The New Year began with a Mass to celebrate the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, and the 222nd Anniversary of Haitian Independence at St. Leo the Great Parish in Bonita Springs.
Bishop Frank J. Dewane hosted the celebration that brought together the Catholic Haitian Community of the Diocese of Venice. Most Rev. Désinord Jean, Diocese of Hinche, Haiti, was the Principal Celebrant and Homilist. The priests of the Diocese concelebrated at the Mass.
Bishop Jean, who also celebrated this Mass in 2019, thanked Bishop Dewane for his welcome and presence at the sacred liturgy.
“On behalf of my brother Bishops of Haiti, I thank you wholeheartedly for opening the doors of your Diocese and your heart to the Haitian community and for your constant solicitude you show for the migrants and for all those who are far from their homeland,” Bishop Jean said.
Speaking to the faithful, Bishop Jean encouraged those gathered to remain strong as they seek the Lord’s mercy in their lives. It is through prayer and action that one grows in faith and love of the Lord. The Bishop also noted that while those present may now live in the United States, they are forever spiritually connected to their brothers and sisters in Christ in Haiti.
Bishop Dewane thanked the community of Haitians who contribute to the spirit of the Lord present in the Diocese, and Haitian priests for their commitment to serving within the Diocese. He added that the Catholic Haitian population conveys a richness to the Diocese of Venice, by their participation and by their liveliness that they bring into their Parishes.
“It is we, the entire Diocese, who are made rich by your presence,” Bishop Dewane said.
This annual Mass serves to bring the far-flung Catholic Haitian Community together once a year, explained Father Jean Marie “Fritz” Ligonde, who is the Diocese Haitian Ministry Director and Parochial Vicar at St. Columbkille in Fort Myers.
Roseline Alexandre, of St. Peter the Apostle Parish in Naples, expressed her joy at being able to participate in the annual celebration of Haitian independence while also honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary.
“I have lived in the United States for many years, but my heart remains in Haiti,” Alexandre said. “This day is a way to reconnect with my heritage.”
It was in 1803 that the Haitians defeated the largest and most powerful army at the time, the army of Napoleon, in Cap-Haitien. Haiti became the second country in the Americas to declare its Independence.
When the French were in control, they enacted a law that said they were the only ones who could eat soup because they were in the upper class. When Haiti proclaimed its independence, all Haitians started to eat soup as a way to demonstrate that everyone was equal. Thus, began the custom of cooking and eating soup on New Year’s Day as a way to celebrate freedom. Symbolically, soup was among the cuisine offered at the reception that followed the Mass.
Parishes with large Haitian communities arranged buses for people to attend the Mass. Many of the people were dressed in the colors of the Haitian flag, blue, red, white, green and yellow.
At the end of the Mass, everyone joined in singing the Haitian National Anthem while waving flags which had been provided to everyone.
The 22nd Annual Catholic Charities Christmas Appeal is underway and needs your support! The Christmas Appeal continues through January 2024 and is Catholic Charities’ largest annual fundraiser, critical to operating this social service organization. Gifts provide funding for the many Catholic Charities programs and services available throughout Southwest Florida. Your generosity enables Catholic Charities to serve those seeking help all year long. To donate please mail a contribution to Catholic Charities, Diocese of Venice, Inc., 1000 Pinebrook Road, Venice, FL 34285, or visit 
The Men’s Haitian Choir of St. Peter the Apostle Parish in Naples was delightfully received when they participated in the 9 a.m., and later 11 a.m. Mass which was celebrated by Bishop Frank J. Dewane.
Faithful people from throughout the Diocese of Venice attended the Mass which was celebrated by Most Rev. Pierre-André Dumas, Bishop of the Diocese of Anse-a-Veau and Miragoane, with Bishop Frank J. Dewane concelebrating. There were several additional priests from the Diocese of Venice who also concelebrated.
In a gesture of gratitude toward Bishop Dewane, Bishop Dumas noted that the Haitian Catholic Community within the Diocese of Venice is in good and capable hands and thanked Bishop Dewane for his support.
For the Haitian community, Jan. 1 is both a spiritual day, and an emotional day commemorating such an important day in their homeland. The Haitians defeated the largest and most powerful army at the time, the army of Napoleon, in Cap-Haitien, and Haiti became the second country in the Americas to declare its Independence on Jan. 1, 1804.
The 2021 Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Mass times for Parishes throughout the Diocese of Venice can be found on the Diocese of Venice homepage at https://dioceseofvenice.org/2021-diocesan-parish-christmas-mass-times/. The listings are in alphabetical order by the city the Parish is located. For details on youth choirs or musical accompaniment, please contact the Parish via the phone number or website listed for further information.
“This Mass is a big thing for me,” said the Immokalee resident who traveled to Bonita Springs to celebrate Mass with fellow emigrees of the Caribbean nation. “I took off work six months ago to be able to attend this. I cannot miss this Mass.”
But precautions against the coronavirus meant a visiting prelate could not travel and buses could not be used to bring in Haitians from cities throughout the 10-county diocese. Yet, Father Jean-Marie Fritz Ligonde, director of Haitian Ministry for the Diocese of Venice and parochial vicar of St. Columbkille Parish in Fort Myers, said the community was blessed to still have the opportunity to celebrate the special day. As he does every year, Bishop Frank J. Dewane celebrated the Mass with Father Ligonde, and five other Haitian priests of the diocese. The precautions might have made the crowd gathered much smaller, but the spirit of the Mass was just as joyous and enthusiastic.
In his homily, Father Ligonde compared the Marian feast celebrated to Haiti’s Independence Day. The Solemnity of Mary, mother of God, is the first Marian feast, and Haiti is the first independent Black nation in the Western Hemisphere when the slaves there gained independence from France Jan. 1, 1804. Haitians should find strength in Mary’s example to go forward because Mary, even she suffered and exiled while carrying Jesus.
The Mass ended with the congregation waving Haitian flags and singing their country’s national anthem — “La Dessalinienne,” named in honor of Haiti’s revolutionary leader and first ruler Jean-Jacques Dessalines. It begins, “For the country, For the ancestors, Let us march. Let us march united.”
Nearly 1,000 people from throughout the Diocese of Venice attended the Mass which was celebrated by Most Rev. Max Leroy Mésidor, Archbishop of Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, with Bishop Frank J. Dewane in attendance. There were several additional priests from the Diocese of Venice who concelebrated as well as priests from St. Leo the Great Parish
The Archbishop encouraged those gathered to remember the sacrifice of Haitians and to use the example of Mary, for she said ‘Yes’ to God with courage and grace. He added that they should feel confident in relying on Mary, the Holy Mother of God, to give them the strength to be sons and daughters of Jesus Christ.
In a gesture of gratitude toward Bishop Dewane, Archbishop Mésidor noted that the Haitian Catholic Community within the Diocese of Venice is in good and capable hands and thanked Bishop Dewane for his support.
Bishop Dewane also thanked and recognized the Haitian priests serving in the Diocese for their continued dedication and passion for caring for the faithful, in particular those in the Haitian community. “The work you do does not go unnoticed,” the Bishop added.
For the Haitian community, Jan. 1 is both a spiritual day, and an emotional day commemorating such an important day in their homeland. It was in 1803 that the Haitians defeated the largest and most powerful army at the time, the army of Napoleon, in Cap-Haitien. Haiti became the second country in the Americas to declare its Independence.
