Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday Televised Mass
The Diocese of Venice in Florida will air the televised Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday Masses, each for a full hour. The Masses can be viewed at 9 a.m. on the CW Network in Sarasota, Manatee, Desoto, Charlotte, Hardee and Highland counties, and at 10:30 a.m. on FOX4 in Charlotte, Lee, Collier, Hendry, Glades and Desoto counties. The Mass is also available on the Diocese of Venice website at www.dioceseofvenice.org/tvmass.
Holy Week Mass times
The Holy Week Mass times for each Diocese of Venice Parish/Mission have been compiled and are available for viewing at www.dioceseofvenice.org. The list is in alphabetical order by city and includes the address and contact information for more information.
Catholic Center daily livestream to end March 31
The livestream of the Daily Mass from the Catholic Center will end on the final day of Lent, Wednesday, March 31, 2021. The 8 a.m. livestream of the Daily Mass from Epiphany Cathedral in Venice will still be available for viewing through the Diocese of Venice and Cathedral Facebook pages. As usual, this stream is available for viewing throughout the day.
Knight receives honor for military valor
Knights of Columbus member Salvatore (Sal) Naimo, of the Our Lady of Victory Council 3358, served in the U.S. Marine Corps in the 1950s including during the Korean War. On his 89th birthday, March 17, 2021, the veteran received one of the military’s highest honors for his heroic actions nearly 70 years ago. Colonel John Polidoro, Chief of Staff for Marine Corps Forces, Central Command, awarded Cpl. Naimo the Silver Star in a ceremony at the Knights Hall in Sarasota.
It was September 1951 when Cpl. Naimo put his own life at risk by carrying two fellow Marines who were severely injured in a mortar attack to get aid. Naimo was nominated for the honor years ago but only recently was it approved and awarded.
“What I did in 1951, it is long gone in the past, but this will remind me of it forever,” Naimo said to local media who were present for the ceremony. “It was a day that I won’t forget. It is just something that I won’t probably talk about again.”
Divine Mercy items of interest
A Divine Mercy Novena begins on Good Friday, April 2, 2021 and concludes Saturday, April 10. In private revelations to St. Faustina, Jesus asked that the Feast of Divine Mercy be preceded by a novena praying for nine intentions with the Divine Mercy Chaplet. It is particularly appropriate for anyone who has been touched by abortion or is nearing death. The novena can be accessed online at www.thedivinemercy.org/message/devotions/novena.php.
In addition, there will be a Divine Mercy Sunday Prayer Service on April 11, from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. at Epiphany Cathedral, 350 Tampa Ave, West, Venice. Everyone is invited to participate in the prayer service for forgiveness and healing from pregnancy loss. The prayer service will also be livestreamed at www.facebook.com/DioceseofVenice.
For information about either the Divine Mercy Novena of the Prayer Service, please contact Sylvia at 941-412-5860 or project.rachel@dioceseofvenice.org.
Bishop celebrates Mass for students in Sarasota and Bradenton
Bishop Frank J. Dewane continued celebrating Mass for students in Diocese of Venice Catholic schools with the latest stops on March 8, 2021, at Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School in Sarasota, March 19 at St. Joseph Catholic School in Bradenton and March 23 at St. Martha Catholic School and St. Mary Academy in Sarasota.
During these Masses, Bishop Dewane stressed how the Lenten Season is a time for prayer, fasting, and almsgiving as we prepare to celebrate the Paschal Mystery of our Faith.
Freshman Retreat
The Bishop Verot Catholic High School Class of 2024 enjoyed the much-anticipated Freshman Retreat on March 17, 2021. Seniors led the event, including a scavenger hunt, small group discussions, ice cream social, and candlelight prayer service in the courtyard. The key moment of the retreat was the celebration of Mass. This retreat was postponed from before the start of the academic year due to necessary pandemic restrictions.
The annual Diocese of Venice Memorial Mass held on Veterans Day had an altered format because of the Pandemic, taking place at Epiphany Cathedral in Venice for a small group of people while being livestreamed, versus an outdoor event at Sarasota National Cemetery.
Bishop Dewane noted that a veteran is called upon to do many things, as they proclaim liberty to captives, bringing glad tidings to the lowly and telling them they are free. Even when their active service is complete, veterans continue to give back to the community in which they live. At the same time, the Bishop said praise should also go to the families of those who serve, who make their own sacrifices in support of veterans.
