Mass, proclamations, service, and fun are just a few elements of Catholic Schools Week 2023 across the Diocese of Venice.
The week (Jan. 29 to Feb. 4) kicked off with Catholic school students speaking at weekend Masses. There, they spoke about the benefits of a Catholic education and the continuing need to support Diocesan schools to ensure the Church of tomorrow has leaders who are well formed. Many of the 15 Diocesan Catholic schools held open houses for prospective students and their families on Jan. 29, kicking off the annual enrollment period.
Bishop Frank J. Dewane celebrated a Mass for Catholic school students in Collier County at St. Elizabeth Seton Parish in Naples on Jan. 31. The Mass, which included several concelebrating priests from Parishes throughout Collier County, involved the eighth graders from St. Elizabeth Seton and St. Ann Catholic schools in Naples, Donahue Academy of Ave Maria Catholic School in Ave Maria, and affiliated Royal Palm Academy in Naples. In addition, the entire student body of St. John Neumann Catholic High School in Naples participated, having walked from their nearby campus to the Mass, and afterward escorted the younger students back for a day of food and fun.
The Mass fell on the Memorial of St. John Bosco, priest, founder of a religious order and supporter of youth and Catholic education. The students at St. John Neumann are very familiar with St. John Bosco, as the school is led by religious women who are Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco.
One of the readings was from the Gospel of Mark, when Jesus is asked what is the greatest Commandment? “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind… You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Bishop Dewane said the reading was appropriate for Catholic Schools Week as it notes the keys of faith, excellence and service.
“Faith is about knowing who God is,” Bishop Dewane said. “It’s about loving God; obeying the Commandments God has given to us. Loving the neighbor is certainly about loving God and obeying God. From this we are called to serve others as we see the image and likeness of God in all. Each of you (students) are old enough to understand this and take on that responsibility. That begins at home, and the environment in Catholic school helps that idea grow within you. It is by following these two great Commandments that you can achieve excellence in your life by continuing to grow closer in your relationship with the Lord.”
Epiphany Cathedral Catholic School in Venice opened Catholic Schools Week with a blessing of new benches for the playground by Father John Belmonte, SJ., Diocesan Superintendent of Catholic Education, and Msgr. Patrick Dubois. This was followed by the reading of a Proclamation about Catholic Schools Week by Venice Mayor Nick Pachota, an Epiphany graduate.
St. Joseph Catholic School students in Bradenton celebrated their neighbors on Jan. 31, by having second and fifth graders prepare “Thank You” cards, while third graders created special potted plants. The plants and cards were delivered to the 26 homes which border the school as a thank you to show gratitude for being a part of this neighborhood. Many of the neighbors commented that they love living by the school and hearing the sounds of joy each day.
Bishop Verot Catholic High School in Fort Myers held their annual Quiz Bowl on Jan. 31. Five brave souls from both the student body and faculty, bravely put their trivia knowledge on display for the entire school. While the game went back and forth, the faculty ended up winning – much to the students’ displeasure. A shot of redemption was given, in the form of a 1-on-1 match, which came down to the final question, and faculty trivia extraordinare, English teacher Clayton Atkins, sealed the deal again for the faculty.
St. Francis Xavier Catholic School in Fort Myers started their first day of the week with Mass. The day was also “Twin Day” and included a teacher swap for one class period. Finally, there was a school assembly which included a variety of fun games.
The above is just a small sample of the wide variety of activities the 15 Diocesan Catholic schools took part in throughout Catholic Schools Week.
Sponsored by the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA), the week provides an annual opportunity to share the good news about Catholic Schools. The theme, “Catholic Schools: Faith. Excellence. Service.” focuses on the important spiritual, academic, and societal contributions provided by a Catholic education firmly rooted in the Truth of the Gospel.
Diocesan Schools have a unique kindergarten through 12 STREAM (science, technology, religion, engineering, arts and mathematics) curriculum using robotics as a catalyst for success. This program, an initiative started and supported by Bishop Dewane, prepares students for today and the future, providing a core set of essential skills needed for success and leadership in the challenging world.
The 15 Diocesan Catholic Schools, serving 5,837 students, is an investment in the future and they serve as the heart of the Diocese, building the Catholic leadership of tomorrow. Schools are in Bradenton, Sarasota, Venice, Port Charlotte, Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Naples, Ave Maria and Sebring.
To learn more about Diocese of Venice Catholic Schools, please visit https://dioceseofvenice.org/catholicschools.
Bishop Dewane was invited to celebrate the Mass in St. Francis Xavier Hall (a dormitory) by students who are part of a new Blessed Carlos Acutis Robotics Club. From that invitation grew an opportunity for the students to not only have the Bishop present for Mass, but to lead the students in Evening Vespers.
Following the Mass, many of the students remained for Vespers, or Evening Prayer. Vespers is part of the Liturgy of the Hours, also known as the Divine Office. In the Liturgy of the Hours, the Church fulfills Jesus’ command to “pray always” (Luke 18:1; see also 1 Thessalonians 5:17). Through this prayer, the people of God sanctify the day by continual praise of God and prayers of intercession for the needs of the world.
