Dear Friends in Christ,

In celebration of the Florida Catholic’s 70th year of covering your faith, your life and your community and in anticipation of the newspaper’s annual Florida Catholic Sunday campaign weekend Oct. 31–Nov. 1, Bishop Frank J. Dewane answers a few questions about why you should subscribe to your diocesan newspaper.

Q: As publisher of the Florida Catholic what is it you believe the publication gives to local Catholics that they can’t get from other sources and how do you hope the faithful will use what they learn in their everyday lives?

A: The Catholic faithful need a source of information on the Church, her teachings the message of the Holy Father, etc. The Florida Catholic stories provide an update regularly on these topics and on the way these teachings affect their daily lives.

As our DIOCESAN newspaper, the Florida Catholic also defends, fosters, and spreads the Catholic faith and Catholic culture. An example of this can be found in stories about parish celebrations of feast days of saints, such as with the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. This celebration in Wauchula attracted more than 2,000 people and without the Diocesan newspaper coverage, others would never have learned about this special day, and more importantly they would never have realized the significance of Our Lady of Guadalupe to an important part of our Diocese.

Q: What can local Catholics learn about their faith and the Universal Church in the Florida Catholic?

A: When issues are debated on a national level, it is critical that the Catholic voice be heard clearly and strongly. An opportunity is provided to present the Catholic teaching on an issue while making clear certain basic non–negotiable moral principles impacting that same issue. This is done in a way that cannot be found in the secular press.

The Florida Catholic can also be a teaching vehicle by covering other international and local issues important to the Catholic culture. Reporting on Masses and events for Respect Life, genocide in Darfur, Peace and Justice issues, and for those who have been exploited, each serve to illuminate and explain how our Catholic faith communities can address these issues. The reported observation of the faith; to administer the sacraments, school activities, parish events and much more. At the beginning of the academic year, the uniqueness and celebration of the educational programs provided your community is recognized.

Q: How does the Florida Catholic contribute to building a sense of community among Catholics throughout the large and diverse Diocese of Venice?

A: His Holiness Benedict XVI told the world media in his World Communications Day Message this year that the greatest gift they can give to the world is to share with everyone the “Good News” of a God who became man, who suffered, died and rose again to save all people. Here at the Florida Catholic and the Diocese of Venice we strive to do that.

Our Holy Father added “human hearts are yearning for a world where love endures, where gifts are shared, where unity is built, where freedom finds meaning in truth, and where identity is found in respectful communion. Our faith can respond to these expectations: May you become its heralds! The Pope accompanies you with his prayers and his blessing.”

The presence of the Florida Catholic in the Diocese is a sharing of the faith, a way to overcome isolation by bringing men and women together to become a community at every level of the Catholic Church.

Celebrations and events put a spotlight on parish life and in the Diocese of Venice. At the parish level, picnics, galas, dances and special Masses commemorating anniversaries also reach to the core of what the Florida Catholic has to share. During this “Year of Celebration,” commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the Diocese of Venice, dozens of event were covered, including the opening Mass, deacon ordinations, men’s and women’s conferences, and a youth rally. Each of these stories serve as a unifying measure for all in the Diocese.

Sincerely yours in Christ,
+ Frank J. Dewane
Bishop of the Diocese of Venice in Florida

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The Catholic Church has been at the forefront in speaking out on the issue of the sanctity of all human life, from conception to natural death. It is our responsibility to answer the call to do all we can in support of life.

The Diocese of Venice in Florida will once again conduct a Respect Life Collection, in conjunction with National Respect Life Sunday, on the weekend of Oct. 3-4. This special collection will support various local organizations and programs that promote life. The funds collected will remain within the 10 counties of the Diocese of Venice, and will facilitate our witness as a faith community to the value of all human life.

Through the generosity of those who responded to the Collection since its inception in 2007, the Diocese has been able to share more than $125,000 with more than 35 organizations within our 10 counties. Beneficiaries include services to the elderly in need, maternity and after-birth homes, Pregnancy Resource Centers, and programs to promote abstinence education, natural family planning, Catholic teaching on the death penalty, and prayer for life.

The needs are increasing, especially in our present economic situation. Please be generous in your expression of respect for life. Thank you for your support in this crucial and noble effort. For many, it is literally a matter of life and death.

