Father David's Travels

St. Mark's News & Events for Dec 7, 2008

2008-12-09T08:28:00.000-08:00

Greetings to all of you!
Welcome Advent 2008! I can hardly believe the time has past so quickly and here we are once again at the doorstep of anticipation! You might say “anticipation for what?” Yet that is the ultimate question when it comes to who we are as Christians. The way we respond to that question, gives us a good idea of what we treasure the most. This Advent I think it’s a great idea to reflect upon what is it we most want from God. Then we anticipate that He will give us our hearts desire. (within reason of course). What an awesome God we have!

I’m sure by now with Thanksgiving over and our waistlines just a little larger, we are gearing for the Christmas Season. I know this year is going to be difficult for many out there. For those of us not greatly affected by the economy, I hope we can come together for the support of our sisters and brothers in need. Last week, the St. Vincent de Paul Society of St. Mark parish distributed over 1500 dinners to needy families. I get emotional every time I see them gather in the cold temperature on that Saturday morning and make the Kingdom of God come alive. This year there were hordes of helpers and I would like to thank all of you for your generosity and sacrifice for making this happen. The Word is going out to the community surrounding us that we are a caring and generous people and I know God will bless our parish for it!

Well that is all for now. Right now I’m working on eating my turkey and stuffing with all the fixings! Can anybody pass me the pumpkin pie?
Peace
Fr. David

St. Mark's News & Events for Oct. 5, 2008

2008-10-02T14:49:00.001-07:00

Greetings to all of you!
As fall approaches I can begin to feel the nice cool air in the mornings and evenings. I’m sure it rejuvenates us to know that the summer is about to end soon! I just wish it would rejuvenate my golf swing. Anyway, speaking of golf, we will be hosting the St. Mark the Evangelist Golf Tournament which is being held at the beautiful Hunters Green C.C. on November 9, 2008. This year we have the pleasure of having Mike Alstott, retired from the Tampa Bay Bucs, as a participant! Mike has been a wonderful influence in the Tampa Bay area and we are honored to have him playing with us. So come on that day and meet Mike and get a picture taken with him. You also have a chance to “Beat the Priest” at one of the par three holes; I hear that the priest is an easy mark. Come and play and I know you will have a great time!

Next week I will be attending the Stewardship Conference in Chicago with four of our parishioners who have given of their time and talent on the Commission. We’re all going there to see how we can promote this great spiritual concept in our own parish. We hope to bring back some great ideas. Plus I enjoy Chicago immensely especially the food!!

Speaking of food, don’t forget to attend our Annual Oktoberfest presented by the Knights of Columbus. Tickets are available after all the Masses. This event always proves to be a highlight of our year. Bring the family, and especially your dancing shoes, because I’m sure you will have a great time.

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 Sept. 28, 2008

2008-09-29T14:31:00.001-07:00

Greetings to all of you!

As we begin to embrace the Fall season, we look forward to more activity being generated as the cooler season comes upon us. Keep an eye out for more education programs for adults and children to enhance our knowledge and understanding of God. You will be seeing in the bulletin and in brochures information about the educational opportunities being offered here at St. Mark, and I know these studies will be dynamic and entertaining. During Lent, we will be experiencing for the first time a multi-generational mission that families will just adore! Stay tuned for more information as the times get closer.

In November we will be having our annual St. Mark Golf tournament. This year Mike Alstott, retired player from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, will be on hand playing in our tournament! Again, details are forthcoming so plan on playing in our tournament this year and get to meet this amazing guy! There will also be a “Beat the Priest” hole in which you will be playing against yours truly to see who can get it closer to the pin on the green. Be forewarned, I have lots of tricks up my sleeve that you couldn’t even imagine! So come and try your luck!

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

Peace, Fr. David

St. Mark's News & Events for Sept. 14, 2008

2008-09-18T07:03:00.001-07:00

Greetings to all of you!

Last week I finally got to the golf course and despite the nice day, my game was all over the place. I have been keeping my clubs in the garage and to my horror there were cobwebs on the irons. I should have taken that as an omen since I hit every kind of shot imaginable. All I have to show for it is a blister on my finger and sore bones all over my body. I didn’t realize turning 50 this year would be so dramatic! Anyway, at least I played with some great golfers from our parish and they served us well.

This is a great time of year for sports fans as the college and professional football season starts, and the baseball playoff season gets underway. It seems like there will be an extra load of couch potatoes during the next few months, and I’m sure some of the spouses will be in a cranky mood. However, we have some wonderful adult education courses going to be taught, and I hope you will take advantage of some of those. Who knows, it may even rub off on your couch potato spouse! Anyway, good luck to all the teams, especially the Rays, Giants, and Bucs!

Well, that is all for now. I hope you continue to continue to enjoy the gift that God has given us in each other!

Peace, Fr. David

St. Mark's News & Events for Sept, 7, 2008

2008-09-18T06:55:00.000-07:00

Greetings to all of you!

Last week I had the pleasure of traveling to Boston, Massachusetts to get away from the heat of Florida, but also I wanted to take the historical tour of which Boston is well known. I had been reading a book called the “Mayflower” so this tour was especially exciting for me as I tried to picture the early settlers and their struggles to make it in the New World. The weather was outstanding and I was able to visit the graves of our early ancestors who made America what it is today. There was even a “ghost tour” that was available which visited famous sights like where the Boston Strangler committed his crimes and other cemeteries that appear to be haunted. I was a little curious about going and I was all set to board the bus but at the last minute I got too scared and decided to have a brownie sundae instead. At least it wouldn’t give me nightmares!

This past Thursday night members of all the subcommittees of the Steering Committee met to get a view of the elevations of our new Church. Architect, Alberto Portela, did a great job of explaining the height elevations and the structure of what the outside of the Church will look like. I think everyone was pleased about the design and I sensed much positive energy and excitement in the look of the new Church. Now comes the detail part in which we need to pick colors and design patterns for inside and outside of the Church. Being decorating-challenged, I would rather do brain surgery! Anyway, those of you who have the knack for all of that and who would like to serve on either the Art and Environment or the Building Committees should notify the office and we will make sure to use your input. Keep praying for the success of this endeavor because I know God is hearing your prayers.

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

Peace, Fr. David

St. Mark's News & Events for August 24, 2008

2008-08-25T14:26:00.001-07:00

Greetings to all of you!
This past week our architect and I had to meet with the Board of Commissioners of Hillsborough County to gain approval for a height variance for our new Church. It seems that anything over 32 feet in height needs permission from the County to build. Since the drawings called for a structure that would be close to 49 ½ feet in height, we needed their approval, thus the need for the visit. I found the process very interesting as we sat there waiting our turn hearing the various petitions that come before the Board and marveled at the efficiency and decorum of the Board themselves. When it came to our turn, the commissioners were unanimous in their approval for our request. The chairman, Ken Hagen, gave St. Mark a wonderful tribute as he thanked us for our contribution to the area around us. He explained to the rest of the Board members how fortunate New Tampa is by our presence in the neighborhood. It looks like we are making a name for ourselves after all and practicing what we preach!

I also attended a meeting of the women who put on the first CHRP weekend in our parish. Now that they have bonded together and have participated in the conversion process they were on fire and asked “what now?” Well, these great ladies came together and began to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to show them other ways they can build the Kingdom. As the meeting progressed many different ministries were presented and they were asked to prayerfully respond to God’s call. I can hardly wait to see how we as a Church will continue to grow as these men and women bring the fire of the weekend to our everyday lives!

As you may have noticed when you walk into the Narthex area of the Church, we have painted the walls and we will be painting some biblical quotes along the ceiling area to remind us of who we are and what our mission is for our Church. I hope you notice it and if some of you are like me, you may not have even realized anything changed! Anyway, I hope you like it.

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

Peace, Fr. David

St. Mark's News & Events for August 17, 2008

2008-08-15T09:19:00.000-07:00

Greetings to all of you!
Well, with summer vacations coming to a close and the kids heading back to school, we at St. Mark are continuing to plan for the coming months. It seems that a parish really never goes on vacation because there are always things to accomplish and ministries to direct in one way or another. I thank the good Lord everyday for our wonderful staff who continue to provide the service that I cannot do alone. They help to maintain our church on a daily basis and support each other when one is sick or on vacation. Let them know how appreciated they are from time to time because without them I wouldn’t be able to accomplish anything!

On occasion we get calls from a concerned parishioner regarding someone who may be ill or in the hospital and are in need of a priestly visit. Although I never hesitate to visit our parishioners who are ill or in the hospital, I am not allowed to visit anyone unless someone in the family requests it, due to privacy laws. I realize that friends are well meaning, but I would ask that you tell the family member to call the parish with the request when it arises. Thanks for your understanding.

As you know we have completed the floor plan for the new church and the Steering Committee, along with their subcommittees, came together to review the design. Since it received positive reviews, we went ahead and began designing the outside of the Church itself. Toward the end of the August, we hope to present that design to the subcommittees and get their thoughts and concerns. Hopefully, we will be able to present the entire schematic to our Church community very soon. I’m getting more excited as the Church begins to take shape. Keep us all in your prayers.

Well, that is all for now. We pray for all the children who will be starting school in a couple of short weeks!

Peace, Fr. David

St. Mark's News & Events for August 10, 2008

2008-08-15T09:18:00.000-07:00

Greetings to all of you!
It is with deep gratitude to God that I announce that Jeanne Heintzel has been honored with the St. Jude Medal award winner for this year 2008! This award is given each year to a person who has consistently lived the Gospel message of service to their fellow Christians. Jeanne is currently the chairwoman of our Hospitality Committee, but has been involved in many functions in our parish. She has taught religious education, been a Reader, Eucharistic Minister, member of the SMARTS group, and on and on. She has always been right there to help no matter what event is going on in our parish. She will be awarded this beautiful medal on Sunday, November 23, 2008 at the Cathedral of St. Jude the Apostle. Congratulations to you Jeanne! We are so proud of you!

Last week we also had a wonderfully successful Vacation Bible School camp in which 125 children participated with dozens of teenagers and adults helping out in the program. The children had a great time and I was able to attend the closing ceremonies where they sang and “gyrated” to the music. It was a hoot! Thanks to all of those who made this week so successful.

Also, last week we presented the floor plan of our new church to the subcommittees that had been working with the Steering Committee this past year. We took all their suggestions and tried to incorporate many of their comments in the design. All were very pleased with what they saw and I hope to show the plan to the rest of the parish in the near future.

Due to the continuous rain, I have not been able to get out on the golf course in awhile. At least that’s my story and I’m sticking with it! However, my clubs are screaming to take them out very soon and I hope to do so whenever the sun comes out.

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

Peace, Fr. David

St. Mark's News & Events for August 3, 2008

2008-08-08T07:53:00.000-07:00

Greetings to all of you!

It is with deep gratitude to God that I announce that Jeanne Heintzel has been honored with the St. Jude Medal award winner for this year 2008! This award is given each year to a person who has consistently lived the Gospel message of service to their fellow Christians. Jeanne is currently the chairwoman of our Hospitality Committee, but has been involved in many functions in our parish. She has taught religious education, been a Reader, Eucharistic Minister, member of the SMARTS group, and on and on. She has always been right there to help no matter what event is going on in our parish. She will be awarded this beautiful medal on Sunday, November 23, 2008 at the Cathedral of St. Jude the Apostle. Congratulations to you Jeanne! We are so proud of you!

Last week we also had a wonderfully successful Vacation Bible School camp in which 125 children participated with dozens of teenagers and adults helping out in the program. The children had a great time and I was able to attend the closing ceremonies where they sang and “gyrated” to the music. It was a hoot! Thanks to all of those who made this week so successful.

Also, last week we presented the floor plan of our new church to the subcommittees that had been working with the Steering Committee this past year. We took all their suggestions and tried to incorporate many of their comments in the design. All were very pleased with what they saw and I hope to show the plan to the rest of the parish in the near future.

Due to the continuous rain, I have not been able to get out on the golf course in awhile. At least that’s my story and I’m sticking with it! However, my clubs are screaming to take them out very soon and I hope to do so whenever the sun comes out.

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

Peace, Fr. David

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

2008-07-24T12:34:00.001-07:00

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

2008-07-18T10:06:00.001-07:00

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

2008-07-14T12:49:00.000-07:00

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

Pope Benedict Blesses (and Challenges) America

2008-06-18T08:15:00.000-07:00

by Daniel Conway

'As I begin my visit to the United States, I express once more my gratitude for your invitation, my joy to be in your midst and my fervent prayers that almighty God will confirm this nation and its people in the ways of justice, prosperity and peace. God bless America!' (Pope Benedict XVI, Official Welcome Ceremony, the White House, April 16, 2008)

Pope Benedict XVI began his first official visit to the United States with a heartfelt benediction: God bless America! He continued to bless us throughout his six-day visit with words of gratitude, affirmation, encouragement, appreciation and hope. As Cardinal Francis George noted in his welcoming remarks at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., on April 16, Americans are people who take joy in being generous and, in that characteristic, imitate the Lord himself and make God's image strong in our society.

On numerous occasions during his visit, Pope Benedict praised and thanked the Church in America for its generosity using Americans responses to the attacks on September 11, 2001, Hurricane Katrina, and the tsunami of December 2004 as obvious examples. But the Holy Father also challenged us to be good stewards of our many gifts and blessings: To share generously with those who are poor and vulnerable. To be consistent in our practice of our faith. To protect the dignity of all human persons. To safeguard marriage and family life. To witness to the Gospel and work tirelessly for authentic peace and social justice here in America and throughout the world. Most of all, the Holy Father said, the Church in America should provide opportunities to lead all people to an encounter with the living God, the source of that life-transforming hope of which the Gospel speaks. 

Pope Benedict warned us that good stewardship of our nation's many blessings will not be easy. 'For an affluent society, a further obstacle to an encounter with the living God lies in the subtle influence of materialism, which can all too easily focus the attention on the hundredfold, which God promises now in this time, at the expense of the eternal life which he promises in the age to come.' We are called to be stewards of the bounty we have received from God here and now. But we dare not lose sight of the even greater blessings that are yet to come—when we will be united with God and one another in our heavenly home.  

'People today need to be reminded of the ultimate purpose of their lives,' the pope said. 'They need to recognize that implanted within them is a deep thirst for God. They need to be given opportunities to drink from the wells of His infinite love.'

