Priest of Venice Diocese ordained as bishop for the military archdiocese

Auxiliary Bishop Gregg M. Caggianelli becomes the first U.S. bishop ordained after election of Pope Leo XIV

Jean Gonzalez – The Florida Catholic

After witnessing her son vested in episcopal garb, Barbara Caggianelli began to cry happy tears as she said, “Thank you God.”

The emotional moment was one of many for a local priest described as a wonderful son, great preacher, and man of God with a deep sense of prayer, who became ordained as a bishop to serve the Armed Forces.

For three decades, Father Gregg M. Caggianelli had served in the military as a chaplain and active reservist, earning the rank of colonel in the U.S. Air Force. On May 9, 2025, he became the first U.S. bishop ordained after election of Pope Leo XIV. Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the Military Services, USA, ordained the Diocese of Venice priest as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach, where the new bishop has served for years as a priest, professor and administrator.

“I’ve been in the military longer than I’ve been in the seminary so it’s my two worlds colliding,” Bishop Caggianelli said after his ordination.

Along with serving as a professor of homiletics, Bishop Caggianelli served as dean of formation, which he said gave him the heart to care about how the priests are doing, “especially our military chaplains who are isolated, by themselves.” His role to encourage the priests “to encourage love among their people” will continue in his role as episcopal shepherd. In that sense, he said the Parable of the Good Shepherd has even more meaning as a bishop.

“Whenever we are given a new challenge, a new responsibility, new opportunity, it is Jesus calling us to go deeper, really calling all of us to go into deeper waters to trust him more, to follow him, and to proclaim that he is risen from the dead,” Bishop Caggianelli said. “I love (the servicemembers) very much. I’m inspired by their service and their dedication.”

In his homily, Archbishop Broglio spoke about the divided secular world, where life after death, judgement, truth and even the existence of God are questioned. Many times, the impact of the Gospel is diminished. He urged his “little brother” to take the words of Pope Leo XIV to heart when he said we are called to unity and to mission.

“Those must remain special watchwords to you,” the archbishop said. “Jesus praised that the disciples be enveloped in the father’s love, which makes them holy and empowers them for their mission in the world.”

Archbishop Broglio spoke about the symbols of the new office given during the ordination — the ring, mitre and crozier. He said while the symbols draw attention during events and Mass, they should not draw attention away from Jesus Christ, who is always the “center of our attention and the object of our life pilgrimage.”

“With mitre, staff and ring, embrace the people and lead them to that kingdom that does not pass away. Consecrate them in the truth for his grace is sufficient for us.”

Unity and mission should be at the forefront of ministry among servicemembers, which will be challenging the archbishop shared. As one of five auxiliary bishops now serving with Archbishop Broglio, they bring the Gospel to 1.8-million Catholics worldwide in all branches of the U.S. Military and those hospitalized in the nation’s VA medical centers or working for the government as civilians beyond U.S. borders. That translates to miles to travel, many communities to visit, and “misunderstandings to clarify.” But the mission is steadfast: To respond to the “special challenge to stir to flame the gift of God that stirs in us first in the waters of baptism.”

“We are challenged to rekindle the faith of so many men and women who have drifted away and whose embers of faith have grown cold. Be a father to them and draw them back into the life of grace,” the archbishop said.

Bishop Caggianelli was ordained as a priest of the Diocese of Venice, and its own episcopal shepherd, Bishop Frank J. Dewane served as a co-consecrator, along with David L. Toups of Beaumont, Texas, former rector of the Boynton Beach seminary. Among the other bishops who laid hands upon the priest’s head invoking the Holy Spirit were prelates of the Military Archdiocese and from across Florida, including Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami, Bishop Gerald M. Barbarito of Palm Beach, Bishop William Wack, CSC, of Pensacola-Tallahassee, retired Bishop Felipe Estevez of St. Augustine, and Auxiliary Bishop Enrique Delgado of Miami.

“Bishop Gregg, welcome to the episcopal brotherhood,” Bishop Wack said, describing the newly ordained as a hard worker but very down to earth, and a joyful person.”

Sitting with the new bishop on the altar were Father Alfredo I. Hernández, rector and president of the seminary, and Msgr. Robert R. Cannon, retired chaplain for the U.S. Air Force and a fellow priest of the Diocese of Venice. Bishop Caggianelli credited Msgr. Cannon for encouraging his discernment of priestly vocation.

With his experience as a chaplain, as a serviceman himself and as a professor, Msgr. Cannon said his friend’s appointment was a “perfect fit.”

“We have been dear friends for very long time,” said Msgr. Cannon, who previously served as chancellor for the Military Archdiocese. “He’s very funny and has a great sense of humor. He works hard, he loves Jesus, he’s smart. He loves people. He will be a fine bishop.”

