With a new location near the Murdock area of Port Charlotte, Pregnancy Solutions has a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to moms and dads experiencing unexpected, unplanned, or even is some cases, unwanted pregnancies.
Bishop Frank J. Dewane took part in an Open House on Oct. 13, 2021 and said a blessing for the continued success of Pregnancy Solutions in their new location at 950 Tamiami Trail, Suite 105. The Port Charlotte previous location was across from an abortion doctor’s office which closed during the summer. The other locations are in Venice and North Port.
“It is great to be with so many like-minded people,” Bishop Dewane said during the Open House. “Bless this center, and all those who walk in. Bless the lives it will contribute to, both the giving of new life, but also for those who need to be restored in spirit and body.”
Jaqueline Zdrojowy, Executive Director of Pregnancy Solutions, welcomed the Bishop, as well as members of the advisory board and other honored guests representing several Diocesan Parishes, the Knights of Columbus and Venice Diocesan Council of Catholic Women.
Pregnancy Solutions is the only Pro-Life pregnancy center in Charlotte County after merging with Pregnancy Careline Center earlier in 2021. Zdrojowy explained how Pregnancy Solutions started operation 20 years ago in 2001 with the help of Sister Mary Judith Delaney, SHCJ, who served at Sacred Heart Parish in Punta Gorda, and in the first year they saw no clients.
Compare that to the first 10 weeks at the new location which included 196 individual visits, including 84 ultrasounds, 99 pregnancy tests and much more, Zdrojowy continued. Other services include offering pregnancy options, adoption referrals, material support, parenting classes, support for men, and after abortion support.
The most encouraging statistic Zdrojowy shared was 72, the number of women who have had a change of heart from being abortion determined to choosing life and carrying their child to term. This has occurred since the start of the year through all of its three locations.
“We are just so excited to partner with you,” Zdrojowy said of the groups which previously supported Pregnancy Careline Center. “You are truly an extension of the local Church and the local Church is the hope of the world. We believe we cannot do what we do without the support of the local Church.”
At Pregnancy Solutions, you do not need insurance to receive the free services which includes ultrasound and pregnancy tests. Free diapers, baby formula, and baby clothes are available for moms and dads who participate in the program classes. All that is needed is a photo ID during the first appointment.
Pregnancy Solutions
Locations:
- 504 E. Venice Ave., Venice 34285,
- 950 Tamiami Trail, Suite 105, Port Charlotte 33953,
- 4500 S. Biscayne Drive, Suite G, North Port 34287.
Website: www.pregnancysolutions.org
Phone for all locations: 941-408-7100
Wish list
Diapers all sizes (newborn to Size 3 is greatest need)
Baby clothes – boys and girls (3T boys greatest need)
2021 Pregnancy Solutions Banquet – The 19th Annual Fundraising Banquet for Pregnancy Solutions of Port Charlotte, the only a pro-life pregnancy center in Charlotte County, is from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., Tuesday, November 2, at Isles Yacht Club, 1780 West Marion Avenue, in Punta Gorda. The meal is complimentary; an opportunity to make a financial gift will be extended. Visit www.pregnancysolutions.org for details or to donate if you are unable to attend, or call 941-408-7100.
Bishop Frank J. Dewane celebrated Mass for the students at St. Catherine Catholic School in Sebring on Oct. 18, 2021. The Mass is the latest in a series of Masses celebrated by the Bishop for students at each of the 15 Diocesan Catholic schools. During the Mass, which took place on the Feast of St. Luke the Evangelist, Bishop Dewane encouraged the students to focus on developing their prayer life each day.
The Venice Diocesan Council of Catholic Women hosted a retreat on Oct. 16, 2021 at Epiphany Cathedral in Venice. The bilingual retreat included talks from Father Janusz Jancarz, Spiritual Moderator for the VDCCW and Pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Venice; Father Claudio Stewart, Diocesan Director of Hispanic Ministries, and Father Thomas Heck, a retired priest of the Diocese. The women also participated in Mass, adoration and praying of the rosary.
“We find throughout Scriptures that persistence and perseverance is necessary for each of us in our prayer life,” said Bishop Dewane on Oct. 7, 2021, the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary, at Epiphany Cathedral in Venice. “Many pray the rosary every day and it has become an integral part of your life. A devotion to Our Lady through the rosary provides strength, drawing us closer to the Lord.”