Responsible stewardship of America's many blessings means providing the people of our day with genuine opportunities to encounter Christ. This means that Catholics in the United States must be faithful to the precious inheritance we have received from our ancestors in the faith, open to constant conversion and spiritual renewal, and willing to share generously all our spiritual and material gifts. 'The fidelity and courage with which the Church in this country will respond to the challenges raised by an increasingly secular and materialistic culture,' the pope says, 'will depend in large part upon your own fidelity in handing on the treasure of our Catholic faith.'

The pastoral visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the United States, with its theme of 'Christ Our Hope,' was itself a blessing that challenged us to greater responsibility and accountability. On numerous occasions during his visit, the Holy Father expressed his deep sorrow over the horrors of clergy sexual abuse. He challenged us to respond to all who have suffered—directly or indirectly—from this unspeakable evil with the compassion and healing power of Christ. And he called us to continue and strengthen our efforts to protect our children and provide for them the safe haven that can come only from authentic family life and from a culture that cherishes and defends a truly healthy understanding of the mystery of human sexuality.

'The Church expects much from you,' Pope Benedict told us. 'Do not fail it in your generosity.'God bless America, and may God bless Pope Benedict XVI!

Daniel Conway, President and CEO, Mission Advancement Services, O'Meara, Ferguson, Whelan, and Conway, Inc., has been writing on stewardship themes for 20 years. Dan's reflections on stewardship are now available in several publications. For more information, call toll-free 888-544-8674 or consult the web site for Saint Catherine of Siena Press (www.saintcatherineofsienapress.com).  Copyright © 2008 Daniel Conway. Permission is given to copy and distribute this periodical for use in religious or educational settings provided that proper attribution is given to the author. This publication may not be sold or distributed to the general public without the express permission of the author.

St. Mark's News & Events for June 15, 2008

2008-06-11T11:50:00.000-07:00

Greetings as we begin another week!

Last Saturday I attended my nephew’s graduation from high school and afterwards we had a backyard barbeque with relatives and friends of my nephew. As I watched the festivities, I tried to remember the time my brother and I graduated high school and the feelings they inspired in us as we celebrated that day. To be honest, I couldn’t remember anything! I tried and tried but nothing came to mind and I wondered if my nephew would remember this day. It really wasn’t THAT long ago, but somehow time has washed away any thoughts and feelings of that step into adulthood. However, watching my nephew and his friends celebrating, I wondered where they will be in 20 or 30 years and didn’t they feel a little fearful of what awaited them? I thought to myself that I don’t think I would have the courage to go through all again. I wonder how I got through it the first time. Yet some how, some way, God’s grace shaded our eyes from the fears and possible dangers that we would be facing in our journey of life and just maybe we didn’t even know we would be in the struggle at all. I guess that gave me some comfort and hope for them! Thus, on behalf of myself, the staff, and parishioners of St. Mark, we congratulate all graduates and please remember to keep the hope of a better world alive in your hearts.

The next two weekends you will not be seeing me at Mass since I will be on vacation in Chicago. I enjoyed the city the last time I was there and I’m going back for more of that pizza and prime rib. That is if they let Fr. Argentino and myself back in the place after the fiasco of spilling the table all over the floor we were guilty of that the last time we were there. In my absence, Abbot Isaac and Fr. Lamp will be looking out for your needs. I can go being assured that you are in wonderful hands!

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 June 8, 2008

2008-06-04T08:53:00.000-07:00

Greetings as we begin another week!

Not much to report this week outside of the normal duties that happen in the regular life of a Priest. However, this past week we celebrated the passing on to eternal life of three people who had a deep relationship with our Lord and now share in the joys and the promises of Christ. Mr. Harold “Sonny” Sczepanski, Mr. Thomas McHale, and Mrs. Rita Linn all were laid to rest with a Mass of Resurrection here at St. Mark Catholic Church on last Thursday, Friday and Saturday respectively. All three funerals were different yet beautiful in its own way. We pray for their souls and we ask God’s strength for the families as they deal with their loss in the days and weeks to come.

At this point, we have well over 1000 responses to the seating survey and are counting the results. We can not accept any more responses and hope to have them finished soon. I am grateful to all of you who participated in the survey. I will be meeting in the near future with the Steering Committee to discuss preliminary seating plans. Keep watching the bulletin for details.

Speaking of information, have you visited our website lately? There is lots to see and read regarding the happenings at St. Mark. We are in the process of planning even more information in the weeks to come. Go ahead and give it a visit.

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 June 1, 2008

2008-05-28T10:04:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-21T07:46:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-14T10:31:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-08T06:40:00.001-07:00

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

2008-05-08T06:37:00.000-07:00

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

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

2008-04-30T11:25:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-17T08:57:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-10T12:05:00.000-07:00

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

St. Mark's News & Events for March 9, 2008

2008-03-07T10:18:00.000-08:00

Greetings as we begin another week!

My trip to Argentina was especially grand as I participated in the renewal of vows for two dear people who I befriended some years ago. The wife was from the area of Buenos Aires. She wanted her family to experience this renewal since many were not able to attend the actual wedding held a few years ago. While there, I was able to meet some fantastic people, and they taught me to do the Meringue to the delight of all the people in that great city.

After watching me dance, they wanted me to take part in the Argentinean Idol show that mirrors our own American Idol. I had to decline since I had to get back to America and couldn’t make the audition. However, I promised to send them a tape and guaranteed that Simon Cowell would watch it and nominate me for the show. I agreed as long as it wasn’t held during Holy Week. Other than the dancing, I did eat some great beef since Argentina is known for it. It certainly was delicious although I think I’m all “beefed out” after spending 4 days there.

All in all, it was a great experience and one of the few places an American can go where the dollar actually is doing better. I would recommend it to anyone even though it is a long plane ride.

This week on Thursday, March 13 at 7:00 pm we will be celebrating the Sacrament of Penance here at St. Mark. Over 10 priests will be with us for this event and I hope that many of you will partake of this moment of Grace as we head into Holy Week.

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

Sincerely,
Fr. David

St. Mark's Annual Pastoral Appeal

2008-02-28T13:41:00.000-08:00

Special thanks to Sabrina Burton-Shultz, Director of Life Ministries at the Diocese of St. Petersburg, for her timely comments regarding the services provided by your contributions to the Annual Pastoral Appeal. So many of our fellow Catholics benefit from the Appeal, seminarians, families in crisis, Catholic school students and many others, including some of our own parishioners.

It is for these people, that I ask you to support the Appeal. Just over 3200 families belong to our Parish. In simplest terms, if every family contributed a one time gift of $73.50 we would achieve both our goals: 100% participation and the fulfillment of our $235,162 Parish commitment. Some of you may not be able to give this amount and some of you may be able to give much more. With everyone’s participation we can reach our goal! Please keep in mind, if we do not meet our goal of $235,162, the money to make up the difference will be taken from our general collection funds. This means that less money is available for programs and activities offered here at St. Mark.

I am truly committed to meeting both of our goals. If you have already made your gift or pledge to this year’s Annual Pastoral Appeal- THANK YOU. If you have not done so yet, your help is very much needed. You can find Annual Pastoral Appeal envelopes in the narthex, or you can donate online at www.diostpete.com/apa. Several different payment options are available.

Please participate in the Appeal to the best of your ability. Thank you!

Sincerely,
Fr. David

St. Mark's News & Events for February 24, 2008

2008-02-21T11:17:00.000-08:00

Greetings to all!

As we begin this third Sunday in Lent, the “Elect” who have been selected by Bishop Lynch to be baptized at the Easter Vigil will come forward in the next three Sundays to experience what is called the “Scrutinies”. In these simple Rites, the Elect will examine their lives and promise to renounce those things that keep them away from being united totally to Christ. It is a very moving experience that helps them and us to examine ourselves spiritually and ask for God’s help to avoid whatever leads us to sin.

As the Lenten Season is progressing, we have also experienced another wonderful Church activity. The Knights of Columbus Fish Fry has been a major success with record sales of dinners to people all around the community. We even had people from Ohio who heard about us and “spied” on us to see how we do it so they can take it back to their parish! I am so proud of our Knights who sacrifice so much to make this such a success and I would hope more of you would join this great organization of Fraternity and help make the Gospel come alive! I have been put in charge of “quality control” and I can assure you that I taste everything that comes out of the kitchen even to the point of making sure that the fish is crunchy and the French fries crisp. Sometimes it takes more than a few samples to make sure it’s all good. I know it’s a tough job but somebody has to do it!

Well, as you read this I will be in Argentina witnessing a renewal of vows for a couple who are great friends of mine. I have never been to South America before but I hear the Fish Fries aren’t as good as ours. However, I will try to suffer in silence.

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 February 17, 2008

2008-02-15T06:54:00.000-08:00

Greetings as we begin another week!

As you can see from our new seating arrangement in Church, we are experimenting with the various seating designs for our new Church and I wanted you to experience some first hand. So the question can be asked, “Why this arrangement?” Well back at the Second Vatican Council in the early 1960’s, the Council Fathers came out with a document on the Liturgy and one of the sentences in that document called for what they called “full, conscious, and active participation of the faithful at Mass.” As you may realize, that statement can take on many meanings, but the Council wanted to emphasize to the people of God that they needed to be more connected and be more a part of what this sacred mystery was all about at Mass. In that way, the faithful may experience and understand the connection of just what Jesus did for us by including us in this significant event. That is why the altars were turned around with the Priest facing the people, some of the music and hymns were changed, (unfortunately some of it was replaced by awful sounds), and of course the Mass was said in the language of the people. The Mass now had two equal parts to it: The Liturgy of the Word, and The Liturgy of the Eucharist. Emphasis is now not only on the Eucharist, but also on the Word (Scripture). Of course, many people were not real thrilled with all this and many left the Church, including some priests and sisters. However, the “New Mass” has changed the way the faithful experience God and I have to say for the better! Now we are trying to see how we can get people even more involved in the Mass and continue to perfect what Vatican II had started. Now you can see with the naked eye the separation of the Word and Eucharist as they both are held in high esteem. The Ambo is now near the Baptismal Font, the Altar now closer to the congregation. Now of course, our Church was not made with this seating arrangement in mind so there will be some challenges. However, I simply want you to experience this and AFTER Easter, let me know what you think. I do realize some will not like the arrangement since change can be difficult, but I simply ask to open your mind and heart and see how the experience changes you. If it doesn’t, that’s
ok too!

Thank you for your patience in this experiment and I pray that this Lent will be a memorable one for you!

Peace, Fr. David

St. Mark's Annual Pastoral Appeal

2008-02-07T11:13:00.000-08:00

The Annual Pastoral Appeal supports the many ministries that address the needs of our sisters and brothers. A pledge in any amount will be gratefully received and sincerely appreciated.

There are several ways to make your pledge contributions. You may use the white envelope you either received in the mail from the Diocese or one you may have picked up here at St. Mark. Some of you may have fulfilled your total pledge and others may have chosen to pay the pledge on a monthly basis. Those of you making monthly contributions will be sent a reminder each month from the diocese and I encourage you to use this method since they will get the contribution directly.

For those of you who are not using the diocesan envelope,
I have asked that a “One Body in Christ” annual pastoral appeal envelope be included in your regular envelopes. There will be one envelope per month included until the campaign ends in December of this year.

Remember our goal is have every family participate in fulfilling our goal of $235,162. I am encouraged so far with the number of pledges we have gotten. I hope within the next two weeks to be able to report results. Until then I will continue to ask you for your help and thank all those who have participated thus far.

Sincerely, Fr. David DeJulio, Pastor

St. Mark's News & Events for February 10, 2008

2008-02-07T11:07:00.000-08:00

Greetings as we begin another week!

As we begin the season of Lent, I always find it difficult to
think about what I need to sacrifice this year and many times
it’s something innocuous that really doesn’t change my
behavior in the long run or make me think more about what
this season really means to my faith. Giving up coffee, peanut
butter cups, or other similar things is fine for the short run,
but does it really matter much when my faith is tested by
a negative experience? Thus, this year I’ve decided to do
something a little different that would not only benefit my
own faith experience, but for others too. I’ll let you know
how I’m doing as we progress through this great season.
Last weekend 21 women experienced the Christ Renews His
Parish (CHRP) retreat right here at St.Mark parish. Like the
men before them, they heard stories of other women’s walk
of faith and how they have deepened their own relationship
with Jesus Christ. The men seem like they are on fire already
and the women will be on fire as well when they come off the
weekend. I can’t wait to see how much this parish will grow
in faith in the coming years due to this wonderful experience!
If you haven’t been to a CHRP retreat or it has been many
years since you’ve been to one, I hope you will sign up for the
next weekend coming this summer. You will not only meet
some great people, but your faith will grow exponentially.
By now you have also experienced your first Mass with the
schedule change and the new seating arrangement. Again, we
are testing this seating style through Lent and Easter to see if
this is something we would like to think about in the new
Church. Please let me know what you think after the Easter
season so we can get a good idea about how our future
Church will look.

Lastly, we will be having our Lenten Parish Retreat on
Monday, February 11th and Wednesday, February 13 from
7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The mission is for adults and children
of all ages so bring the kids and grow as a family in faith
during this Lenten season.

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 February 3, 2008

2008-02-04T11:11:00.000-08:00

The Trip Con’t ...

After our great trip to Tuscany, we were finally off to Cannes, France!
I never know which way to pronounce it, whether its with a short “ah” sound or a long “ay” sound. But however you say it, the city was very pretty and picturesque. It’s hard to believe it could hold all those movie stars visiting for the festival, but sure enough it does every year. The restaurants are very nice, the people are friendly, and they have a wonderful section where only foot traffic is allowed for the shops abound. I visited the movie studio and dropped off my new film on the “Spirituality of the Golf Swing” which will prove to be a real thriller when people get to view it. I just know it may make it for the final cut and will be viewed by millions. All proceeds will go to the “St. Mark Capital Campaign” to help us build our new Church! However, I haven’t heard from them as of this writing. I wonder what they’re waiting for? After Cannes, we made our final voyage to Barcelona and I’ll save that for next week! I’m sure you can’t wait!

