Bishop heads home ... until next year

The Most. Rev. David Zubik, bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, has been spending one-week vacations on Longboat Key for years — 15, to be exact. During his visits, he leads Masses at St. Mary, Star of the Sea, Catholic Church. But that’s not to say that he doesn’t experience Key life while he’s here. He and his family — his sister and her children — enjoy eating out, shopping and “being beach bums” when they’re not at Mass.

This year, they switched up their routine.

“We tried a new restaurant every day we were here,” Zubik said. “It was really nice to try some new things this time.” around.”

Zubik was originally drawn to the area because of the beautiful beaches, but it was also important to him to be able to attend Mass every day. St. Mary, Star of the Sea, is about a half-mile from where he stays.
In comparison to his church in Pennsylvania, it’s much warmer here, he joked, but he also loves the Key residents.

“There’s a warmth in the people here, which is similar to how people are back home,” he says. “My favorite part of the trip is always working with the people.”