greatest gift God has ever given to us in the world – the Holy Eucharist. As St. Thomas Aquinas said, it is the one gift where God gives us everything of who He is.”
The response from participants in the Conference was overwhelmingly positive. Jean Bonilla, from St. Leo the Great Parish in Bonita Springs, said the day was an affirmation of her love for the Catholic Church.
“A beautiful Mass and message from Bishop Dewane, followed by Eucharistic Adoration and then a powerful talk. I am leaving here ready to be that Eucharistic Missionary, telling everyone about the beauty of our faith found in the Eucharist,” Bonilla said.
To learn more about similar and other evangelization efforts and programs offered within the Diocese, please visit https://dioceseofvenice.org/offices/offices-departments/evangelization/ or contact James Gontis at 941-484-9543 or gontis@dioceseofvenice.org.