As you know, this week begins the Holy season of Lent and I hope many of you will take advantage of this great season to reflect on your life and try to deepen your relationship with the God who loves all of us so dearly. I just would like to remind you of the changes in the Mass schedule beginning this Thursday, Feb. 7th. See the bulletin for details. Also, we will be changing the seating arrangement for Lent and Easter to give us an idea of the variety of ways to worship in the Mass. Remember, this is only a test so we can get a better idea of how we wish to arrange our new church when the time comes. I ask that you give it time to sink in before making any judgments so we are able to make an objective decision later on. I pray that this season of Lent will be a memorable one for all of us!

Last weekend some of the women of St. Mark experienced Christ Renews His Parish (CHRP) which was a huge success a few weeks ago with some of the men from our parish. I did notice a lighter spirit among them this week as they walked into Church and I hope the women will also experience this spiritual high. Please pray for them. Our next CHRP weekend will be sometime in the late summer in case you missed this one. Again, keep your eye out for details in later bulletins.

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

Peace, Fr. David

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

2008-01-24T10:14:00.000-08:00

(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”

2008-01-17T10:19:00.001-08:00

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

2008-01-11T04:16:00.001-08:00

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

St. Mark's News & Events for December 23, 2007

2007-12-20T10:45:00.001-08:00

Stewardship

JESUS wants always to be present with us. He wants to show us His concern and His love. That is why He is with us in the Eucharist. It is His way of sharing our life. It is His way of strengthening us. It is an incredible sign of stewardship on His part, a wonderful gift to us for all time, a gift available every day and at every Mass. Communion has at its very depth the idea of community, both communion with the LORD, both with GOD and with one another. The LORD would tell us that communion and community are not exclusive. We cannot be one with one another without being one with Him, and certainly we cannot be one with Him without being one with one another.

As we receive the Eucharist, we receive the Most Holy Body and Blood of CHRIST, we should always remember that this is JESUS gift to us, but it is also a call to share our gifts with one another, as stewards, as followers of CHRIST.

“The promotion of the practice of stewardship is important for the mission of the Church and for the spiritual well-being of each individual Christian. Everyone benefits from the sacrificial gift one makes of his time, talent and treasure. Therefore, please accept my encouragement for your efforts and my prayers that what you do to serve the LORD will be a stimulus to the practice of stewardship in the Church”.

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI

St. Mark's News & Events for December 16, 2007

2007-12-17T09:16:00.000-08:00

The Trip Cont.

On its own, Messina was pretty place with its Domed Churches and narrow streets but that was about all there was to the place. Many on the tour went to beautiful Taromina on top of a large mountain overlooking the Bay of Naples close to Mt. Vesuvius. This scenic town is a must visit if ever you go to Sicily and the food yet again is outstanding. Some in our group ventured to find relatives and the birthplace of parents, etc. which turned out to be very heartwarming. Seeing the places where family grew up always brings a sense of completion to one’s life. Since I had been to Taromina before I decided to spend another relaxing day on the ship eating everything in sight. I even decided to have ice cream at eleven in the morning to tie me over until lunch rolled around. That night after dinner there was a presentation by the cruise director in which introductions were made and people on the ship were questioned on stage about their marital status, where they’re from, etc. including one couple from our own parish who were picked to come up. Much of it was quite funny and I realized that the rest of the cruise would be much the same way. Next stop, Dubrovnik in Croatia, so stay tuned.

Last Saturday, a group of parishioners along with me journeyed down to St. Stephen’s Parish to accept the Book of the Gospels from Bishop Lynch as the kick-off for the Diocese three-year initiative on the Eucharist, which for us will begin in Lent of this coming year. This first year in the three-year initiative is about opening up the Scriptures to allow the Word to transform our hearts and light a fire of conversion for us, and the world. It was a beautiful event and I pray that we along with the rest of the Diocese will be on fire for God as we all make this journey together. Bulletin and pulpit announcements will be forthcoming.

Just a reminder, after all the Masses on December 22nd and 23rd we will be having a congratulations reception for Abbot Isaac Camacho in which we will be bestowing our Parish gift of a Crosier as a sign of his office as Abbot. If you would like to give to this parish gift, please send it into the office or you may put it into the collection basket marked Abbott Isaac’s gift. Congratulations to Abbott Isaac and we thank you for all you have done for our community!

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 December 9, 2007

2007-12-06T08:59:00.000-08:00

Greetings to all of you!

As we made the port stop at Naples, I yet again overslept and the tours went along without me. Some went to see the ruins of Pompeii, then on to Sorrento (where they make the sweet tasting Lumincello liquor, yum!), and some decided to stay on the ship and enjoy the sun and fun. I had “brunch” around noon and began walking the deck and scoping out the various places that would seem interesting on the ship. I even went to the gym to exercise, which goes to show that I must still not be in my right mind in another time zone. Anyway, I read my book on the balcony and then fell asleep. After all, that is why God invented vacations! After the day was over everyone got back on the ship on time, except for the Salmon’s (most likely a fictitious couple who were always swimming upstream) and off we went to Sicily! Although my dinner guests left something to be desired, dinner was once again wonderful and the Melting Chocolate cake was my favorite! After dinner it was off to the Piano Bar singing popular songs with Ron the piano player and then off to bed for our next stop to Messina.

Last Saturday many here from St. Mark attended the simple but profound installation of Abbot Isaac at St. Leo Abby. Bishop Lynch was there to install the new abbot along with abbots from all over the country. Included was the Abbot Primate who is based in Rome and gave his blessing to Abbot Isaac. How proud I was to see this young man experience such a blessed event and at the end of the Mass, Abbot Isaac thanked all of you from St. Mark for grooming him for this most special position. On December 22nd and 23rd after all the Masses, we will have a special get together for you to greet the new Abbot in which we will present to him our parish gift of a Crosier to be used as a symbol of the shepherd of his flock at St. Leo’s. If you wish to contribute to this gift, you may put a check in the collection plate marked Fr. Isaac’s gift in the memo line. God bless you Abbot Isaac and our prayers are with you!

Also this month we have experienced some staff changes in our front office as our Parish Secretary Sandra Katsarelis retired after her six years here at St. Mark. Sandra has been coming back and forth from Tarpon Springs these past years and now she will be able to “sleep in” as she enjoys her retirement. We thank Sandra for all her great work here at St. Mark and we will miss her perky personality. God speed Sandra!

As Sandra leaves, we welcome Kelly DeFrietas who comes to us from the YMCA and has certainly been a great addition already in her short time here. Kelly will be in charge of making sure the front office runs smoothly in addition to other secretarial duties. We also welcome Lorraine Green who has been an awesome volunteer for a few years now who served as recorder on our Finance council and steering committee. Lorraine will also be responsible for front office work etc and will be part of Kelly’s support staff. More information will be coming regarding their backgrounds and life experience. Chuck Rizzo will be responsible for Special projects including the APA, Stewardship, Capital Campaign, and parish communications. Joe Phillips will continue as our staff Accountant and manage the entire office. Hopefully this new arrangement will help us to be more efficient and to better serve St. Mark parishioners as we grow and grow.

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 December 2, 2007

2007-11-29T07:14:00.000-08:00

Greetings to all of you!

The Trip Cont.
As the next morning arrived, we were transported to the port so we could board our cruise ship for the next 12 days. As the busses pulled up, one could just feel the excitement as we looked out the window and saw how HUGE the ship was! It didn’t seem possible that the 105 of us from the Tampa Bay area would be just one small fish in a pond of thousands. We all rushed to get off the bus, got our suitcases, and headed for the boarding plank. Of course, some of the crew was waiting to take the usual picture. We were then given “Fun Cards” which were not too much fun after you saw the bill after the cruise was over. However, nothing could stop us now and off we went to our rooms. When I got to my room and opened the door, I almost fainted by the luxurious interior and I even had a balcony! That might not mean too much to you but after going on a trip to Alaska one year, I had no window and the room was as big as my bathroom (but I digress). Anyway, we were all very giddy as we unpacked and hurried on to explore the ship. It took me days to figure it all out and I still would get lost from time to time trying to find something. However, I did try to promise that I would not take the elevator at all so that I would at least get some exercise with all I was about to eat. Good thing too because the first night was a feast beyond all proportions as the ship ventured out onto the Mediterranean for our first stop at Naples. More again next week.

Last weekend, we also had a momentous occasion as Jose Moronta, our new recipient of the St. Jude Medal Award, was given this honor at the Cathedral of St. Jude by Bishop Robert Lynch. The Medal is given to the person who best exemplified the Spirit of Christ by his work for the Parish during the year. We are so proud of Jose and his work with the Spanish Community and also for his constant attention to the needs of our Parish. Congratulations Jose Moronta!

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 November 25, 2007

2007-11-27T07:10:00.000-08:00

Greetings to all of you!
(Again this week some highlights from Rome.)

On our second day in Rome, we all pretty much went out on our own and some visited the catacombs and the various sights of Rome. Some of the group visited the “Scala Santa” or Holy Stairs where legend had it that Jesus walked on his last visit to Pontius Pilate before He was crucified. St. Helene, the mother of the Emperor Constantine, had the stairs brought to Rome from Jerusalem. Some of our group walked up the stairs on their knees which for some got very emotional. It truly was a spiritual experience in the midst of the chaos at the Vatican the day before. Some also visited the Cathedral Church of St. John Lateran which is really the Pope’s Church since he is the Bishop of Rome. It is known as the “Mother Church of all the Churches of the World” and it too was truly impressive. Yet with all the sights and sounds in Rome, it is virtually impossible to take in all of them in the two days we were there. However, I did find some fine restaurants and Gelato stores during my stay. Overall, it was a perfect day for all of us as we settled in and got ready to embark on the Cruise ship the next day. More again next week!

The golf tournament last week was a tremendous success with over 113 golfers partaking in all the festivities. I stayed at the 16th hole all day and got to play against everybody who came through. Before the tournament started, I said a prayer (aloud) that everybody would find the water on the right side of the green and thus let me beat them on the whole. For the most part, many accommodated. However, there are some that will have to go to confession! Anyway, a great time was had by all and I would like to thank Chuck Lewandowski for chairing the event and his committee for all their fine work. A list of sponsors will be forthcoming and I ask that you support all those that made this event possible. Now if I could only get the darn ball on the green!

Again this year the St. Vincent de Paul Society of St. Mark Parish gave food to over 1500 families so they would have a good Thanksgiving. They truly are a remarkable group and it was great fun working with them on that cool early Saturday morning. I thank Patrick Doone and that task master Andrew Plumber for their planning and coordinating this huge task. Also all of the volunteers that came out did a wonderful job and I just know that God will bless you with another diamond in your crown in Heaven.

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 November 18, 2007

2007-11-19T08:22:00.001-08:00

Greetings to all of you!

This week I want to continue to bring you some highlights from the parish trip to Rome. I left off with our first morning at the Vatican Museum and St. Peter’s Basilica. When I woke up that morning, I felt refreshed and went down stairs for breakfast only to find none of our group was there. I thought to myself that everyone must be still sleeping and although I am not a morning person, here I was the first one at breakfast! As I waited and waited, no one in our group came down for breakfast and I knew we had an 8:00 a.m. departure time for our tour. I then went to the lobby to see if anyone was there, only to look in horror as the clock registered NINE! Well I did it, I missed the very first tour of the trip and I just knew I was going to hear about it later. Thus, I decided to meet the group at the Basilica since I knew I would never be able to get into the Museum. So I decided to walk all the way from our hotel to the Vatican which is not around the corner. I figured by the time I got there they would have ended their tour of the Museum and I would catch up with them at St. Peter’s. I had a wonderful walk in the cool breeze and sunshine. I passed a number of coffee bars and stopped at a few places for some espresso. By the time I got to St. Peter’s I was wired! Anyway, I did finally meet up with the group and we toured the beautiful Basilica with the magnificent Pieta and the other wonders that are too many to count. Some of us even went down to the tombs of the Popes and passed by the tomb of Pope John Paul II, which continues to have a procession of people paying their respects. A phenomenal morning for all of us and of course we just had to find a restaurant after the tour for more pasta and vino! More again next week….

This weekend we also welcome Mr. John Paul Cappa who is our new Director of Music. John Paul comes to us from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and he has very impressive set of credentials. I hope you will be able to meet him and welcome him to our great parish. Hopefully you will be hearing more about him in the near future so to John Paul we say welcome!

Well, that is all for now. Keep in mind God’s precious gift of life!

Peace,
Fr. David

St. Mark's News & Events for November 11, 2007

2007-11-08T11:12:00.000-08:00

Greetings to all of you!

Well it’s nice to be finally back after an overwhelming and glorious trip around the Mediterranean Sea with over 100 members of our Parish family. It really was a long and arduous affair with people constantly forcing me to eat pasta and drink wine despite my huge protests. However, I’m sure many of you are waiting with “eager anticipation” to hear about our trip so I hope to give you a few tidbits in the weeks ahead. By the way, whatever they tell you about my presence on the trip is totally false and everything I’m writing here in these columns is true. So don’t listen to any of them! Anyway, I did manage to sleep on the plane on the way over which is a huge hurdle for me. Due to that I managed to hit the ground running and take in as much as I could when we landed in Rome for our three day tour. From the airport, we managed a nice bus tour of Rome and finally arrived at our hotel in the bustling section of Rome’s Termini Station. Of course, the first thing we did was find a restaurant that served pasta, which happened to be our own hotel! The first bite took me to pasta heaven so after that the whole trip is a blur so I might miss some of the events. However, I’m sure I will be reminded by those who went with me. After some Vino and visiting with some of our people, I went to bed and prepared for next morning’s tour of the Vatican and its amazing Museum. More on that next week!

As many of you now know, Fr. Isaac is now Abbot Isaac as he was selected to lead his Benedictine Community at St. Leo Abby. This is quite an honor as he becomes the spiritual father of his local community, similar to the responsibilities of a bishop in a diocese. Although he will be leaving us, he will continue to celebrate some Masses here at St. Mark so we are fortunate for that. His installation will be on December 1st so continue to look in the bulletin for details. We congratulate you Abbot Isaac and we thank you for your wonderful presence these last three years. We shall keep you in our prayers.

Well, that is all for now. I’m still trying to catch up on all the work I missed and that suitcase is still on my bedroom floor waiting to be emptied. Pray for me!

Peace,
Fr. David

St. Mark's News & Events for October 14, 2007

2007-10-15T12:07:00.000-07:00

Greetings to all of you!

