Appointments
After consultation, Bishop Frank J. Dewane announced the following appointments:
Father Thobias Sabariar, M.o.C., relieved of his duties as Parochial Vicar of St. Katharine Drexel Parish effective Jan. 30, 2022, and thus, has returned to his Religious Community.
Father Antony Lukka, relieved of his duties as Parochial Vicar of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish effective Jan. 30, 2022, and thus, has returned to his Diocese of Kanjirapally, India.
Cheer Team takes silver at States
The Competitive Cheer Team at Bishop Verot Catholic High School in Fort Myers took second place at the Class 1A Extra Large Varsity State Championships on Feb. 2, 2022, at University of Florida Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville. Way to go!
Parish hosts fun for high schoolers
The St. Michael Parish 2022 High School Youth Festival gathered more than 80 students in Wauchula on Feb. 5, 2022. The theme this year was “We are made to be great!” The day consisted of three talks given by Greg Stearns, an outdoor games tournament, prayer and quiet time with our Lord, the opportunity for confessions and Holy Mass. It was a beautiful day of fellowship.
Time running out to apply for college scholarships
The deadline to apply for Catholic Community Foundation of Southwest Florida 2022-23 Scholarship will close on March 1, 2022. There are six different competitive scholarships being offered. Some of the scholarships are limited in who is eligible based on the schools they attend, where they live or what career path they plan to take. During the past eight years, the Catholic Community Foundation has awarded more than $425,000 in scholarships to students attending universities, colleges and vocational programs. To find out which Catholic Community Foundation scholarship you qualify for, please visit www.ccfdioceseofvenice.org/scholarships.
High school artists shine at local Art Fest
Bishop Verot Catholic High School student Cornelia Ovren won BEST OF SHOW for her acrylic painting of The Triangle Waist Company at the Fort Myers Art Fest on Feb. 6, 2022. A team from Verot also won The Golisano Children’s Hospital Sunny and Sparkle award for their clever execution of Chalk Block’s theme: “Choose to Include” in the chalk art competitions. In the same competition, another Verot group took honorable mention for their chalk block “Come Together” tribute.
Several teams take District titles
Several Diocesan Catholic high school sports teams won district titles recently. The Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School girls’ basketball team in Sarasota took the District title Feb. 4, 2022. The Mooney girls’ soccer team earned their own District title Feb. 3. The St. John Neumann Catholic High School girls’ basketball team in Naples also took their District title Feb. 4. Both boys’ and girls’ soccer teams at Bishop Verot Catholic High School in Fort Myers captured District titles Feb. 2.
50th Anniversary Sarasota Prayer Breakfast March 17
Friends dedicated to furthering community prayer are encouraged to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Sarasota Prayer Breakfast, March 17, at the Sarasota Hyatt Regency. The faithful of Sarasota will come together as a community to pray for our city, state and nation. The gathering is modeled after the annual National Prayer Breakfast held in our nation’s capital and attended by America’s legislative leaders. Tickets may be purchased online at www.SarasotaPrayerBreakfast.com. For additional information please e-mail Info@SarasotaPrayerBreakfast.com or call 941-350-6075.
During the week of Jan. 30 to Feb. 5, 2022, Diocesan Catholic schools celebrated their schools, their Parishes, the nation, vocations, their families and their teachers in a variety of ways.
The youngest of five children to receive a Catholic school education from kindergarten through high school (St. Joseph and Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School in Sarasota), Roddenberry credits that experience with her ability to overcome many obstacles in her life while achieving success.
Then it was on to meet the third-grade class of Juli Ferguson. There Roddenberry shared her story explaining how she loved going to St. Joseph and later Cardinal Mooney as both schools helped shape her into the confident young woman she is today. She noted that she started participating in pageants through the years and eventually became Miss Florida 2021 last June.
Roddenberry later had lunch with members of the St. Joseph Catholic School National Junior Honor Society, along with Father John Belmonte, SJ, Diocesan Superintendent of Catholic Education. The 22-year-old was Miss Tampa 2020, and an author of a children’s book and founder of “Be a LeadHER: Igniting the Spark Within.” She graduated from Cardinal Mooney in 2017. She represented Florida in the Miss America pageant in December 2021 where she finished in the top 10, her final pageant experience. The Miss Florida pageant is a scholarship program which Roddenberry said will help her finish her education nearly debt-free. She hopes to enter law school after her commitments as Miss Florida 2021 conclude.
During the weekend leading up to Catholic Schools Week, many Parishes throughout the Diocese hosted guest student speakers who were able to share how their school fosters a growth in faith, values, virtues, self-confidence, and much more.
St. Ann Catholic School in Naples had a Community Service Day on Jan. 31, where students collected trash outside City Hall and spent some time with Mayor Teresa Heitmann, helped to clean Cambier Park, Naples beaches, as well as the School and Parish properties.
Things have been busy at St. Andrew Catholic School in Cape Coral where students opened the week participating in a Math Olympics. Students participated in the “bobsled” and dividing and comparing decimals to determine fastest times. Just so everyone understands that Catholic Schools Week isn’t all serious – the second day was crazy hat day.
