The Most Reverend Emilio E. Biosca, O.F.M. Cap., bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Venice in Florida, will be joined by the clergy and faithful of the diocese for a special Catholic Mass of Remembrance on Monday, September 28, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. The Mass will be held on the grounds of the Church of The Ascension at 6025 Estero Blvd. The church was destroyed during Hurricane Ian in September 2022.
Beach Talk Radio will be at the event to broadcast live.
“As we continue the important work of rebuilding Ascension Parish,” Bishop Biosca said, “we will come together as a community on the anniversary of Hurricane Ian to pray for those who lost their lives, those who lost family or friends, those who lost their homes, and all those hurt by this devastating tragedy, the effects of which are still felt today by so many.”
Plans for a new church on the site have been under discussion and development since the destruction brought by Ian, said Dan Beeman, director of building and construction for the
Diocese of Venice.
“The plan has always been to rebuild,” said Beeman. “Plans for a beautiful new church on the site were presented to parishioners last October, and everyone was very excited about it. That church, with some revisions, is still going to be built. Rising costs and a number of other factors have delayed the project and necessitated some revision to the original plans.”
The Mass of Remembrance on September 28 will be celebrated by Bishop Emilio, with priests from the surrounding area concelebrating, including Monsignor McNamara, Church of the Resurrection, Fr. Lorenzo Gonzalez, St. Columbkille Parish, Fr. Jarek Sniosek, St. Leo Parish and Father Bill Adams, former pastor of Ascension Parish. All are welcome to attend.
A building is not really necessary, I walk the beach, say my prayers and chat with the Lord, but a physical space for all to worship is a nice idea.
Perhaps with the appointment of a humble Franciscan as our Bishop, the rebuild of Ascencion Parish will proceed with a much less opulent structure. As Catholics, I believe that we should be more concerned with our outreach to those less fortunate and those who work on the island, rather than a structure under which we worship God. Let’s remember that God is everywhere.
Unfortunately, I have to agree with above comments! I have written to the diocese twice, Once to the Previous bishop and again to our new bishop who I hope will be listening to these comments. Neither of these letters have ever received a response.
We don’t need a cathedral we need a place to worship. And it was sad to see that the other Denominations on the beach were able to provide this and have rebuilt
The Catholic Diocese of Venice has been shamefully negligent in their responsibility to rebuild a Fort Myers Beach church. Four years later, we have nothing concrete other than excuses. If the Diocese needs assistance with moving forward, I will be happy to offer my program management experience.
Have they taken down the damaged buildings yet? Hard to tell with the fence there.
New leader for the Diocese. Hopefully he’s more involved with the community.
It has been three years and real no real progress on a new church. And that the Diocese never looked into another location or business to hold mass on a temporary basis, especially during season is a travesty. All the faiths have been offering services on island for worship.
And help to those on the island. Where has the Catholic Church been? Haven’t seen or heard of them helping people….at all. I thought they were part of the community but they disappeared at the first sign of trouble. That is troubling.
This is troubling.
I cannot attend but God please bless us all!