Rite of Candidacy for two seminarians
William Patrick Long and T. Gregory Dougherty received Candidacy for the Orders of Diaconate and Priesthood at Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, Massachusetts on Oct. 27, 2021. Most Rev. Timothy Broglio, Archbishop of the Military Service USA, presided over the Rite for nine seminarians including Long and Dougherty. During the Rite, each man publicly expressed his intention to embrace the formation process for Holy Orders and stated his resolve to fully invest himself to that end. The men will continue in their studies to become Catholic priests.
40 Days for Life ends with Jericho walk
The fall 40 Days for Life prayer campaign to end abortion in the United States came to an end on Oct. 30, 2021 with a symbolic Jericho Walk in front of the Planned Parenthood abortion facility in downtown Sarasota. The Sarasota walk has concluded with the evening walk at sunset for the past several years as supporters gather walk silently around the building until sunset. The evening included prayers and encouragement that the battle for life does not end but continues until all unborn children are saved. The 40 Days for Life fall campaign evening walk started Sept. 22and local local vigils took place in Sarasota and Fort Myers joining similar prayer vigils at cities around the world.
Catholic Medical Association Guild board meets with Bishop
Leadership of the Southwest Florida Guild of the Catholic Medical Association met with Bishop Frank J. Dewane on Oct. 28, 2021 at the Catholic Center in Venice. The leadership provided Bishop Dewane with their annual report on their latest activities.
Cathedral Concert Series resumes
The Epiphany Cathedral Concert Series returned Oct. 28, 2021 with a presentation from the Mirage Piano Trio, with works by Debussy, Bach and Mendelssohn. The next offering is in the planning stages. To learn more call 941-484-3505 or visit www.epiphanycathedral.org/about/events/.
Students visit college to learn about panthers
After completing a section of their science class about the Florida panther, fourth grade students from St. Ann Catholic School in Naples took a field trip to visit the Panther Posse at Florida Gulf Coast University in Estero. There the students learned from wildlife experts about the big cats who are native to the area and are an endangered species because of human interaction and encroachment into their habitat. They learned how important they panther is to the delicate balance of nature throughout south Florida.
Students learn how to handle flag from veterans
Eighth-grade students at St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic School in Naples took part in flag training on Oct. 26, 2021. Members of the local Veterans of Foreign Wars Post showed the students how to handle the American Flag from unfolding it, raising on a flagpole, and then properly folding it afterwards. As school leaders it is important for the eight graders to know the proper procedure for handling the flag and to learn from experts, military veterans.
Freshmen retreat held in Sarasota
The Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School Senior Peer Ministry class hosted the freshmen retreat “Made in God’s Image” on Oct. 26, 2021 in Sarasota. It was a wonderful day of prayer and bonding with classmates.
Students monitor the weather
Second grade students at St. Catherine Catholic School in Sebring took on the task of building rain gauges using limited resources and materials on Oct. 28, 2021. The gauges use a basic design using the bottom of a 2-litter plastic bottle to monitor the rain and temperature. This is part on an ongoing STREAM (Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Arts and Math) curriculum at the school for students of all ages.
St. Paul Parish in Arcadia held a special living rosary celebration on World Mission Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021. The youth of the Parish led the reading of the different decades of the rosary and stood in for the different beads. They were divided into five different groups, wearing distinctive colors, representing different mission countries throughout the world.
On the last Sunday of each liturgical year, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, or Christ the King. This year, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) urges all Catholics to take part in a Christ the King Novena from Nov. 12-20, 2021. During the nine days preceding the Solemnity, the USCCB asks all to offer their prayers to Christ the King for the freedom of the Church. The USCCB Committee for Religious Freedom, in its core document “Our First, Most Cherished Liberty: A Statement on Religious Liberty,” urged that “the Solemnity of Christ the King – a feast born out of resistance to totalitarian incursions against religious liberty – be a day specifically employed by bishops and priests to preach about religious liberty, both here and abroad.” A link to the novena can be found at www.dioceseofvenice.org.
Participating in the Mass were more than a dozen priests, as well as some 300 people from across the Diocese, representing many Parishes, various movements, Third Orders and many more.
The sessions are being planned to allow for the maximum opportunity for as many of the faithful to participate as possible. A complete schedule of the listening sessions will be announced soon.
“While what comes from our Diocese will go to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), we are not tasked with putting together a document. We are tasked to listen, to get input, put it together and ensure the points that are made at the Diocesan level.
On Oct. 16, 2021, they were formally recognized for their dedication to the service of others during a White Mass at St. Agnes Parish in Naples. Many of those present wore white coats, the signature clothing of the medical profession.
