Catholic Charities, Diocese of Venice Inc. (CCDOV) has been awarded a $25,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County to support its Casa San Juan Bosco 2Gen Educational Program, expanding access to critical educational resources for families in rural DeSoto County.
The Casa San Juan Bosco program addresses the intergenerational barriers to education faced by low-income, primarily Spanish-speaking families, many of whom are agricultural, migrant, or seasonal workers. Through a two-generation (2Gen) approach, the program provides coordinated learning opportunities for both children and their parents – strengthening literacy, workforce readiness, and long-term family stability.
“Catholic Charities is honored to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Community Foundation of Sarasota County for their generous grant,” said Christopher M. Root, CEO of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Venice. “The vital funding will support our 2Gen Educational Program, furthering our mission to provide critical support to children and families in DeSoto County.”
Grant funding will support the addition of a part-time Educational Assistant and provide access to Renaissance educational software, a data-driven platform that delivers individualized learning pathways in reading and math. With this additional staffing support, the program will expand its capacity to serve children, increasing enrollment from 22 to 32 participants, while ensuring services remain free and accessible to families.
Children in the program benefit from afterschool tutoring and summer literacy enrichment, while parents participate in English language classes, workforce development, and life skills training. By equipping both generations with the tools to succeed, the program helps break cycles of poverty and builds a foundation for long-term success.
Looking ahead, CCDOV aims to further strengthen the program by improving emotional resilience and academic engagement among participants, expanding therapeutic and family support services, and demonstrating outcomes that can be replicated in other underserved communities.
Funding for this program was provided by the Community Foundation of Sarasota County through the Community Impact Grant.
The annual House Olympics at St. John Neumann Catholic High School in Naples took place on April 29, 2026, with Raley House taking the victory. Neumann has four “Houses” which serve as a form of student government, dividing students into different teams. Throughout the year these teams earn points for success in various academic and athletic individual and team competitions. The House Olympics was the final competition. The House system helps younger students become more familiar with Neumann as freshman and through the years the older students serve as mentors to their House members.
The Youth Center is named for an Italian Saint who was a priest and educator in the 19th century and includes a large gathering room, as well as smaller meeting spaces. There is also a covered pavilion for outdoor gatherings, as well as facilities for games, such as volleyball, and other fun. Eventually, the outside of the building will have mosaics and a statue of St. Carlo Acutis, the newest Catholic saint who was canonized by Pope Leo XIV on Sept. 7, 2025. St. Carlo was an Italian teen who died in 2006 at the age of 15 and was known for his devotion to the Most Holy Eucharist and his use of digital media to promote Eucharistic Miracles around the world and is recognized as the first 21st Century Saint.
Msgr. Mouch, who served in the Diocese of Venice in the 1980s in several roles, died April 16, 2026, in Lutz, at the age of 93. Msgr. Mouch was born in 1932, in Sandusky, Ohio. He graduated Pontifical College Josephinium, in Worthington, Ohio, and earned advanced degrees from the University of Florida and the University of St. Thomas Aquinas (“Angelicum”) in Rome, and was ordained on June 10, 1958, for the Diocese of St. Augustine. For the Diocese of St. Augustine, he served as Assistant Chancellor, as Administrator for a Parish in Jacksonville, and Chaplain at the University of Florida. He also served on the faculty and as Rector of the Josephinium. Msgr. Mouch was incardinated as a priest of the Diocese of St. Petersburg, and in 1984, he was incardinated in the Diocese of Venice, while continuing to reside in the Diocese of St. Petersburg. For the Diocese of Venice, Msgr. Mouch served as President of Cardinal Mooney High School, as Administrator for St. Martha Parish, and as Pastor of St. Michael the Archangel Parish, each in Sarasota. For the Diocese of St. Petersburg, Msgr. Mouch was Director of Education, served as temporary Administrator of six Parishes, and as President of St. Leo College (now St. Leo University). He retired in 2002 and continued to assist at Parishes in the Diocese of St. Petersburg. Funeral arrangements have not been finalized.
