When Bishop Frank J. Dewane announced that May 18, 2020 would be the resumption of public Mass at churches in the Diocese of Venice, a deadline for Parishes to be ready was set. At the same time directives and guidelines for reopening were provided to the Parish.
Planning sessions took place at Parishes across the Diocese and included all who are involved in preparing the Mass for the Sacred Liturgy, including the priests, deacons, sacristans, lectors, cantors, musicians and members of the maintenance team.
These groups typically gather ahead of major Church celebrations such as Advent, Christmas, Ash Wednesday, Lent, Palm Sunday, Holy Week and the Easter Season, to name a few. The gatherings the week of May 11 were quite different. Instead of preparing for a festive celebration with large crowds, the planning included figuring out how to keep individuals and families separated and safe while preserving the dignity of the Sacred Liturgy.
Following Florida Department of Health guidelines – calling for 50 percent capacity and 6-foot separation – the planners had to reimagine how best to use the worship space to balance between safety and the needs of the faithful. Parish have been open for prayer with enforced separation since early May. Thus, the planning for private prayer laid the groundwork for opening for public Mass.
In a note to parishioners, which was followed by a video message, Administrator of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Parish Father Joseph Gates explained what was happening: “Over the past few weeks during the coronavirus pandemic I stated several times that when we resume public Masses, the way in which we “Gather to Worship’ was going to be different. At the same time, I did not know what that ‘difference’ was going to be, but I knew change was coming. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass would be the same, but the way we “Gather to Pray” would have some unique modifications. Some of you may not like the changes but know that I respect your opinion.”
Father Gates noted that an honest conversation took place between the priests of the Diocese and Bishop Dewane where many thoughts, concerns and ideas were shared, but it was agreed to have this transitory stage of gathering in public as a community once again. “Please keep that in mind and let us be thankful we can open our doors to worship once again. Because if we are not careful, our doors could close once more due to a second swell in the pandemic.”
Ahead of reopening for Mass, Parishes went through a deep cleaning and put up signs, as well as floor markings throughout churches to indicate the flow of people, available pews and even spacing for when the faithful come forward to receive Holy Communion. Parishes have also committed to doing a cleaning between each Mass.
Several Parishes have also posted notices and instructional videos indicating procedures for the faithful to follow to ensure everyone’s health and safety including how to receive Holy Communion in the hand while wearing a mask. These notices are asking for patience from the faithful as each Parish adapts to the changes and work to ensure Mass is available for as many people as possible, but all within safety guidelines.
“How temporary this transitory stage will be is unclear,” Father Gates said. “But we are blessed to gather once again to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and in that we should Rejoice!”
Parish messages also include notices about changes to the seating, with some noting the maximum capacity of spaces (some as few as 30 and as high as 300). These are at maximum one-half of capacity of the respective Church and reflect the need to maintain distancing based on the specific layout of the worship space. In Parishes where there are several priests, overflow Masses will be offered in the Parish Hall.
Other items of interest indicated in notices included: masks must be worn; bring your own hand sanitizer; stay home if you are sick or are in a “greater risk” category per the Centers for Disease Control (the obligation to attend Mass on Sunday has been lifted until June 28, 2020); space will be limited and you may have to attend Mass at a different time; entering only through the main doors; follow all directions of greeters and ushers; maintain distancing and limit socializing in the church; in some Parishes, Holy Communion will be distributed in the pews (a Eucharistic minister going row by row); Communion to be received only in the hand; a central location for the offertory; orderly dismissal by rows; and all other Parish activities remain suspended until further notice.
In his May 12, 2020 letter to the faithful announcing the celebration of Holy Mass with a congregation present, Bishop Dewane concluded by writing: “The Faithful of the Diocese of Venice have remained resolute in their faith during these unprecedented times, vibrantly expressing their Spiritual Communion with Christ and His Church. Still, I am aware that there is a hunger for the Eucharist. My prayerful hope is that, strengthened by the Bread come down from Heaven, you will emerge from these times with stronger faith. As we return to Holy Mass, let us with the psalmist, raise our voices in praise of God: I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD.’”
Vehicles were lined up by 7 a.m., about 30 minutes before the scheduled opening and less than two hours later more than 250 families (or about 1,000 people) had been helped.
