The successful Totus Tuus summer catechetical Parish program will soon be taking place at a Parish near you.
The final week of May saw 15 missionaries undergo intensive training and preparation as the first three Parish camps start June 1, 2025. Ultimately, there will be seven separate weeks with a total18 Parishes serving as weekly hosts through July 25. More than 1,000 children and teens will be impacted by this special outreach.
Totus Tuus – which means “totally yours” – is a one-week Parish Catechetical summer day camp program, for students entering grades 1-12, and aims to inspire young people to long for holiness, develop a deep desire for conversion and personally renew their faith with a stronger prayer life.
Bishop Frank J. Dewane encouraged the pilot program be brought to the Diocese in 2022 to great success, with expansions in 2023 to 11 host Parishes, 12 for 2024, and now 18 for 2025. During past visits to Totus Tuus camps, Bishop Dewane has been impressed by the response each child had to the uplifting program. “In each classroom everyone was so excited and alive about their love of the Lord!”
Bishop Dewane celebrated Mass for the Totus Tuus missionaries on May 28, while they were going through their training at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Retreat Center in Venice. He encouraged the young missionaries to call upon the Holy Spirit to guide them through the summer and reminded them of the important role they will have for the boys and girls they encounter this summer.
This training focused on the spiritual aspect of the Totus Tuus program, including daily prayer, Eucharistic Adoration, and the Mass. Other components of the training covered the fundamentals of teaching young children and youth, as well as the fun aspects of the camp including the songs and dances that everyone will learn.
The week-long camps (9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday to Friday) are divided into two segments, with the day camp for students entering grades 1 – 6, and an evening camp for middle school and high school students entering grades 7 – 12.
The younger children participate in several classes each day, attend daily Mass, learn the parts and liturgical music of Mass, and participate in games, skits, songs, recess and prayer. The older students participate in instruction, small group discussions, quiet meditations, prayer and fellowship.
Most importantly, Totus Tuus works to complement what parents teach their children in matters of their faith. This is something Bishop Dewane has stressed since the program had its trial run in the Diocese in 2022.
The 2025 Diocese of Venice Totus Tuus Missionaries range in age from 18 to 27, and two are returning for a second year: Jesse Gomez, a Diocesan Seminarian, and Jesenia Cortes who is from St. James Parish and Santigo Mission in Lake Placid. A second seminarian, Tam Tran will also be a missionary this year.
Cortes looks forward to making a connection with the children again. “I’m so excited to be back. Last summer, serving as Team Leader, gave me the chance to witness God’s goodness and His personal call to holiness in each child and teen we met. I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue sharing His love and growing in faith together.”
The following is a list of host Parishes:
- June 1-6 – St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Parish, Parrish; St. Finbar Parish, Naples; San Pedro Parish, North Port;
- June 8-13 – St. Paul Parish, Arcadia; Sacred Heart Parish, Bradenton; St. Katharine Drexel Parish, Cape Coral;
- June 15-20 – St. Agnes Parish, Naples;
- June 22-27 – Ave Maria Parish, Ave Maria; St. Jude Parish, Sarasota;
- July 6-11 – St. Cecilia Parish, Fort Myers; Our Lady of Light Parish, Fort Myers; St. John XXIII Parish, Fort Myers; St. Thomas More Parish, Sarasota;
- July 13-18 – St. Joseph Parish, Bradenton; Epiphany Cathedral, Venice; Our Lady Queen of Heaven Parish, LaBelle;
- July 20-25 – Our Lady of the Angels Parish, Lakewood Ranch; St. Peter the Apostle Parish, Naples.
Please pray for the success of the Totus Tuus summer program, the campers, and the missionaries.
Camp registration information
Youth are welcome to attend any of the Totus Tuus camps, but registration is requested ahead of time. To register, please contact the hosting Parish directly. Parish contact information can be found at https://dioceseofvenice.org/find-a-parish/.
Faith is fun! Register your children through the hosting Parish! For more information, or with questions, visit Totus Tuus 2025 – Diocese of Venice. You can also contact Andres Prias, prias@dioceseofvenice.org or Jim Gontis at gontis@dioceseofvenice.org.