Greetings to all of you!
It’s been a busy week with all the Christmas concerts, etc. that have been going on here at St. Mark. The Tampa Bay Children’s Chorus put on an outstanding show last Saturday night. I always love hearing children’s voices especially during the Advent and Christmas Season. We also celebrated our annual Parish Christmas Dinner at Hunters Green C.C., and it also turned out to be a wonderful evening. We had the Barbershop Quartet perform for our listening pleasure, and also had a special appearance by Frankie Sinatra! I would like to thank Denize Soobit, Nancy Larson, and Phyllis Timp for putting this all together. It was a fun evening!
Also on Saturday, we had “Breakfast with Santa”, put on by our Youth Ministry. Hundreds of kids strolled through and made their very own Christmas crafts, heard stories from Mrs. Santa, and also got the chance to meet Santa himself! By the time I got there, it seemed Santa was worn out because when I told him what I wanted for Christmas, he threw me from his Santa Chair and the elves escorted me out! It looks like I’m getting coal again for Christmas! Afterwards, we had a great breakfast made by the Knights of Columbus, and the morning was complete. I would like to thank Maryann Weigel and her angels for all their hard work. It was another success!
Well, I need to get my shopping done. Hope all is well with you, and may the rest of Advent be one of joy and peace for you and your family.
Peace,
Fr. David
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Friday, December 11, 2009
Ordination
Greetings to all of you!
With all the wind and rain this past week, I was afraid to get my golf clubs wet so I decided to stay in and eat a nice sandwich with a tasty drink of iced tea at the local clubhouse on my day off. It seems when these dark and dreary days come, one just wishes to be fed and then curl up on the couch with a great book under a warm blanket. I’m sure my body was more than glad not to have gone out braving the elements and winding up with a terrible cold afterwards. I think God gives us days like these to slow down and really enjoy those simple things that make us content. After all, isn’t that what Advent is all about? Now, “where’s my book and warm blanket?”
This past Wednesday I traveled to the Bethany Center which is our Diocesan Retreat House to attend the ordination to the Priesthood of Fr. John Lipscomb. Some of you may have remembered Fr. Lipscomb as Bishop John Lipscomb of the Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida. Fr. Lipscomb retired from his Diocese to become a Roman Catholic a few years ago and now he is one of ours. Fr. Lipscomb will be the Spiritual Director at the Bethany Center and he will conduct retreats and give spiritual direction to groups and individuals who go there. The Ordination was beautiful and we were privileged to have Archbishop John C. Favalora there as the ordaining bishop and we found out that Fr. Lipscomb is the 100th priest ordained for our Diocese since it was established in 1968. Congratulations Fr. Lipscomb!
Just a reminder that we will be celebrating a night of “Lessons and Carols” on Saturday, Dec. 19th . This is an ancient and beautiful rite that you won’t want to miss. Get your tickets early and save a few dollars from the price at the door. It promises to be a special night as we await the coming of Christ at Christmas!
Well, that is all for now. Continue to enjoy the gift that God has given us in each other.
Peace,
Fr. David
With all the wind and rain this past week, I was afraid to get my golf clubs wet so I decided to stay in and eat a nice sandwich with a tasty drink of iced tea at the local clubhouse on my day off. It seems when these dark and dreary days come, one just wishes to be fed and then curl up on the couch with a great book under a warm blanket. I’m sure my body was more than glad not to have gone out braving the elements and winding up with a terrible cold afterwards. I think God gives us days like these to slow down and really enjoy those simple things that make us content. After all, isn’t that what Advent is all about? Now, “where’s my book and warm blanket?”
This past Wednesday I traveled to the Bethany Center which is our Diocesan Retreat House to attend the ordination to the Priesthood of Fr. John Lipscomb. Some of you may have remembered Fr. Lipscomb as Bishop John Lipscomb of the Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida. Fr. Lipscomb retired from his Diocese to become a Roman Catholic a few years ago and now he is one of ours. Fr. Lipscomb will be the Spiritual Director at the Bethany Center and he will conduct retreats and give spiritual direction to groups and individuals who go there. The Ordination was beautiful and we were privileged to have Archbishop John C. Favalora there as the ordaining bishop and we found out that Fr. Lipscomb is the 100th priest ordained for our Diocese since it was established in 1968. Congratulations Fr. Lipscomb!
