Bishop Frank J. Dewane has been the Shepherd of the Diocese of Venice for nearly 20 years. As his pending retirement soon takes effect, he took time to reflect on his role as Bishop and Shepherd.
Leadership
A review of Bishop Dewane’s 20 years has shown that he was intimately involved in all aspects of running the Diocese. While some criticize this approach, it was not his intention to offend anyone.
“The buck stops with you when there is a decision to be made,” Bishop Dewane said. “But I was tempered by the Holy Spirit in the process. You can only please some of the people some of the time.”
“Our priests are to be complimented. We have healthy Parishes. We can all do more spiritually – always – to build an environment that people want to be part of, to come and worship the Lord.”
When it comes to making decisions, especially when there is no clear consensus among priests, Bishop Dewane said he relied upon prayer, learned consideration and consultation.
When Bishop Dewane took over the leadership of the Diocese in 2007, many Parishes and Catholic schools were burdened by crushing debt. Policy changes regarding construction and accountability for finances at every level were implemented and enabled a drastic turnaround in the Diocese of Venice. This was done with broad consultation.
“I came with a business background, and that certainly allowed me to understand the issues facing the Diocese, the Parishes and the Catholic schools, but it takes time to turn things around. What was done made certain that all entities were sharing in the costs of operating the Diocese. The consultation of lay faithful throughout my years were of great assistance in this regard.”
“That is the reality of the position. It is your responsibility, at the end of the day, a decision must be made. Understand that in doing this, not everyone is going to agree. We only need to look to Sacred Scriptures, not everybody agreed with Jesus. You have to know through your training, formation and prayer to be confident in whatever decision is made.”
Pastoral focus
Bishop Dewane said the mission of the Church is often debated and is often put into neat silos – charitable, theological, pastoral, etc.
“The mission is broad. Often people want to play one factor against the other. That isn’t how Christ did it. He looked to the issue and decided, and I think we are called to follow Christ, who sent the Apostles out. As a Successor to the Apostles, I have to act, despite criticism, that even though a teaching on an issue is seen as hard and cold, there is a reason the Church has held that over the centuries and even millennia.”
This is the reality of being a Bishop who serves in Diocese for a finite period. “As Bishop, sometimes you have to let the word of the Lord sit and allow people to see that the Holy Spirit has a role. The idea that the Bishop is doing just whatever he wants is simply not true.”
His pastoral vision enabled outreach to expand across the Diocese. This has included building affordable housing, expanding the resources for Catholic Charities which reach more of the needy, and expanded Diocesan support for Parishes. In addition, there has been implementation of new evangelization efforts: major conferences, youth rallies, marriage enrichment programs, youth-centered gatherings, and more. This also includes the expanded support of Hispanic Ministries, prison outreach, moms in need, as well as initiatives to promote adoration, praying of the rosary, going to confession and much more.
That leadership was also necessary to guide the Diocese through many crises such as being struck by multiple devastating hurricanes and working through the impacts of a global pandemic. These called for empathy and understanding by all.
“When these happened, it was people’s lives that were disrupted and members of families who died. Human beings. They have to take priority. At times like that you have to be out and about, making decisions that help in the most efficient way possible. And then helping things quickly get back to as close to normal as whenever possible. We did our best in difficult circumstances.”
Access
In any given week, month or year of his time as Bishop of Venice, Bishop Dewane has made a point to be “out and about´ in the Diocese celebrating Masses, attending events and just being available to the lay faithful.
“Weekends weren’t mine. The faithful have a right to see their Bishop. Sometimes it is an appointment, while other times it is in the Parishes. I will have morning, afternoon and evening events, going from one to the next. It is important and was confirmed to me many times when people remarked to me, ‘I have never seen or met a Bishop before.’ It wasn’t about whether it was convenient for me or not. A lot of times, I barely got out of one event to make it to the next one. That is where the of God are.”
By frequently visiting Parishes and Catholic schools and other parts of the Diocese, Bishop Dewane said it gave a clearer sense of what was truly taking place in the Diocese that he couldn’t get from sitting in his office or from merely asking questions of the Bishop.
“For example, I would see the same altar servers multiple times and give a little encouragement. I’m thankful for that opportunity to have been there. With confirmations scheduled I had the night after night, and woke the next morning and went into the office to deal with the next thing.”
