Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Just over two months ago, we received the shocking news of the sudden passing of the Rt. Rev. Dabney T. Smith, the Fifth Bishop of our Diocese. On November 11, 2024, we gathered at the Cathedral of St. Luke in Orlando to celebrate his life and witness, and to entrust him to God’s eternal care. Since that time, we have been prayerfully discerning how we might best remember Bishop Smith and honor his legacy here in the Diocese of Southwest Florida, where he served as our Bishop for nearly sixteen years.
I am pleased to inform you that on December 14, 2024, our Diocesan Council voted to rededicate and name the diocesan office building at DaySpring in honor of Bishop Smith. The relocation of the diocesan offices to DaySpring was an essential part of Bishop Smith’s long-range vision for the diocese. In his 2009 Convention Address, Bishop Smith reported on the work of the DaySpring Development Steering Committee and announced that the planning and design for a new Diocesan House would soon commence. The following year, Diocesan Council voted to locate and build the new diocesan office building at DaySpring. Construction began in October of 2011, and the new building was dedicated on Wednesday, September 12, 2012. For more than a decade, the Diocesan House at DaySpring has served as the hub of the administrative and missional work of the Bishop and his staff. Now, in honor of Bishop Smith’s deep love for DaySpring and his steadfast commitment to our Diocese, the diocesan office building will be officially rededicated and named The Rt. Rev. Dabney T. Smith Diocesan Center.
On Sunday, March 9, at 4:00 pm we will gather as a diocesan community for a Service of Remembrance and Dedication at DaySpring. We will begin in Kline Hall with a Service of Remembrance and then move to the diocesan offices for a Service of Dedication, followed by a reception. The date for this event is highly significant, since the following day, March 10, marks the 18th anniversary of Bishop Smith’s consecration as Bishop in the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.
We give thanks for Bishop Smith’s leadership, wisdom, and pastoral care that he so generously provided our diocese during his many years of service as our Bishop. May God give us strength and courage to build for the future and to walk together as one.
Faithfully in Christ,
The Rt. Rev. Douglas F. Scharf
Sixth Bishop of the Diocese of Southwest Florida