May God bless you and all who defend the sanctity of life.

Sincerely yours in Christ,
Frank J. Dewane
Bishop of the Diocese of Venice in Florida

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Pope Benedict XVI has inaugurated a “Year for Priests” which officially began on June 19th, 2009 and is to conclude on June 19, 2010. Our Holy Father has stated that, “the aim of this Year for Priests is to support each priest’s struggle towards spiritual perfection, upon which the effectiveness of their ministry depends.”

For lay people, this year provides an opportunity to pray for and to support priests. This special year also serves as a reminder to rediscover and revive an awareness of the extraordinary and indispensable gift of Grace which the priestly ministry represents to all Catholics. The priesthood is a sublime gift for the person who receives it, for the Church, and for the world, which would be lost without the real presence of Christ.

Further, in this context of the “Year for Priests,” I take this opportunity to thank all the priests of the Diocese of Venice in Florida for their ministry and service. In their faithfulness to their priestly vocation, they act in the person of Christ, administering the Sacraments and ministering to His people. Priests are Christ's servants, in the sense that they are configured to Him. Pope Benedict XVI affirms that the priest is, “in Christ, for Christ and with Christ at the service of humankind.”

The Holy Father has entrusted this special year to Our Lady and has asked Her to intercede for all priests, “to awaken in the heart of every priest a generous and renewed commitment to the ideal of complete self-oblation to Christ and the Church.” During this “Year for Priests”, I kindly ask you, the faithful of the Diocese of Venice, to pray for and encourage all priests in their vocation, especially those who serve you in your parish. We priests are in need of your prayers, which are of inestimable value in our ministries.

It is also asked that you remember to pray for all the seminarians of the Diocese, and for those who will follow us. As you may know, our Diocese has been blessed with an increase in seminarians and they too, need your prayers and support. Indeed, our seminarians are a central part of our Diocesan community, and are a sign of hope and continuity for the entire Church.

It is my hope that this “Year for Priests” may lead all priests to identify evermore completely with Christ Who died and rose again. In this way, we can better imitate St. John the Baptist; 'to diminish' ourselves, that Christ may grow.

In closing, this opportunity is taken to thank you, on behalf of all priests here in the Diocese of Venice, for your prayers and support. It is truly a blessing to be a priest and to serve in the Diocese.

I extend to you the assurances of my continued consideration, as well as my prayers.

Sincerely yours in Christ,
+ Frank J. Dewane
Bishop of the Diocese of Venice in Florida

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

It has been several now years since the U.S. Catholic bishops gathered in Dallas, Texas, to respond to incidents of sexual abuse and to sign a “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.” The bishops pledged to promote healing and reconciliation for the victims of this abuse and to respond effectively to any allegations.

The Diocese of Venice in Florida is committed to these promises and continues to reach out to victims and to respond to all allegations. One of the primary means by which this is done is the Safe Environment Program, which calls us to integrity, transparency and fidelity. All priests, religious, deacons, employees and volunteers who work with children — including me, your bishop — undergo background checks and screening. Furthermore, all are required to attend a Safe Environment Program offered in various locations throughout the diocese.

The training of the Safe Environment Program addresses the increased awareness needed regarding abuse and the gravity of sexual abuse. The diocese also has a policy for the “Protection of God’s Children and Vulnerable Adults” that provides all information regarding the reporting, processing and dealing with allegations. You may find this policy on the diocesan Web site, www.dioceseofvenice.org, under “Child Protection.”

The Diocese of Venice complies with the “Charter for Protection of Children and Young People” and provides a safe environment for children. Moreover, the diocese has been, and continues to be, audited by an independent firm of auditors, most of whom are former FBI agents.

Although the diocese has been doing everything possible to protect children and promote the awareness of such abuse, our primary concern and focus remains the healing of, and reconciliation for, victims. We pray that God will bring peace to those who suffer or have suffered from abuse. The church is forthright and serious in her continued commitment to provide a safe environment for all of our faithful, whether in our parishes, schools, religious education programs or other activities.

I ask all of you to pray for the victims and for all those who have suffered because of abuse. May Almighty God guide us as we continue in our commitment to his people.

Sincerely in Christ, Bishop Frank J. Dewane
Diocese of Venice in Florida