When Hurricane Ian’s floodwaters of the Myakka River receded a week after devastating Our Lady of Perpetual Help Retreat Center in Venice, it was clear it would take prayer, focus, determination, and lots of patience for the “Jewel of the Myakka” to return to its former glory.
OLPH Director, Father Mark Yavarone, Oblate of the Virgin Mary, first inspected the property by kayak on Sept. 29, 2022, the day after the hurricane. At that time, the Myakka River waters had risen to cover the entire property and were as high as they had ever been since OLPH was founded in 1988. Father noted at the time he was shocked to see the water so high, unaware that the menacing river was not done rising.
Sadly, the river crested on Oct. 2, 2 ½ feet above the record, and the result was at least 18-24 inches of water inside all the buildings on the property. It wasn’t until Oct. 10, 12 days after the hurricane, that the waters had receded enough to examine the damage in person.
OLPH was just finishing a major renovation program which marked the 25th anniversary of the retreat center. Father Yavarone said all of the flooring in every building had just been completely replaced as well as several other upgrades. In fact, the last piece needed to complete the project was a few metal panels on the roof of the dining hall. The roofs held, but the water rose and inflicted severe damage.
As soon as the property was accessible, the cleaning process began. What could be salvaged was, but the interiors of each of the villas, the dining hall, conference center and chapel were gutted. The landscaping, which always creates a serene setting for all who visited, was a jumbled mess with trees down and everything covered in a slime left over from the river’s passage. Even while the property was still covered in muck, bald eagles, osprey, herons, ibis, and alligators were seen in abundance.
Once the mitigation and drying out process was completed, the reconstruction began.
Joe Rego, Diocesan Director of Building and Construction, said a lack of contractors, supplies and other unforeseen obstacles have pushed the rebuilding back several months.
“This is a regionwide issue,” Rego explained. “Everyone is dealing with this. We had to first rewire everything and then put in drywall. Then the flooring. These things take time. The work is being done in a systematic way so we can get OLPH back open as soon as possible.”
Father Yavarone said the work has focused on the dining hall, conference center and Villas I and II.
“It turns out, this is the order the retreat center was built, so there is a symmetry to this,” Father said. “With those spaces available we will be able to start private retreats in June.”
Those retreats are already booked, and if the progress continues at its current pace, by August or September, the retreat center will be completely reopened for guests and larger group overnight retreats. Those bookings are already taking place, something Father said cannot wait.
“I cannot help but think that our retreat center has passed through a time of pruning,” Father wrote in a March reflection. “This is true even in a physical sense, as the destruction of the hurricane has already led to small but important improvements. For example, the removal of drywall exposed pipes in the villas that would soon have burst. Those pipes have now been replaced. Worn 25-year-old furniture, kitchen appliances, and sound systems are also being replaced… The end result, God willing, will be a facility fitted to bear fruit for decades.”
Father Yavarone said he has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support by the faithful, and their sadness over the damage, with many saying how much OLPH means to them.
While the retreat center is closed to visitors, Father Yavarone, and Father Shawn Monahan, OMV, have been hosting retreats at Epiphany Cathedral and Our Lady of Lourdes in Venice. They have also gone to several other area Parishes for talks.
The Monthly Day of Prayer continues at off-site locations while OLPH continues to recover from Hurricane Ian. The day begins at 9:30 a.m. with continental breakfast, and includes two conferences, lunch, Eucharistic Adoration, Mass, and opportunities for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, private meditation, and prayer. The day concludes with Mass that ends at 3:15 p.m. For the May sessions, Father Monahan will be the presenter. The topic for each day is “Two Gifts: Anger and Forgiveness,” as Father Monahan concludes the series of “Healing our Broken Hearts”. The cost is $40. The May events are Wednesday, May 10, at the Our Lady of Lourdes Education Center, 1301 Center Road, Venice, and Sunday May 14, at Epiphany Cathedral Parish Center, 310 Sarasota St., Venice. To register, please visit https://olph-retreat.org/monthly-day-of-prayer.
If you would like to directly support the OLPH Hurricane Ian recovery, please visit https://www.olph-retreat.org/olph-status-after-hurricane-ian.
A more public celebration will occur the week of Jan. 29 to Feb. 4, 2023, when Diocesan schools will participate in a series of exciting activities as part of the 49th annual National Catholic Schools Week.
Bishop Frank J. Dewane said Diocesan Catholic Schools not only educate the mind but also the soul, teaching the students to have a concern for their brothers and sisters, whether they live in the same country, down the street, or in their classroom through prayer, and the teaching of values, morals and virtues.
“The basics of any education in a Catholic school has to do with learning and training people to think critically, to understand what is the truth. By truth, we mean capital T – as in Jesus,” Father Belmonte explained. “It’s also about training their wills and teaching them to make good decisions so that they can do the good that is needed by not only their families and themselves but by society.”
Father Belmonte said the Diocese of Venice is the only Diocese in the country to take this expansive approach to STREAM, which is all connected to the faith. Diocesan Catholic school students learn virtues such as truth, beauty, and goodness, which are transcendental. The additional “Gifts of Christ,” are prudence affability, humility, and fortitude. Added to the robotics program this year, are courage, diligence, solidarity and charity.
In most cases, the Catholic Charities galas are elegant black-tie affairs, but no matter what the attire, all of the proceeds will go directly to help those in the community where the event is held. This means that by buying a ticket you could literally help a family struggling to recover from Ian, feed families, teach children to read or even prevent families from becoming homeless. There are five chances to support Catholic Charities in an entertaining and unique way.
