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

Greetings to all of you!

Just to give you an update on our new church we finally have floor plan already designed. This past week we took it to the Diocesan Commission on Art and Architecture for Liturgical spaces, and it was met with rave reviews! As our architect Alberto Portela and I presented the diagrams, the members of the Commission were excited about the design and couldn’t wait to see it built! Due to the overwhelming desire for a more traditional seating arrangement, we presented a “fan-shaped” design with a chapel on the north-west side of the property connected to the new church. On July 30th, all the members of the subcommittees who had input on the design will meet and go over the floor plan for their input. We hope to present the final design to the entire parish in the next few weeks. At this point the elevations and the building design is still being worked on and hopefully we will have that completed soon. Keep up the prayers, they’re working!

Most likely you have been seeing St. Mark shirts and caps being sold in the narthex of the church. The fabric is fantastic for the price and they come in a variety of colors. We’re doing this to raise awareness of St. Mark the Evangelist and the great things we are doing here. It will allow us to make a little money to bring us closer to building our new church. Please stop by, place your order and help us to make our desires a reality. I was told that they will help my golf game too, so I bought 5!

This weekend the ladies of St. Mark parish are in the process of taking their Christ Renews His Parish (CHRP) retreat so please pray for them. If you haven’t made a weekend yet, we will offer another one in the near future. Check the bulletin and the website for more information.

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 July 20, 2008

Greetings to all of you!

Last weekend was another significant moment here at St. Mark parish as we hosted another spiritual weekend of Christ Renews His Parish (CHRP). Twenty men experienced an event that deepened their spirituality and brought them closer to each other and to God. There were many powerful witnesses of God’s grace in the lives of the presenters and I deeply appreciate all of the CHRP team for helping to make this weekend a beneficial one. I’m sure this next group of men will bond together as well as the previous group and bring about true change to their lives and the life of our parish community. The women will be hosting the next event for ladies on July 26th and 27th and I can’t wait to see how the power of the Spirit will work with them! If you were not able to make it to these weekends so far, stay tuned to the bulletin and our website for the date of the next one to be held. It will be a life changing experience!

As many of you know, the Stewardship of our environment has been a hot topic in recent years. Along with all the talk about our resources being depleted and global warming being evident in our world, I do believe that God has called us to take care of His creation and not to waste what He has provided. Good Stewardship calls us to treat God’s creation as holy and to try to do everything in our power and pray that we preserve what we have been so generously given. Last year when gas started going up in price, I decided that I was going to drive a more economical car. However, I have also come to realize that the stewardship of our resources and a respect for the earth is an even better reason to conserve. I’m not totally perfect at it yet, but I’m trying and I hope we all try to share the burden with each other so that our kids will enjoy a better and healthier life. That’s all I’m saying!

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 July 13, 2008

Greetings to all of you!
Well, it’s great being back from vacation in Chicago and now I’m ready (I think) to face the important plans we have coming in the next few months. My first plan is to go on a diet after all the food I ate in Chicago! I have to say that they MADE me eat everything in sight because it would be rather disrespectful to refuse any food that’s offered in Chicago. Thank goodness I walked pretty much everywhere or I would have had to buy new clothes on the “Magnificent Mile”.

When I got back we had interviews for the construction company that will be hired to build our new Church. We narrowed it down to four. After much deliberation, we decided to go with Peter Brown Construction out of Clearwater, Florida. All four companies did outstanding presentations, but the committee felt that Peter Brown did the best job to meet our needs and we look forward to working with them. They have had experience in building and renovating Catholic and Protestant Churches, as well as some governmental buildings. They are a very professional organization and look like they will be a wonderful asset in the building of our Church. If you wish more information on them contact their website at www.peterbrownconstruction.com.

Also, I am proud to announce that two individuals who are studying for the Diaconate from our parish have received the important step of Ministry of Acolyte. They are Jose Moranta and Scott Paine, who were installed last month. With this step “the acolyte is appointed to aid the Deacon and minister to the priest. It is his duty, therefore, to attend to the service of the altar and to assist the deacon and the priest in liturgical celebrations….In the same extraordinary circumstances an acolyte may be entrusted with publicly exposing the Blessed Sacrament for adoration by the faithful and afterward replacing it, but not with the blessing the people.” (From: Ministeria Quaedam, Pope Paul VI, August 15, 1972.) It is an important step for these two men, and we congratulate them on their accomplishment. Keep them in your prayers as they progress to their Ordination as Deacon in the next two years.

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

Peace, Fr. David