Just a reminder that we will be celebrating a night of “Lessons and Carols” on Saturday, Dec. 19th . This is an ancient and beautiful rite that you won’t want to miss. Get your tickets early and save a few dollars from the price at the door. It promises to be a special night as we await the coming of Christ at Christmas!
Well, that is all for now. Continue to enjoy the gift that God has given us in each other.
Peace,
Fr. David
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Rob Rabil/Corpus Christi
Greetings to all of you!
Last week we had the awesome opportunity to go to the Cathedral and receive the St. Jude Award Medal on behalf of Rob Rabil, who passed away last April. His wife, Fern, and his family accepted the award from Bishop Robert Lynch at a service that was memorable for its beauty and simplicity. Seventy-six other people from the various parishes in the Diocese also received the award for their invaluable service to the Church. The Cathedral was filled to capacity with family, friends, and award winners. I was so proud to be there and participate at this annual event; it gave me the chance to say, “Thank You”, to Rob and all those who give of themselves so unselfishly. We do have many “saints” among us building up the kingdom of God, and for that we should always be grateful.
I also got the chance to attend the Annual Corpus Christi School Fall Gala and met many of our parish family who have children attending that school. The great food was catered by Circles and they put on a tremendous display of items for auction to raise money for the school. This year they had a “dessert table” filled with wonderful cakes, cookies, and pies that really caught my attention. Right in the middle of it all was this HUGE chocolate cake that was the most beautiful I had ever seen so I had to bid on it, of course. However, there was a woman who guarded her bid with an eagle eye and wouldn’t let anybody near the bid sheet. I looked at her and yelled, “Young lady, put that pencil down and step away from the table!” I guess having my collar on and my authoritarian voice did the trick because she did move away horrified and never went near the table again. It looks like no one else did either because I eventually won the cake! We had it for Thanksgiving and it was absolutely delicious although one piece was enough for a week’s worth of calories. Oh well, I hope the school at least made some money.
That is all for now. Let us continue to enjoy the gift of each other during this Advent Season!
Peace,
Fr. David
Last week we had the awesome opportunity to go to the Cathedral and receive the St. Jude Award Medal on behalf of Rob Rabil, who passed away last April. His wife, Fern, and his family accepted the award from Bishop Robert Lynch at a service that was memorable for its beauty and simplicity. Seventy-six other people from the various parishes in the Diocese also received the award for their invaluable service to the Church. The Cathedral was filled to capacity with family, friends, and award winners. I was so proud to be there and participate at this annual event; it gave me the chance to say, “Thank You”, to Rob and all those who give of themselves so unselfishly. We do have many “saints” among us building up the kingdom of God, and for that we should always be grateful.
I also got the chance to attend the Annual Corpus Christi School Fall Gala and met many of our parish family who have children attending that school. The great food was catered by Circles and they put on a tremendous display of items for auction to raise money for the school. This year they had a “dessert table” filled with wonderful cakes, cookies, and pies that really caught my attention. Right in the middle of it all was this HUGE chocolate cake that was the most beautiful I had ever seen so I had to bid on it, of course. However, there was a woman who guarded her bid with an eagle eye and wouldn’t let anybody near the bid sheet. I looked at her and yelled, “Young lady, put that pencil down and step away from the table!” I guess having my collar on and my authoritarian voice did the trick because she did move away horrified and never went near the table again. It looks like no one else did either because I eventually won the cake! We had it for Thanksgiving and it was absolutely delicious although one piece was enough for a week’s worth of calories. Oh well, I hope the school at least made some money.
That is all for now. Let us continue to enjoy the gift of each other during this Advent Season!
Peace,
Fr. David
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