As you read this over a 100 parishioners and myself will
be traveling to Italy to visit Rome and other cities that will
be highlighted on this Mediterranean cruise. I can’t believe
the day is finally here and at this writing I haven’t even gotten the suitcase out of the closet yet! However, I’m sure we all will have a memorable time and I just wish that everyone here would have been able to go. It seems like a once in a lifetime event but I know that it doesn’t even compare with what we will experience in Heaven someday! I hope to tell you all of my vacation stories when we come back and I’m sure you won’t want to miss hearing all of the escapades.

Last week, Architect Alberto Portela laid out the results of the “Needs and Wants List” of all the different subcommittees that have been meeting these past few months. We also offered the rest of our community the chance to comment on areas that the committee has not considered. We did get many responses and we will tabulate all the responses and hopefully come up with a final draft in the next few weeks. Thank you to all of the subcommittees and parish family members for your input in this most important process.

Last Saturday we celebrated “Oktoberfest” which turned out to be a huge hit! The Knights of Columbus somehow continue to amaze us with all their hard work and creative ideas. A fun time was had by all and I would like to thank Grand Knight Robb Walton and his men for another outstanding get together. The Knights are an amazing group of people and we owe them so much.

Well, that is all for now. I bid you all Arrivadercci and I look forward to seeing you again in a couple of weeks. Take care of Fr. Isaac for me and please don’t change the name of the parish while I’m gone!

Peace, Fr. David

St. Mark's News & Events for October 7, 2007

2007-10-08T10:12:00.001-07:00

Greetings as we begin another week!

This past week a group of 10 of us attended the National Stewardship Conference held in Miami and although it rained the three days we were there, the presentations were wonderful. Some members of the newly created St. Mark Stewardship Commission along with members of the Pastoral Council and staff received excellent information that we will eventually pass onto the parish in the coming months. We were all excited about how well we were doing already and how we could enhance our parish outreach and ministries. But more importantly it reminded us once again how Stewardship is really a way of life and not a program. More on that later.

As of this writing the results of the Feasibility Study that many of you took part in regarding the building of our new Church is in its final stages and will be presented to the parish very soon. This weekend Alberto Portella will be presenting the Dream study by the various committees to the parish for your own input. I hope you will be able to add any comments and concerns regarding our new church after all the Masses.
It should be an interesting time for us all to feel a part
of the process.

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 September 30, 2007

2007-10-08T10:11:00.000-07:00

Greetings to all of you!

As the weather begins to cool off somewhat, I’ve noticed hundreds of joggers, bicyclist, and walkers starting to get their exercises in while I am driving into work. Every time I see one, it only makes me feel even guiltier about my own exercise program. Young, middle aged and old somehow have the time and energy to brave the elements and get their work out in for the day while I chew on a doughnut with my morning coffee. I hate them! However, since the weather is starting to get better, I’m hoping that my golf clubs will want to play more often if only I can find them.

As I’m writing this, a group of people from St. Mark will be heading Miami to attend the Annual Stewardship Convention. I always enjoy these get-togethers and see how the rest of the country practices Stewardship in their own parishes. I’ll give you some of the details in my next column.

Last Saturday I had the chance to say Mass for the New Orleans Saints Football team while they were here to play the Bucs. Since the Saints lost, the Bucs want me to say Mass for all the visiting teams from now on. I demanded $10 million for our new Church and they decided to pass. Oh well, I can’t be held responsible for what happens in future games I told them.

Last but not least, our Steering Committee along with the Subcommittees have put together their dream list for our new Church and we will be presenting the first draft to the parish for your input at all the Masses on October 6th and 7th. This is going to be a very important presentation and I hope all of you will be there to hear it and participate in the process. Things are beginning to happen very quickly! Please be part of this exciting process.

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

Peace, Fr. David

What is Stewardship?

2007-10-08T10:10:00.000-07:00

AN ACT OF FAITH
We profess that we belong to GOD and all that we possess is His.

AN ACT OF TRUST
We place our life in GOD’s loving hands and make Him
our treasure.

AN ACT OF WORSHIP
We adore Him as the giver of all good gifts.

AN ACT OF BELONGING
We unite our offering with the rest of our Parish Family
so that together we might care for the needs of another, especially the poor.

======================

“As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of GOD’s varied grace.” [Peter 4:10]

======================

Stewardship is realizing that the LORD has given us the gifts, graces, talents, abilities and resources—all of which are
to be shared responsibility and wisely with others. Faithful stewardship is more than occasional acts of charity
and kindness. It is a way of life that demands involvement and care. It can be equated with holiness; CHRIST calls
us all to holiness.

St. Mark's News & Events for September 16, 2007

2007-09-18T17:01:00.001-07:00

Greetings as begin another week!

Now that the football games have started I am beginning to imagine the smell of fall in the air even though it’s still pretty hot out there. As a child I always got excited with the expectation of fall with the leaves changing colors and the summer heat departing from us leading into a cool, life giving freshness. Yet, at the same time, there was always that feeling of melancholy, as we just knew that the winter coldness would soon be upon us. However, since moving to Florida I no longer get that feeling and fall has become a time of rejoicing just knowing that the summer heat will be gone for almost six months! Where are my golf clubs???

I did get the chance to play golf this week at a charity event for Fisher House located across from the VA hospital here in Tampa. Fisher House is a place where families of wounded soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan can stay while their loved one is recuperating in the hospital. The event was held at the scenic golf course at Mac Dill and we all had a wonderful time maneuvering around the golf course for this worthwhile event. I teamed up with parishioner Tony Olivito who has served in the armed forces and is a retired Colonel, and a young man named Jack Egan who is thirteen and is all of fifty pounds soaking wet. I tell you his name because you may see him in the Winter Olympics one day, competing in the Free Style Moguls. I’m not sure what all that means but apparently he’s very good! Yet, what made him even more of a person to remember was his graciousness and maturity for a guy his age. He also is a great golfer and got us out of more than a few troubled spots. Anyway, although we didn’t take home any winnings, the tournament itself helped me to understand Fisher House even more and hopefully earn the support of the rest of the Tampa Bay area.

Also this week we welcome Fr. Len Plazewski, the Director of Vocations for the Diocese of St. Petersburg, who will be speaking about the status of vocations in our diocese and the desire for more workers in the vineyard of Christ. Please listen to his message and pray God will inspire more vocations to the Priesthood and Religious Life from St. Mark the Evangelist.

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 September 9, 2007

2007-09-10T20:06:00.000-07:00

Greetings as begin another week!

This weekend we are honored to have with us architect, Alberto Portela, who will be conducting a short workshop on “Gathering Spaces” after all the Masses. As many of you know, Alberto was the architect of our current Family Life Center and was instrumental in designing our Master Plan some years ago. This weekend he will enlighten us on his thinking and creativity in following the guidelines of Church Architecture. I hope you will be able to attend this important presentation.

Secondly, I am thrilled with the way many of you are responding financially to our parish and specifically our building fund collection. It just goes to show how much you care about our St. Mark Parish Community and look forward to the day when a new Church graces our property. When we first implemented the second collection, we were worried that it would take away from our offertory but that is not the case. Although the first collection did not increase as much as we would have liked, it did increase over 3% from the previous year. At the same time we have averaged over $14,000 a month in our second collection which has really helped us pay down our debt. You all are WONDERFUL! So as I said, we will discontinue the second collection once the new Capital Campaign for a new Church building commences. Again, my many thanks for allowing me to sleep at night!

This weekend we bid farewell to our Youth Minister, Tracey Blum who has accepted a position teaching at a local high school this year. Tracey has been with us over two years and brought her unique talents and gifts to the youth of St. Mark during her stay. Her bubbling personality will be missed by all of us as she pursues her new adventure. God speed Tracey!

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 September 2, 2007

2007-09-10T20:05:00.000-07:00

Greetings as we begin another week! I guess with the start of school, the last gasp of summer vacations have come to St. Mark as the season starts up. Last weekend our youth ministry put on a wonderful picnic (even though the rains came) and a concert which was very well received and of course, LOUD! I now realize I have become my parents complaining about the loudness and style of my music ages ago. However it really was a blast and we have some GREAT teens here at St. Mark who care very much for their Church. Let’s make sure to support them in all their endeavors. On a sad note, Tracey Blum our current Youth Minister will be leaving to go into full time teaching at a local school in early September. Tracey has been with us for two years now and has really moved youth ministry to a new level. However, she will be staying with us on a part-time basis to help with the Confirmation program until a new Youth Minister is hired. We thank Tracey for her wonderful energy, intelligence, and sense of humor as she leaves St. Mark and we pray her continued success in her new path.

Last Saturday we had over 42 people “get on the bus” for a tour of Churches in the Orlando and Winter Park areas in our continued effort to set the ground work for our new Church. We visited three churches that had been built or remodeled in the last five years and we came across some interesting and fascinating designs all patterned with the Liturgical Guidelines for Church Architecture in the 21st Century in mind. We brought back some great ideas and we took pictures of the Churches we visited. We hope to be able to put them on our Website in the near future to give you a look into how Churches are being built in this day and age. We are also hoping to visit more Churches in the near future to obtain even more information and ideas. Check the bulletin for dates and times.

Next week, Alberto Portello will be here to give us a talk on “Gathering Spaces” after all the Masses on September 8th and 9th. This is another opportunity to find out about the Church’s thinking on Liturgical Spaces and I hope educate yourself and ask questions as we being to move forward.

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 August 26, 2007

2007-08-27T07:38:00.002-07:00

Greetings as we begin another week!

I’m sure by now that everybody is in full swing with back-to-school and all that comes with it during this time of year. As much as I enjoyed school as a child, I always dreaded the time when vacation was over and the grind had to begin again. However, it did make the time go faster and before you knew it, you were graduating and then the real grind begins! Anyway, I always remembered to keep God a part of the experience and while in seminary, I used to write on the top of my test papers, “All for the glory of God” which helped me to remember what it was all about.

This past week consisted with lots of meetings on the preparation for our new Church and I am very happy with the way we are progressing. Thus far the subcommittees are in the dream stage of the wants and needs of our new Church and are also working on educating themselves regarding guidelines in Church architecture along with how we will be getting from Point A to Point B. Our preparation consultant, Alberto Portella, will be here after all the Masses on September 8th and 9th giving those who are interested a short workshop on Gathering Spaces. Hope you will be able to attend this interesting talk and learn about ways you can contribute to our new Church design. We hope to present to the parish a Vision Statement booklet sometime in October to get your ideas and comments on our new Church. Just keep checking our Website and Bulletin for 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 August 19, 2007

2007-08-27T07:38:00.001-07:00

Greetings as we begin another week!

As you may know, every year the Church of Diocese of St. Petersburg honors those individuals from various parishes who have performed outstanding service to their respective Churches with the St. Jude Award Medal. This year I am thrilled to announce the first Spanish recipient of this wonderful medal to Mr. Jose Moranta! Mr. Moranta has been a fixture with the Spanish community from the beginning and has devoted much of his time, talent, and treasure to making the liturgical experience of this community second to none. He has been married to his wife Noelia for over 30 years and is currently studying for the Diaconate. God willing, he will be ordained as a permanent Deacon in the next two years and he will be able to serve our parish community in an even deeper way. My congratulations go out to this wonderful man and he will be awarded this privileged medal on the Feast of Christ the King in November of this year. We are so very grateful for his presence here!

Last week I mentioned that our Music Director, Todd LeBlanc has resigned as our Music Director. Please keep Todd and his family in prayer to almighty God.

Peace,
Fr. David

St. Mark's News & Events for August 12, 2007

2007-08-27T07:37:00.001-07:00

Greetings as we begin another week!

Last week Vacation Bible School was in full swing and what a wonderful time all the children and adults experienced. There were so many activities for the children to do and they learned a lot about God during that time. I would like to thank Pam Wallace for putting this all together with assistance from other adult leaders and families who brought enthusiasm and great teaching techniques that made the children want to come back for more. Looking forward to next year already!

On another note, we are sad to report that our Music Director, Todd LeBlanc, will be leaving us on August 19th to commit full time to his Show Kidz business. Todd has been a wonderful leader to our music ministry these past five years and we will miss his good and cheery disposition. We thank Todd for his great contribution to our Liturgies and we wish him the best of blessings in his new endeavor. God speed to you! We are now in the process of receiving resumes from prospective candidates and we will be interviewing for the best person in the weeks to come. Keep Todd and all of us in prayer to almighty God.

On Saturday, August 25th we will have the opportunity to take a bus to visit some Churches in Kissimmee, Winter Park, and Rockledge (near Orlando), to view the latest architecture of Church’s that were recently built. This will be an educational tour for us to get ideas about what type of architecture and seating we may like for our new Church. The bus holds around 46 people so if there are any parishioners who wish to go, please call Chuck Rizzo at the office and reserve your seat. There is not cost, but space is limited so call as soon as possible. We will be leaving the Church around 8:00 a.m. returning around 5:00 or 6:00 p.m. that day. Come and partake in a piece of history!

I did get the chance to play golf with my oldest brother Joe on his birthday last week and we played a course called El Diablo, which means, The Devil. With a name like that, I wasn’t sure if it was the right course for me to play. Although it tempted me many times to hit the ball where I shouldn’t, I played it reasonable well and lost only one ball. I figured with God on my side, why would I fear anything! Actually, it was a great course and the weather held up until the round was over and then the rains came. God is good!

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 August 5, 2007

2007-08-27T07:36:00.000-07:00

Greetings as we begin another week!

I guess the only exciting thing that happened this week to me personally was the fact I got a new car! I call it my “toy car” because it’s very small and drives like a, well…toy car. I love it because now I can park into all types of places without any effort and also it has great gas mileage, which helps out a lot now that gas prices keep going up. I did lots of research on cars the last few months and for what I wanted, I got a great deal. So whatever money you want to throw in my trunk for good luck, please go ahead and do so! It may help in my car payment.

In other news, we have been meeting with the subcommittees from the Steering committee and laid out a solid plan of attack for the next few months. I’m hoping to have some criteria done by the end of this year so we can present this to the parish for your input and comments. After that, we will design a schematic to present to the parish and then onto the Diocese for their input and comments. Towards the end of August, members of the subcommittees will be visiting churches in the Orlando area to view some of their architecture and worship space. It’s beginning to get exciting!

Last week I also attended a youth leadership retreat held at St. Leo Abbey and over 13 of our youth leaders attended. I was so proud watching them being commissioned to go back to their parishes and bring the Gospel of Christ to youth. They seemed on a spiritual high and I could sense their excitement as leaders. Youth ministry has a lot of great things planned for this coming year and I hope many of you parents will support their effort by supporting the work of your children. They are the Church NOW and we need their creative energy!

