The gathering of married couples for a Mass is a time of celebration and reflection.
The celebration of their achievement of commitment and living out the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony came in the form of the annual Diocesan Masses honoring couples celebrating significant wedding anniversaries. The time for reflection came afterwards when the massive number of years the combined couples have been married was announced: 14,747.
Bishop Frank J. Dewane presided over the second pair of Diocesan Anniversary Masses on March 6, 2021 at St. Leo the Great Parish in Bonita Springs noting that the event is a favorite, one he looks forward to each year.
“The view from my position is inspiring to me and to others who are in awe of the accomplishment you have achieved,” Bishop Dewane said. “You are living examples of the graces of love, fidelity, kindness and fruitfulness bestowed upon you by Christ. I honor you, and the Church honors you as witnesses to a beautiful vocation which younger generations see and admire.”
Some 170 couples attended the two at Masses at St. Leo the Great. The longest married couple present was Vincent and Teresa Principe of St. Peter the Apostle Parish in Naples. On May 13, 2021, they will celebrate 70 years together.
Paul and Mary Schmidt of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Naples have been married 50 years and were impressed to see other couples married much longer. “I thought we reached a big milestone,” Mary Schmidt laughed. “We have some work to do to get to that many years, but I think we have a chance.”
That chance is because the couple works daily to keep their marriage strong. They have four children and four grandchildren who look up to them for guidance regarding many things, with marriage being one.
“We have overcome our struggles through our faith in the Lord and our trust in each other,” Paul Schmidt said. “Without those, you don’t stand a chance.”
Masses are celebrated each year in the northern and southern sections of the Diocese of Venice so as to accommodate those wanting to attend. In 2021, extra Mass were scheduled to allow for social distancing due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The first two Masses were celebrated Feb. 6 at Epiphany Cathedral in Venice.
During the Mass, the married couples renewed their wedding vows. In addition, each couple was presented with commemorative certificates, signed by the Bishop, for their enduring commitment to marriage.
A reception followed the Mass with lunch and the opportunity to have complimentary pictures taken with the Bishop in the Parish Hall.
The elegant evening included a live auction and dinner catered by Michael’s on East and was chaired by Bridget Speiss.
In celebration of that commitment each year Bishop Frank J. Dewane invites couples married 25, 30, 35, 40, 45 and 50+ years to a Mass in their honor as witnesses to a beautiful vocation for younger generations to see and admire.
Masses are celebrated each year in the northern and southern sections of Diocese of Venice so as to accommodate those wanting to attend. In 2021, to allow for social distancing due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, two Masses were celebrated Feb. 6, 2021 at Epiphany Cathedral in Venice. An additional two Masses, at 10 a.m. and noon, on March 6, 2021, will be celebrated at St. Leo the Great Parish in Bonita Springs. (Registration is through your Parish.)
The couple credits their longevity to their faith and communication. “We talk about everything, openly and honestly,” Lynn Franklin explained. “She means everything,” Alex Franklin quipped. Lynn quickly added that by communicating the couple remains focused on their life together. “It is a good life, grounded in our love of God and our whole family.”
St. Agnes Parish in Naples hosted a Blue Mass in honor of active and retired law enforcement, fire and emergency services and first responders on Jan. 30, 2021. The Mass honors the hard work and sacrifice of those who work to keep the community safe. The keynote talk was provided by Deacon Bill Schultz, who is a retired police officer.
The annual Children’s Festival was held at St. Michael Parish in Wauchula on Jan. 23, 2021. The Festival brings children from kindergarten through fifth grade to the Parish for a day of prayer and fun.
The day included Mass, a Eucharistic Procession, as well as presentations about how they can grow in their Faith. In addition, there were various games, many of which had a faith-based theme. The women religious who serve the Parish, Sisters Servant of Lord and the Virgin of Matara, organized the festival.
Developed with the assistance of the Diocese Communications Department, the goal of the series is to inspire others to follow in the path to the priesthood or religious life, as well as encourage the faithful to continue to support the seminarians as they continue their formation process at different seminaries. “A Seminarian Story” featuring David Portorreal can be found at 
Registration is now open for the 2021 Men’s & Women’s Conferences! The Men’s Conference will feature speakers Patrick Madrid and Joel Stepanek on Saturday February 20th.
The Women’s Conference will feature speakers Kimberly Hahn and Mary Ann Weisinger-Puig on Saturday March 13. Both conferences will be held at Bishop Verot High School in Fort Myers from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (doors open at 8:00 a.m.) with Mass celebrated by Bishop Frank J. Dewane and Confession available all day. To register, please visit 
What better way to begin 2021 than in the presence of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament? The Office of Evangelization will be hosting several evenings of Eucharistic Adoration with Confession available, music, reflection, and time for silent prayer. Jesus, who makes “All Things New” will bring a newness to your faith in this new year. Locations include Our Lady of Light Parish, Fort Myers, Feb. 2; Our Lady of the Angels Parish, Lakewood Ranch, Feb. 3; St. John the Evangelist Parish, Naples, Feb. 4; Incarnation Parish, Sarasota, Feb. 11; and St. Joseph Parish, Bradenton, Feb. 16. Adoration begins at 7 p.m. and goes until 8:30 p.m.
Father Rafal Ligenza, Administrator of St. Joseph Parish in Bradenton, presented bibles to each of the seventh and eighth graders at St. Joseph Catholic School on Jan. 21, 2021. Father Ligenza presented the bibles as gifts from the Parish and then prayed with the students.
Each Diocesan Catholic school strives to be good steward of God’s creation, including making every effort to limit the amount of trash. At St. John Neumann Catholic High School in Naples, water bottle filling station were installed to cut down on the waste caused by plastic water bottles. On Jan. 22, 2021 Neumann Senior Tommy Anderson was recognized as the 10,000th water bottle filler at one of the stations on campus. Principal Sister Patricia Roche, Salesian Sister of St. John Bosco, presented Anderson with a certificate during morning prayers/announcements. The stations were installed thanks to the Home and School Association. Since the start of the Academic Year, 31,609 water bottles have been saved from entering the landfill.
For this reason, Bishop Frank J. Dewane has designated March 7, 2021, Safe Haven Sunday in the Diocese of Venice. This day of awareness will provide the opportunity for the Diocese to directly address the problem of pornography in marriages, families, and in our culture. At the same time, resources will be made available to support individuals, married couples and families in making their homes safe from pornography.
“First exposure to internet pornography is often during the elementary school years, often by accident with the search of a keyword on social media,” Foley explained to his stunned audiences. “When parents and guardians haven’t created an environment where it’s safe and welcome to talk about uncomfortable topics, children will often hide these experiences out of shame and embarrassment. This reality creates an impediment to obtaining deep and lasting relationships with Our Lord.”
In the coming months there will be the Ordination to the Priesthood of two men, a new initiative to curb the impacts of pornography on society, small and large conferences, Masses for couples celebrating significant wedding anniversaries, opportunities to promote the sanctity of life, celebrations of all sorts, as well as the continuation of the “Year of St. Joseph.”
In the coming months, Bishop Dewane will preside over a variety of celebrations which occur each year, including the Rite of Election in February when Bishop Dewane welcomes those in RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) who will be fully entering the Church at the Easter Vigil, a Mass for Victims of Abuse, and later in the year a Veterans Day Mass, the 25th anniversary celebration of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Retreat Center, a Red Mass for legal professionals and more. It is also expected that two men will be Ordained to the Priesthood by the Bishop in early summer.