Catholic Charities Ball, 6 p.m., Feb. 4, 2023, Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota, benefitting the programs in Sarasota, Manatee, and Charlotte counties. This year’s theme is “Creating Hope.” Purchase tickets, sponsorships, or donate auction items, by visiting 
Our Mother’s House Wine Tasting, 5:30 p.m., February 23, at Venice Community Center in Venice. Funds raised will benefit this residential housing for needy moms. To purchase tickets or sponsorships, please visit 
Venetian Ball, 6 p.m., March 4, at St. Leo the Great Catholic Church (Parish Hall), Bonita Springs, benefits the programs of Lee, Glades and Hendry counties. The theme for this gala is “Resilience, Rebuilding, and Community” and serves as an opportunity to come together as a community to support and partner with Catholic Charities to serve the many survivors of Hurricane Ian; to celebrate survival and helping of one’s neighbor; to Resilience, Rebuilding, and Community. To purchase tickets, and sponsorships or to donate auction items, contact Arlene Carratala at 239-334-4007 ext. 2100 or email 
Emerald Ball, 5:30 p.m., March 16, Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, Naples, benefitting the programs in Collier County and the recovery from Hurricane Ian. To sponsor, purchase tickets, or donate items for the auction, please visit 
“What a wonderful day,” Principal Nicole Loseto proclaimed. “When the hurricane struck everyone rallied together to salvage what we could to relocate classrooms all over the campus in just two days. It was a challenge to move everyone to a new location and it was seamless and beautiful… Now everyone came together to get us back into our main building. Thank you, everyone!”
Only the pre-kindergarten students were not displaced by Hurricane Ian. The disruptions were extreme as kindergartners were housed in the library; first and second grades were placed in the cafeteria with a divider; fourth and fifth graders were in the Parish Hall; and middle schoolers were split between the Soy Hall and two gymnasium locker rooms.
She also gave a shout out to the many people who helped support the recovery effort through financial support which helped ease the burden on the school.
Ahead of the reopening, a team of faculty staff and parents moved all of the desks and other educational items from their temporary rooms to the main building. The upper grades were allowed in the building on Jan. 6, the 100th day since Hurricane Ian struck Venice.
Passed through generations, the retelling of the coming of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, in such a humble way, born in a manger to reign over the world, should cause everyone to pause and reflect on the gifts of grace that have come to each one of us.
Bishop Dewane also celebrated Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Mass at Epiphany Cathedral in Venice. At the Midnight Mass, the Bishop brought forth the Child Jesus and placed Him in the manger as “O Come All Ye Faithful” was sung.
The manger, or Nativity scene, is a celebratory focus of the Christmas celebration. Several Diocesan Parishes and each Catholic school took time to have a retelling of the birth of Jesus with young children and in some cases with live animals.
Meanwhile, the eighth graders at the school and nearby Parish, worked together to learn about Catholic social teachings, to help those in need. The results were amazing. The Sarasota youth created 140 gift cards and handmade Christmas ornaments for the elderly residents at a Catholic Charities facility; donated 100+ blankets for the homeless; made Get Well/Christmas Cards for those in the hospital; collected and donated toys and household items for needy families; stocked pantries with food and supplies; and much more.
Bishop Parkes met with Bishop Frank J. Dewane on Dec. 21, 2022, in Venice to personally present the check for $250,000. These funds were the result of a special collection following the hurricane.
In a Sept. 30 letter to all Parishes in the Diocese of St. Petersburg, Bishop Parkes wrote: “Our hearts are moved with compassion for all those who have suffered damage and destruction due to Hurricane Ian, especially our brothers and sisters in the Diocese of Venice.”
Bishop Frank J. Dewane celebrated the Mass at 10 a.m., Dec. 11, 2022, expressing his prayers that all continue to recover with the grace of the Lord giving them strength. The Bishop added that since the hurricane passed, “Sanibel, and all in Southwest Florida, have been in my prayers. The church is a building, you are the Church, all of you. What is strong is the people who make up the Church.”
Bishop Dewane cited the “desert experience” which is a theme of the readings for the day, recounting saints and prophets who lived in parched lands, with everyday things stripped away. This “desert experience” is being lived daily at the Parish and throughout the island as every building has some form of damage and is in different stages of recovery and/or repair while the landscape is only now slowly returning to its glorious splendor. Simple conveniences are sparse with little open and access to the barrier island still restricted.
The smiles on the faces were genuine as many were relieved to have the important faith component as part of the Sanibel recovery.
That simple statement encompasses a broad spectrum of programs of Catholic Charities which has provided food, clothing, shelter and a network of support services to people of all ages, all races and nationalities, and all religious backgrounds. The organization brings substantial relief and support to the most vulnerable populations in Southwest Florida. Every day, Catholic Charities strives to feed the hungry, comfort the brokenhearted, and shelter the homeless as it works to change lives for the better.
Catholic Charities’ disaster response team was prepared and quickly opened 11 disaster relief sites throughout the Diocese. Staff and volunteers distributed 2,504 tons of supplies to more than 112,000 people in the immediate aftermath. In addition, teams served hot meals to upwards of 22,000 with the assistance of 2,000 volunteers. Donors and community partners came through with donations and supplies that allowed Catholic Charities to respond swiftly.
Bishop Frank J. Dewane noted that the support of Catholic Charities by the faithful of Southwest Florida is inspiring, as was witnessed in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, and is critical to ensure “our brothers and sisters in Christ continue to receive the help and support they need. Please remember that every number represents a child, family or individual who relies on the support of Catholic Charities to get through a crisis. Catholic Charities does a wonderful job in providing programs that not only help in a crisis, but assist in improving daily the lives of those they reach.”
“Your gift makes an impact,” Gloria said. “It is because of donations like yours we were able to supply food and pantry services to 195,354 people, assist 1,513 with housing, offer support to 5,020 victims of human trafficking, help 4,660 people with behavioral health services, and provide 14,007 educational services to children and adults, all in one year.”
