In the 20 months since Hurricane Ian, the island has seen three churches bounce back. The iconic Chapel By The Sea was razed this spring and now sits alongside the old town hall and Topp’s Suoermarket lots as wide open, empty spaces. The Catholic Church at the bend in Estero Boulevard, the gateway to our south end, has been quietly shuttered since, cloistered like the nuns who once lived there.
The FMB Islander has been trying for months to gain any insight as to what’s next for the large, south end property. We reached out to the contacts we could find for parish staff, spoke with local parishioners and contacted the Diocese of Venice by phone, e-mail and website contact form. We reached out to the publication for their diocese, quoted herein. We then turned our attention north to Tallahassee, contacting the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops and other organizations. This query began in September 2023. We finally heard back from the diocese two weeks ago.
We were told to check back in two weeks, so we checked with Bishop Frank Dewane Tuesday morning, via the diocese communications office, to gauge his readiness to make a formal announcement regarding Ascension Parish. “Not ready yet,” was his answer, “but soon,” he promised. “Bishop did mention that more progress on the plans underfoot was made earlier this morning,” said Communications Director Karen Schwarz.
Church of the Ascension, 6025 Estero Boulevard, is the island’s lone Catholic Church, part of the Diocese of Venice, Fla. According to thefloridacatholic.org, “Two of the most dramatic impacts [from Ian] in the Diocese were to St. Isabel Parish on Sanibel, as well as to Ascension Parish and the Poor Clare Monastery of San Damiano on Fort Myers Beach.”
The article compares damage to the two parish properties and says that at Ascension “the destruction there was more complete. Contractors have been on the property since two weeks after Ian’s landfall dealing with what was left over after the storm surge blasted through the church, hall, rectory, and monastery.”
Signs were hung along the shrouded security fence by Abraham Construction Group of Naples last summer. We called this morning for comment, but all they would say is that they are under contract with the diocese and all information will come from them. A cursory check of the town’s permitting database shows an OTC electrical permit dated June 2023 for work to be completed by Tri-City Electrical Contractors Inc.
https://discovermass.com/church/church-of-the-ascension-fort-myers-beach-fl/
According to island historian Ellie Bunting, “In 1953, the first Catholic mass was held in the dining room of the San Carlos Inn. The parish purchased 21 acres of land from Leroy Lamoreaux on Estero, and in 1955, services were held in the original structure in the 1960s. The sanctuary was enlarged in the 1980s and the new building opened in the 1990s.”
The beginning of this October 21, 2022 YouTube video shows the damage to the church property. This article in the Florida Catholic from the same timeframe tells the story of the devastation wrought by Ian.
The annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade on the island’s south end used to begin at Santini Plaza and end at Church of the Ascension.
Gina Campise organized a fundraiser on GoFundMe on behalf of Anne Dolores Doyle to help the Poor Clare Nuns at the church. Campise raised nearly $20,000 towards the stated goal of $100k.
“The Poor Clare’s Sisters are a cloistered community of women who intercede with our Creator for the good of all humanity. When Hurricane Ian hit Fort Myers Beach, The Poor Clare’s property was severely damaged. Anne (Dolly) Doyle is a former member of the Poor Clare Sisters of Ft. Myers. She volunteers within their parish regularly and works closely with the Pastor of the church. The funds are being earmarked for replacement clothes, toiletries, vehicle repairs, and parish repairs. We thank you for helping to provide the parish’s sisters and priests with financial support as they begin rebuilding their lives,” according to the campaign website.
As far as we know, the sisters were housed off-island in Ave Maria and Naples and will not be returning to the monastery on Ascension’s campus here.
“This is going to be a long process and we know we are not alone in facing these challenges,” Joe Rego, Diocesan Buildings Director, told The Florida Catholic in November 2022. “We ask everyone’s patience as we work our way through this complicated process. In the end, we will build back better; it just might take a while.”
FMB Islander 