The keynote speaker was Paul Hiltz, the President and CEO of Naples Community Healthcare System who spoke on “Spiritual Leadership in a Secular Healthcare Setting.” Hiltz stressed the importance of spirituality in medicine and shared his experiences since the beginning of the Pandemic and the challenges of serving the physical and spiritual needs of the patients, families and staff.
Bishop Frank J. Dewane celebrated Mass for the students at St. Catherine Catholic School in Sebring on Oct. 18, 2021. The Mass is the latest in a series of Masses celebrated by the Bishop for students at each of the 15 Diocesan Catholic schools. During the Mass, which took place on the Feast of St. Luke the Evangelist, Bishop Dewane encouraged the students to focus on developing their prayer life each day.
The Venice Diocesan Council of Catholic Women hosted a retreat on Oct. 16, 2021 at Epiphany Cathedral in Venice. The bilingual retreat included talks from Father Janusz Jancarz, Spiritual Moderator for the VDCCW and Pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Venice; Father Claudio Stewart, Diocesan Director of Hispanic Ministries, and Father Thomas Heck, a retired priest of the Diocese. The women also participated in Mass, adoration and praying of the rosary.
“We find throughout Scriptures that persistence and perseverance is necessary for each of us in our prayer life,” said Bishop Dewane on Oct. 7, 2021, the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary, at Epiphany Cathedral in Venice. “Many pray the rosary every day and it has become an integral part of your life. A devotion to Our Lady through the rosary provides strength, drawing us closer to the Lord.”
This is why we meditate on the Mysteries and on the prayers, Bishop Dewane explained. “By doing so you become part of this history. Our Lady calls us to prayer and to acknowledge her Son. You do this by being the instruments of the Lord and calling others to come forth. Miracles will happen within us and within those around us because of our prayers and communications with the Lord.”
At Jesus the Worker Parish in Fort Myers, the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary is cause for celebration, as Our Lady is Patroness of Guatemala. A Mass was celebrated on Oct. 7 and a parish-wide celebration took place on Oct. 10 with a large procession through the Parish parking lot leading into Mass. The Mass was followed by festivities outside with food and music celebrating the Guatemalan culture all in honor of Our Lady.
From time to time a Parish requires a new Pastor and on this occasion the Bishop will appoint – after consultation with the Priest Personnel Board – and install this new leader marking a new chapter in the life for the faithful.
As part of the installation process, Bishop Dewane first introduces the priest as Pastor to the parishioners. The priest later begins the Profession of Faith for all to hear, including an additional part solely for him. The new Pastor then recites an Oath of Fidelity and promises to “adhere to the teachings, which either the Roman Pontiff or the College of Bishops enunciate when they exercise authentic magisterium.” The installation also includes prayers to provide the new Pastor the wisdom and guidance from the Holy Spirit to lead the Parish.
Principals, athletic directors and coaches from Diocese of Venice Catholic schools heard a presentation Oct. 12, 2021 at St. Ann Catholic School in Naples, titled “Play Like a Champion.” This is a comprehensive education program aimed at encouraging true character development while showing off core Catholic values in sports and being proactive in creating a positive environment for all levels. The group heard from Kristin Sheehan, Program Director, who explained how the outreach targets coaches, sport parents and athletes, teaching the positive character of sports with the aim of giving the game back to the children. St. Ann Principal Michael Buskirk shared his positive experience with implementing the “Play Like a Champion” program in his previous school and how it sets expectations and switches the current emphasis on sports from the “me” to the “we.”
Father Jan Antonik, Parish Administrator, told a large gathering how honored and blessed the Parish was to have a First-Class Relic of St. Thérèse, something he strived to acquire since his appointment in early 2020. The relic was gifted to the Parish courtesy of Father Bob Kantor, Pastor of St. Agnes Parish in Naples, where it had been on display in the St. Agnes Adoration Chapel for many years. Bishop Frank J. Dewane approved and facilitated the transfer of the relic between the two Parishes
St. Thérèse was a Carmelite nun who was born in 1873. She entered a cloistered life at the age of 15, living in near obscurity at a convent in Lisieux, France and died at the age of 24. She was canonized in 1925 and in 1997 St. John Paul II proclaimed her a Doctor of the Church in light of holiness and the influence of her teaching on spirituality in the Church.
Following Mass, single roses were distributed for the faithful to give to others as a “little way” of spreading the Love of Christ to others. Many also paused to view the relic and/or light a candle. A reception was held as part of the Feast Day celebration.