Msgr. Robert J. Coll, who retired to the Diocese of Venice in 1999, died April 20, 2026, in Naples, at the age of 95. Msgr. Coll was born in 1930 in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, and graduated from St. Joseph University and St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, both in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Msgr. Coll was ordained in the Diocese of Allentown on May 7, 1959, and served in parishes in Reading, Allentown, and West Lawn. Msgr. Coll is best known for being the founder of the Catholic Relief Services Operation Rice Bowl as a Lenten practice in the Allentown Diocese. The outreach was adopted in 1975 by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops as a promotion to support the worldwide outreach of Catholic Relief Services. He retired to the Diocese of Venice in Naples in 1999 and assisted at St. John the Evangelist and St. Agnes Parishes for 25 years. Funeral arrangements have not been finalized.
Bishop Frank J. Dewane attended the annual 31st Annual Rector’s Dinner at the Pontifical North American College in Rome on April 16, 2026. Bishop Dewane serves as Vice-Chairman of the Board of Governors for the Pontifical North American College. Bishop Dewane attended the Pontifical College, earning degrees from Pontifical Gregorian University and Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, both in Rome. This year’s honorees were Sister Raffaella Petrini FSE, President of the Pontifical Commission and Governorate of Vatican City State, and Curtis and Michaelann Martin, co-founders of FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students). More than 460 guests attended the event.
The 3rd Converging Roads Conference was held April 11, 2026, at the Church of the Resurrection Parish in Fort Myers. Converging Roads is a regional conference series offering continuing education for health care professionals that equips them to practice the highest ethical and medical standards of their profession. It was co-sponsored by the Diocese of Venice, the St. John Paul II Foundation of Katy, Texas, and the Southwest Florida Guild of the Catholic Medical Association. The conference brought together approximately 50 participants, including Catholic doctors, nurses, physician assistants and others serving locally in the health care industry. The featured speaker was Father Tadeusz Pacholczyk, PhD, who spoke on “Infertility and Alternatives to Artificial Reproductive Technologies.” Other speakers included Dr. F. Michael Gloth, III, FACP, AGSF; Dr. Ethan Schimmoeller, MA; Dr. Gwyneth Anne Spaeder, and Johann M. D’Souza, PhD.
St. Martha Catholic School in Sarasota held their Day of Service, on April 14, 2026, a special day that truly reflects the heart of St. Martha Catholic School. This year, students, staff, and parent volunteers served 20 community agencies, a 33% increase over 2025, making an even greater impact in the local community. Organizations served included: Our Mother’s House of Catholic Charities Diocese of Venice Inc., St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry, Sarasota County Animal Shelter, Dogs, Inc., Sarasota County Fire Department, Alderman Oaks Retirement Community, Sunnyside Senior Living, Ted Sterling Park, Feeding Empty Little Tummies (FELT), 81 Oaks Senior Living, Pines of Sarasota, Meals On Wheels, Pompano Trail Head, All Faiths Food Bank, SMART with Heart, and TWIG. Guided by Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve,” the St. Martha Catholic School community lived out their faith in a real and tangible way.
The Gospel reading tells of the Mary Magdalene and the other Mary who went to the tomb of Jesus to complete the anointing of Jesus’ body properly, even though they knew a great stone was in their way. The women were carried by their faith, hope and love for Jesus Christ because following a great darkness, the sun had risen that Easter morning. When they arrive at the tomb, the stone is rolled away and they encounter an Angel who said, “Do not be afraid! I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ Behold, I have told you.”
“Christ presents Himself as he rose from the dead,” Bishop Dewane said. “Yes. He saved us and He presents Himself for all of us to respond. We have to look at it in the same way in our own lives, see the stone that I need to roll away. It is there. Christ knows it and wants to help us so that there is nothing interfering in our relationship with Him. It is what the Resurrection is all about.”
At Epiphany Cathedral, Bishop Dewane presided over five baptisms, while a group of 11 were confirmed. The Bishop lauded the catechumen and candidates for having the courage and strength to hear the call of the Lord in their lives and respond in a definitive way.
“It is a profound honor for us to open our doors as a place of encounter, prayer, and renewal for all who seek the Lord,” Father Mayer said. “I personally invite all to come and find rest in the presence of Christ. Our Church and the Poor Clare Adoration Chapel will be open to welcome pilgrims every Tuesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and at other times by arrangement.”
In celebration of the Jubilee Year of St. Francis of Assisi, the Diocese of Venice has provided Jubilee prayer cards to each Parish in the Diocese. The prayer cards are available in English and Spanish and include the prayer written by Pope Leo XIV for the 800th Jubilee of St. Francis, which asks the saint to intercede for the faithful, inspiring hearts to live in peace, humility, and faithful witness to Christ during this holy year.