After completing the semester at the seminary, Bishop Caggianelli will stay local even though he is now incardinated in the Archdiocese for the Military Services. He will serve military installations across the state of Florida.

The seminary lived-streamed the celebration on social media where it can still be viewed at https://www.svdp.edu/live or https://www.facebook.com/SVdPSem.

Earlier version of story

BOYNTON BEACH | Gregg M. Caggianelli was ordained an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary, where the new bishop — an active reservist and colonel in the U.S. Air Force —vhas served for years as a priest, professor and administrator.

Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, of the Military Services, celebrated the ordination through the laying of hands and the invocation of the Holy Spirit. He anointed the new bishop’s head with oil, placed the bishop’s ring on his right ring finger, and presented him with the miter and crosier under the prayerful gaze of a packed congregation in St. Vincent’s Chapel.

In his homily, noting that “the secular age has blinded many to the idea of truth, life after death, and judgment,” Archbishop Broglio implored Bishop Caggianelli to spread the truth of the Gospel: “Pope Leo has called us to unity and mission. As the first U.S. bishop ordained after his election, those must remain special watchwords for you. To borrow from Saint John Neumann, if we have accepted the truth of Christ and committed our lives to him, there can be no separation between what we believe and the way we live our lives. Our every thought, word, and action must be directed to the glory of God and the spread of his kingdom…. With miter, staff, and ring, embrace this people and lead them to that kingdom that does not pass away. Consecrate them in the truth, for His grace is sufficient for you.”

Prior to the ordination, Bishop Caggianelli, 57, made a public profession of Catholic faith, and he took the oath of fidelity. His ordination brings to five the number of auxiliary bishops now serving with Archbishop Broglio in his ministry to 1.8-million Catholics worldwide in all branches of the U.S. Military and those hospitalized in the nation’s VA medical centers or working for the government as civilians beyond U.S. borders.

Dozens of priests and bishops — including the co-consecrators Bishops Frank J. Dewane of Venice and David L. Toups of Beaumont, Texas — were on hand at the celebration along with family and friends of the new bishop. Along with Bishop Dewane, Florida prelates on hand included Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami, Bishop Gerald M. Barbarito of Palm Beach, Bishop William Wack, CSC, of Pensacola-Tallahassee, retired Bishop Felipe Estevez of St. Augustine, and Auxiliary Bishop Enrique Delgado of Miami.

Sitting with the new bishop on the altar were Father Alfredo I. Hernández, rector and president of the seminary, and Msgr. Robert R. Cannon, retired chaplain for the U.S. Air Force and AMS chancellor. Both Msgr Cannon and Bishop Caggianelli served as priests of the Diocese of Venice. Bishop Caggianelli credited Msgr. Cannon for encouraging his discernment of priestly vocation.

The seminary lived-streamed the celebration on social media where it can still be viewed at https://www.svdp.edu/live or https://www.facebook.com/SVdPSem.

 

 

Diocesan priest named Auxiliary Bishop of Archdiocese for Military Services

Pope Francis named Father Gregg M. Caggianelli, a priest of the Diocese of Venice, as the new Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS), on Feb. 21, 2025.

Bishop-elect Caggianelli was ordained in the Diocese of Venice in 2002 and for the Diocese served as Director of Vocations and Seminary Formation (2007-2010), as well as Administrator of St. Francis Xavier Parish in Fort Myers (2010-2013) and Parochial Vicar at Incarnation Parish in Sarasota (2002-2010). Since 2013, he has served at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary (SVDP) in Boynton Beach, first as an advisor, then professor, and most recently as Vice Rector and Dean of Human Formation, as well as Assistant Professor of Homiletics.

Bishop-elect Caggianelli has also served in the U.S. Air Force in both active duty and reserves since 1990, and is currently a Chaplain Colonel. His Air Force Reserve assignment is at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he serves as senior Reserve advisor to the USAFA Chaplain and as senior team leader of the Academy’s Reserve chaplains and religious affairs airmen.

Bishop Frank J. Dewane expressed his gratitude to His Holiness Pope Francis for the appointment of Bishop-elect Caggianelli to the Episcopate and prays that his ministry be filled with blessings and inspiration as he undertakes this new responsibility serving our Lord and our nation.

“It is truly an honor to have a priest of the Diocese of Venice chosen as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA,” Bishop Dewane said. “I ask that all Priests, Deacons and faithful of the Diocese of Venice share in my joy at this appointment and pray for the successful ministry of Bishop-elect Caggianelli.”

In accepting the new role, Bishop-elect Caggianelli said he was “most humble and grateful for his appointment, while counting his many blessings. He stated: “I am deeply grateful for the unconditional love of my mom and dad. God has blessed me with dear friends who both support me and call me to task when I have failed, and I am grateful to the people of the Diocese of Venice and the men and women I work with at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary.”