The food pantry is restocked thanks to the direct assistance of two local food banks (Feeding Tampa Bay and All Faiths Food Bank), as well as through the support of local grocers and farmers, several Diocesan Parishes and resources are augmented by weekly bulk rice and bean deliveries from Catholic Charities Diocese of Venice Inc.
Each vehicle coming through the line is surveyed to learn how many people are in the household and also to ensure that the families are using all of the offered food. Sister Gema Ruiz, SSVM, said that to a person, the food is much appreciated and needed.
Because the Parish is so far from the main food banks, the pantry must pay to retrieve most of the food, adding a tremendous expense. While necessary, this is beginning to impact the other assistance programs, Sister Gema explained. The Parish offers emergency financial support for unexpected expenses, an area where demand is also beginning to increase.
Out of concern for the safety of all involved, our Pastors have been asked to follow established directives and guidelines. These limit the size of the congregation to 25% of occupancy, maintain social distancing guidance, and ask the Faithful’s cooperation to wear facemasks and bring with them hand sanitizer for their use. The Faithful are also asked to receive communion in the hand. These are extraordinary times and I ask for your patience and good will as Parishes reopen for public celebrations. Further, schedules may need to be adjusted and some Priests or liturgical ministers may not be able to participate publicly because of age or health conditions.
Bishop Frank J. Dewane, in what is becoming a regular routine, visited this Catholic Charities site on May 8, 2020, to show his support and learn from the staff what the last few weeks have been like and if they were getting enough support.
Bishop Dewane first helped stack boxes of food provided by the Harry Chapin Food Bank while others brought out bagged food, grapefruits, apples and water. When the first vehicle came through the line, the bishop opted to load the half-cases of bottled water – minimum two per vehicle and more when the person was collecting food for multiple families. Bags were filled with maeseca (corn flour), rice, beans, oil and canned meats and vegetables.
Those numbers represent a tremendous increase in outreach when compared to an average year when Catholic Charities serves some 90,000 families and individuals through 37 different programs.
Catholic Charities Diocese of Venice Inc. is in urgent need of your financial support during its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. To help, please visit 
The Spanish-language Catholic community has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic having endured massive layoffs across many job sectors including food service, hotels, farming and landscaping. The small food pantry has been assisting about 100 households weekly for the past seven weeks, where households consist of five to nine individuals.
On Tuesday mornings, the line for food begins to form long before the pantry opens. Each person with a heartbreaking story of unexpected hardship and worry about their small children. A few of those children were old enough to help carry the bags of food back to their vehicles while their mother or father carried their own heavy burdens with stoic resolve.
It is an unthinkable thing for the hard-working faithful of Jesus the Worker to ask for food, Father O’Connor explained. “Sometimes it is embarrassing or humiliating for them to come looking for assistance.” In such cases, he invites families to return at a different time when no one will see them.
The Bishop added that he understood and appreciated the extra effort required by the priests and Parishes to facilitate the opening, but “because the Faithful are hungry for a return to the Church and for prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, this desire is worthy of the extra effort.” It is expected this first phase will allow for a growing reassurance by the Faithful that it will be safe to return for Mass once it is possible to do so.
Naturally concerned about the health and well-being of all, Bishop Dewane said his focus is also on the spiritual health of the Faithful. “I am confident that these visits will yield abundant spiritual fruit in personal holiness and the communion of our Parishes. This will eventually lead to being able to offer the access to all of the life-giving Sacraments in the near future.”
Visitors for private prayer at Epiphany Cathedral in Venice are greeted in the narthex and shown a seating chart for the Church. The faithful selects the spot from where they wish to pray and given a number that corresponds to that spot. A volunteer escort is provided as a guide. Upon leaving the Church, through a different door, the faithful are asked to drop their number off in a basket. The Parish cleaning staff later uses those numbers as guidance for deeper cleaning. This system works well as only between 20 and 50 people are coming for prayer throughout each day.
The Parish Hall is where donated food is stored and bagged in preparation for distribution into the community to the growing number of needy families who would normally be in the fields as migrant farm workers. The food is mostly courtesy of Catholic Charities Diocese of Venice Inc., as well as from St. Leo the Great Parish in Bonita Springs. Donations from the parishioners of St. Margaret are also a big help.
Most of the recipients wanted to give hugs to Paniagua and Sister Mercedes but, while wearing a mask and gloves, they explained that the smiling faces and words of gratitude offered were enough thanks.
