Msgr. George W. Cummings, the founder of Epiphany Cathedral Catholic School, St. Raphael Parish in Englewood and San Pedro Parish in North Port, as well as longtime Pastor at Epiphany Parish, died Aug. 8, 2020 in Brooksville at the age of 102.
Ordained in Nov. 27, 1943 for the Diocese of St. Augustine, which covered the entire state of Florida at the time, Msgr. Cummings first taught at St. James Cathedral School in Orlando and then helped found Archbishop Curley Catholic High School in Miami. In addition, he founded Our Lady of Good Counsel Camp for youth in Citrus County at which he served as Director for many years.
Within the Diocese of Venice, Msgr. Cummings was the founder of St. Raphael Parish in Englewood (1957), Epiphany Cathedral Catholic School in Venice (1959), and San Pedro Parish in North Port (1965), all while serving as the second Pastor of Epiphany Parish (now Cathedral) from 1956-1976. At the request of Archbishop Joseph Hurley, he was given the ecclesiastical honor of Domestic Prelate (now Honorary Prelate) by Pope John XXIII in 1959.
After serving at Epiphany, he was assigned as Pastor of St. Elizabeth Seton Parish in Citrus Park from 1976 until his retirement in 1991. He also served as Youth Ministry Director for the Diocese of St. Petersburg.
All funeral services will be held at the Cathedral of St. Jude the Apostle, 5815 5th Avenue N., St. Petersburg, and will be as follows:
Visitation: Wednesday, August 12, 2020, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., Evening Prayer will be offered at 7:00 p.m.
Funeral Mass: Thursday, August 13, 2020, 10 a.m., Most Reverend Robert N. Lynch will be the Main Celebrant, with Very Reverend James B. Johnson as Homilist.
For those unable to attend, the Funeral Mass will be livestreamed on the Cathedral website: https://stjudesp.org/ and the Diocese of St. Petersburg’s Facebook page.
Burial will immediately follow at Calvary Catholic Cemetery, 5233 118th Avenue N., Clearwater.
Please pray for the repose of the soul of Msgr. Cummings.
The class of 133 is an impressive group, earning more than $10 million in scholarships and nearly all will be attending college in the coming weeks. Delayed from its original date in late May due to the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic, some were not present for the graduation because of college or work commitments, but each was recognized during the Commencement Exercises.
“With the pandemic, so much has changed for all of us and we find ourselves in a very unique situation,” Bishop Dewane said. “As a class, likely all of you here have become closer while at the same time being 6-feet apart. It’s something unique and something you will always remember.”
Father John Belmonte, SJ, Superintendent of Catholic Education, opened the meeting with morning prayer and an introduction to what he believes is the mission of Catholic Schools: to introduce the world to its Savior. With that anchor, Father explained, Catholic Schools can do great things. Father Belmonte also celebrated Mass for the group before lunch.
Father Belmonte added that during “the past four months, we have learned in a deeper way, the value and importance of our Catholic schools. Our Catholic Faith teaches us that it is Christ who is the reason for our schools. As we open this fall, recall that we teach Christ Himself. It is Christ who teaches us, rescues us, saves us, redeems us, heals us, unites us, forgives us, and loves us. Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. In preparing to open our schools, let us remain focused on Christ who is the reason for our schools, the reason we teach, and the reason why we will gather, prudently and safely in the Fall.”
The celebration put a capstone on the high school lives of 80 graduates who are destined for futures unknown but grounded in a Christ-centered education. While the ceremonies were delayed two months because of the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic, Sister Patricia Roche, Salesian Sister of St. John Bosco and Principal, declared at the conclusion of the evening events; “You have overcome much, but know you are loved by your Celtic family and always loved by God. Once a Celtic, always a Celtic.”
Guests at the Mass and commencement were limited to immediate family to ensure social distancing could be maintained. The graduates, wearing specially provided “Class of 2020” masks, were spread across the church and seated with their families versus clustered together.
Bishop Frank J. Dewane was honored at a special gathering of the Venice Diocesan Council of Catholic Women on July 25, 2020 at Epiphany Cathedral Parish Hall in Venice. The meeting coincided with the 14th anniversary of Bishop Dewane’s Episcopal Ordination as Bishop of the Diocese of Venice in Florida in 2006. The VDCCW leadership presented the Bishop with a check for $9,000 to be used to support the Diocesan seminarians.
The Sewing Group of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Naples donated 200 white masks for use at Mass by First Communicants and their families on July 11, 2020. The Faith Formation team facilitated the distribution of the masks for the boys and girls as well as their families. Two Mass were scheduled for all of the children as all social distancing rules were followed.
The Verot Class of 2020 overcame the impacts of Hurricane Irma in 2017 which closed their school down for weeks and it took more than a year to complete repairs. Then, just as they were on the brink of the final quarter of their senior year in high school, the world changed. The COVID-19 Pandemic cancelled in-person classes and the resulting quarantine and online classes put a new and trying meaning to distance learning for the close-knit group of 157 graduates.
These students have achieved much, having been offered more than $22 million in scholarships and nearly all with plans for higher education. Because of the delay in graduation, a few students were unable to attend, therefore the graduation was streamed live through the Verot website.
Important commencement traditions remained, such as parents who are Verot alumni were invited to the stage to present their child with their diploma. Because of the pandemic, there were no handshakes when diplomas or awards were presented.
One moment which brought a spontaneous applause was when the father of Mateo Devito accepted the diploma on his behalf, the same day he was being inducted into the U.S. Navy at the U.S. Naval Academy. The closing benediction was given by Father John Belmonte, a Jesuit priest who is the new Diocese of Venice Superintendent of Education.
The complexities of this task are monumental, and all options are being considered, explained Father John Belmonte, SJ, Diocese Superintendent of Catholic Education. Parents will be notified as soon as all plans are formalized.