Each year the Diocese of Venice holds a Memorial Mass on Veterans Day in honor of the men and women who have served our country and continue to serve and protect us today. The restrictions regarding public gatherings at the Sarasota National Cemetery has precluded holding the Mass at this beautiful site. This year, the Mass to be celebrated by Bishop Frank J. Dewane, will be held at 3 p.m., Nov. 11, 2020. The Mass will be live streamed so that all may participate on this important day at facebook.com/dioceseofvenice.org/videos. You do not need to have an account to view the Mass. Please contact Gail Ardy at 
Catholic Charities Diocese of Venice invites everyone to participate in The UnBall, a Virtual Charity Ball to raise funds to help stop human trafficking. Mark your calendar and join at 7 p.m., Nov. 12, 2020. Due to the pandemic and the postponement of the Venetian Ball, the Venetian Ball Committee created The UnBall virtual event. Join Catholic Charities for an hour-long event to raise awareness and stop modern day slavery. Human trafficking is not in the shadows or in faraway nations, it happens in plain sight in our community. Listen to a survivor-leader share her inspirational story and learn how you can make an impact. The UnBall supports the programs and services of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Venice, Inc. in Lee, Hendry, and Glades counties which include Positive Youth Development Program, Senior Support Coordination Program, Anti Human Trafficking Assistance Program, immigration services, food assistance, and pantries, baby supplies, and disaster response and recovery. For more information, please contact Janet Pavelack at 
Bishop Frank J. Dewane led a prayer service for the staff of the Catholic Center in Venice on Dec. 1. The prayer service included the blessing of the Advent Candle, Christmas Tree and Nativity scene which will be on display in the lobby throughout Advent.
The Mother Frances de Sales Auxiliary to the Homeless held its Fourth Rose Ball Nov. 30 at the Naples Grande Beach Hotel and Resort where 22 young ladies were recognized for their commitment of volunteer service and formation. The event benefited four organizations in Collier County that work to help break the cycle of homelessness. Bishop Frank J. Dewane presented each young lady with a silver Rose Ball medallion of the organizations’ patron, Mother Frances de Sales, known as St. Leonie Aviat, who was canonized on Nov. 25, 2001. The ladies, known as Rose Girls, committed to a two-and-a-half-year volunteer and personal formation program where they make pledges of dignity, charity, and purity and were presented to those gathered as Dignified Ladies of Volunteer Service.
On the 100th Anniversary of Veterans Day, and for the 10th year in a row, the Diocese of Venice celebrated a Catholic Mass at Sarasota National Cemetery with more than 1,300 people in attendance.
Father Edward Martin, who served 20 years as a U.S. Army Chaplain and is Temporary Administrator of St. Isabel Parish in Sanibel, celebrated the Mass for Bishop Frank J. Dewane, who was unable to attend due to a commitment at the annual meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. More than a dozen Priests and several Deacons joined Father Martin.
Adding to the dignity and ceremony of the day were active and retired veterans – some of whom attended in uniform, as well as the Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus who formed a Color Corps, and many other Knights who were there to support the veterans.
There are 20,900 veterans and eligible family members currently interred in the National Cemetery and more than 19 million military veterans in the United States.
It was 100 years ago, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of 1918, when the guns fell silent and horror that was World War I was over. Each year Nov. 11 is set aside to honor all veterans, both living and deceased, who have served their country to defend the freedoms that are cherished to this day.
“I am proud to have served and proud that the Catholic Church celebrates and honors its veterans each year,” said Zielinski, who has attended the annual Mass for the past three years. “I will be coming back every year as long as I am able.”
Noting that veterans served with faith in God and country, Father Costello said they gave of themselves unselfishly and trusted that they would be able to do the Will of God when called upon.
Adding to the dignity and ceremony of the day were active and retired veterans, as well as the Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus who formed a Color Corps, and many other Knights who were there to support the veterans.
The Diocese of Venice coordinates the Catholic Mass at the cemetery with the support of the Knights of Columbus. One of the graves is that of Father Robert G. Tierney, a former assistant at St. Joseph Parish in Bradenton, who served in the U.S. Navy. Father Tierney died in 2006 and was one of the first people buried in the cemetery.