After nearly 10,000 public Masses in 20 years, the Bishop, when time allowed, would stand in the back of the church and everyone could come to speak with him. “Sometimes it was to get feedback that wasn’t always really positive but necessary, but still at other times it was to rejoice that we had a common relative, or they knew somebody I knew from wherever. It was about making a connection.”
Bishop Dewane said he feels blessed to have been able to lead the Diocese of Venice for nearly 20 years.
“When I started, there was a big learning curve because there are some things that you know how to do and others that were challenging. I adapted and worked hard to ensure everything I did was for the pastoral welfare of the entire Diocese.”
Future
Looking ahead, Bishop Dewane has no clear plans for his future aside from stepping back to let Bishop Biosca lead unencumbered.
“I’m just going to wind down a little bit more prayer time, reading time and rest. Certainly, I’ll be here and be able to assist if called upon to respond to Bishop Biosca. But my life will be a little bit different. I won’t do those five events in a day. It won’t be my job.”
The Bishop will also use his time to catch up with people here in the Diocese whom he has befriended, that his schedule didn’t allow and could only say hello to once in a while. “That will be nice.”
While he won’t miss his busy schedule, he said he is going to make himself available to cover Masses for priests for vacations or emergencies.
“I’m not going away. I am just stepping back.”
The Diocese of Venice Totus Tuus summer program continues to inspire young people to grow in faith. The week-long program is visiting different Parishes each week and offering day camp for students entering grades 1 – 6, as well as evening camp for middle school and high school students entering grades 7 – 12. Three missionary teams are leading the campers. In the first two weeks, the program has taken place at five Parishes, with the most recent at Epiphany Cathedral in Venice, St. Paul parish in Arcadia, and Ave Maria Parish in Ave Maria. Upcoming host Parishes include the following: St. Agnes Parish, Naples, San Pedro Parish, North Port, St. Michael Parish, Wauchula, and St. Leo the Great Parish, Bonita Springs (June 14-19); St. Katharine Drexel Parish, Cape Coral, and Sacred Heart Parish, Bradenton (June 21-26); St. James Parish, Lake Placid, St. Catherine Parish, Sebring, Our Lady of Grace Parish, Avon Park, and Our Lady Queen of Heaven Parish, LaBelle (July 5-10); St. Joseph Parish, Bradenton, and Our Lady of Light Parish (Day Session)/ St. John XXIII Parish, Fort Myers (Evening Session) (July 12-17); Our Lady of the Angels Parish, Lakewood Ranch, and St. Jude Parish, Sarasota (July 19-24). Youth are welcome to attend any of the Totus Tuus camps, but registration is requested ahead of time. To register, please contact the hosting Parish directly. Parish contact information can be found at 
July 5-10 – St. James Parish, Lake Placid, St. Catherine Parish, Sebring, Our Lady of Grace Parish, Avon Park, and Our Lady Queen of Heaven Parish, LaBelle;
The St. John Neumann Catholic High School baseball team from Naples represented the school at the state class 1a semifinals on May 14, 2026, in Fort Myers. The Celtics reached the semifinals by winning a 3-game regional final over Canterbury on May 8 and 9. The team fell in the semifinal against Orangewood Christian of Maitland with a final score of 6-4. The Celtics finished the season with a 21-14 record. Congratulations on a great season!
The Diocesan Finance Council Board Meeting on May 18, 2026, at the Diocesan Catholic Center in Venice, included a farewell cake for Bishop Frank J. Dewane, who is retiring as Bishop of the Diocese of Venice after 20 years of faithful service. A new Bishop will be installed on July 11.
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.
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.
St. William Parish and Catholic Charities in Collier County joined forces to provide an Easter luncheon for the homeless in Naples on April 7, 2026. More than 100 were welcomed with a warm meal and compassionate hearts at the Judy Sullivan Family Resource Center. Staff and volunteers prepared and served the meals. Each person received a meal, take-home food, a gift card and beautifully decorated Easter Eggs. The luncheon is one of several supported by the St. William Homeless Outreach Program for Empowerment (HOPE) which extends a compassionate hand to those experiencing homelessness in Naples, including providing hot meals to the homeless each week, bicycles for transportation and more.
