St. Mark's News & Events for November 26, 2006

Greetings as we begin another week!

Last Saturday morning our own St. Vincent de Paul provided over 1500 meals for people who ordinarily would not have a good Thanksgiving dinner. It was remarkable how many of our people braved the cool weather and the early hour to make this distribution a real success. I would like to thank all those wonderful people involved especially Patrick Doone and Andrew Plummer for all their work in making this happen. They truly are a gift to us! In addition, our parish family gave so much financially to help this effort and we could still use more help in paying the expenses. If you can help, just slip a check into the collection and mark it in the memo section: SVDP. I know you will be truly blessed.

On Saturday night I attended the Corpus Christi School Fund Raiser which was an elaborate event that was enjoyed by all. It was a time of getting acquainted with parishioners from Corpus Christie along with our own parish family who have children in that school. It was heartening to see how many of our own parents were involved with the planning and execution of the event. Our own Gary Vien was Master of Ceremonies for the event that he put Billy Crystal to shame! Last year that raised over $85,000 for the school and they hope to surpass that this year. Let's hope they do!

Also this week, I will be at the Cathedral of St. Jude to accompany our St. Jude Award winner, Kathy DiSanto, as she receives her Medal for outstanding service to the Church. It will be a proud moment for all of us as she greets Bishop Lynch and becomes this year's Queen of St. Mark! Congratulations Kathy and well done good and faithful servant.

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 November 19, 2006

Greetings as we begin another week!

Well, after last Friday's Safari dinner I don't know how we can top this as we end our Jubilee Celebration next month! Over 160 people were overwhelmed with the food, music, and dancing of our Safari hosts and there were calls to do it again next year! I would like to thank the Jubilee Committee again and a special thanks to Nancy Larson for all the work she did to make this event one of the best ever. If you weren't able to attend, you really missed out on a great evening. Our final event of the Jubilee year will be our Christmas dinner on December 1st. Get your tickets early because I think we're going to be sold out again.

Last Thursday I attended the funeral of our beloved Bishop W. Thomas Larkin at the Cathedral of St. Jude. What a beautiful tribute it was for this humble and holy man. I was so proud to see a full Church and over 9 bishops in attendance. We Catholics really do liturgy well when it comes to saying goodbye to those we love. Well done good and faithful servant, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. May he rest in peace!

As we celebrate Thanksgiving this week, let us remember to be thankful to God everyday of our lives for his wonderful blessings and I promise you a life filled with joy! Have a wonderful day!

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 November 12, 2006

Greetings as we begin another week!

By now the elections are over with and all the advertisements are now long gone and we can finally get back to normal. I have to admit, some of them were very funny but I hope we get back to more positive messages in the future. I realize that is going to be a real stretch! I did play golf last week and again I had flashes of brilliance. I was trying out a new swing and having some success with it until it decided to give out on the back nine. I found out later that I was swinging wrong from the start, so go figure.

Our St. Mark Steering Committee to plan our future Church met last week and we look forward to the excitement that this opportunity will provide. Currently, the committee will be reading all the Church documents on architecture and Liturgy so we can have a better understanding on what our future Church might include. The Committee members include: Jesse Cabungcal (Art and Environment), Gilbert Gonzalez (Youth), Lorraine Green (Recorder), Jeanne Heintzel (Hospitality), Theresa and Carl Irwin (Archivist and Planner), Sal Luongo (Communications), Paul Meier (Facilities), Tim OBrien (Inclusion), John Porricolo and Jack Cain (Spirituality), Alberto Portela (Architect), Rob Rabil (Finance and Chairman), and Idelle Rodriguez (Liturgy). Please pray for all of us as we venture into planning for our future!

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 November 5, 2006

Greetings to all of you!

As the cool weather begins to move in, the signs of the fall and winter holiday season begins to hover all around us. Remember, the stresses of this time can wreak havoc upon our health and spirit. Now is the time to begin planning and budgeting to make this season one where we can truly enjoy the Spirit of what it’s all about. I don’t plan to be perfect at this, but this year I'm going to try so I dont lose out on the real message. Here’s hoping that we all have a wonderful and spiritual season.

It is with sadness that I announce the resignation of Deacon Ron Vance who was our Support Services Manager for the past year. He had made great strides in beautifying our Family Life Center building along with his day to day expertise on Church management. He will be sorely missed!

Last week Fr. Isaac and I went out Trick or Treating and it seems Fr. Isaac made out with more candy than I did. Not sure how that happened except the fact that his costume may have been a little more welcoming than mine. I went as Freddie Krueger and he was Mother Theresa. Those religious always think of the best costumes! Anyway, I hope he gains lots of weight!

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 October 29, 2006

Greetings as we begin another week! This week we welcome Helene Reilly who will be speaking before all the Masses regarding the parish cruise around the Mediterranean next October. Already we have over 85 people who are scheduled to go and more spaces are available, so get your reservation in soon.

REMINDER: Wed., Nov. 1st is ALL SAINTS DAY and is a Holy Day of Obligation. Masses are at 8:30 am and 7:30 pm.

Last Saturday night we had our annual Oktoberfest put on by the Knights of Columbus and I was told that we had sold more tickets than last year! I simply loved the Bratwurst and had more than my fair share along with a nice glass of wine in which to wash it down. My many thanks to all the Knights for a wonderful evening of eating, singing and dancing and if you werent able to make it, well you missed a great evening.

I was invited to play golf last Monday in a Pastors appreciation golf tournament and by the time it was over, I don't think my sponsor appreciated his pastor that well. I found places on the golf course that only squirrels, snakes, and alligators inhabit. However, it was a beautiful day and I got the chance to meet some ministers from other denominations who were great golfers. I think they must be neglecting their ministry by playing so well.

Last by not least, our first meeting of the Steering Committee to plan for our new future Church is underway and it seems there is lots of work ahead of us. More details as we progress will be forthcoming in future columns and/or bulletin announcements.

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

Peace, Fr. David