Reflecting on this appointment, Bishop-elect Caggianelli said, “After the initial shock and disbelief, and much time begging for God’s mercy, I was filled with true praise and thanksgiving to God… As I begin this new journey, I look forward to giving my life in service of our Lord in the care of our soldiers, sailors, airmen, coastguardsmen, guardians, veterans and diplomats throughout the world.”

Born Aug. 2, 1968, in Kingston, New York, the Bishop-Elect earned a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan in 1990 and received a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Dayton, Ohio, in 1994. He also has a doctorate of ministry in homiletics from the Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis.

Bishop-elect Caggianelli was commissioned in 1990 as a U.S. Air Force line officer serving at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. After leaving active duty, he entered the Air Force Reserve while completing priestly formation at St. Vincent de Paul regional Seminary, earning a degree in divinity. He was Ordained to the Priesthood on Oct. 25, 2002, at Epiphany Cathedral, Venice, by Most Rev. John J. Nevins, then the Bishop of the Diocese of Venice. He has been an Air Force Reserve Chaplain since 2002.

The Episcopal Ordination of Bishop-elect Caggianelli will occur at a time and place to be set by Most Rev. Timothy P. Broglio, Archbishop for the Military Services, sometime in the next few weeks.

The Archdiocese for the Military Services, based in Washington, serves U.S. Catholics of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Department of Veterans Affairs and those in government service outside the United States. Worldwide, an estimated 1.8 million Catholics depend on the military archdiocese to meet their spiritual and sacramental needs.

Two seminarians ordained to Transitional Diaconate

Jacob (Jake) Christian Gwynn and William Patrick (Pat) Long were ordained to the Transitional Diaconate on Saturday, April 13, 2024. The pair followed different calls of the Lord in their lives, but their answers were the same, leading the two Diocese of Venice seminarians on a journey toward the priesthood.

Deacons Gwynn and Long were among 10 ordained at St. Joan of Arc Parish in Boca Raton by Most Rev. Gerald M. Barbarito, Bishop of the Diocese of Palm Beach. The men, from different Dioceses across Florida, are studying at either St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach or Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, Massachusetts.

Following his ordination, Deacon Gwynn said, “The theme that was said many times on my day of ordination continues to resound in my heart today: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad’ (Ps 118:24). I am eternally grateful for the call to serve the Lord and His people through the ministry of the Diaconate and eventually as a priest!”

Deacon Long said the ordination brought “tremendous peace, joy and gratitude; gratitude to God for His great love, and for the opportunity to share that love with many as a newly ordained Deacon in His Church.”
The first of three ranks of ordained ministry in the Church, Deacons perform many services to the Church in conjunction with the ministries of priests and Bishops. Among their many duties, they will preach, perform baptisms, witness marriages, and preside over wakes and funerals.

Bishop Barbarito opened by giving thanks to the Lord for calling the ordinandi to the ministry of Holy Orders in service to all, and then by giving thanks to each of the men and their supporters.

“We also give thanks to each of them for discerning and accepting the call of the Lord, as well as to all of you, their family members and friends in supporting them in their discernment,” the Bishop said.

To the men, Bishop Barbarito stressed the importance of the day, after years of prayer and preparation.

“Holy Orders is the ordering of our lives toward Christ… Today, you will make three significant promises to Him and to His Church which will intimately affect your lives – a lifelong commitment of celibacy; to prayer; and to the service of Church as expressed in obedience. All of them become one in handing yourselves over to the Lord completely and totally.”

Following the homily, the men approached Bishop Barbarito one-by-one, knelt and promised respect and obedience, each to his own Bishop and his successors. To signify humble submission before God, the men then lay prostrate in the sanctuary while the assembly sang the Litany of Saints. The faithful remained standing during the Litany as the ordination took place during the Easter Season.

Each man again approached the Bishop who imposed his hands on the candidate and proclaimed a prayer of consecration, to confer the Holy Spirit to guide their ministries. This is the moment the men were ordained. The Deacons then received a stole and dalmatic (the exterior garb of a deacon), signifying the Office of Diaconate and the deacon’s role in the celebration of the Eucharist.

Next, the newly ordained Deacons knelt before the Bishop who presented them each with the Book of the Gospels, and said: “Receive the Gospels of Christ, whose herald you have become. Believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach.” The receiving of the Book of Gospels is a symbol of their new ministry of proclaiming the Gospel and preaching. The Rite of Ordination concluded with the fraternal kiss of peace.

