Our Bishop

Most Reverend Bishop Frank J. Dewane serves as the spiritual leader of more than 227,000 Catholics in the 10-county Diocese of Venice in Florida. He was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI in 2006 as the second Bishop of the Diocese.

Bishop Frank J. Dewane was named Coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese of Venice in Florida by Pope Benedict XVI on April 25, 2006 and on January 19, 2007, he was installed in his current role as Bishop of the Diocese.

In addition to holding a degree from the University of Wisconsin, Bishop Dewane also completed studies at The American University in Washington, D.C., as well as from Pontifical Gregorian University and Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, both in Rome.

Prior to entering the seminary, Bishop Dewane worked for the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) in Moscow, Russia, and then for a subsidiary of PepsiCo in New York City.

Ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Green Bay in 1988, Bishop Dewane was appointed in 1991 to serve as a member of the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations in New York City, during which time he represented the Holy See at several international conferences. In 1995, he was transferred to the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum” and was later appointed Under Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.

Bishop Dewane currently serves on several committees at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops including the Administrative Committee of the USCCB as well as Chair of the Committee for Domestic Justice and Integral Human Development. He is a member of the Committee for Religious Liberty and serves on the Subcommittee for the Pastoral Care of Migrants, Refugees and Travelers. In addition, Bishop Dewane serves as a Consultant to the Committee for International Justice and Peace. Most recently, he has been named a Consultant for the Ad Hoc Committee against Racism.

Bishop Dewane is a member of the Board of Directors of the Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land.