In ways large and small the faithful of the Diocese of Venice commemorated the 21st Anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks on the United States with reflection and prayer.
St. Peter the Apostle Parish in Naples hosted its annual 9/11 Memorial Mass on Sept. 11, 2022. The Parish is home to a 9/11 Cross made from the steel of the World Trade Center and has hosted a commemorative Mass each year since 2001. Father Gerard Critch, Pastor of St. Peter’s, served as a Chaplain at Ground Zero during the initial search and recovery process following the terror attacks in New York City.
Father Francis Critch, Order of Franciscan Minor, celebrated Mass in lieu of his brother, Father Gerard, who is recovering from an illness. During the Mass, Father Francis Critch, who previously served in New York City, reflected on the courage and sacrifice of the First Responders, noting the first official death was fellow Franciscan Friar, Father Mychal Judge, Chaplain of the New York Fire Department.
Father Critch reflected upon those First Responders who sacrificed everything to save others in the face of evil.
“Be kind to each other, show love and be heralds of hope,” Father said. “This is what we are and continue to be. Their presence brought hope and guidance to the many who were saved that day. Many more would have died if not for their strength and courage… Fear was overcome, they were a light in darkness, for they understood their purpose and their vocation – dedication without thought. We are eternally grateful.”
Prior to the Mass, bagpipers led a procession of retired members of the FDNY and New York Police Department. At the close of the Mass, a fire bell was rung with the code- 5-5-5-5, which announces the death of a fire service member. In the Parish narthex were images of the fallen Fire Responders and a piece of steel from the World Trade Center.
The Knights of Columbus Saints Cosmas and Damian Council 13341 sponsored a First Responders Mass on Sept. 10, at Our Lady of the Angels Parish in Lakewood Ranch. Parochial Vicar Father Shawn Roser celebrated the Mass, and reflected on the continued importance of First Responders and those who answered the call to serve in the military following 9/11. A Blue Mass was celebrated at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Venice on Sept. 11. Both Masses honored the work of First Responders, including law enforcement officials, firefighters, and emergency medical service personnel.
A special prayer service took place in the Memorial Garden of St. John XXIII Parish in Fort Myers on Sept. 11. This service included the dedication of a new 9/11 memorial sculpture which includes pieces of the World Trade Center. The sculpture was installed in March 2022.
Recognizing the need to keep the memory of the tragic events of 9/11 alive for the next generation, Diocesan Catholic schools hosted a variety of activities, such as prayer services, dressing in patriotic colors and understanding an event that happened before they were born.
Continuing a standing tradition, students at Bishop Verot Catholic High School in Fort Myers participated in a Red, White and Blue Dress Out fundraiser on Sept. 9, with proceeds going to the “Tunnel to Towers Foundation.” The Foundation was created in honor of Fire Department of New York (FDNY) member Stephen Gerard Siller, who was headed home following his shift on Sept. 11, 2001, when he heard the call. Though blocked by traffic, he then proceeded to run in full gear across the Brooklyn Bridge to the Twin Towers where he later perished.
At St. Mary Academy in Sarasota, the students commemorated the day by reading and discussing the book “The Man Who Walked Between the Towers” by Mordicai Gerstein. The students learned about the significance of what happened in 2001 and gained an understanding about the importance of forever honoring those lost on 9/11.
In preparation for their upcoming diaconate ordination, the fourth-year class at Pontifical North American College (NAC) in Rome publicly professed the Faith of the Church and made an Oath of Fidelity in the presence of the NAC community on Sept. 13, 2022. Among those taking their oath was Diocese of Venice Seminarian Daniel Scanlan, who will be ordained on Sept. 29 at St. Peter’s Basilica. Please continue to pray for Daniel and all seminarians as they approach this milestone of their formation journey.
Students at St. Andrew Catholic School in Cape Coral were busy on Sept. 12, 2022, building Lego Education Spike Prime Robots in Robotics class. The robotics program at St. Andrew allows students to learn and excel using skills that will prepare them for the future. Eventually, teams will be formed to compete in completing various tasks or taking part in a robot obstacle course within the school, and as the year progresses, against other robotics teams from other Diocesan Catholic schools.