No golf to report on this week although I will be heading to the course to play with my older brother for his birthday. I will let you know how that fiasco winds up.

That is all for now, continue to enjoy the gift that God had given us in each other.

Peace, Fr. David

St. Mark's News & Events for July 29, 2007

2007-08-01T04:04:00.000-07:00

Greetings as we begin another week!

Well, vacation was a real treat this year as I had the opportunity to visit the city of Chicago for the first time. What a special treat for me as I was able to see the Cubs in old Wrigley Field and surprisingly they won! I visited the Art Museum, which was awesome along with other large and small attractions along the way. But the best part of it all was the food! I tasted almost every variety of Chicago food and all of it was outstanding! Chicago pizza was second to none and I still can’t get over the deep-dish variety that filled me after one slice! I went with Fr. Argentino, whom some of you know from saying Mass here on occasion, to one restaurant where their prime rib is their specialty. We are no longer allowed in that restaurant after Fr. Argentino moved the table to get out after our meal and its entire contents spilled to the floor! As I fled out of the restaurant, Fr. Argentino told the Maitre de that he may need a mop at table 24 and then also fled. So if you ever go to Laurie’s restaurant on the Miraculous Mile and see our pictures on the wall, you will know why. Just tell them you don’t know where we live! Anyway, we had a great time and I look forward to going back as soon as I lose all the weight I gained on the trip. Gosh, that may take a long time!

Despite summer vacations, we continue to meet in setting the groundwork for our new Church. The subcommittees will be meeting again along with the Steering Committee to tie up some loose ends and hopefully get more and more information out to you. It’s starting to get really exciting!

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 15, 2007

2007-07-15T14:38:00.001-07:00

Greetings to all of you!

First of all, even though it’s July and vacation season is in full swing, we continue to be busy planning for events that will be held at St. Mark for the year and years to come. The Church Steering Committee and subcommittees will also be meeting in July to discuss their respective concerns. Vacation Bible School will be held at the end of the month and that committee has been planning a great week of activities. We are also planning fund raising events in the fall and spring so continue to watch your bulletin and the website for details. It’s going to be an exciting year!

We are also happy to introduce Mr. Luther Ferris who is our new Liturgical Coordinator! Luther and Sandra Ferris have been members of St. Mark since 1999. They have two children, Dominick (15) and Alexavier who was born this past March 2007. Luther was a former seminarian studying at the North American College in Rome, Italy over twenty years ago and then decided that God was not calling him to the Priesthood and eventually left the seminary. Yet, he continued to feel the call to service and what better way to serve God than to work for him in the Church as a lay staff member! We welcome Luther to St. Mark and I hope that all of you will be able to meet him and give him a warm embrace. Keep him also in your prayers as he begins this challenging assignment.

I won’t be seeing you this week as I will be on vacation. The parish will be in the capable hands of Fr. Isaac and of course our great and hardworking staff.

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 8, 2007

2007-07-04T22:21:00.000-07:00

Greetings to all of you!

As promised, this week is the final chapter of my golfing adventure you have been reading about for the last few weeks. I feel like J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter books, trying to keep the ending a secret. Hordes of fans have tried to bribe me with all sorts of money, power, and vacations to find out the ending. But I have kept up my resistance and have won the race! I just wish the ending were as exciting as I’m sure the Potter book will be. As the crowds carried me to the ninth hole, the only hole of the shootout, two other mean looking teams awaited us. We stared each other down and I pulled my driver out of the bag just taunting them to dare and beat us. I stepped to the tee, my knees were shaking like an earthquake was about to hit. I was determined not to hit the ball in the water. I took a massive swing and the ball went high in the air, not really that far out, but it was dry nonetheless. My partner hit a massive drive but unfortunately the ball didn’t turn left enough and the ball ended up in the watery grave. At this point, I was a long, long, way to the green and I felt I needed to at least get near it to have any chance of winning. The pressure was enormous with the thousands of spectators cheering from the sidelines just waiting for a spectacular Tiger Woods shot. My partner pleaded with me to play very short of the hole and hit it on in three. I would have no part of that! After all we had been through, I was not about to play like a scared rabbit. I can only compare the feeling to that of Kevin Costner in the movie Tin Cup going for the green despite all the odds against it. So with my blood pumping and the vision of being a hero going through my mind, I went for the green! There’s an old saying that states “only fools go where heroes fear to dwell” and unfortunately I didn’t have that quote in my mind as I took a huge swing at the ball. Just like Kevin Costner in the movie, I pumped my ball in the water and to make matters worse, I took another massive swing and pumped that one in the water too. A huge groan went out from the crowed and our chances for first place went out the door too. However, we did get third place out of 60 or so teams and it made my weekend one of the most exciting and nerve wracking events in some time. All I can say is “we’ll get ‘em next year!”

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 1, 2007

2007-07-02T21:11:00.001-07:00

Greetings to all of you!

As you may have read last week, my first hole in the semi-finals turned out disastrous but I had two more holes left to salvage a decent showing. Well, as the golf gods would have it, another team decided to pump three balls out of bounds on the next hole and all of a sudden our team was back in it in second place with one whole to go! As we stood on the tee for the final hole, five shots down, the first place team decided to pump three of their own balls out of bounds! Suddenly, after the hole was finished, we were tied with them to decide who would advance to the final shootout! The officials decided to have a “chip off” to declare the winner, and again, I was the first one to hit. The chip was about 30 yards with all sorts of groves, hills, and even mountains between me and the hole. (Ok, the mountains might be pushing it). Anyway, realizing my partner couldn’t chip his way out of a paper bag, a mountain of pressure began to settle on my poor shoulders. Thus, after surveying the contour of the land and the roll of the green, I stepped up and knocked it two feet away and no one else even got close! WE WON the semi-final round and we were now heading for the final shootout against two other teams!! The crowed went wild and I was carried on the other golfer’s shoulders to the 9th hole where the ultimate winners would be crowned. Next week I will tell you what happened so stay tuned!

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 June 24, 2007

2007-06-20T17:25:00.001-07:00

In my last column I wrote chapter one of the my first real competitive tournament in over 25 years and how I sank a five foot downhill curling putt to win our flight. This week comes chapter two. After winning our flight, we now had to play the winners of the other 5 flights to determine what 3 teams would compete in the final shootout. This particular round consisted of three holes with every stroke of the team counting toward a total score and the lowest three scores would advance to the final. As luck would have it, I ended up having to be the first one to tee off in front of thousands of spectators! (Ok, there were around 10 but who’s counting). Anyway, just off the tee was a large gully of weeds and very high grass that would just swallow any golf ball hit into it. As the golf gods would have it, I pumped three balls right into that gully and they wouldn’t let me off the tee until I got one finally in the fairway. Well, on my fourth drive, I smacked the ball far to the left heading to the out of bound markers. An angel who took pity on me made the ball hit a tree and popped it back into the fairway. Thus, I’m now laying seven a long way away from the green. I eventually got onto the green and dropped a twenty foot putt for a horrendous ten! I apologized profusely to my partner and realized I may have just knocked our team out of the tournament. He reassured me that we still had two holes to play and “anything can happen.” It turned out prophetic because in the next chapter, I will let you know just what happened that will make you understand the Resurrection in a whole new light. Stay tuned!

Also, last week I attended the Confirmation of my youngest niece in Ocala. It was a long but beautiful ceremony and I was a proud uncle seeing her get anointed by the Bishop to go out into the world proclaiming the love of Jesus Christ. Now if I can only convince her to stay out of the Malls shopping as she moves onto this most important work!

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 June 17, 2007

2007-06-17T16:14:00.000-07:00

Greetings as we begin another week!

I’m sorry for the lack of an article these past two weeks since I was playing in my first real golf tournament in over 25 years. One week I missed because I was at the tournament and the next week I missed writing because I was still in shock over the outcome! It is a long exciting story of sin and redemption, death to life, hopelessness to joy. I guess I didn’t realize that the elements of ordinary life plays out even on a golf course. Starting out the first day was not that exciting since we split our matches and headed into Sunday trying to just stay alive. On the second day though, it seems the Angels were smiling down upon us (it must have been that prayer for victory at dinner on Saturday night) when we begin to knock off all the teams that we played leading to a showdown with the first place team in our flight. On the last hole I missed a 15 foot putt and ran it past the cup another 5 feet and was faced with a down hill curler. If I missed that putt coming back, we would have lost; sinking it would give us victory. Well, after saying an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be, I closed my eyes and drained it for victory! My partner, Dr. Tom Frankforth was jumping in the air pumping his fists and just about tackled me to the ground. Thus we were 4th flight winners but the story gets even more miraculous as we then had to move on to the next round. I will save that one for next week, so stay tuned!

I would like to give you some information regarding the efforts of our Steering Committee as we get more educated regarding guidelines for Churches as we plan for our new Church. On a side note, we have also accepted a proposal from a new Fundraising Company called Community Counseling Service (CCS) that will help us to raise funds as we get closer to our start date. After some prayer and discussion, we have decided to kick-off the new Capital Campaign in the fall of 2008. This will give us some extra time to get a schematic done of our new church after input from our congregation. In the next few weeks Alberto Portela, our design consultant, will be offering workshops after the Masses to help us make informed decisions. So lots of exciting things are happening and we look forward to sharing more news with you as we proceed.

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 27, 2007

2007-05-25T09:59:00.000-07:00

Greetings as we begin another week!

First of all some news on the planning process for the building of our new Church! Last week a group of individuals from St. Mark went and toured some of the newer Catholic Churches in the area to get a feel about Church architecture and the many ways to build a beautiful edifice to God. We visited Incarnation Parish in Town &Country with its beautiful baptismal font and then on to St. Raphael parish in St. Petersburg with its beautiful location on the intercoastal waterway. Finally we toured St. Timothy Church with its immense Narthex and gathering space. Each of the Churches had their own personality and emphasis on different ways of worship which was quite interesting. We hope in the next month or so to be visiting Orlando and Ocala to the newer churches over there. I think we all had a more enriching experience since we were given a list of things to look for in trying to follow the guidelines of Church architecture. Anyone who wants to come on our next tour, let us know and we may be able to rent a bus!
In addition, the search committee for selecting a Capital Campaign Company was busy at work interviewing several companies who will help us raise the funds for our new Church. We hope to make our final selection very soon.

With all our meetings I’ve also managed to get a round of golf in at Hunters Green the other day. I’m happy to report that I only lost 3 balls as opposed to my usual 7 or 8 which means I just may be improving somewhat. I think I’ve found a new swing (I bought it at St. Vincent Thrift store) and it looks like a winner for the time being. I will just have to wait and see!

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

Peace, Father David

St. Mark's News & Events for May 20, 2007

2007-05-25T09:58:00.000-07:00

Greetings as we begin another week!

This past Saturday we celebrated first Communion with over 220 children from St. Mark Parish and what a beautiful celebration it was! Fr. Ed Lamp was our homilist and did a marvelous job explaining how important Eucharist is to the lives of Catholics. It truly was a profound celebration and I wish to thank the catechists, parents, musicians, and all who made this year’s celebration a tremendous success!

Speaking of the Eucharist, Bishop Lynch has implemented an initiative to foster a deeper experience and understanding of the Eucharist among the faithful of the Diocese of St. Petersburg over a four year period. We had a meeting of priests over a year ago and we all came to the realization of a deeper need to understand what the Eucharist is all about and how it is the source of who we are as Catholic Christians. Included in this bulletin this week is the overview of what this Initiative will encompass in the next four years. I pray that many of you will partake of the various workshops and discussions that will be offered throughout this period. The Catholic Church is alive and well and all of us are called to a deeper conversion so we can bring the values of the Kingdom of God here on earth!

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

Peace, Father David

St. Mark's News & Events for May 13, 2007

2007-05-25T09:57:00.000-07:00

Greetings as we begin another week!
This past Friday, we had the privilege to celebrate the 25th Anniversary Celebration of the Ordination of Fr. Edward Lamp who normally does the 5:30 Saturday evening Mass for us here at St. Mark. It was a simple but profound ceremony of thanksgiving for his ministry to the Church and over 200 people attended. Fr. Ed has touched the lives of countless men and women and was an integral force in my own decision to become a priest 17 years ago. It is amazing how the power of God can work through a person and be a force for change in their life. Fr. Ed is a prime example of that wonderful grace and we thank him for his unselfish love to God’s people. Congratulations and ad multos annos Fr. Ed!

Last Saturday the Community of St Mark celebrated the confirmation of 88 young men and women as they began their journey in bringing souls to Christ. The Church was packed with family and friends witnessing this wonderful event in their lives and we pray for them as they begin their journey in bringing about the Gospel message to all they encounter. I would like to thank Tracey Blum, the catechists, and all the parents for making this special day possible for them and for the Church.

This weekend we also celebrate the First Holy Communion of over 220 children who also spent many hours learning about what the Eucharist is and how it becomes a transforming presence in their lives. I’m sure many of us remember our own first experience of Holy Communion and treasure it even to this day. Let us also keep them in our prayers as they receive the Body of Christ for the very first time.

I finally was able to hit the golf course one day this week and after trying a new swing pattern, I have to say there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I just hope its not a train on the other end! I’ll let you know!

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

Peace, Father David

What is Stewardship?

2007-05-25T09:55:00.000-07:00

Stewardship is serving GOD out of love and gratitude for the gifts we have received knowing that it's NOT how much we have but what we do with what we have that is important.

Stewardship is a complete lifestyle, a life of total accountability and responsibility acknowledging GOD as Creator and Owner of all. Stewards as disciples of JESUS CHRIST see themselves as caretakers of all GOD's gifts. Gratitude for these gifts is expressed in prayer, worship, offering and action by eagerly sharing these gifts out of love of GOD and one another.

Stewardship is based on the spiritual principles of the Old Testament and the teachings of JESUS; and where it has been implemented, both givers' and receivers' lives have been changed. Stewardship is a way of life, a way of thanking GOD for all His blessings by returning a portion of the time, talent and treasure GOD has given to us.

Stewardship is living out CHRIST's instruction to "love one another as I have loved you".

Stewardship is caring.

Stewardship is responsible management of our GOD-given resources of time, talent and treasure. It enhances our relationship with GOD and one another. Stewardship builds happy and healthy families.