Deacon Gwynn is studying at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary, having graduated from St. John Vianney College Seminary in Miami in 2020. Born and raised in Palmetto, Deacon Jake is the third of four children. Deacon Jake recalls that becoming a priest was one of his earliest aspirations. One of his mentors from a young age was Msgr. Joseph Ferraro, a retired priest who also served as a U.S. Navy Chaplain, who inspired him to pursue a path to not only the priesthood but also in the Navy Chaplaincy. Following that inspiration, he was sworn in as an officer of the U.S. Navy in 2021 and is currently a Lt. (j.g), in the U.S. Navy Reserves.

As a Diocesan seminarian, Deacon Gwynn has had summer assignments at the following Parishes: St. William in Naples, St. Agnes in Naples; Our Lady of Lourdes in Venice; and Our Lady of Grace in Avon Park. He served a pastoral year at Epiphany Cathedral in Venice. In addition, he has taken part in the Navy Officer Development School and later the Navy Chaplain Basic Leadership School, both in Newport, Rhode Island. Deacon Gwynn is pursuing his priesthood for the Diocese of Venice and the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA. Deacon Gwynn was vested by Deaon Craig Dutka of Holy Cross Parish in Palmetto.

Deacon Long has been studying at St. John XXIII National Seminary in Massachusetts which specializes in formation for later vocations. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, but raised in Sarasota, the second of six children, Deacon Pat is a graduate of St. Martha Catholic School and Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School in Sarasota. He graduated with a degree from Florida State. While pursuing a marketing career in the health care industry, he kept ties to the faith as an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist, religious education teacher, youth group leader and in Pro-Life work. Feeling God was calling him to the priesthood, with the help of a spiritual director he opted to enter seminary. As a seminarian for the Diocese of Venice, Deacon Long served at Incarnation Parish in Sarasota, St. Martha Parish in Sarasota, attended the Institute for Priestly Formation at Creighton University in Nebraska, and participated in the Spanish Summer Immersion Program in Guatemala. During his ordination, Deacon Long was vested by Deacon Stephen Beck of Incarnation Parish.

Please pray for these men as they continue their spiritual journey.

Seminarian Ordained as Transitional Deacon

Diocese of Venice Seminarian Carlos Encinas feels blessed and at peace following his Ordination to the Transitional Diaconate on April 14 at St. Joan of Arc Parish Church, Boca Raton.

Diocese of Venice Seminarian Carlos Encinas, a student at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary is presented the Book of Gospels during his Ordination to the Transitional Diaconate, April 14, at St. Joan of Arc Parish Church, Boca Raton, by Bishop Felipe de Jesús Estévez, Bishop of the Diocese of St. Augustine.

Transitional Deacon Encinas said a few days later that “the peace and happiness that I experienced that day are still with me. Praise God! The role of a Deacon is to assist the Priest ministering some of the sacraments to the people of God. I’m really excited that I will be able to do that.”

Celebrated by Bishop Felipe de Jesús Estévez of the Diocese of St. Augustine, the ordination of 13 men at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach, is one of the final steps toward priesthood.

While his family was unable to attend from Argentina, they were able to watch a live feed on Facebook. Present in support of Encinas were a number of friends as well as Fathers Tomasz Zalewski and Lawton Lang of St. Joseph Parish in Bradenton, where Encinas served a pastoral year. In a show of support, Transitional Deacon Encinas served as the deacon at the April 15 Masses at St. Joseph Parish.

Diocese of Venice Seminarian Carlos Encinas seen following his Ordination to the Transitional Diaconate, April 14, at St. Joan of Arc Parish Church, Boca Raton. He is pictured with Bishop Felipe de Jesús Estévez, Bishop of the Diocese of St. Augustine, Seminary Rector Msgr. David Toups, and Father Tomasz Zalewski, Pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Bradenton.

Deacon Encinas, 39, is from Corrientes, Argentina, and was working toward a medical degree when he discerned his vocation to the priesthood.

During the ordination, the new deacons promised to live a life of prayer, celibacy and obedience to their Diocesan Bishop. Deacon Encinas will have an additional year of theological studies and spiritual formation before petitioning for Ordination to the Priesthood in 2019. As part of the ordination rite, the Bishop placed the Book of Gospels in the hands of each candidate being ordained and said: “Receive the Gospels of Christ, whose herald you have become. Believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach.”

Diocese of Venice Seminarian Carlos Encinas, a student at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary, was among those ordained to the Transitional Diaconate, April 14, at St. Joan of Arc Parish Church, Boca Raton, by Bishop Felipe de Jesús Estévez, Bishop of the Diocese of St. Augustine.

In his homily, Bishop Estévez noted the wisdom of the Church that those seeking ordination to the priesthood first become deacons. “This is so that each one of them understands that as Jesus taught the Apostles by the washing of the feet at the Last Supper, that they ought to do the same as the Lord. That is to minister in the manner as servants.”

Bishop Estévez added that deacons are not simply servants, but they are called to be an encounter with the Living Word for others as they have been blessed be a personal intimate relationship with the Lord.