Not long after sunrise on Saturday, May 16, 2020, volunteers at the St. Michael Parish Food Pantry in Wauchula started filling boxes with a variety of fresh, refrigerated and frozen food in preparation for a busy morning.
Vehicles were lined up by 7 a.m., about 30 minutes before the scheduled opening and less than two hours later more than 250 families (or about 1,000 people) had been helped.
Sister Maria Madre de le Alborada Quizhpe, Servant of the Lord the Virgin of Matara (SSVM), is in charge of the food pantry and does a weekly assessment of available food and must decide how much goes into each box based on the previous week’s number. In just a few weeks, the food pantry has handed out more than five times the pre-pandemic amount, a trend that shows no signs of ending soon.
On May 16, 2020 Bishop Frank J. Dewane saw firsthand the good work being done at St. Michael Parish. The Bishop did not hesitate to jump in to assist on the assembly line, packing boxes right where Sister Alborada most needed him.
The food pantry is restocked thanks to the direct assistance of two local food banks (Feeding Tampa Bay and All Faiths Food Bank), as well as through the support of local grocers and farmers, several Diocesan Parishes and resources are augmented by weekly bulk rice and bean deliveries from Catholic Charities Diocese of Venice Inc.
Each contribution is sorted by another group of volunteers earlier in the week to make the Saturday morning routine go smoothly. Everyone helping lives locally and knows about the need in the community.
The boxes move down the packing line at a breakneck pace as vehicles pull into the driveway, trucks or tailgates open, and boxes of food are loaded. Some vehicles pick up items for elderly neighbors or those without vehicles.
When Bishop Dewane finished his shift, he took time to thank everyone for their hard work. The Bishop remarked that he was also impressed by their dedication to come out each week to volunteer to do this hard work, not just for the Parish, but for the community as a whole. “Well done!”
Each vehicle coming through the line is surveyed to learn how many people are in the household and also to ensure that the families are using all of the offered food. Sister Gema Ruiz, SSVM, said that to a person, the food is much appreciated and needed.
“They say that whatever is not needed immediately is shared with elderly neighbors or other needy friends and family,” Sister Gema explained. “That is good to hear. We are pleased nothing is going to waste.”
Because the Parish is so far from the main food banks, the pantry must pay to retrieve most of the food, adding a tremendous expense. While necessary, this is beginning to impact the other assistance programs, Sister Gema explained. The Parish offers emergency financial support for unexpected expenses, an area where demand is also beginning to increase.
Sister Alborada explained that the impact of the food pantry on the community cannot be underestimated. The food provided to families, many with several children, gives them one less expense they need to worry about when money is tight. “They have children to feed, but they also have other bills to pay. We help to ensure they don’t need to make a choice between their children and some other expense.”
If you would like to help the St. Michael Parish food pantry, you can send money to St Michael Parish, c/o Food Pantry, 408 Heard Bridge Road, Wauchula, FL 33873, or call 863-773-4089. The Diocese of Venice is also providing an online platform. Please visit https://dioceseofvenice.org/ways-to-give/parish-donations-online/ and select St. Michael Parish in the drop-down box (please disable your pop-up blockers).
Out of concern for the safety of all involved, our Pastors have been asked to follow established directives and guidelines. These limit the size of the congregation to 25% of occupancy, maintain social distancing guidance, and ask the Faithful’s cooperation to wear facemasks and bring with them hand sanitizer for their use. The Faithful are also asked to receive communion in the hand. These are extraordinary times and I ask for your patience and good will as Parishes reopen for public celebrations. Further, schedules may need to be adjusted and some Priests or liturgical ministers may not be able to participate publicly because of age or health conditions.
Bishop Frank J. Dewane, in what is becoming a regular routine, visited this Catholic Charities site on May 8, 2020, to show his support and learn from the staff what the last few weeks have been like and if they were getting enough support.
Bishop Dewane first helped stack boxes of food provided by the Harry Chapin Food Bank while others brought out bagged food, grapefruits, apples and water. When the first vehicle came through the line, the bishop opted to load the half-cases of bottled water – minimum two per vehicle and more when the person was collecting food for multiple families. Bags were filled with maeseca (corn flour), rice, beans, oil and canned meats and vegetables.
Those numbers represent a tremendous increase in outreach when compared to an average year when Catholic Charities serves some 90,000 families and individuals through 37 different programs.
Catholic Charities Diocese of Venice Inc. is in urgent need of your financial support during its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. To help, please visit 
The Bishop added that he understood and appreciated the extra effort required by the priests and Parishes to facilitate the opening, but “because the Faithful are hungry for a return to the Church and for prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, this desire is worthy of the extra effort.” It is expected this first phase will allow for a growing reassurance by the Faithful that it will be safe to return for Mass once it is possible to do so.
Naturally concerned about the health and well-being of all, Bishop Dewane said his focus is also on the spiritual health of the Faithful. “I am confident that these visits will yield abundant spiritual fruit in personal holiness and the communion of our Parishes. This will eventually lead to being able to offer the access to all of the life-giving Sacraments in the near future.”
Visitors for private prayer at Epiphany Cathedral in Venice are greeted in the narthex and shown a seating chart for the Church. The faithful selects the spot from where they wish to pray and given a number that corresponds to that spot. A volunteer escort is provided as a guide. Upon leaving the Church, through a different door, the faithful are asked to drop their number off in a basket. The Parish cleaning staff later uses those numbers as guidance for deeper cleaning. This system works well as only between 20 and 50 people are coming for prayer throughout each day.
Surrounded by giant live oaks with a cool lake at its center, the Retreat Center, known by most as OLPH, offers a place full of God’s peace and beauty which encourages guests to develop a deeper relationship with the Lord, improve prayer life, and perhaps meet a new friend with whom to walk the spiritual journey of life.
Father Mallen founded OLPH in 1995 at the direction of then-Bishop John J. Nevins. With the assistance of Sister Carmella DeCosty, Sister of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, Father Mallen developed an overgrown piece of land into a refuge.
While the shrine is not finished yet: the plans include an area for votive candles that will be enclosed to comply with fire regulations and sidewalks which will lead to the steps of the shrine.
As Superintendent, Father Belmonte will be responsible for the Department of Education in the Diocese of Venice in Florida which consists of 15 schools; 4,777 students; the Office of Religious Education which supports the 61 parishes and 13,573 children and adults; as well as The Institute for Catholic Studies and Formation.
Since mid-March, Anne Chrzan, Diocesan Director of Religious Education, has been leading these virtual meetings on Zoom (online video conferencing), in the wake of the indefinite suspension of in-room Religious Education classes within the Diocese.
A Bible Study will be offered online through the Diocese of Venice Facebook Live on Tuesdays May 12 through July 28 using the program “Genesis to Jesus” from the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology. Each session will begin at 2:00 p.m. Join by going to 