Stewardship renews CHRIST's church.

St. Mark's News & Events for April 29, 2007

2007-04-30T09:52:00.000-07:00

Greetings as we begin another week!

Now that the build up to Easter Sunday has concluded we can all take a deep breath and enjoy the rest of the Easter Season. We have a few major events coming our way in the next few weeks beginning with Fr. Ed Lamps 25th Anniversary Jubilee Mass on Friday, May 4th at 6:00 pm. Tickets are available for sale after all the Masses for the reception at Hunters Green. The very next day, Saturday May 5th at 10:00 am, Confirmation will be bestowed upon over 65 of our high school students. Finally on Saturday, May 15th, we will celebrate two First Communions for over two hundred children at 10:00 am and 2:00 pm. Whew! It just goes to show how we are growing in leaps and bounds here at St. Mark and the energy and electricity of our congregation is amazing. Keep all them in your prayers!

I also would like to give you a report from the Steering Committee as they lay the foundation for the education of our parish by stating that we have had many meetings thus far and subcommittees have been formed and have been meeting on a consistent basis. More specifics will be forthcoming as the committees begin to organize and publish their thoughts and ideas.

As you can also see in the Narthex of the Church the thermometer continues to rise as we try to meet our Annual Pastoral Appeal (APA) assessment. Thus far, only 15% of our congregation has contributed or pledged to this campaign and I am praying that more families will be part of this most important endeavor. Please, whatever you can give would be most helpful to our parish and help us to make that thermometer rise in the next few weeks! God will bless you for it.

No golf to report on this week since I broke my driver and have been unable to play. Well, at least thats a good excuse! I wish I could tell you I hit the ball so hard that the head fell off or I smashed it against a tree out of anger after a bad shot, but that would not be the truth. It simply fell out of my bag while riding in the cart, hit the hard pavement, and broke in two. How unremarkable is the life I lead.

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

Peace, Father David

St. Mark's News & Events for April 22, 2007

2007-04-30T09:49:00.000-07:00

Greetings as we begin another week!

After celebrating Easter Sunday Masses with the vast crowds two weeks ago, I finally got the chance to take a big fat nap before some priest friends arrived at the rectory for an Easter celebration. I didn't cook mind you since I usually burn water, so one of the priests (a master chef in his own right) whipped up a delicious dinner and filled all of us for days. Overall, I think I gained over 5 pounds that day and I didn't want to see food ever again (until I broke down and had a nice snack of leftovers for lunch the next day). It just goes to show how talented many of our priests are and how they bring the glory of God to people in many ways. I am so glad that God allowed me to be part of this great vocation!

What can I say about the Services during Holy Week and Easter Sunday! They were absolutely magnificent especially the beautiful Easter Vigil on Saturday night. The newly baptized and those entering into full communion with the Church were absolutely glowing on that special night. Many could actually feel a special presence of God during the Mass and there were times I got goose bumps feeling the electricity of the moment. Thanks to Fr. Isaac, Todd LeBlanc and Nancy Larson for their magnificent work in making this happen. We are all so grateful!

Speaking of Nancy Larson, we had to say goodbye as she begins a new dimension of her life as she retires from St. Mark after 5 years of employment. She has been our Liturgical Coordinator for those years and has worked diligently to make our parish such a welcoming one and our Liturgies prayerful and holy. Her friendly attitude and constant concern for St. Mark will be missed by many and we pray that her retirement years will be filled with joy! God Speed Miss Nancy and thank you!!

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

Peace,Fr. David

What is Stewardship?

2007-04-30T09:48:00.000-07:00

Stewardship is giving to GOD a portion of the time that has been given to us. In 365 days we have 8760 hours. Most of us spend 4185 hours eating and sleeping. Most of us spend 2080 hours at work. This is saying that most of us have 2495 disposable hours. We need to spend a lot more time for GOD. We must realize that the time we have is a gift from GOD. All that we are asked is to return a portion of those disposable hours to GOD as well.

The Christian Steward is one who receives GOD's gifts gracefully, cherishes and tends them in a responsible manner, shares them in justice and love with all, and returns them with increase to the LORD.

Stewardship is important because we can develop our full potential as human beings, show gratitude for GOD's many gifts, help restore the world and human community and grow spiritually and become more like CHRIST.

St. Mark's News & Events for April 8, 2007

2007-04-04T12:47:00.000-07:00

Greetings to you all on this Most Blessed Easter!

I’m sure all of you are glad lent is now over and we can begin to celebrate the wonderful event of the Resurrection. It is THIS event that makes our lives all worthwhile by God letting us know we are loved and we will spend eternal life with Him. I pray that all of you have a blessed Easter and don't eat too many Chocolate Rabbits!

I did get the chance to play golf this past week and again our team came in second place at the Rotary Golf tournament at Hunters Green. I still had to carry the team throughout the whole day but I did get some help when one of our teammates captured an eagle on the 14th hole! We had to let him go since they are endangered and we didn’t want to pay a heavy fine (only kidding). A great day was had by all and the real winners of the event was charity, as well as it should be.

St. Mark the Evangelist wishes to congratulate parishioner Joseph Caetano who won a seat on the City Council from District 7. Joseph will make an excellent advocate for us here and we wish him Gods blessings as he takes office. Congratulations Joseph!!

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

Peace and Happy Easter!
Fr. David

St. Mark's News & Events for April 1, 2007

2007-03-31T19:38:00.000-07:00

Greetings as we begin another week!

I was able to hit the golf course this week, not only once but twice as I played in two fundraising events. One was for my nephew's traveling baseball team in Ocala and the other was for Corpus Christi Catholic School. Before the tournament began in Ocala, I participated in the putting contest in which we were given three opportunities to sink an 85 foot putt for 50% of the proceeds. As God would have it, I rolled my first ball right into the cup! My brothers jumped for joy and couldn't believe someone would actually make it, let alone me! It turned out that I won the putting contest which is the first thing I won on my own since childhood. After making millions, the IRS took almost all of it for taxes and left me enough money to buy a stiff drink. Well, at least I'm well known in Ocala for my marvelous accomplishment and I'm sure they will put up pictures of me all around the city. Unfortunately, I had to carry my brothers all day since they couldn't hit a broad side of a barn and we turned in a respectable showing. On Sunday at Heritage Isles, I again had to carry my foursome with all my spectacular shots and saved the day on many holes. Now I have to give my back some rest since the load was very heavy but we all had a great time and I'm glad we were able to support this great school of Corpus Christi!

As you may have noticed in the Narthex of the Church, we have a board placed showing our participation in the Annual Pastoral Appeal. This really is important for St. Mark Church since every dollar contributed is one more we get to keep here at the parish. I'm hoping we get a high participation of families so please help us in this effort by contributing to the APA! Anything you can contribute will help us reach our goal.

As you may know by now, this is the holiest week of the year and I'm looking forward to seeing many of you at our services for Holy Week. Please check the times in the bulletin, I know you will truly enjoy the experience!

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 March 25, 2007

2007-03-24T14:33:00.000-07:00

Greetings as we begin another week!

Well it's getting closer and closer for the Elect and Candidates as they prepare for the great Easter Vigil in which they will be fully initiated into the Catholic Church. These last three weeks the Elect have been going through the Scrutinies and at the 10:30 am Mass on Sunday, they will have completed the last step and we pray ready for the Easter Vigil. It has been a long process for them and after speaking to some of them, I realized what a profound affect this process had on each one and that their relationship to Christ has deepened. Continue to pray for them as they continue onto the Mother of all Vigils on Saturday, April 7th.

The weather has been very nice lately so I decided to go out to the golf course and hit the ball around. I have to say it was the best round I shot in months! It also helped that I was playing by myself and there was nobody around to check on my score. However, you will have to take my word for it since I will have to answer to God if I cheated. Well…….maybe I should have added a few more strokes now that I mention it.

There is still time to make this lent a good one if you haven't been able to keep up with all your promises and sacrifices. We have almost two weeks left before Easter arrives. So let's make these next two weeks one of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving and really experience Easter Joy!

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 March 18, 2007

2007-03-19T15:50:00.000-07:00

Greetings as we begin another week!

Last Saturday I was happy to see over 80 people join us for a presentation on the building of our new Church and the process of how this is going to happen. We had a diocesan official from the Office of Liturgy come to speak to us regarding guidelines for building churches. He showed us various liturgical publications from Rome and the Diocese regarding architecture and requirements. The architect for our new church, Alberto Portela, explained the various subcommittees and their function as we begin to make all this happen. Being the son of a carpenter and not being able to hammer a nail in a wall, I'm really getting quite an education on all this and I know I'm going to need all your help in planning and design. So if you haven't signed up for any of the committees yet, check our website and sign up for one that interests you. This truly is a privilege in being on the ground floor of a building that will serve for future generations of Catholics in the New Tampa area! I hope you will be part of it.

Speaking of our web site, if you haven't visited it just yet, please do http://www.stmarktampa.org/! It has wonderful information and pictures of our Master Plan along with information on ministries, schedules, current news, and a new feature, the virtual Evangelist! It even has a section to improve your golf game (only kidding) but it will keep you in the loop of all the happenings at St. Mark the Evangelist. So take a moment and go to our website and see all the things your parish is doing! Become involved and experience the grace of God in your life.

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 March 11, 2007

2007-03-08T17:55:00.000-08:00

Greetings as we begin another week!

Well I must say that our Parish Mission was a HUGE success with our Retreat Master, Fr. Dennis Corrodo mixing humor with a serious message of forgiveness. Record numbers of people from all over New Tampa came to listen to this powerful speaker and I know many walked away with a renewed sense of Gods love and presence. It was a wonderful start to the Season of Lent and I hope it will carry us forward to the Easter mysteries! We hope to have him back in a few years so that more people can experience this powerful presentation.Last Saturday I was transported to New Port Richey to receive my third degree from the Knights of Columbus. What a truly exceptional organization of men we have here at St. Mark the Evangelist. Theyre self-less giving to our parish is unheralded and they put on the best fish dinners during Lent of any place in the city! If you haven't come to a fish fry yet this year, by all means do so and have a great dinner. I think I recognized food critic Chris Sherman one Friday night testing our dinner and a happy smile creased his face. I'm still waiting for the rating in the newspaper though and I'm sure well make millions when the secret gets out!

As of this writing we will be having our Parish Retreat on the new building on Saturday, March 10th. Hope to tell you all the details in the next bulletin.

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

Peace, Fr. David

St. Mark's News & Events for March 4, 2007

2007-03-03T13:20:00.000-08:00

Greetings as we begin another week!

Lent is off to a wonderful start as we had Fr. Dennis Corrado give the Lenten Retreat here last week. His message of forgiveness was powerful and I hope many of you were able to attend one or more of the sessions. Its not everyday we are able to have such a profound speaker in our midst and I continue to pray that we take his message to heart as the Season of Lent moves forward.

I did get the chance to play golf during my vacation and unfortunately it turned out to be one of the coldest days of the year. By the 12th hole I was frozen and birds decided to land on me as if I were a statue which is probably why I inherited this terrible cold after all that nonsense. I hope it isn’t the bird flu.

Last Sunday our Catechumens and Candidates for full reception into our Church were presented to Bishop Lynch at the Rite of Election. Again, the Cathedral was jammed packed with those desiring to enter the Catholic Church and we are so proud of our own who will become Catholics at the Easter Vigil. You will be seeing some of them throughout Lent as they will undergo more steps to full reception. Continue to keep them in your prayers.

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

Peace, Fr. David

Special Letter of Thanks... - February 25

2007-02-23T15:16:00.000-08:00

Dear St. Mark parishioners,

We would like to express our gratitude to all of you who in one way or another helped us settle into this country when we arrived from Cuba. It is through your generosity and kindness that we have found new fathers, mothers, friends and relatives as we came to experience life here in the great U.S.A.

With the material goods that you have given us, we have found a solution to our daily life needs and problems. But most importantly, we have found in the spiritual realm a blessing with no measure. You have touched our hearts and souls. We have discovered a family fraternity of Christian believers that is incredible. As you may know, in our native country, many families are divided by the system that governs Cuba. However, at St. Mark we found blessings for us all.

Omar, Sandra, Yerandy and Yovany have no words to express our gratitude but with our heartfelt sincerity we tell you we are eternally grateful for what you have done for us!

St. Mark's News & Events for February 18, 2007

2007-02-15T16:41:00.000-08:00

Greetings as we begin another week!

Last week you heard an accounting of our financial position as a parish and how generous the parishioners of St. Mark have been this past year. As you know, we continue to grow by leaps and bounds and we are so grateful to the many of you who have given of their time, talents, and treasure in managing this outstanding growth. As you also heard, our assessment for the Annual Pastoral Appeal (APA) for this year has grown to over $226,686 and we will need your help in meeting this goal again this year. Remember, APA helps to fund the many ministries that the Diocese provides and helps parishes to expand their efforts in promoting the Gospel of Christ. You have always been very generous when it comes to tragedies that befall the unfortunate from time to time and APA helps us to do this on a daily basis along with providing for the education of priests, etc. If we fail to make our assessment, then St. Mark has to cut a check from our offertory to make up for the difference. If EVERYBODY gave something, we would more than surpass our goal and be quickly on our way to a new Church. Hope you will be part of this Annual Appeal. If you would like to see the presentation of our financial condition, check our website and while you're at it, record your e-mail address so we can keep you updated on parish life.

Next weekend we will have with us Fr. Dennis Corrado who will be giving us our Lenten Parish Retreat. Fr. Dennis is an Oratorian from New York and has a wonderful sense of humor and a powerful message on forgiveness. Give yourself a treat during Lent and come to listen to this outstanding preacher. We are honored to have him here at St. Mark! Check the bulletin and our website for more information.

This week I have been on vacation so you will not be seeing me this weekend at Mass. I'm hoping to get some golf in and visit with my family in Ocala. See you next week as the great Season of Lent begins!

Peace, Fr. David

St. Mark's News & Events for February 11, 2007

2007-02-12T15:28:00.000-08:00

Greetings as we begin another week!

Well by now the Super Bowl is already a week over and now the world can start to move forward again to more important issues that affect us. Not that I'm opposed to football, but the hype and all the money spent on it is just overwhelming and I just can't see the overall importance of it all. However, I did bet the house on the winner so at least it meant something to me in that I will be able to drink smoothies free everyday for a month!

