Sarasota Pastor receives Rotary honor Father Celestino Gutierrez, Pastor of St. Jude Parish in Sarasota, was recently honored by the Rotary Club of Sarasota with their “Citizen of the Year” award. Father was presented the award by Rotary Club President Joe Devore, for service to the community, in particular ... read more

Naples  |  Margaret Patronne silently wept as she took part in a Corpus Christ procession from St. Elizabeth Seton Parish in Naples to nearby St. John Neumann Catholic High School. “The power of Our Lord brings me great comfort,” Patronne said. “I feel so happy to be able to publicly ... read more

Naples  |  Escorted by a Knights of Columbus Color Corps, a white-gloved man, wearing a biker vest, solemnly lead the opening procession at Mass. In those hands was a small object, a silver rose. When the procession reached the front of the church, the object was then handed to a ... read more

Naples  |  On Saturday, June 29, Bishop Frank J. Dewane celebrated the Rededication of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Naples. The Church sustained significant damage in the wake of Hurricane Irma in 2017. Hundreds attended to participate in this Liturgy.  Many were affected by the severe weather that hammered ... read more

Naples  |  According to the latest estimates from the U.S. Health and Human Services, one in five children lack proper access to food at some point each year. This increases during the summer months when schools are on break or summer programs only offer meal programs four days a week. ... read more

VENICE  |  Where else can you help feed a hungry family, sponsor a child at summer camp, comfort a person with HIV/AIDS, or house a homeless mother and her child? This summer Catholic Charities, Diocese of Venice Inc. offers donors the opportunity to give directly to the causes they care ... read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Although the Justice Department announced July 2 it would no longer argue to have the citizenship question added to the 2020 census, the Trump administration continues to look at all possible options to get the question included. A federal judge in Maryland who heard one of the ... read more

WASHINGTON— Today, bishops from two committees at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) expressed their opposition to a proposed rule by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that would lead to separation or housing instability for many families. Bishop Joe S. Vásquez of Austin, Chairman ... read more

WASHINGTON—Bishop Frank Dewane, of Venice, Florida, Chairman of the USCCB Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development and Bishop Joe Vásquez, of Austin, Texas, Chairman of the Committee on Migration, issued the following statement regarding last week’s decision by the United States Supreme Court in Department of Commerce v. New ... read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Supreme Court, for now, blocked the Trump administration’s added citizenship question to the 2020 census, sending the case back to a lower court. A 5-4 ruling handed down June 27, which was written by Chief Justice John Roberts and joined in part by the other justices, ... read more

Bob Reddy – Florida Catholic The journey of the Easter Season is concluded and the gift of the Holy Spirit has descended to provide wisdom, knowledge, understanding, fortitude, good counsel, piety and fear of the Lord – all gifts of the Spirit. Celebrated on June 9, Pentecost Sunday marks an ... read more

Bob Reddy – Florida Catholic 6/18/19 There are moments in the life of each Parish that are well remembered: the dedication of a new building, significant anniversaries, and of course, the installation of a new Pastor. For the faithful of St. James Parish in Lake Placid, such a day occurred ... read more

Staff Report 6/18/19 The Catholic Community Foundation of Southwest Florida awarded four outstanding Diocese of Venice Catholic high school graduates with the 2019 Frank & Florence Coseglia Scholarship. The winners were recognized for their academic standing, service to their Parish and school, as well as an essay on what their ... read more

Staff Report 6/18/19 Every year since the inception of the Coalition for Life in 2007 the Diocesan Respect Life Office has brought leaders together annually in the spring for updates, networking and to provide input on future activities. Parish Respect Life Representatives (designated by Pastors), Knights of Columbus Culture of ... read more

Naples priest becomes U.S. Citizen Congratulations to Father Benjamin Casimir, a native of Haiti, who became a citizen of the United States on June 4. The parochial vicar serves at by St. Peter the Apostle and St. Finbarr parishes in Naples.       Longtime Catholic Charities supporter recognized ... read more