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

Greetings as we begin another week!

As many of us gathered around the television set last week to watch the Pope’s arrival in Washington and New York, I was amazed how one man could command such attention from people who weren’t even Catholic. Jews and Christians of other faiths gathered around this Vicar of Christ and saw in him an inner beauty and a peaceful disposition that gave them hope for a better world. Yet, this is why we Catholics are a united people, despite our differences in expression. It is due to the fact that the Pope is our spiritual leader who strives to bring this unity to a divided world. Sometimes his message goes against the currents of the age, but objective truth is never outdated. Long live the Chair of Peter!

On another note, the pope asked me to accompany him back to Rome to work on his golf swing, but I had to decline. It seems that if he started swinging like me, I’d be excommunicated and suffer the eternal fires of Hell. So with that in mind, I decided to pass. However, I did give him a sleeve of golf balls with our St. Mark logo on it so he would remember us when he goes out on to the golf course in the Vatican. I just hope he doesn’t lose them in the Vatican Gardens!

Last Saturday, the heads of most of the ministries of our parish met together at Bethany Center to discuss how we all could unite in a way that we could be most effective in our different ministries.We took a look at our Mission Statement for St. Mark and we hope to make this Mission a reality in all that we say and do. It was a great meeting and I look forward to the great things that will be accomplished here and throughout our community. These groups have done an excellent job these past years and have put our parish at the center of the New Tampa community. Let us offer all of them our support and prayers.

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 April 20, 2008

Greetings as we begin another week!

Now that we’re in the middle of the Easter Season and creeping our way into summer, many things are being planned here at St. Mark as we approach our next Fiscal Year. At the end of this month we will have our final presentation on the Annual Pastoral Appeal, which thus far is going extremely well. We are almost half way to our goal and it’s exciting to see the numbers change every few weeks! Remember, every dollar you give is one less dollar that comes out of our operating funds so we are able to do more things here at the parish. Last year, due to your generosity, we were able to buy a swing set for the children, which has served them rather well. We hope to do more with your support. So if you haven’t given to the Appeal yet, please do so! Any amount will help. Envelopes are provided by the sign in the Narthex and/or in your monthly packets. Thanks again for your generosity!

On the first weekend in May, we hope to have the surveys ready on the seating arrangement that you experienced during Lent, so we may have a better idea of what do to for the new Church. Please fill it out and drop them in the basket in the Narthex on the way out or you can do it online. Your thoughts and concerns are important to us so we can make an informed decision. Regarding the Capital Campaign for the new Church, I wish to wait and see how our economy is going before we commit to this important venture. I was hoping for a Fall Kick-Off but we will wait and see for now. If there are any ideas or comments you would like to make, feel free to email or chat with me.

Last Friday night, we had a gathering of the Small Christian Communities to celebrate the ending of our first year of “Eucharist, Source and Summit”. Small groups have been gathering during the weeks of Lent and studying the parts of the Mass with a concentration on the Scriptures. In the coming Fall/Winter we will then study the Sacrament of Eucharist itself and I hope many of you will participate in it. We had Mass and a potluck afterwards with tables set out in our Piazza, which turned out to be a fun-filled event. I felt like I was in Italy!!

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 April 13, 2008

Living Eucharist: Gathered, Nourished, Sent

“The Living Eucharist: Gathered, Nourished, Sent”, is the pastoral letter from the Most Reverend Robert N. Lynch, Bishop of the Diocese of St. Petersburg published at the beginning of this year. Bishop Lynch says in his letter that, “The very best celebration of the Eucharist is one where the Word of God is broken open by well–prepared readers and a skillful preacher. Such an encounter enables and ennobles us to go forth and spread the Word and do that good which Jesus did during his days among us.”

By reflecting on the pastoral letter and making a commitment to pray and study during the next three years, it is Bishop Lynch’s hope that Catholics will achieve three things: first, a better understanding and experience of the Eucharist as gift; second, a desire to participate more fully, actively and regularly in a liturgy that is better understood and appreciated; third, spiritual motivation and encouragement to carry Christ, whom we receive, to the world and spread his gospel.

If you have not read his pastoral letter, I encourage you to do so. The pastoral letter booklets are available in the Narthex in both English and Spanish. In addition, we have companion DVDs in both languages. I ask you to make the Living Eucharist part of your daily living and to spread the word of Christ.

Peace, Fr. David