I also was able to play in a charity event for the Noon Rotary last Friday. I'm not sure who showed up on the front nine since I couldn't get the ball off the ground or in the right direction losing over 6 golf balls. But on the back nine, Tiger Woods must have taken over my golf swing and I was in utter amazement at what the ball was doing. My companions were cheering me on the whole way and calling me Wonder man at the great golf skills they witnessed! Of course, I alone had to save them out of many tough positions and after it was all over, they bowed to me in wonder and adoration. I can see how Tiger Woods has to put up with it now; I don't know how he does it.

This week we begin again the Annual Pastoral Appeal which benefits many people in our parish and diocese. Last year St. Mark the Evangelist had a record response to this appeal and this weekend we will be speaking at all the Masses about our Financial Position and how your generosity has helped us to achieve some of our goals. I hope this year we have greater participation and break last year's record of $107,000. Only you can make the difference!

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

Peace,
Fr. David

A New Giving Opportunity

2007-02-12T15:26:00.000-08:00

The Pension Protection Act of 2006, signed into law this past August, included a provision allowing a Charitable Rollover Gift to non-profit organizations. You might be able to make such a gift - here is how:

The giving opportunity is in effect until December 31, 2007.
Donors must be 70 ½ or older on the date of distribution in order to participate.
The distribution must be made to a qualified 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization and your parish, the Catholic Foundation and the Annual Pastoral Appeal meet that qualification.
Donors may count the amount of the distribution made through the IRA Charitable Rollover towards the Retired Maximum Distribution for tax-deferred retirement accounts in that year and exclude that amount from their gross income, allowing for tax savings through income reduction.
A Roth IRA distribution may also be made, but since there is no income tax on the distribution, there is no tax saving. • The Internal Revenue Service does not consider this a charitable contribution.• The transfer must be made from your IRA directly to the charity, otherwise it will be declared as income - consult your IRA administrator to ensure correct transfer procedures.
The distribution is limited to a maximum of $100,000 per year per person. A spouse can also make a gift from their IRA subject to the same provisions and limitations.
Your distribution may be made to the Catholic Foundation of the Diocese of St. Petersburg for ease of transfer, and be directed as you wish to your parish, a particular ministry or the 2007 Annual Pastoral Appeal. As with this and other tax matters, please call upon your tax advisor for appropriate counsel before making a gift decision.

An IRA Charitable Gift Rollover may have tax advantages for you and provide critical support for your parish, and/or other critical ministries.

For more information or assistance please call:
Joe Odda
Planned Giving Manager, Catholic Foundation
(727)-374-0204

St. Mark's News & Events for January 28, 2007

2007-01-27T16:20:00.000-08:00

Greetings as we begin another week!

As I hope you have noticed driving in here the last few weeks, we
have finally been able to reseal the entrance way and parking lot along
with painting new lines for parking spaces and turning lanes. This
came about due to your wonderful generosity last year to the
offertory collection and the Annual Pastoral Appeal (APA). The
entire operation was done by the company of Gardner-Gibson
Asphalt and its owner, Mr. Ray Hyer, donated the entire product that
went into making this project such a success. On behalf of the
community, I wish to thank Mr. Hyer for his very generous
contribution since he saved us over $6000 from the estimated cost. I
would also like to thank parishioner Kevin McKay who supervised
the entire operation and was the crucial element in making all this
happen! It's amazing what God can do when we all work together
for His good.

Last week, our architect Alberto Portella, explained all the different
committees that will be vital in the planning and construction of our
new Church. After all the masses last week, many of you were able
to get more information about the committees and hopefully signed
up to be part of this important moment of St. Mark's history.
Continue to pray for all of us as we embark on this most wonderful
and scary journey! Stay up-to-date on the latest news on our website
at www.stmarktampa.org and register your email address for email
updates.

Also last Saturday, our parish nurse Kathy DiSanto put together
another successful health fair. All sorts of Doctors, Rehabilitation
specialists, medical supply companies, and health and welfare firms
contributed their time in helping us stay well. I stayed away from the
needle guy who was checking blood sugar levels though.
Congratulations Kathy on another successful event!

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 January 21, 2007

2007-01-27T16:19:00.001-08:00

What is stewardship?

Stewardship is responding to the LORD's call to be his disciple and
living out that faithful response in our daily lives. Each of us has
been blessed by GOD with certain talents, abilities and resources
that are called to be nurtured and developed for the good of others.
Because GOD has appointed us as stewards, or caretakers, of where
we live, we do not really own or possess anything. We act on behalf
of a loving but just GOD who expects us to render an accounting of
our use of these resources [time, talent and treasure] that have been
entrusted to our care.We are to be grateful for what we have received
and eager to cultivate those gifts out of love for GOD and one
another.

Stewardship is an expression of discipleship, with the power to
change how we understand and live out our lives. Disciples who
practice stewardship recognize GOD as the origin of life, the giver
of freedom, the source of all they have and are and will be. They are
deeply aware of the truth that "The earth is the LORD's and all it
holds, the world and those who live there." [Ps.24:1] They know
themselves to be recipients and caretakers of GOD's many gifts.
They are grateful for what they have received and eager to cultivate
their gifts out of love for GOD and one another.

Stewardship is a way of life embracing all areas of life. It is a central
theme of the Bible, which tells us that we are accountable to GOD
for all the gifts of time, talent and treasure that GOD entrusts to us
for our lifetime. Further, the emphasis is on the personal need of
each one of us to return to GOD a truly grateful portion of our
time, talent and treasure, in thanksgiving for all the good things
GOD has given to us.

St. Mark's News & Events for January 14, 2007

2007-01-27T16:19:00.000-08:00

Greetings as we begin another week!

Well, we are finally back to Ordinary Time after all the Advent and
Christmas celebrations that we experienced. Now we can take a small
breather until Lent begins in the middle of February. Last week we
viewed a powerful film on vocations to the Priesthood and Religious
life and I heard wonderful comments on how effective it was for
getting out the message. This week and next week, we welcome
Alberto Portella, the architect of our Family Life Center and Master
Plan, to come and speak to us about the process we will be undergoing
in the building of a new Church for St. Mark the Evangelist. I think
you are going to find these presentations extremely informative and I
hope many of you will decide to take part in this process as we move
forward in our future. Let’s pray that all our hearts will be opened in
promoting vocations and helping to provide a place for God’s Word to
be proclaimed. May God bless us all.

Again, there is no golf to report on this week although I know
exactly what I must do in order to play this dumb game a little better.
There is no short course on improvement so I have to get out there
and just do it! (Humm.., I think I’ve heard that tag line before).
Anyway, I’ll be out there hopefully this week since after Christmas,
all the golf balls are piling up with no woods or lakes to hit them in.

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 January 7, 2007

2007-01-27T16:17:00.000-08:00

Greetings as we begin another week!

By now the New Year is in full swing and all the holiday festivities
have come to a close. Im a little exhausted by now as I am sure most
of you are also. I think we need to add more time between Christmas
and New Year so we can catch our breath! Maybe we can move the
New Year to July since thats a pretty low key month and it needs
something to get us out of our summer doldrums. Just a thought!

This weekend we will be celebrating Vocations to the Priesthood and
Religious Life. A powerful film will be shown at all the Masses on the
Priesthood and I sincerely pray that it will promote a young person
to think about serving God in this way. Unfortunately, the film only
speaks of Priesthood but there are a variety of ways in serving God.
The Religious Life is also a profound way of offering service to
Gods people. The work of the Religious in our history has touched
the hearts and souls of countless people and wouldnt it be a blessing
for our parish family to have vocations spring up from our great
parish. Let us pray for these men and women that they may listen to
Gods call in their life in whatever vocation He calls them to and the
courage to say YES LORD!

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

Peace,
Fr. David

St. Mark's News & Events for December 31, 2006

2006-12-30T12:39:00.000-08:00

Greetings as we begin another week!

Well by now the Christmas season is in full swing as we ended the Season of Advent last week. What wonderful celebrations we had on Christmas Eve and Christmas day as thousands of people worshipped with us here at St. Mark. With Thanksgiving and all the Christmas parties I am now the proud owner of 20 more pounds! Thanks to many of you for helping me set that record with all the delicious cookies and chocolates you sent to us here at the parish office. Please don't stop! I always go on a massive diet at the start of the New Year in anticipation of this "sweet season" anyway. Plus, I hear chocolate is good for you! I also wish to thank you all again for such a wonderful season of giving to all those most in need. This year we had a record number of donations of food at Thanksgiving and gifts at Christmas. You never cease to amaze me by your love and generosity to the less fortunate and I know God will bless you for it.

I, along with 25 of our young people and adult leaders, worked a shift down at Metropolitan Ministries before Christmas. It warmed my heart to see so many from our youth ministry getting their hands dirty putting together packages of food and toys for needy families. I was in charge of stapling the boxes together so they wouldn't fall apart. After about five minutes I started to get the hang of it and began to whip them out fast so they could be filled. I took a break and let a boy who looked to be about16 operate the large stapler while I got a soft drink. When I got back, he did more in those five minutes than I did in a whole hour! I simply stood and watched him in amazement until he decided to move onto something else. It was then I realized that I'm really getting older since the bones just don't work like they used to. Anyway, it was a fun time for all of us and at least we did our small piece in bringing joy to those who really need it.

Well, that is all for now. May God continue to bless you in the New Year and may all your resolutions come to fruition!

Peace, Fr. David

St. Mark's News & Events for December 24, 2006

2006-12-22T10:10:00.000-08:00

Greetings as we begin another week!

There are lots of congratulations going around St. Mark this week as we just heard that Jose Diaz and the Spanish Choir has recently won the first place award for best Spanish Christmas Music throughout the region of Central Florida! This is truly a great honor for St. Mark the Evangelist and on behalf of our community we offer our heartfelt love and support. If you wish to hear some of their music, they will be playing throughout the Christmas season. Again, congratulations!

Also this past week was the beautiful Ceremony of Candles held last Sunday night. What a wonderful presentation of the birth of Christ through music and light. Congratulations to Todd LeBlanc and the Adult and Children's Choir for all their hard work in making this such a lovely event! Our parish is so talented and we continue to look to more of you in our community to give praise to the Lord through song and music.

I did finally hit the golf course last Friday and I have to say our team finished tied for first place! Although I contributed little, our team was on fire and made the game so much fun to play. To settle the tie, our teams had a "chip off" to see who would be given the check for "a million dollars." After explaining to our opponents and to the huge crowd gathering to watch that "I was playing for all the poor children in Haiti," I took a mighty swing at the ball and proceeded to hit it right in the middle…..…of the lake. So much for making our opponents feel guilty about trying to knock it close. I'm sure at this moment nobody ever wants me to win something for them. We thus lost the playoff and now EVERYBODY knows how rotten I am at golf.

Well, that is all for now. On behalf of Fr. Isaac and the St. Mark Staff, Merry Christmas!!

Peace, Fr. David

St. Mark's News & Events for December 17, 2006

2006-12-18T12:10:00.000-08:00

Greetings as we begin another week!

As we get closer to the birthday of Jesus, I'm sure some anxiety is starting to set into some of us. Shopping needs to get finished, what do we buy for Uncle Harry and Aunt Jane who have everything?! The kids are cranky after all day at the mall and they're hungry. I guess sometimes it's not too bad being a priest during this hectic time of year, especially when it comes to getting ready for the Christmas Feast. However, sometimes us priests even get real stressed out preparing for that magical day and we also have to remind ourselves what this season is all about. This year, our family made an agreement that we wouldn't buy gifts for each other and to give some of that money to those who really need it. I have to say, this is the first year that the stresses of gift giving are not evident for me and this experience of a peaceful Advent will finally turn into Christmas joy for real! I have been amazed how our parish has embraced the Christmas giving tree located in the narthex. All the "ornaments" are gone and it proves to be a great Christmas for kids who are less fortunate. I would like to thank Chuck and Katie Thibault for all their work these past years in coordinating this event. You have brought joy to lots of children. If Advent peace hasn't happened to you this year, why not try it the next time Advent rolls around and truly experience this gift of peace that God wants us to so desperately have in our lives.

This past week has also seen an increase of people in hospitals with various forms of illness. Fr. Isaac and I have been to UCH more times than the doctors who work there. I am happy to say that they all are getting better and I ask that you continue to pray for those who are sick in hospitals and at home so that they will experience God's loving care during this special time.

No golf to report on this week since I didn't want to disturb my Advent peace! However, I did get some new shoes, which will at least make me look good the next time I play.

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 December 10, 2006

2006-12-11T09:23:00.000-08:00

Greetings as we begin another week!

The St. Mark annual Christmas party held at Hunters Green Country Club was a huge success this year. The food was fantastic and the festivities of dancing and singing highlighted the event. I even got onto the dance floor with my two left feet and I have to say that I'm sorry to all those I tripped. However, it was a wonderful night of gift giving as everyone came out of the party with a prize. I would like to thank Carl and Theresa Irwin for donating an afternoon of sailing and David Larson for a weekend stay at his hotel and a free dinner at Bone Fish Grill. We also would like to thank Polo's Italian Restaurant and Stonewood Grill for donating dinners to their great restaurants. Of course, we wouldn't have been able to do this without the Jubilee Committee who has accomplished outstanding work as we celebrated our Jubilee Year. It was a wonderful tribute to St. Mark Parish and the growth that has taken place since we started in 1996. I wonder what it will be like when we celebrate our 25th ? I should be the Pope by then and you all will be invited to the Vatican as my special guests.

If you haven't seen it yet, the memorial bricks are now being installed in the Piazza area near the rock. It's a great tribute to all those who donated $5000 and over to the Capital Campaign. Parishioner Tony Olivito from Paver Works deserves our many thanks for donating his time in putting them in for us. Hope you get a chance to take a look.

This past week our Steering Committee met as we lay the groundwork for building our new Church. Sometime in January we will be presenting at Mass this groundwork and timeline to our parish community. It's a long process and the committee will be very much involved in talking to parishioners and answering questions. By the time we finish, all of us will have a Masters Degree in theology and architecture after reading all the documents and studying them. Keep us all in your prayers as we continue the process.

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 December 3, 2006

2006-12-01T12:02:00.000-08:00

Greetings as we begin another week!