The Diocesan Hispanic Ministries Formation Program has returned with classes starting in January 2022 at several Parishes. The topic of study for these sessions is “The Christian Virtues” and a total of seven classes will be held weekly through Lent. Those who register and attend 80% of the classes will receive a Diocesan Certification.
A Memorial Mass was celebrated Jan. 27, 2022, for Father Dennis Cooney, longtime Pastor of St. Raphael Parish in Lehigh Acres, who died April 13, 2020. The death occurred during the early phase of the global pandemic and while a Funeral Mass was celebrated it was limited by the Parish to just 10 people at the time. Bishop Frank J. Dewane celebrated the Memorial Mass and spoke of Father Cooney’s spirited work in support of life from conception to natural death. Father Casey Jones, Pastor of St. Elizabeth Seton Parish in Naples, delivered the homily.
Families from all walks of life have recognized the benefits of a Catholic education, particularly those institutions in Southwest Florida. From August 2020 to January of this year, Catholic School enrollment across the Diocese of Venice increased by more than 700 students, over 14 percent. The surge of new residents across Florida certainly helped this remarkable growth. However, why have hundreds of families decided to enroll their children in Catholic schools rather than one of the public or private school counterparts?
CSW – Catholic Schools Week – provides a second key to the Diocese’s successes in enrollment and beyond. This year marks the 48th year nationally celebrating Catholic education. From January 30 through February 5, schools will celebrate their Parishes, our nation, vocations, our families and our teachers. Schools organize activities and public events to provide an opportunity to see the positive benefits of a Catholic education. Interested in attending one of these events? Visit 
These walks took place with a note of hope and optimism as there is a possibility that the Supreme Court might strike down Roe v. Wade. That optimism comes from a pivotal Mississippi abortion case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, that many in the Pro-Life movement see as the best chance to change the law that has led to more than 62 million abortions across the United States. A decision in the case isn’t expected until the end of the court’s term in June.
Bishop Dewane was encouraged by the number of people participating in the Ave Maria event and humbled by the large number of young families and couples as well as youth who will be carrying the Pro-Life message into the future.
The Bishop concluded his remarks by reminding everyone that abortion is a moral problem that occasionally must be dealt with in a political arena to make change happen. “We must be strong and practical in our approach; speaking out courageously and forcefully, as we remain united in our prayer and opposition to this scourge on our society.”
About the same time as the Ave Maria event was happening, a similar vigil was taking place along U.S. 41 in Bonita Springs. There, some 125 people braved similar dreary conditions in a Walk for Life organized by the Pro-Life Outreach of nearby St. Leo the Great Parish.
Among the larger groups in Washington were representatives from Bishop Verot Catholic High School in Fort Myers, Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School in Sarasota, St. Michael Parish in Wauchula, Ave Maria University and the Ave Maria School of Law. Several smaller groups from a variety of Parishes also took part including St. William Parish in Naples, Epiphany Cathedral in Venice and Incarnation Parish in Sarasota.
Tomeo first spoke to Verot Director of Religious Activities Mark Latell, who brought a group of 28 juniors and seniors to support life. Latell said a group from Fort Myers annually attends the March and missed not being able to be in Washington in 2021 because of the pandemic. Latell explained that each day on their journey starts and ends with student-led prayer. Upon their return to Fort Myers, the students will put together a video of their experiences and share it with the school community and surrounding Parishes who support the school and the annual trip.
The St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic School community in Naples celebrated its 100th day of classes on Jan. 21, 2022, with a special “dress like you are 100 years old” dress-down day for a donation of 100 cents! All proceeds from the day will be donated to the nearby Golden Gate Senior Center run by Catholic Charities, Diocese of Venice, Inc.
Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School hosted more than 130 eighth grade students from its partner schools, St. Mary Catholic Academy, St. Martha Catholic School and Incarnation Catholic School, each in Sarasota, and St. Joseph Catholic School in Bradenton. This Jan. 19, 2022, retreat was more than just a tour of the high school; it was also a chance to learn about what attending Cardinal Mooney would be like. Mooney students led the eighth graders in a variety of activities including prayer, games and team building exercises. Throughout the day, the boys and girls were separated into smaller groups and given the opportunity to ask their hosts questions about the school.
The Diocese of Venice held a collaboration session and workshop for Catholic schools Marketing & Development Committee personnel on Jan. 24, 2022, at Epiphany Cathedral in Venice. The meeting began with a greeting and prayer from Father John Belmonte, SJ, Superintendent of Schools for the Diocese. John Carkeet from the Diocese’s Education Department led the sessions, which included several guest speakers. Guest speakers presented information about marketing, branding and social media, and included Mindy Purvis, Catholic Faith Technologies; Monique Day, Target Digital Marketing; Angie Prokes, Digital Diagnosis Marketing; and Kevin Murphy and Jud Cavey from Ave Maria University. Carlee Colonneso, Development Consultant at St. Joseph Catholic School in Bradenton and Carkeet led development and marketing workshop sessions. The collaboration session and workshop were Part II of a four-part series focused on establishing marketing plans at Diocesan schools.
