Catholic Charities Diocese of Venice Inc. food pantries have become a beacon of hope in a storm of darkness – serving ever-increasing numbers of desperate families each week in response to the impact of the ongoing pandemic.
A long line of vehicles was waiting before the first bags of food were distributed on April 17, 2020, at the Elizabeth Kay Galeana (EKG) Center in Fort Myers.
Unlike when a hurricane strikes, a time when help comes from outside the region, no help can be found, except from Catholic Charities.
The story from individuals and families in the vehicles was a common one – sudden job loss and no idea when work will be found. Words like “challenging” “hard” “difficult” and “overwhelming” were frequently used to describe how they are currently feeling. With restricted income, families must make difficult choices as many large bills for shelter and transportation come due each month.
As they received their food, a bag filled with basic necessities that was previously taken for granted by many, the kindness and appreciation expressed was moving and genuine with many saying, “God bless you!” and from others a simple “Thank you!” came across with great feeling and meaning.
One woman, who walked to the facility with her two grandchildren, said she was in desperate need for food as there is no money coming in and her grandchildren are home from school. This added burden is impacting many families who would normally rely on school lunch programs for children to account for at least one meal a day.
Bishop Frank J. Dewane visited the EKG Center on April 17, 2020, assisting with the loading of vehicles as a part of the distribution operation. The Bishop also offered words of encouragement to the staff and volunteers. While there, Bishop witnessed the desperation in some, but was heartened by the gratitude for what was being offered.
“The need is real and this food pantry, as well as others like it across the Diocese, is made possible thanks to the generosity of our donors,” Bishop Dewane said. “I am personally grateful for the generosity of so many. I want to say, ‘Thank you!’ to those who have helped already, and I appeal for continued support during this pandemic response. Remember, no gift is too small – your combined generosity will go a long way toward helping our brothers and sisters in Christ.”
Bishop Dewane was impressed by the operation and wanted to ensure the workers and volunteers had all they needed, including masks and gloves for their own safety.
Until early March, Catholic Charities food pantries required the filling out of paperwork and limitations on receiving food to once a month. Now, each driver is asked their name and the age of everyone in their family. Further down the line, the bags of food are placed in trunks or the beds of trucks. If a family is larger, they receive more food.
Philomena Pereira, CEO of Catholic Charities Diocese of Venice Inc., said Catholic Charities has greatly expanded its food pantry operations across multiple counties to meet this growing need.
“During the last six weeks, our pantries have provided food and water to (more than 13,300) individuals and families, far more than the same period last year – and we anticipate this figure to continue climbing,” Pereira said. “Also concerning is the marked increase in demand for food resources in areas like Bonita Springs and Clewiston, where we have served up to 225 percent more families than the same period in 2019. The need is here, and it is significant. Catholic Charities, with the support of Bishop Dewane, is committed to continue to meet those needs.”
In addition to Fort Myers, Bonita Springs and Clewiston, there are Catholic Charities food distribution points in Arcadia, Immokalee, Naples and Sarasota. While some of these locations are on a smaller scale – directly targeting specific vulnerable communities – there are five which offer drive-thru distribution each Friday morning. Additional Parish-based food banks are also operating in Bradenton, Wauchula and Fort Myers.
Included in the bags of food is a combination of basics – rice, beans, flour, pasta – and whatever else is on hand for distribution, such as canned fruits and vegetables, cereal, sauces, peanut butter, etc. Water is distributed when requested and fresh food, such as bread, vegetables and juice are only available in limited quantities.
It is unclear just how high the demand will get, as each week the lines at the EKG Center in Fort Myers, as well as at all the food pantries, have been getting exponentially longer.
Pereira said a major challenge in keeping up with demand is that traditionally reliable sources for food, such as local Food Banks, as well as from state and federal emergency relief agencies, have little to offer because of overwhelming demand. This has required Catholic Charities to buy bulk food where it can be found.
“This is adding a huge cost that is unexpected for us, but absolutely necessary to meet the demand,” Pereira said. To help support Catholic Charities, please visit www.catholiccharitiesdov.org/donate.
Bishop Frank J. Dewane, joined by priests representing each of the four Deaneries of the Diocese of Venice, celebrated the Chrism Mass on April 7, 2020, at Epiphany Cathedral in Venice. To accommodate the latest guidance on social distancing and limiting the size of gatherings, present on the altar were the Bishop, five priests and three permanent deacons.
