Beautiful weather accompanied a day filled with food, fun, entertainment and lots of smiling faces for the 20th Annual Hispanic Festival at St. Jude Parish in Sarasota.
An estimated 10,000 people gathered at St. Jude for this event on Nov. 9, 2024, a celebration of both the individual nations and the unified culture of a diverse Parish.
Held annually in November, this annual Festival is the oldest one in Sarasota County to feature authentic Latino food, music and culture. The day includes musical performances and ethnic dancers as well as food from many nations. Throughout the Parish grounds were tents full of a wide variety of foods that left many mouths watering. People attend the event annually from as far away as Naples and Clearwater. It has become a much anticipated and beloved event for the Parish.
The Hispanic Festival opened with prayer, followed by a “Parade of Flags” as each country represented at the festival was announced, and the respective flags brought forth cheers.
As a bilingual Parish, the members of both the English and the Spanish speaking congregation at St. Jude participated and volunteered to staff the booths.
The celebration of more than a dozen countries lasted from morning until sunset. Throughout the day, there were performances, offering folk and modern music, and dance. Many proudly wore clothing representing their country of origin.
To mark the 20th anniversary of the Festival, Father Jiobani Batista, Pastor at St. Jude, unveiled renderings of a new Parish church, which was met with great excitement. This building will be a permanent, purpose-built church. The existing Hispanic-American Center, where Masses and all Parish activities now take place, will become a Parish Hall and religious education building. Fundraising is taking place now with construction projected to start by 2026.
Martina Lopez, 8, enjoyed trying a variety of foods, including empanadas from the Argentinian food tent, which is a beef-filled pastry. She also tried a few of the desserts from the Brazilian tent, including brigadeiro, a sweet confection. The highlight of the day for the young girl was the various dancers who wore colorful dresses. “It was so wonderful to see them dancing to such beautiful songs.”
Whether it was the food, the music, the dancing, or the joy of being around so many happy people, the Hispanic Festival was a success by any measure.
The proceeds of the Hispanic Festival go to support the various outreach efforts of St. Jude Parish, including a food pantry and other programs which help families in need throughout the year.
Congratulations to Father Robert R. Cannon who has been named Chaplain to His Holiness with the title Monsignor. Monsignor Cannon, who is a priest of the Diocese of Venice, and a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel, has recently retired as the Chancellor of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS), where he served for the past eighth years.
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The Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops has produced two new voter resources for the faithful to consider during the November 2024 General Election. First, is the Florida Conference Voter Guide which provides information about Catholic teaching, offers considerations on key topics, and poses questions regarding current issues to assist voters in evaluating candidate positions or political party platforms: 
Calling all Catholic engaged and married couples! Join Bishop Frank J. Dewane for the fourth annual Diocesan “Together in Holiness” marriage conference, 8 a.m. to 2:45 p.m., Oct. 19, 2024, at Church of the Resurrection of Our Lord, 8121 Cypress Lake Drive, Fort Myers. The Conference, a collaboration between the Diocese of Venice and the St. John Paul II Foundation, is a great opportunity for all Catholic engaged and married couples in the Diocese to gather for a day dedicated to prayer, conversation, fellowship, and reflection on the beautiful vocation of marriage. Registration is now open for the day-long event which includes a Mass and Marriage Blessing celebrated by Bishop Dewane, and inspirational talks by Catholic speakers Renzo & Monica Ortega, Rev. Alex Pince and Mallory Smyth. Childcare, as well as full and partial scholarships, are available. To register or for further information, please visit 
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To learn what authentic, non-confrontational, joyful evangelization looks and sounds like, be sure to attend the upcoming workshop with Adam Janke, Vice President of St. Paul Street Evangelization. The workshop is 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sept. 28, 2024, at Church of the Resurrection Parish, 8121 Cypress Lake Drive, Fort Myers. Mass will be offered at 8 a.m. in the Parish Chapel. There will also be an optional “Live Lab” experience from 4 p.m.- 5 p.m., giving participants the chance to put into practice what they have just learned. Saint Paul Street Evangelization is a non-profit, grassroots organization that has mobilized thousands of ordinary Catholics to take the Gospel to the public square and be instruments of God in the salvation of souls. The one-day Basic Evangelization Training is open to all adult parishioners from any Catholic Parish. Registration is $25 and includes a light breakfast, lunch and all training materials. Please register at 
On July 17, 1984, the Diocese of Venice was erected by St. John Paul II from parts of the Archdiocese of Miami, Diocese of Orlando and the Diocese of St. Petersburg. To celebrate the occasion of the Diocese’s 40th anniversary, the staff of the Diocesan Catholic Center gathered with Bishop Frank J. Dewane for a group photo in front of the Chancery on July 26, 2024, and then attended a special Mass for the staff, celebrated by Bishop Dewane, at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Retreat Center. A celebratory luncheon followed.
The podcast of the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops, Catholics Across the Aisle: Commentary on Public Policy and Civic Life, brings a non-partisan moral voice to public dialogue on key policy issues of the day and assists listeners to become educated and active participants in civic life. The podcast’s latest episode focuses on the urgent issue of Amendment 4. Sara Johnson, statewide grassroots director for 