To honor the Blessed Virgin Mary on her birthday, Sept. 8, 2022, students at Ave Maria Catholic School and Donahue Academy in Ave Maria made special efforts to mark this joyful event. This outpouring of love for Our Lady included homemade cookies, handmade cards and paper flowers for the Mother of God. The kindergarten students also made private visits to a statue of Our Lady, offering their prayers and best wishes on Mary’s special day.
Speaking before the 2021 International Eucharistic Congress in Budapest, Hungary, the Holy Father said “Let us allow our encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist to transform us, just as it transformed the great and courageous saints you venerate. Let’s make time for adoration… The Eucharist is here to remind us who God is. It does not do so just in words, but in a concrete way, showing us God as bread broken, as love crucified and bestowed.”
The monthly Holy Hour includes music, intercessions and a procession, and there are several hundred people who attend with the numbers swelling up to 800 during the winter months.
On Sept. 2, 2022, the Holy Hour at St. Peter the Apostle began as people gathered in silent prayer. Several dozen red votive candles were placed on stands on either side of the altar, while many candles were placed on the altar for those who had special prayer intentions for the Holy Hour. These candles sat as silent witness, adding a peaceful serenity to the occasion.
After the period of silence there were intercessions, which were prepared in advance and the congregation was encouraged to add to them by calling out.
“These funds help facilitate our witness as a Faith community in Southwest Florida,” Bishop Frank J. Dewane said in a letter supporting the collection. “Great progress has been made in recent years, as is known by all, yet each of us continues to have a shared responsibility in the defense of human life and are called to educate others on its sanctity and dignity.”
St. Mary Academy in Sarasota held a STREAM (Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Arts and Math) Day on Sept. 2, 2022. The students had projects that reinforced the seven “Gifts of Christ” – truth, beauty, goodness, humility, prudence, fortitude, affability. Students participated in a variety of activities that both challenged their minds, but also built up their love for God.
Registration is now open for the Diocese of Venice Oct. 22, 2022, “Together in Holiness” Marriage Conference, presented in partnership with the Diocese of Venice Office of Family Life and the St. John Paul II Foundation. The theme of this year’s Conference is “Family: A Community of Prayer.” To register, please visit 
The answer, good music, and a chance to let loose for an evening which ultimately focused on the Blessed Sacrament and an examination of their faith.
“Ups and downs, from darkness to the light of God,” he said, adding that everyone’s spiritual journey has these moments which are comforted by an undeniable reality. “The Lord is the One who always believes in you; who never gives up on you; who loves you no matter what; who will comfort you; who will lift you up; who will help you find your way. He does this because you are His child, precious and beautiful.”
Father Simon Hoang Minh Dao, CRM, came forward to the stage and placed the Blessed Sacrament into a monstrance on a prepared table.
Catholic Charities, Diocese of Venice, Inc., in Collier County is hosting its 28th Annual Undy Sunday campaign. This effort is a collection of undergarments and socks for needy children in Collier County. This year, there are three ways to support this cause.
Michaela Mattes, a world class swimmer who is in her senior year at Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School in Sarasota, recently helped lift TEAM USA to a win at the Junior Pan Pacific Championships in Honolulu, Hawaii from Aug. 24 to 27, 2022. Michaela finished the meet winning gold in the 1500m (mile) freestyle with a time of 16:25.19, and placed 3rd in the 800m freestyle in 8:35.78. She also placed 5th in the 400 individual medley and 9th in the 400 freestyle. Michaela was the overall 3rd top scorer for the USA women. With this Cougar’s help, TEAM USA won the Junior Pan PAC meet! The team consisted of 20 girls and 21 boys who were the fastest 18 & under (born in 2004 or later) from the US International Trials in April. The senior, who is a three-time State Champ in the 500m freestyle, is committed to swimming at the University of Florida starting in 2023.
The Hispanic Outreach of Our Lady of Light Parish in Fort Myers celebrated married couples with a special dinner/dance on Aug. 26, 2022. The evening included prayer, a delicious meal and dancing. This was a gathering in celebration of the Sacrament of Marriage and the commitment of the couples to each other, through God. The theme of the night was “God once again manifests Himself through His word, remembering that those who once put their lives together was through the love of God.”
Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School students, parents, alumni and friends came out in droves to support the Cougars for the opening of the football season on Aug. 26, 2022, against Booker High School in Sarasota. The Cougars won the defensive battle 10-9 and have high hopes for the coming season. It was great to see so many familiar faces in the crowd cheering on the team.