While no one was able to be present in person as witnesses to the Mass, Bishop Dewane said the Word of God and the Word made flesh in Jesus Christ, together, unite us whether everyone is together in person or remotely.
Bishop Dewane publicly thanked the priests for their continued service to the People of God throughout the Diocese of Venice for what they do each day, and in particular during the ongoing response to the pandemic. “I miss very much your presence here today… However, when we do gather, the Word of Lord is there… the words that have been said and heard today have great meaning for us.”
“You are sent by the Lord through every Eucharist you celebrate; sermon you preach, truth that you teach; child or adult you baptize; confession you hear; sinner you absolve; marriage you witness; dying person you prepare for their last journey – each one of you have been sent to continue on this priestly journey.”
“I am painfully aware that this causes you, good Catholics, difficulty as you are troubled and hurt by the loss of the Eucharist and the other Sacraments, the consolation of those Sacraments in your life,” Bishop Dewane said “Our churches are closed, but yet I think we have to think of something else. Christ isn’t quarantined from any of us. Indeed, the Gospel is not in chains. The Word of the Lord, it is out there. It is alive” Bishop Dewane said. “In prayer and in Faith we are people of the Word, the Word of God, the Word made flesh in Jesus Christ. With both of these together, whether its online or from a distance, nothing can stand in our way.”
While the gathering for Mass had been suspended since mid-March, Palm Sunday, a day marking the triumphant entrance of Christ into Jerusalem, with its traditional distribution of palms and uplifting liturgy, as well as the reading of the Passion of Christ, assist in putting the faithful in the right frame of mind for the significant events of Holy Week.
The Easter Vigil, a Mass held after sunset on Saturday, April 11, 2020, is one of the most powerful liturgies of the year. The celebration is to start in darkness, usually with the Easter fire lit and the Easter Candle brought forward. This year, the Easter Candle was lit and there was no Easter fire. This needed change removed the opportunity for the congregation to each have lit candles, providing a soft glow inside the church. In addition, the church was not darkened for the first part of the liturgy, when a series of readings, beginning with Genesis, were read.
The rest of the Easter Vigil and the Easter Sunday liturgies were unaltered. The Renewal of Baptismal Promises was made at both but from afar for those watching at home.
“Father Cooney was a priest who had a passion for his ministry,” Bishop Dewane said. “Please pray for the repose of the soul of Father Cooney, for the people of St. Raphael who found inspiration by his good work, and for his family for whom this loss is particularly personal.”
Msgr. Philip W. Hill was born in 1945 in Grand Island, Nebraska, and earned degrees from Cathedral College in New York City, New York; St. Joseph Seminary, Yonkers, N.Y.; Gregorian University and Lateran University in Rome, and Fordham University School of Law, the Bronx, N.Y. Msgr. Hill was ordained Dec. 18, 1970 at St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome. As a priest for the Archdiocese of New York, he served at parishes in Scarsdale and Poughkeepsie, as well as vice-official for the Metropolitan Tribunal. Msgr. Hill also served as a U.S. Army Chaplain working at the Pentagon Army Chief of Chaplains Office during the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, as well as at posts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait. His most recent assignment in the Army was as Command Chaplain at Fort Belvoir in Virginia before retiring as a colonel. Msgr. Hill came to the Diocese of Venice in October 2019, first assisting at Our Lady of the Angels Parish in Lakewood Ranch and since January 2020 assisting at Sacred Heart Parish in Punta Gorda.
Father Marcial Y. Garcia was born in 1963, in Bani, Dominican Republic, the oldest of 12 children. He studied at St. Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary in Santo Domingo, and was ordained June 3, 1995, in Bani. He served at parishes in Santo Domingo and San Cristobal until 2001. Father Garcia joined the Diocese of Venice in 2001 first serving at St. Margaret Parish in Clewiston from 2001-2011, and then at Holy Cross Parish in Palmetto from 2011-2013. He was then priest-in-charge of Hispanic Ministry at St. Elizabeth Seton and St. Agnes Parishes in Naples in 2013, then at St. James and Santiago Mission in Lake Placid. He is the current Pastor of St. Joseph the Worker Parish in Moore Haven and St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Mission in Okeechobee.
