The ubiquitous car line, the bustling corridors, the ringing of the first bell, morning prayers and then classroom instruction, are scenes repeated each day at the 15 Diocese of Venice Catholic schools since the start of the 2026-2027 academic year on Aug. 10, 2026, with more 6,400 students engaged in schoolwork by Aug. 13.
The first days were full of everyone figuring out where to go, reuniting with old friends or making new ones, participating in their first academic lessons and taking part in a myriad of extracurricular activities.
At Diocesan Catholic schools, each student attended an opening Mass, either the first day of school, or within the first week.
Bishop Emilio Biosca Agüero, O.F.M. Cap., celebrated his first Diocesan Catholic school Mass as a bishop Aug. 18, 2026, at St. Francis Xavier Catholic School, Fort Myers.
Bishop Emilio recalled his youth, going to Catholic schools in northern Virginia, only later realizing the sacrifice his parents made to ensure all of their children received a Catholic education.
“They came to this country from Cuba with nothing, just a change of clothes and a few other things, less than what most people take with them on a weekend vacation,” the bishop explained. “They could have used their money anywhere, but they chose to spend it on a Catholic education. This taught me an important lesson, that the Catholic Faith must be really important to them and it must be for me.”
The spiritual grounding Bishop Emilio received from his parents was seen in everyday life, where vacations included the certainty of finding the nearest Catholic church and going to Mass on Sunday.
“Catholic schools build up the students with the teaching of subjects like English, math, geography, spelling and grammar,” Bishop Emilio said. “In a Catholic school, you learn these things in the context of the Gospel of the faith.”
After the Mass, the bishop fielded questions from the eighth-grade students. Questions ranged from wanting to know how he became a bishop, to what his favorite ice cream and movies are.
At some Diocesan Catholic schools, fun science experiments were a common way for students to get back in the groove of learning.
Third-grade students at St. Martha Catholic School in Sarasota worked in pairs to complete the exciting “Save Fred” science challenge. In the challenge, “Fred” the worm has fallen out of his capsized boat, and his life ring is nearby, but students cannot touch Fred or the life ring with their hands. Using only gummy worms, Life Savers, and paper clips, teams needed to first map out a plan and then work together to rescue Fred from the “sea.” This hands-on activity encouraged the students to practice communication, collaboration, problem-solving, and teamwork while having fun.
In an advanced placement statistics class at Bishop Verot Catholic High School in Fort Myers, students are expected to create pie charts to represent categorical data. That means first building a relative frequency chart, calculating the percentage represented by each category, and then translating those numbers into a visual. To keep the lesson engaging, students were given a hands-on way to practice the process in the first week by using M&M’s candies. Students had to sort, do calculations and turn a handful of candy into a lesson in data visualization. And yes, there are definitely worse ways to learn statistics.
At St. John Neumann Catholic High School in Naples, the first week concluded with “House Reveal Day 2026.” Freshmen and transfer students discovered which “House” they’ll call home. From the first cheers to the start of new friendships, the day marked the beginning of House pride, friendly competition, and memories that will last long after graduation.
St. Andrew Catholic School in Cape Coral has just begun a “House” system. The eighth graders were the first students introduced to the new system, excitedly discovering which one of four houses they will call home. At St. Andrew’s, each house is represented by one of the four Gospel writers, bringing students, faculty and staff together through Faith, Hearts and Minds. As each grade takes its turn joining a house, students can look forward to fellowship, friendly competition, school spirit and traditions that will grow for years to come.
Keep up with the latest Diocesan Catholic school news throughout the coming year by subscribing to The Florida Catholic at www.dioceseofvenice.org/news.
The new bishop’s intention for this tour of the diocese is to visit the priests, deacons, religious and faithful at their parishes to get to know them in their own place, before traveling to Rome for a new bishops’ formation course and retreat in early September.
Ss. Peter and Paul the Apostles, Bradenton; (Aug. 26) St. Katharine Drexel, Cape Coral, and St. Maximilian Kobe, Port Charlotte; (Aug. 27) Our Lady of Mercy, Boca Grande, and Our Lady of Miraculous Medal, Bokeelia; (Aug. 28) St. Leo the Great, Bonita Springs, and St. Cecilia, Fort Myers; and (Aug. 30) St. Finbarr and St. Agnes, Naples.
The date marks the fourth anniversary of Hurricane Ian’s devastating impact on Southwest Florida, and Fort Myers Beach, including the destruction of the Church of the Ascension.
While growing up, Bishop Emilio was a beneficiary of the Catholic education and recalled how he and his fellow students would know “which teachers believed in God and which ones didn’t. They were just different, because everything seeps through… that relationship with God is seen, because your faith is alive in you, and you are working and alive with the faith. That is transmitted to the students. They see that.”
At Jesus the Worker Parish in Fort Myers on July 28, Bishop Emilio prayed the Liturgy of the Hours with the parish staff, which included Franciscan Sisters of the Mary Immaculate. A reception and dinner followed in the parish hall and included leadership in the various ministries from the parish and San Jose Mission, which serves the Hispanic community in south Fort Myers.
Next, Bishop-elect Emilio stood before Archbishop Wenski, who questioned the bishop-elect concerning his resolve to carry out the duties and responsibilities of the Office of Bishop, known as the Promise of the Elect. The answers to the first eight questions were “I do” and to the last, “I do, with the help of God.” (See the Promise of the Elect below.)
Dear brother, do you resolve to carry out until death with the grace of the Holy Spirit the office entrusted to us by the Apostles and to be passed on to you through the laying on of our hands?