Well, after last week’s Thanksgiving festivities, I don't think I will eat for the rest of the year. The food and especially the desserts were all so tasty that I couldn't help myself. I would like to write that I had taken a jog around the block a few times, but that would be a lie. For all you after dinner couch potatoes out there, rock on! I did get the miserable opportunity to play golf the next day with my brothers and took lots of grief from my wayward shots, but at least we live in Florida where we CAN play golf in the winter without worrying about snow and cold. Well then again, maybe it would be better for my golf game. I'm going to ask Santa for another new swing this year.

As you read this, we will have celebrated our final event of the Jubilee year with our annual Christmas party at Hunters Green. I hope I had a good time there despite the early start to Christmas. Details will be forthcoming next week. Last Sunday we were at the Cathedral of St. Jude for the Annual St. Jude Award Medal ceremony and our very own Kathy DiSanto was this year's recipient! What a beautiful ceremony and we treated Kathy to a first class celebration. Thank you Kathy for your continuous service to St. Mark the Evangelist and we hope that there will be many more to come! Ad Multos Annos!

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 November 26, 2006

2006-11-28T13:11:00.000-08:00

Greetings as we begin another week!

Last Saturday morning our own St. Vincent de Paul provided over 1500 meals for people who ordinarily would not have a good Thanksgiving dinner. It was remarkable how many of our people braved the cool weather and the early hour to make this distribution a real success. I would like to thank all those wonderful people involved especially Patrick Doone and Andrew Plummer for all their work in making this happen. They truly are a gift to us! In addition, our parish family gave so much financially to help this effort and we could still use more help in paying the expenses. If you can help, just slip a check into the collection and mark it in the memo section: SVDP. I know you will be truly blessed.

On Saturday night I attended the Corpus Christi School Fund Raiser which was an elaborate event that was enjoyed by all. It was a time of getting acquainted with parishioners from Corpus Christie along with our own parish family who have children in that school. It was heartening to see how many of our own parents were involved with the planning and execution of the event. Our own Gary Vien was Master of Ceremonies for the event that he put Billy Crystal to shame! Last year that raised over $85,000 for the school and they hope to surpass that this year. Let's hope they do!

Also this week, I will be at the Cathedral of St. Jude to accompany our St. Jude Award winner, Kathy DiSanto, as she receives her Medal for outstanding service to the Church. It will be a proud moment for all of us as she greets Bishop Lynch and becomes this year's Queen of St. Mark! Congratulations Kathy and well done good and faithful servant.

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 November 19, 2006

2006-11-28T13:09:00.000-08:00

Greetings as we begin another week!

Well, after last Friday's Safari dinner I don't know how we can top this as we end our Jubilee Celebration next month! Over 160 people were overwhelmed with the food, music, and dancing of our Safari hosts and there were calls to do it again next year! I would like to thank the Jubilee Committee again and a special thanks to Nancy Larson for all the work she did to make this event one of the best ever. If you weren't able to attend, you really missed out on a great evening. Our final event of the Jubilee year will be our Christmas dinner on December 1st. Get your tickets early because I think we're going to be sold out again.

Last Thursday I attended the funeral of our beloved Bishop W. Thomas Larkin at the Cathedral of St. Jude. What a beautiful tribute it was for this humble and holy man. I was so proud to see a full Church and over 9 bishops in attendance. We Catholics really do liturgy well when it comes to saying goodbye to those we love. Well done good and faithful servant, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. May he rest in peace!

As we celebrate Thanksgiving this week, let us remember to be thankful to God everyday of our lives for his wonderful blessings and I promise you a life filled with joy! Have a wonderful day!

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 November 12, 2006

2006-11-10T13:52:00.000-08:00

Greetings as we begin another week!

By now the elections are over with and all the advertisements are now long gone and we can finally get back to normal. I have to admit, some of them were very funny but I hope we get back to more positive messages in the future. I realize that is going to be a real stretch! I did play golf last week and again I had flashes of brilliance. I was trying out a new swing and having some success with it until it decided to give out on the back nine. I found out later that I was swinging wrong from the start, so go figure.

Our St. Mark Steering Committee to plan our future Church met last week and we look forward to the excitement that this opportunity will provide. Currently, the committee will be reading all the Church documents on architecture and Liturgy so we can have a better understanding on what our future Church might include. The Committee members include: Jesse Cabungcal (Art and Environment), Gilbert Gonzalez (Youth), Lorraine Green (Recorder), Jeanne Heintzel (Hospitality), Theresa and Carl Irwin (Archivist and Planner), Sal Luongo (Communications), Paul Meier (Facilities), Tim OBrien (Inclusion), John Porricolo and Jack Cain (Spirituality), Alberto Portela (Architect), Rob Rabil (Finance and Chairman), and Idelle Rodriguez (Liturgy). Please pray for all of us as we venture into planning for our future!

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 November 5, 2006

2006-11-03T12:59:00.000-08:00

Greetings to all of you!

As the cool weather begins to move in, the signs of the fall and winter holiday season begins to hover all around us. Remember, the stresses of this time can wreak havoc upon our health and spirit. Now is the time to begin planning and budgeting to make this season one where we can truly enjoy the Spirit of what it’s all about. I don’t plan to be perfect at this, but this year I'm going to try so I dont lose out on the real message. Here’s hoping that we all have a wonderful and spiritual season.

It is with sadness that I announce the resignation of Deacon Ron Vance who was our Support Services Manager for the past year. He had made great strides in beautifying our Family Life Center building along with his day to day expertise on Church management. He will be sorely missed!

Last week Fr. Isaac and I went out Trick or Treating and it seems Fr. Isaac made out with more candy than I did. Not sure how that happened except the fact that his costume may have been a little more welcoming than mine. I went as Freddie Krueger and he was Mother Theresa. Those religious always think of the best costumes! Anyway, I hope he gains lots of weight!

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 October 29, 2006

2006-11-03T12:57:00.000-08:00

Greetings as we begin another week! This week we welcome Helene Reilly who will be speaking before all the Masses regarding the parish cruise around the Mediterranean next October. Already we have over 85 people who are scheduled to go and more spaces are available, so get your reservation in soon.

REMINDER: Wed., Nov. 1st is ALL SAINTS DAY and is a Holy Day of Obligation. Masses are at 8:30 am and 7:30 pm.

Last Saturday night we had our annual Oktoberfest put on by the Knights of Columbus and I was told that we had sold more tickets than last year! I simply loved the Bratwurst and had more than my fair share along with a nice glass of wine in which to wash it down. My many thanks to all the Knights for a wonderful evening of eating, singing and dancing and if you werent able to make it, well you missed a great evening.

I was invited to play golf last Monday in a Pastors appreciation golf tournament and by the time it was over, I don't think my sponsor appreciated his pastor that well. I found places on the golf course that only squirrels, snakes, and alligators inhabit. However, it was a beautiful day and I got the chance to meet some ministers from other denominations who were great golfers. I think they must be neglecting their ministry by playing so well.

Last by not least, our first meeting of the Steering Committee to plan for our new future Church is underway and it seems there is lots of work ahead of us. More details as we progress will be forthcoming in future columns and/or bulletin announcements.

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 October 22, 2006

2006-10-24T08:17:00.000-07:00

Recent news of two scheduled executions in Florida brings rise to the Church's position on the Death Penalty. A statement released by the Florida Bishops states: "In this day of heightened moral awareness, with increasing concerns about execution of the innocent and growing doubts about the fairness and effectiveness of the death penalty, we plead with the State and our Governor to realize that the antidote to violence is not more violence and that we cannot teach that killing is wrong by killing those who have killed others."

Clearly, we need to be protected from criminals but we don't need to go to the extent of executing them. We must pray to stop this cycle of violence and teach our children that the dignity of human life must never be taken away. We have posted the entire document from the Florida Catholic Conference on www.stmarktampa.org, under Announcements. (Or you can request a copy by calling the Church Office). Please take a minute to read this statement and reflect on how we might make a difference in the State of Florida.

On a lighter note, the golf tournament was a HUGE success and I would like to thank the committee headed by Rob Rabil and all the sponsors who made this event happen! Please support them when you can and say thank you! We had one new wrinkle this year with a “Beat the Priest” hole in which they needed to beat me by getting closest to the pin. I’m proud to say only 6 people beat me and I raised over $1000. I won’t mention how many people actually hit it on the green.

Peace,
Fr. David

St. Mark's News & Events for October 15, 2006

2006-10-13T14:48:00.000-07:00

I just returned this past Thursday from a Conference on Stewardship that was held in Boston and it had to be one of the best I have ever attended. Many of the speakers were dynamic and the workshops were extremely informative and we are looking forward to sharing much of this information with you in the near future. Our Pastoral Council has been studying this process of Stewardship these past months and we hope to put together a Committee soon so we may institute this life-changing concept. I learned so much about the “Spirituality of Stewardship” and how being a disciple of Christ makes it so important in our spiritual lives. More on this will be forthcoming. While I was there I realized what a great city Boston is and I was jealous of the great walking spaces and Italian restaurants! Everybody wears Boston Red Sox paraphernalia even though they’re out of the playoffs. They really love their Red Sox there! I didn’t dare wear my Yankee hat.

As I write this our Golf tournament is well underway and this year they put me at one hole and are luring people to spend money to “beat the Priest.” I just hope I don’t bankrupt the tournament with all my miscues! More of this potential fiasco will be in next week’s column.
Last but not least, there is a new blog written by me from time to time on our website. Blogs are endless discussions on various happenings in the world, church, city, etc. and if you want to know what I think on issues affecting us (I won’t blame you if you don’t) then go to stmarktampa.org and see for yourself. You can even answer a blog and tell me how dumb I really am. Anyway, hope to hear from you there!

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 Oct. 8, 2006

2006-10-06T07:43:00.000-07:00

Greetings!

Well, last week we debuted the new bulletin and website and this week, we have our new Religious Gift Shop opening! It will be open every weekend between masses and I'm sure you'll find a religious gift for every occasion. Also, if you would like to help with the gift shop, please call the parish office to volunteer.

Don't forget: this Sunday (Oct. 8th) is the St. Mark's Golf Tournament. It should be a great event for all! The following weekend, Oct. 14-15th is the first annual Women's Retreat. Spaces are limited so stop by the Retreat table after Mass today to secure your spot. Then, on October 21st, we'll have the Oktoberfest with lots of delicious food and music. On November 10th, we'll host the Safari Progressive Dinner at Tampa Palms Country Club and on December 1st, we'll hold our annual Christmas Gala. We have lots of fun, family activities coming up. Won't you join us?

Please let me know what you think about the new bulletin, website and gift shop. Just email me at frdavid@stmarktampa.org. Also, I encourage you to register your email on the website -- www.stmarktampa.org.

That's 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 Oct. 1, 2006

2006-10-06T07:39:00.000-07:00

Greetings to all of you!

I'm pleased to announce our new and refreshed bulletin that will keep everyone abreast of important parish and liturgical information. But that's not all! We have been working on a new and improved website that will allow you to check out the latest news on St. Mark online! Check dates and times of events, download server schedules, get information on religious education, find contact names for different ministries, and more.

Most importantly, you can register your email address on the site to receive important information from the church. (We promise not to spam you and we certainly won't sell or give your email information away!) This is just one more way we can communicate with our growing community, and stay in touch with the changing times. If you can't get enough of my weekly notes in the bulletin, I have a blog on the site! It's worth it just to log on and check out my blog! Go to www.StMarkTampa.org and let me know what you think.

Our Jubilee celebrations have just been something else, with our most recent Taste of St. Mark exceeding all of my expectations. This event really sent the message that we're growing as a community. We have four major events coming up, so mark your calendars: First, on Sunday, October 8th, join us for the ninth annual St. Mark Golf Tournament. Then, on October 21st, come hungry for the Oktoberfest, filled with music, brats, sauerkraut and all the fixings. On November 10th, let the animal in you come out for the Safari Progressive Dinner at Tampa Palms Country Club. And, finally, come celebrate Christmas with your Parish family at our annual Christmas Gala, December 1st.

I would also like to finally announce our new Mission Statement in which the Parish Pastoral Council put together in conjunction with the ideas from last year’s Parish meeting. You will see it on the front page of our new bulletin and I hope it inspires you to help us strive toward these ideals.

This is an exciting time for us as we close out our Ten Year Jubilee. We're growing as a parish family, we have new tools to improve our communication, and our events continue to be enjoyed by more and more parish families. Thanks for your participation and let's continue this momentum in 2007.

That is all for now. Continue to enjoy the gift that God gives us in each other.

Peace, Fr. David

Pope's Remarks

2006-09-20T06:23:00.000-07:00

Greetings to you! I guess by now many of you have heard about the Muslim uprising against the remarks made by Pope Benedict quoting a person from the middle ages during an academic lecture. Please understand that these comments are simply MY feelings and thoughts and NOT the views of all Christian Catholics. With that said, let me just comment that I feel the uprising is simply blown out of proportion and that the radical movement of Islam is simply fueling the fires. Before one feels the desire to react irrationally to any situation, the entire issue has to be seen in CONTEXT. Unfortunately, comments taken out of context are always wonderful fodder for newspapers and magazines to sell their wares. However, I also feel in this day and age, we have to be careful about what we may say publicly so the wrong impression won't be given. Regarding Pope Benedict and his comment, one must first remember that he is a teacher with high intellectual ability and was merely using examples to expound on his point. On the negative side however, I think Benedict forgot he was a POPE first and teacher second. Anything one speaks from this vantage point will ALWAYS be given more credence than we feel was intended. I pray for our Pope especially during this time of misunderstanding.

Peace,
Fr. David

Summer Vacations

2006-07-07T08:03:00.000-07:00

Greetings to all of you!

It seems now that summer is upon us, vacations will be a high priority with the sole aim of much needed rest and relaxation. Thus, for the next two weekends I will be venturing to the cooler north (I hope) and the carefree days of reading, sightseeing, and hiking. My idea of hiking is really walking around the block, stopping at the Italian restaurants, and returning for a nice nap in my cool hotel room. So much for rugged individualism! Anyway, I’m sure you will be in capable hands with Fr. Isaac and Deacon Ron and I’ll see you soon.

I’m sure you have seen that Cross Creek Blvd. is finally under construction and it will be around a year before it is finally completed. I was supposed to be one of the honored guests attending the ribbon cutting ceremony, but due to a brain freeze I missed the opportunity. I would just like to thank Mayor Pam Iorio and all those responsible for moving this project along, and I pray that we all will practice patience as the road is widened.

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

Peace, Father David