It was a perfect weather day and a perfect way to recognize the 4th anniversary of Hurricane Ian, at a Church service to honor the lives that were lost 1,460 days ago. The Catholic Church on Fort Myers Beach hosted the mass Monday and over 300 people turned out to gather, remember, hug each other, and talk about the future.
The Most Reverend Emilio E. Biosca, O.F.M. Cap., bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Venice in Florida led the service which was held in a tent on the Catholic Church property. The church was destroyed by Hurricane Ian and there have not been services since the storm.
Speaking about the storm, Father Bill Adams, former pastor of Ascension Parish, said “We were here. The water reached over the doors of the rectory. I was with the sisters and we were going to move up to the third floor because the water was moving fast. It was over 20 feet. We knew when the generator went out we were in trouble.”
Father Adams said the high water lasted for about 5 and half hours and when it went down they went outside and there was an enormous alligator walking around the property. “It was a lot to take in. There were homes everywhere. We sat on an air conditioner to talk to survivors.”
Father Adams then told stories of the people walking by in total shock over what had just happened and people that were never found.
A big question on everyone’s mind is whether or not the church will rebuild. For years church representatives have been saying yes, but nothing has moved forward.
Back in October of 2025, to much fanfare, pictures of a new Catholic Church were revealed to the public with high hopes for that huge piece of property at 6025 Estero Boulevard. The Church had originally planned to break ground in January of this year and be back open by the middle of 2027. That plan was scrapped in the Summer of 2026.
At that time Father Adams and a small committee were said to be working on a “much more practical and less costly” church and campus.
Dan Beeman is the director of building and construction for the Diocese of Venice. “The plan has always been to rebuild. 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.”
Right now it’s clear members of the church would be very happy to set up a tent on the property to worship much like other churches on the island did immediately after Hurricane Ian.
Karen Barry Schwarz, Director of Communications for the Diocese of Venice said, “The Church of the Ascension, and the rebuilding of it, is a priority for the bishop. Also, Bishop Emilio is very focused on finding a temporary solution for worship for the Ascension community while the plans are being further developed and finalized for the new Church. The most immediate objective is to have a temporary solution for a weekly Sunday Mass available for Fort Myers Beach Catholics as soon as possible.”
Watch the full ceremony HERE on Facebook or HERE on YouTube.
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It’s fine for Catholics to attend services at churches of other denominations. God is there and everywhere. I grew up in Catholic and Baptist churches, so I know that’s true.
A shame the church’s original benefactor, Leonard Santini, is no longer alive. He would have given diocese the money for a new church.
An enormously wealthy, generous and religous Iona farmer who traveled the island so un-pretentiously in his plain green Nash Rambler, no radio or white wall tires, stopping for islanders walking along the side of the road and driving them home.
He gave the church the land and today he’d be be giving the land a new church.
Have been saying since people started to return – follow the path of the other denominational churches! We would have been giving money to our parish instead of others!
Thank you for enabling us to share in this beautiful Mass!
I know of 2 of my Catholic friends who have been attending Protestant church on beach because they do not like driving off the beach for church.