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