St. Mark's News & Events for January 27, 2008

(The trip con’t)

Now off to Tuscany!

We arrived in Tuscany where some of our group went to beautiful Florence and marveled at all the beautiful works of art and some of us like me were more interested in experiencing the great wines of Tuscany. Wow, what a great trip that was as we visited the wine orchards and olive trees that are such a beautiful part of Tuscany. Our bus trip there was spectacular and I can see why movies are made of this beautiful region. We even passed the great Leaning Tower of Pisa, which was quite a sight from the bus! Upon arriving at the wine tour, the day was warm and sunny and most of us were in short sleeves ready to sample some of the great wines. We all saw one grape vine and one olive tree and off we went for a great feast! The tables were all set up with Italian meats, cheeses, olives, and bread and we were told to sample three different bottles of wine, each with a different course. I won’t mention any names but some in our group “misheard” what the wine grower said and decided to drink whatever wine was in front of him first. Well of course that made the whole group drink the wrong wines at the wrong times, which after a few hours didn’t really matter to anyone anyway! Needless-to-say, the bus trip was pretty quiet on the way back except for all the snoring and grunting, which always goes along with a great meal. I have to say that that was one of my favorite parts of the trip! Next stop: Cannes, France!

As you heard last week, due to the fact that we don’t have a permanent associate here at St. Mark, we have decided to change the Mass schedule beginning in the first weekend of Lent February 9th and 10th. Although I know it’s difficult to change our Mass routine, I appreciate your understanding and patience. Please see the bulletin for details.

Also this week I wish to announce the beginning of the “Initiative on the Eucharist” that Bishop Lynch has instituted in our Diocese this past Advent. We will be studying the booklet Eucharist: Source and Summit in small groups during the weeks of Lent. I would ask that as many of you take part in this most important venture and really begin to understand the importance of the Eucharist in our life and faith. (Hopefully, you have seen a copy of the Bishop’s letter on the Eucharist with a special emphasis on the parts of the Mass which I would ask all of you to read to get a better understanding on what and why we do what we do at Mass). If you really want that connection with God in your life, I would highly recommend reading this letter and also signing up for the small groups. Tables will be out after all the Masses for sign-up!

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

Peace, Fr. David

Annual Pastoral Appeal, “One Body In Christ”

Once again we at St. Mark are being called upon to support the many services provided by our Diocese of St. Petersburg. The Annual Pastoral Appeal is a call to the people of God to promote the ministry of Christ and His Church through their gifts of support. These sacrificial offerings by St. Mark parishioners and other devoted Catholics prepare seminarians for priesthood, save unborn children, improve the lives of families in crisis, provide faith formation for all and support the worship and faith activities of parishes.

The Annual Pastoral Appeal provides the opportunity to educate Catholics about the broad spectrum of ministries the Catholic Church provides; gives Catholic pride in the services the Catholic Church offers to the community at large; and call Catholics to involvement in these ministries through gifts of time, talent and treasure. I want all of you to understand that the Annual Pastoral Appeal is not an assessment, but a call to all the parishes throughout the Diocese that raises 70% of the costs of all the liturgical, faith formation, parish support, educational and service ministries that benefit hundreds of thousands of people, including many St. Mark parishioners, in our five county area.

You may be asking yourselves how the Appeal support helps us here at St. Mark. Just to name a few, Catholic Schools such as Most Holy Redeemer, St. Anthony’s, Morning Star and Corpus Christi, get funds from the Appeal. Our very active St. Vincent DePaul Society is allocated funds from the Appeal. Also, the popular Spirit FM relies on support from the appeal.

We have had a very successful 2007 Pastoral Appeal campaign. As of December 31, 2007, 490 families pledged $124,229.
We have collected $121,392, which has been sent to the Diocese. While our goal for the 2008 Annual Pastoral Appeal has increased slightly, I am focusing on an increase in family contribution participation. Please make your check payable to the Annual Pastoral Appeal for 2008 and send them directly to the Diocese.

My dream would be to have all of you participate on some level of giving and I am asking you to help me fulfill that dream. I’ve talked or written to you about the new programs initiated in 2008 along with the excitement of embarking upon the building of a new church. I am asking for your time, talent and treasure to help me fulfill this dream.

If you have any questions about the Appeal please feel free to contact myself, Chuck Rizzo or Joe Philips.

Peace, Fr. David

St. Mark's News & Events for January 13, 2008

The Trip Cont.

Before I write about our adventures in Tuscany, I made a geographical miscalculation by assuming our trip to Venice happened afterwards. I was never very good at geography in school and now as I get older, my sense of direction is even more hobbled. Thus, before I get to Tuscany I must tell you about our stop in Venice in which lies the famous Church of San Marco! If only we could copy it for our new Church here! Unfortunately, that may cost us a few billion dollars and I don’t think we quite have that much on hand. A trip to Venice is one that is a truly mesmerizing experience whether you like the place or not. I always thought it as a romantic city in which lovers can stroll on the pavements along the canal or take those famous gondola rides as an Italian tenor sings love songs to the lucky couple. Although some of our group took advantage of these romantic moments, I, however, found a nice wine and pasta bar and settled in for another great meal. Afterwards many of us toured the famous Cathedral and saw the breathtaking “Golden Altar” which was magnificent! Upon leaving the Church I noticed the piazza in front was filled with pigeons. Some were feeding them and it looked like the terror stricken scene from “The Birds” when all of them descended and began picking at all the humans. However, these birds were smart because they realized if they didn’t hurt anyone, they would be always fed. Pretty smart! Anyway, we gathered as a group in front of the great Cathedral and someone took a picture of the whole gang. It was quite a sight with the pigeons flying and the tourists trying to make their way into the Church. We did manage to get a group picture taken and now I need to find the guy who took it! I also was looking for the guy in the T.V. commercial who yells in the Piazza San Marco “I love this woman!” but to no avail. He must have slipped out when we were taking the picture. Anyway, it was a great trip to the Church of our namesake and I look forward to bringing about a “little taste of San Marco” back to our parish when we build our new Church.
Next week: Tuscany.

After a long process of evaluation interviews and resumes, we have finally selected a new Youth Minister for St. Mark Parish! As a matter of fact, this great lady was already part of the interview team and when she began to hear God’s call for her to take the job! So I am most happy to announce that Mary Ann Weigel has accepted the awesome responsibility of nurturing the youth of St. Mark parish in the ways of faith. She is an outstanding motivator and a woman of great faith and I ask you for your prayers for her as she embarks on this important task. More information about her is forthcoming.

Well, that is all for now. Continue to enjoy and love each other in the New Year!

Peace, Fr. David