St. Mark's News & Events for June 1, 2008

Greetings as we begin another week!

This past week was kind of a slow activity week due to the Memorial Day holiday. We are making progress on our plans for a new church. We are in the process of picking a construction company to help us in the building of our new church and I hope by the end of June, we will have selected that company. A whole committee of individuals from our parish are involved in the selection process and they will advise me on who they feel would be the best company for the project. I don’t know about you, but I’m beginning to get excited about starting! As you can see from the pictures of our Master Plan, it promises to be a beautiful campus and one that people will be excited to come and worship. Let us continue to pray for the success of this venture.

I’m also getting itchy to play a little golf once I can find the time to get out there. My brothers called me the other day and invited me to join them next week for a round. It’s not easy playing with them since they have no fear about playing with a priest and on occasion let loose with some colorful language. I say a little prayer and continue to suffer in silence. My saintly ways on the golf course are legend and as they say in Vegas: “What happens on a golf course stays on the golf course!” I’m just glad they aren’t writing any articles about me!

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

Peace, Fr. David

St. Mark's News & Events for May 25, 2008

Greetings as we begin another week!

As we begin the graduation season, it is also a time for Anniversaries of Ordination of some of our priests in the Diocese. Last Friday, Monsignor Mouch, who assists us with Masses, celebrated his silver anniversary at Christ the King Church. It’s hard to believe he’s been a priest as long as I’ve been alive! Another priest who celebrated his 40th was Fr. Ralph Argentino who also helps here on occasion. I was fortunate to attend the Mass of celebration last Sunday at 11 am and it was very beautiful. Fr. Desmond Daly was the homilist and he had us laughing in the aisles with the strange things some of us priests do on occasion. Of course, after that presentation, I realized that I’m the only priest in the diocese that doesn’t do strange things sometimes. Anyway, that’s my story and I’m sticking with it! Congratulations to these great priests and I hope they continue to serve many more years to come.

Next week will be an exciting time for us at St. Mark as we unveil the Master Plan that we have developed for the future of the grounds here at St. Mark. It will be displayed for you all to see after all the Masses on that weekend. I have to say that I’m thrilled with the new design and I hope you will be too. Let me know what you think when you see it. As of this writing we have not come up with a draft of the new church building but we hope to finish it by the end of the summer. I’m looking forward to showing you that when the time comes.

After consultation with the Fund Raising Company (Community Counseling Services) that we have employed and our own Finance council, I have decided to kick-off our Capital Campaign in January of 2009. We will be working and planning throughout the summer so stay tuned for details as we begin the process. Hold on to your seats!

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

Peace, Fr. David

St. Mark's News & Events for May 18, 2008

Greetings as we begin another week!

Last Thursday, we had Confirmation here at St. Mark with over 79 young men and women receiving this important Sacrament from Bishop Lynch. The ceremony was beautiful with the great music and the wonderful preparation that the Confirmandi experienced. Even Bishop Lynch made the comment of what wonderful people we have here at St. Mark and I couldn’t agree more! I would like to thank Mary Ann Weigel, Elena Quiroz, and all the hard working catechists for making this day a remarkable one. They all worked hard to make this happen and I’m so proud of them and their commitment to these teenagers. We are very lucky to have them in our parish!

Some time ago the Steering Committee, who are planning for our new church building, signed off on a new Master Plan that will be unveiled during the weekend of May 31st. I am very excited at what we came up with and I look forward to presenting it to you on that weekend. I know you will be as amazed as I was when I first saw it.

Last Saturday, St. Mark was privileged to have with us the Monks of St. Leo Abbey. They sang, along with over 16 of our own men of the parish, some Gregorian Chants at the 5:00 pm Mass. What a way to celebrate Pentecost, the birthday of the Church, with this very moving liturgy! We would like to thank Abbot Isaac and all the monks for making this celebration so meaningful. We look forward to this continued connection with the Abbey of St. Leo!

This Sunday, we will be hearing from a member of our new Stewardship Commission as she educates us on the Spirituality of Stewardship. We hope in the coming months to give information to our parishioners about the benefits of giving of our Time, Talent, and Treasure to God. I totally support this effort since I know firsthand how God has changed my life when I embraced this process over 12 years ago. “If you believe in God, you believe in Stewardship.”

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

Peace, Fr. David

St. Mark's News & Events for May 11, 2008

Greetings as we begin another week!

As we head into the graduation season, I’m sure many students are both excited and fearful about entering this new stage in their lives. I can remember how I felt during that anxious time. The only thing I could depend upon was my faith in God as I faced the many new challenges that were about to head my way. This will be my prayer to all the graduates of 2008 that this faith will overcome all fear. Remember to do all things in Christ who strengthens us!

Our first crop of First Communicants passed through last weekend at all the Masses. What a thrill it was for all of them. The congregation was overjoyed to be a part of this historic event in their lives, and the intimate setting turned out to be so very special. I look forward to all the groups as they come through the months of May and June.

Thank you for all your input as we collected the surveys on the seating arrangement during Lent. We are still collecting more cards and will tabulate the results as soon as we are able. I’m looking forward to hear what you have to say.

Last, but not least, I give a special blessing to all Mothers living and deceased on their special day! I hope Mom will be able to celebrate this day with a nice rest from all the double duties that mothers are called on to do. May God bless you!

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 May 4, 2008

Greetings as we begin another week!

I am very excited to report that this weekend will be the start of First Communion here at St. Mark! We felt that the entire community should witness this wonderful event in these children’s lives so small groups of children will be receiving their First Holy Communion at the various Masses during the month of May. They are all so very excited and I look forward to seeing their faces when they receive the Eucharist for the first time. Keep them all in your prayers!

This weekend we also wish to hear your thoughts regarding the seating arrangement during Lent. During the Masses, we will be distributing surveys for you to fill out here or bring it home and complete at your convenience. Hopefully with your input we will be able to have a preliminary design for the new church sometime near the summer. Currently our Facilities Committee is evaluating building contractors who will be responsible for construction. Again, please be as objective as possible when taking the survey so we can make our decisions based on facts rather than emotions.

I did play golf last Friday in a Rotary event and I have to say I’m not sure who it was that showed up that day. For some reason, many of my drives hit the fairway and many of my putts found the hole. It was a MIRACLE! Now if only we can work the same magic with the economy!

This Thursday night at 7:30 pm at St. Mark, Bishop Lynch will be here to confer the Sacrament of Confirmation on 78 young men and women. This will be our Bishop’s first visit to St. Mark in over three years so we are looking forward to his arrival and wonderful way with the Confirmandi. May God bless these great people as they celebrate this wonderful occasion in their lives!

Peace, Fr. David