This is why we meditate on the Mysteries and on the prayers, Bishop Dewane explained. “By doing so you become part of this history. Our Lady calls us to prayer and to acknowledge her Son. You do this by being the instruments of the Lord and calling others to come forth. Miracles will happen within us and within those around us because of our prayers and communications with the Lord.”
At Jesus the Worker Parish in Fort Myers, the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary is cause for celebration, as Our Lady is Patroness of Guatemala. A Mass was celebrated on Oct. 7 and a parish-wide celebration took place on Oct. 10 with a large procession through the Parish parking lot leading into Mass. The Mass was followed by festivities outside with food and music celebrating the Guatemalan culture all in honor of Our Lady.
From time to time a Parish requires a new Pastor and on this occasion the Bishop will appoint – after consultation with the Priest Personnel Board – and install this new leader marking a new chapter in the life for the faithful.
As part of the installation process, Bishop Dewane first introduces the priest as Pastor to the parishioners. The priest later begins the Profession of Faith for all to hear, including an additional part solely for him. The new Pastor then recites an Oath of Fidelity and promises to “adhere to the teachings, which either the Roman Pontiff or the College of Bishops enunciate when they exercise authentic magisterium.” The installation also includes prayers to provide the new Pastor the wisdom and guidance from the Holy Spirit to lead the Parish.
This high praise was offered by some of the 120 couples from across the Diocese of Venice – newlyweds to those married more than 50 years and everywhere in between – who took part in one of the two simultaneous “Together in Holiness” Marriage Enrichment Conferences on Oct. 2, 2021.
Bishop Frank J. Dewane opened the Conference in Sarasota noting the importance of the attending and that such offerings will become more frequent “as marriages and families are the backbone of who the Church is; who the Church always has been; and who the Church will be going forward.”
Cotter provided parents with six focused concepts to grab onto and run with to make their home a “School of Virtue.” These included: be intentional; tell stories; start small; live community; pray; and evaluate frequently.
Father Jan Antonik, Parish Administrator, told a large gathering how honored and blessed the Parish was to have a First-Class Relic of St. Thérèse, something he strived to acquire since his appointment in early 2020. The relic was gifted to the Parish courtesy of Father Bob Kantor, Pastor of St. Agnes Parish in Naples, where it had been on display in the St. Agnes Adoration Chapel for many years. Bishop Frank J. Dewane approved and facilitated the transfer of the relic between the two Parishes
St. Thérèse was a Carmelite nun who was born in 1873. She entered a cloistered life at the age of 15, living in near obscurity at a convent in Lisieux, France and died at the age of 24. She was canonized in 1925 and in 1997 St. John Paul II proclaimed her a Doctor of the Church in light of holiness and the influence of her teaching on spirituality in the Church.
Following Mass, single roses were distributed for the faithful to give to others as a “little way” of spreading the Love of Christ to others. Many also paused to view the relic and/or light a candle. A reception was held as part of the Feast Day celebration.
Those are the situations that Greg Hasek specializes in, most specifically in situations where men are dealing with addictions, past trauma or PTSD. But Hasek has another specialization: how abortion affects men and those roots run deep. Almost always, men aren’t coming to him for help with the aftermath of abortion. They are seeking him out because of an addiction that has nearly destroyed their lives.
Father Fitch has served as Administrator of the Parish and for Bishop Dewane the installation as Pastor would solidify in the minds of the faithful that Father was there to continue serving the Parishioners. Outwardly, there will be no changes in the operation of the Parish but nevertheless the Bishop noted this was an important moment for all of the faithful and for the community at St. Charles Borromeo.
The ceremony concluded with the signing of documents by the Bishop, the new Pastor, and two official witnesses of the Parish community, who serve as witnesses for all of the parishioners. Those documents are split between the Parish and Diocese as well as the Pastor’s personnel records.
As a part of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission,” Pope Francis has invited every Diocese in the world to inaugurate the beginning of the Synod with an opening Mass. In the Diocese of Venice, this opening Mass will be celebrated by Bishop Frank J. Dewane at 2:30 p.m., Oct. 17, 2021, at Epiphany Cathedral, 350 Tampa Ave., Venice. All are welcome and encouraged to attend this Mass. In this Diocesan Phase of the Synod, Catholics in the Diocese of Venice are encouraged to participate in listening sessions, which will be announced in the coming weeks.