The faithful from throughout the Diocese of Venice attended the Mass which was celebrated by Most Rev. Jacques Fabre-Jeune, CS, Bishop of the Diocese of Charleston, South Carolina, with Bishop Frank J. Dewane concelebrating. In addition, there were numerous priests from the Diocese who also concelebrated.
Bishop Dewane thanked Bishop Fabre for accepting his invitation to be a guest of the Diocese and for sharing his time, wisdom and faith with the Haitian Catholic Community in their native language. He also said it was an honor and privilege to participate in such an important cultural and religious celebration for the growing Haitian Catholic Community in the Diocese of Venice.
For details on youth choirs or musical accompaniment, please contact the Parish via the phone number or website listed for further information.
Celebrated on Dec. 12, the Feast is often linked to the Dec. 9 Feast of St. Juan Diego, the day in 1531 when Our Lady first appeared to the Saint near modern day Mexico City.
“Our Lady of Guadalupe means so much to me and so many others,” said Olivia Gomez of Jesus the Worker Parish in Fort Myers who participated in the Dec. 11, 2022, Mass and an outdoor festival. “My family has a great devotion to the Blessed Virgin. We pray to her each day. This gives us great comfort.”
That gratitude was magnified this year as the Fort Myers community was hard hit on Sept. 28 by Hurricane Ian. Gomez, whose home had roof and water damage, was out of work until just recently because the business where she worked was badly damaged.
Carlos Diaz, of St. Paul Parish in Arcadia, also had home damage from river flooding after Ian and had to replace nearly the entire contents of his home.
At Epiphany Cathedral in Venice, Bishop Frank J. Dewane celebrated the Feast Day Mass. The Mass there was preceded by a procession around the church. Afterwards, the Bishop blessed a variety of religious articles and then everyone enjoyed a celebration in the Parish Hall.
This apparition led to the conversion of Mexico almost overnight, when up to that time Catholic missionaries from Europe had made very little headway. The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City was built on the site of the apparitions and is one of the most visited religious shrines in the world. It is also home of the actual tilma of St. Juan Diego, which can still be seen, with the image clearly visible, nearly 500 years later.
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.
Bishop Frank J. Dewane described the holiday this way while celebrating Mass at Our Lady of the Angels Parish in Lakewood Ranch on Nov. 24, 2022.
Being grateful for what they have was a strong theme during a Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner at St. Katharine Drexel Parish in Cape Coral.
Meanwhile, Bishop Dewane went from the Mass in Lakewood Ranch to take part in a free community Thanksgiving dinner hosted by the Knights of Columbus Our Lady of Victory Council 3358 at their Hall on Fruitville Road in Sarasota.
Bishop Dewane offered the opening prayer for the Knights and other volunteers before the dining room was opened. Then, the Bishop took his traditional spot in charge of serving the corn and assisted in serving potatoes as well.
The National Champion Cheer Squad from Incarnation Catholic School in Sarasota were part of the larger “Spirit of America Production!” group.
The annual Veterans Day Catholic Mass, celebrated by Bishop Frank J. Dewane, is in its 13th year, with the 2022 Mass celebrated at St. Patrick Parish in Sarasota. The Mass, which has been traditionally held at the nearby Sarasota National Cemetery, was relocated out of an abundance of caution for the safety of participants due to rains caused by Hurricane Nicole.
The Bishop noted that more than 41 million Americans have served in the armed forces over the course of the nation’s history and more than 1.2 million died in combat, causing everyone to pause and remember the sacrifice of not just the soldiers but of the families and friends whom they left behind.
Adding to the dignity and ceremony of the day were active and retired veterans who were asked to stand and be recognized as part of the opening ceremonies. The Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus formed a Color Corps, and many other Knights were also present to support the veterans.
Each of the 15 Diocesan Catholic schools celebrated Veterans Day in different ways.
Veterans Day began as an informal celebration to mark the conclusion of World War I (Nov. 11, 1918), before being designated as a national holiday in 1954 to honor all military men and women who have sacrificed so much in their service to this country.
On Nov. 4, 2022, the celebration opened with a Mass celebrated by Bishop Frank J. Dewane as students sat with their grandparents in Our Lady of the Angels School Chapel. Afterwards, everyone went to the Student Life Center for a luncheon.
“The Holy Father calls you to teach family roots, where it is they come from,” Bishop Dewane said. “Have boldness, take action in the role of holiness. Give that example by being the light of Christ, as we are all called to be. By your granddaughter or grandson being here at St. John Neuman, I say to all of you – congratulations for the role you have performed.”
The Mass at 3 p.m., is preceded by an opening ceremony at 2:45 p.m., will allow the faithful an opportunity to honor veterans and pray for them, many of whom are laid to rest at the Sarasota National Cemetery. Active military personnel are asked to wear their uniforms for the occasion. All are invited to attend.