When the procession reached the front of the church, the rose was then displayed on a table in front of the altar.
During the prayer services, the faithful joined in praying the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary (the Resurrection, the Ascension, the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven, and the Coronation of Mary as Queen), and an Act of Consecration, as well as hearing select readings, including the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary from the Gospel of Luke (1:26-38).
Before each prayer service, an escorting Knight shared the history of the Silver Rose, which dates to 1960. It was in Mexico where Columbian Squires, a youth organization of the Knights, wanted to give something back to Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas. It was decided that a rose would travel from Knights Council to Knights Council on a path from Canada to the Old Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Monterrey, Mexico.
More than two dozen Popes have officially honored Our Lady of Guadalupe. St. John Paul II visited her Sanctuary four times: on his first apostolic trip outside Rome as Pope in 1979, and again in 1990, 1999 and 2002. During the 1999 visit, the Holy Father entrusted the cause of life to Our Lady’s loving protection and placed under her motherly care the innocent lives of children, especially those who are in danger of not being born.
The Silver Rose which visited the Diocese of Venice previously, made stops in Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. In Florida since late July, stops were made in the Diocese of St. Augustine, the Diocese of Orlando, the Diocese of Palm Beach, and the Archdiocese of Miami. From the Diocese of Venice, the Silver Rose will visit the Diocese of St. Petersburg and the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee, before moving on to Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and finally Mexico.
The Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School Football Team was both humbled and honored to have had Coach Urban Meyer give an inspirational talk before their Preseason Classic Game against Seffner Christian in Sarasota on Aug. 19, 2022. Meyer’s is a three-time national championship college football coach, twice as head coach of University of Florida and once with Ohio State University.
Fourth graders at St. Mary Academy in Sarasota had fun with their latest STREAM (Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Arts and Math) challenge on Aug. 19, 2022. Their task was to build 3-hoop gliders, alternating the location of the hoops on each glider, and then let them fly. Each glider flew to determine which design performed the best and traveled the farthest. This was a lesson which challenged the students to think creatively and build a glider from paper and then see the results of their hard work.
Bishop Verot Catholic High School senior Wyatt Whalen received his State Championship Ring on Aug. 19, 2022, in Fort Myers. Whalen took the Class 2A shot put title with a throw of 16.32 m (53 feet 6 ½ inches) during the Florida High School Athletic Association Track & Field State Championship May 11 -12, 2022, at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Whalen also took third in the discus with a toss of 46.36 m (152 feet 1 inch).
Eleventh grade students at Donahue Catholic Academy of Ave Maria Parish in Ave Maria spent time on Aug. 18, 2022, at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Retreat Center in Venice as part of a retreat. The students prayed together, had some fun and learned about how they need to hear the call of the Lord in their lives. Ave Maria Parish Pastor Father David Vidal celebrated Mass for the teens.
At St. Andrew Catholic School in Cape Coral, students are working hard to improve their coding skills during a robotics class on Aug. 22, 2022. This specialized skill is being learned as part of a broader STREAM (Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Arts and Math) curriculum. This curriculum, called, “The Gifts of Christ: Truth, Beauty, Goodness, Affability, Fortitude, Humility, and Prudence,” is growing out of a robotics program which broadens the opportunities for each student. The coding skills learned at St. Andrew enabled the students to perform various fun tasks with a Sphero Bolt Robot.
It was the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, but the occupants of the vehicles were not going to Mass, they were waiting for food as part of a local distribution effort to help the needy in the area.
“I have three children and my grocery bill is nearly $200,” said Shannon Byrd of Naples. “I work. My husband works and it isn’t enough. Buying the basic food for my family is just too much.”
The reason for the increases varies: Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine; the market still recovering from the global pandemic; a recent avian flu wiping out chicken and egg production; gasoline prices; and the increasing costs at every level for farmers, production and grocers for labor and processing. The impact is real.
Maria Verde of Immokalee waited patiently at Guadalupe Social Services of Catholic Charities Diocese of Venice, Inc., in Immokalee on Aug. 15, so that she could get a bag of food for her family. She has two toddlers and one child in elementary school.
Many Diocesan Parishes support a variety of food pantries and food banks within the region. Please check with your local Parish on how you can help this effort.