Middle school students in American History at St. Catherine Catholic School in Sebring completed a STREAM (Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Arts, Math) project on Jan. 20, 2022, which focused on the Revolutionary War and the Culper Spy Ring. Not only did the students learn history, but also the chemistry behind invisible ink, which the Culper Ring used during the Revolutionary War.
There are few better ways to teach a lesson to a third-grade student than through the use of food as a prop in the classroom. That is exactly what happened on Jan. 19, 2022, at St. Ann Catholic School in Naples where the students used Oreo cookies to learn about the phases of the moon. This edible prop was easily handled by the students to match the different phases of the moon by splitting apart the two sides of the cookie and removing some of the filing. This exercise also has the benefit of having a handy snack after the lesson was completed.
Among the scholarships being offered is the Mary Fran Carroll Scholarship to residents of Sarasota County, for the 2022-23 academic year. A total of 11 scholarships are being offered for both traditional and non-traditional students.
Third grade students at St. Catherine Catholic School in Sebring explored different forms of energy during a lesson on Jan. 13, 2022. One of the more joyful parts of the experiments was learning about static electricity when they used a few balloons to cause some hair to stand on end.
It was in December 2021 when a group of St. Francis Xavier Catholic School students received assistance crossing a busy intersection with the aid of the Fort Myers Police Department in their patrol cars and using their lights and sirens to the delight of the children. As a way of thanks, the fourth graders invited members of the Fort Myers Police Department to personally thank them for their support and service in celebration of Law Enforcement Appreciation Day on Jan. 7, 2022.
Lockers for students at St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic School in Naples made their debut when students returned from Christmas Break on Jan. 4, 2022. Those lockers are the first at the school and are courtesy of the Donahue Catholic Academy of Ave Maria. The Academy replaced some of their school lockers with larger ones in the fall. The used lockers were then donated to the Naples school and were only recently installed.
The Feast of the Epiphany, Jan. 6, 2022, is the manifestation of Jesus as Messiah, Son of God and Savior of the world. The great Feast of the Epiphany celebrates the adoration of Jesus by the wise men from the East and was celebrated at different Diocesan Catholic Schools. Epiphany Cathedral Catholic School in Venice, the eighth graders led a procession and brief play retelling the story for the entire student body. At St. Andrew Catholic School in Cape Coral, the Feast Day, was taught in second grade Spanish class, where students learned about how traditions are celebrated differently in Spain and Latin America. Both schools held celebrations which included food and the wearing of crowns.
St. Francis Xavier Catholic School seventh graders were visited on Jan. 10, 2022, by a representative of Lee County Mosquito Control who brought samples of the different bugs and types of mosquitoes found throughout the area and explained how some bugs are good for the environment while others can carry disease. Further, it was explained what the county does to control the mosquito population, including spraying, and what each student can do on a daily basis to help keep the mosquito population under control.
While some events were modified, delayed or even postponed, the Diocese was blessed to have two men Ordained to the Priesthood; welcome hundreds into the Church at the Easter Vigil; start a massive robotics program in its Catholic schools; host a successful Youth Rally, as well as Women’s and Men’s Conferences; honor the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony; continue to pray for victims of abuse; honor our veterans; prayer walks for an end to abortion; assist tens of thousands with food and other support; evidence major enrollment gains in its Catholic schools; dedicate a new Parish Church and Retreat Center Shrine; continue to expand the outreach to the Hispanic Catholic community; inaugurate the Diocesan Phase of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission,” and conclude the “Year of St. Joseph.”
One of the most important building blocks of the Catholic Church is the ordination of men to the priesthood. The Diocese of Venice was blessed to have two men ordained in 2021 presided over by Bishop Frank J. Dewane at Epiphany Cathedral. Three other seminarians were ordained to the Transitional Diaconate in 2021 and are expected to be ordained to the priesthood in 2022.
During Holy Week the priests of the Diocese gathered for the annual Chrism Mass; a powerful sign of unity with more than 100 priests on the altar with Bishop Dewane at the Cathedral. This annual Mass is one of the most critical and unifying moments for the Diocese during Holy Week. At the Chrism Mass, priests and deacons who celebrate milestone anniversaries were honored. To accommodate the latest guidance on social distancing and limiting the size of gatherings at the time, only priests and Permanent Deacons and their wives were present for the Mass. The public was able to view this Mass via livestream.
Two major dedications took place in the first half of 2021. First was the Dedication and Blessing of a new Parish Church for St. Paul Parish in Arcadia on March 21, 2021. The building more than quadrupled the capacity of the previous church and offers room for future Parish offices, classrooms and a Parish Hall. The project followed strict guidelines to ensure the building is energy efficient is the context of Laudato Si. A centerpiece feature of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Retreat Center in Venice was dedicated and blessed by Bishop Dewane before an enthusiastic crowd on June 6, 2021. The Shrine to Our Lady of Perpetual Help is a fitting memorial to the Blessed Virgin who serves as the exemplar for all to follow.
