About

After Most Reverend John J. Nevins was appointed the first Bishop of the Diocese of Venice in Florida in 1984, attention turned to forming a Catholic Charities organization. The boundaries of an agency generally follow those of a diocese. Therefore, Catholic Charities, Diocese of Venice, Inc. was established to cover the ten counties of Manatee, Hardee, Highland, DeSoto, Lee, Sarasota, Charlotte, Collier, Hendry, and Glades. Documents were filed with the Secretary of State on December 18, 1984, less than two months after the diocese was established. The corporation, Catholic Charities, Diocese of Venice, Inc. was certified as a non-profit, charitable, benevolent body within the State of Florida. Among the purposes described in the Articles of Incorporation are: to advance charitable and social work within the diocese; to organize and govern branches or affiliated agencies; to engage in family and child welfare services; to collect and publish information regarding social welfare. When the Diocese of Venice was created, a major social ministry program was already underway in Naples. Catholic Social Services of Collier County, initiated in 1968 by Catholic Community Services in Miami, was well staffed and governed by an active board. The board of directors consisted of area citizens, with an ecumenical orientation, and who were totally rooted in the community. The dynamic social ministry program in Collier County became a springboard for the development of the diocesan-wide Catholic Charities movement. An administrator from Miami's Catholic Charities, Arthur Granzier, directed the Naples agency. Bishop Nevins appointed Granzier as the first executive director of the newly formed Catholic Charities, Diocese of Venice, Inc. Today, Catholic Charities, Diocese of Venice, Inc. has 32 sites of combined office locations, housing developments, and outreach services with over 125 staff under the guidance of Chief Executive Officer Eduardo Gloria. The organization offers 36 programs and services to the people of Southwest Florida. Catholic Charities has a governing Board of Directors and several Advisory Board of Directors. With the continuing development and growth in population of Southwest Florida, Catholic Charities will strive to sustain the needs of the underprivileged well into the future.