St. Mark's News & Events for October 22, 2006

Recent news of two scheduled executions in Florida brings rise to the Church's position on the Death Penalty. A statement released by the Florida Bishops states: "In this day of heightened moral awareness, with increasing concerns about execution of the innocent and growing doubts about the fairness and effectiveness of the death penalty, we plead with the State and our Governor to realize that the antidote to violence is not more violence and that we cannot teach that killing is wrong by killing those who have killed others."

Clearly, we need to be protected from criminals but we don't need to go to the extent of executing them. We must pray to stop this cycle of violence and teach our children that the dignity of human life must never be taken away. We have posted the entire document from the Florida Catholic Conference on www.stmarktampa.org, under Announcements. (Or you can request a copy by calling the Church Office). Please take a minute to read this statement and reflect on how we might make a difference in the State of Florida.

On a lighter note, the golf tournament was a HUGE success and I would like to thank the committee headed by Rob Rabil and all the sponsors who made this event happen! Please support them when you can and say thank you! We had one new wrinkle this year with a “Beat the Priest” hole in which they needed to beat me by getting closest to the pin. I’m proud to say only 6 people beat me and I raised over $1000. I won’t mention how many people actually hit it on the green.

Peace,
Fr. David

St. Mark's News & Events for October 15, 2006

I just returned this past Thursday from a Conference on Stewardship that was held in Boston and it had to be one of the best I have ever attended. Many of the speakers were dynamic and the workshops were extremely informative and we are looking forward to sharing much of this information with you in the near future. Our Pastoral Council has been studying this process of Stewardship these past months and we hope to put together a Committee soon so we may institute this life-changing concept. I learned so much about the “Spirituality of Stewardship” and how being a disciple of Christ makes it so important in our spiritual lives. More on this will be forthcoming. While I was there I realized what a great city Boston is and I was jealous of the great walking spaces and Italian restaurants! Everybody wears Boston Red Sox paraphernalia even though they’re out of the playoffs. They really love their Red Sox there! I didn’t dare wear my Yankee hat.

As I write this our Golf tournament is well underway and this year they put me at one hole and are luring people to spend money to “beat the Priest.” I just hope I don’t bankrupt the tournament with all my miscues! More of this potential fiasco will be in next week’s column.
Last but not least, there is a new blog written by me from time to time on our website. Blogs are endless discussions on various happenings in the world, church, city, etc. and if you want to know what I think on issues affecting us (I won’t blame you if you don’t) then go to stmarktampa.org and see for yourself. You can even answer a blog and tell me how dumb I really am. Anyway, hope to hear from you there!

Well, that is all for now. Continue to enjoy the gift that God has given us in each other.

Peace, Fr. David

St. Mark's News & Events for Oct. 8, 2006

Greetings!

Well, last week we debuted the new bulletin and website and this week, we have our new Religious Gift Shop opening! It will be open every weekend between masses and I'm sure you'll find a religious gift for every occasion. Also, if you would like to help with the gift shop, please call the parish office to volunteer.

Don't forget: this Sunday (Oct. 8th) is the St. Mark's Golf Tournament. It should be a great event for all! The following weekend, Oct. 14-15th is the first annual Women's Retreat. Spaces are limited so stop by the Retreat table after Mass today to secure your spot. Then, on October 21st, we'll have the Oktoberfest with lots of delicious food and music. On November 10th, we'll host the Safari Progressive Dinner at Tampa Palms Country Club and on December 1st, we'll hold our annual Christmas Gala. We have lots of fun, family activities coming up. Won't you join us?

Please let me know what you think about the new bulletin, website and gift shop. Just email me at frdavid@stmarktampa.org. Also, I encourage you to register your email on the website -- www.stmarktampa.org.

That's all for now. Continue to enjoy the gift that God has given us in each other.

Peace, Fr. David

St. Mark's News & Events for Oct. 1, 2006

Greetings to all of you!

I'm pleased to announce our new and refreshed bulletin that will keep everyone abreast of important parish and liturgical information. But that's not all! We have been working on a new and improved website that will allow you to check out the latest news on St. Mark online! Check dates and times of events, download server schedules, get information on religious education, find contact names for different ministries, and more.

Most importantly, you can register your email address on the site to receive important information from the church. (We promise not to spam you and we certainly won't sell or give your email information away!) This is just one more way we can communicate with our growing community, and stay in touch with the changing times. If you can't get enough of my weekly notes in the bulletin, I have a blog on the site! It's worth it just to log on and check out my blog! Go to www.StMarkTampa.org and let me know what you think.

Our Jubilee celebrations have just been something else, with our most recent Taste of St. Mark exceeding all of my expectations. This event really sent the message that we're growing as a community. We have four major events coming up, so mark your calendars: First, on Sunday, October 8th, join us for the ninth annual St. Mark Golf Tournament. Then, on October 21st, come hungry for the Oktoberfest, filled with music, brats, sauerkraut and all the fixings. On November 10th, let the animal in you come out for the Safari Progressive Dinner at Tampa Palms Country Club. And, finally, come celebrate Christmas with your Parish family at our annual Christmas Gala, December 1st.

I would also like to finally announce our new Mission Statement in which the Parish Pastoral Council put together in conjunction with the ideas from last year’s Parish meeting. You will see it on the front page of our new bulletin and I hope it inspires you to help us strive toward these ideals.

This is an exciting time for us as we close out our Ten Year Jubilee. We're growing as a parish family, we have new tools to improve our communication, and our events continue to be enjoyed by more and more parish families. Thanks for your participation and let's continue this momentum in 2007.

That is all for now. Continue to enjoy the gift that God gives us in each other.

Peace, Fr. David