As we head into summer...

Greetings to all of you!

As we head into the summer period there are a few changes in the parish staff that I would like to announce and that I hope will continue to make St. Mark a great parish in the years to come. First of all, it is with a mixture of deep sadness and joy that our Director of Faith Formation for adults and the RCIA will be retiring at the end of this month to spend more time with her family and finally get some rest from the rigors of ministry these past 20 or more years. Sandra Bonilla and I go way back to our St. Jerome days in Largo when I was a young administrator and she was in charge of the Religious Education program there. I had always admired Sandra's passion for God and when I had heard that she moved to the New Tampa area, I was thrilled that she would be coming to work with us. While here, she has done marvelous things with our program and has made it into the top programs in the Diocese. Now that she is a grandmother and a caretaker for her family, she certainly will need the added time to rest and recharge to accomplish her new duties. She will continue to stay a member of St. Mark and will use her time and talents to help in our Faith Formation program when she is able. Join me in thanking Sandra for her wonderful contributions to our great parish in the years she has been with us. God speed Sandra!

In some other good news, our Director of Faith Formation for Children, Claudia Garcia, has earned her degree from the Diocesan Lay Pastoral Institute! It has been a four year process in which she took a full load at school, took care of her children, and also worked full-time here at St. Mark. It just goes to show what intelligence and determination can get you when you put your faith in God. Congratulations Claudia!

As you know, David Larson has come on board to become our Parish Administrator and already he has done great things for our parish and our staff cohesion. David is a marvelous man and a great organizer and I am thrilled that he has become such an integral part of our parish. I look forward to even greater things to come!

Due to all the restructuring in our parish staff, I am sad to say that we will NOT be having Summer Bible School for this year. As you know, this takes a great deal of coordination and logistics to pull off and we just didn't have the personnel to make it happen with the quality of earlier years. I promise that next year we will be introducing a new summer program that I think will be a very effective tool for further education of our young. Stay tuned for more details in the coming months.

Last but not least, I have been heartened by the amount of people coming forward to involve themselves in the life of our parish! This is truly Stewardship in action and what a parish should be when it comes to serving God and our neighbor. Why don't some of you step forward and GET INVOLVED! I have found that many of our new ministry members come out of Christ Renews His Parish which is a weekend retreat held here at the parish. I know there is a weekend for men and women coming in July so those of you who have been sitting on the fence with their relationship with God, come and experience this spiritual event. You won't regret it!

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

Peace,

Fr. David

Don't Try To Do It On Your Own!

Don't Try To Do It On Your Own!

Many times when we are worried about something we make the mistake of trying to rely on ourselves and our own will power to find a way out of our problems. Will power only works for so long. Eventually we are worn down and we are back to square one. If we want REAL change we need to rely instead on God's Power. For as it says in Romans 8:32: "If God is for us, who can be against us?"

When God is on our side we can act boldly and with out fear. In 2 Timothy 1:7, Paul tells us: "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love".

I urge you to NOT try to fight your way though life on your own. Instead, trust in our loving God and become a part of His plan for you. Ask God to fill you with His love because, as we read in 1 John 4:18, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear".

When we let go of our fears and we truly trust in God, we become free to follow the advice of Blessed John Paul II when he said: "Do not be afraid. Do not be satisfied with mediocrity. Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."

Peace,

Fr. David DeJulio

Upon This Rock...

Upon This Rock...

Personal Thoughts and Reflections on Our New Church

NOTE: This is the first in a series of personal thoughts and reflections from members of St. Mark regarding our new church. If you would like to share your thoughts with the parish, please email them, along with a photo of your family toBulletin@stmarktampa.org

Hello fellow Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Today I would like to share a personal story of one of many of God’s miracles in my life.

We all want our Church to be built and I know pledging and sacrificing is not always easy. But having the faith and trust in God is our first step.

After I had made my pledge to our capital campaign I stretched a bit as I am asking all of you to do. A few weeks had gone by and I received a call from an insurance investigator inquiring about an aunt of mine that had passed away.

I had taken care of my aunt in her later years when she had difficulty taking care of herself. My aunt never had an abundant amount of money although she did fine and lived a simple life. After she passed away I did what I could to take care of her business.

Unexpectedly I received a letter just a few days later from the insurance investigator that had called me. I opened the letter and to my surprise there was a check in the envelope, my aunt had a small insurance policy that no one knew about. The check in the envelope was for the exact amount of money that I had pledged a few weeks prior. As I looked at the check I was quiet for a moment… God does provide. Take the step and trust in our Lord. He works in marvelous ways.

May God continue to bless you and your family abundantly.

Peace,

Fr. David

“Entrust your works to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.”

- Proverbs 10:3

Speaking of the new Church

Greetings to all of you!

Before I start, I did finally get out on the golf course in Ocala with my three other brothers and despite the stifling heat and the humiliation brought upon by my brothers trying to outdo each other, I shot a great round of 82 which is pretty good for not playing in over 4 months. Now I can silence my critics and carry on with my desire to play on the pro tour when I'm 60 years old. I figure by that time, we will have the Church built and it will be able to run itself!

Speaking of the new Church, we are in full swing in making this dream a reality. Many of you have come forward in making a financial commitment to the Campaign and helping procure pledges. We are still in need of more people to make calls and write letters so if you are able to come forward, it will be deeply appreciated. PLEASE, when our volunteers call about the campaign, please respond in a reasonable time so we can keep moving forward to reach more people in our congregation. I have been deeply touched by the many families who have come forward already in making this sacrificial commitment. It only goes to show what a great community we have so if you haven't been contacted yet, I pray that God will touch your heart to commit to this significant moment in our parish life.

Last week Bishop Lynch was here to confirm 81 men and women in a beautiful ceremony celebrating the Holy Spirit. The packed Church was on fire with the Spirit including the Bishop himself who gave a heartfelt homily of service and holiness. After the Mass the Bishop mentioned to me how touched he was by the preparation of the men and women he confirmed and of course the music was outstanding! I would like to thank Mary Ann Weigel and her staff, Dr. John Paul Cappa, the choir, and musicians, and Sandra Bonilla and her staff in getting some of the adults ready for this day.

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

Peace,

Fr. David

Kick-off to our Capital Campaign for our new Church!

Greetings to all of you!

As you can see, May has been quite a hectic and yet exciting month as we celebrate First Holy Communion for our children during the weeks of May and also the kick-off to our Capital Campaign for our new Church! I can feel the excitement building as more and more of our parish family begin to be involved in the Campaign which only means that we can get closer and closer to our goal as the days go by. We hope to keep you informed of our progress and I pray that more and more of you will embrace this huge goal and make St. Mark that Spiritual Center of New Tampa that we have dreamed about from the beginning of our history.

As you know, some of our youth are hoping to attend NCYC which is a National convention for youth held every two years around the country. This convention is attended by over 25-35 thousand young people and they get together to pray, sing, attend workshops, and gather with other like-minded Catholic young people from across the globe. It truly is quite an event to see thousands of young people worshiping God at Mass and it is an eye opening experience that forever changes their outlook on faith and religion in their lives. If anyone would be able to help financially to make this a reality for some young person, I and they would be forever grateful. Simply contact Mary Ann Weigel in youth ministry for more information.

I haven't picked up a club in over 4 months and already I've forgotten how to swing at that stupid ball with the dimples on it. I think the next time I go out, I'll just make a hefty slash at the ball and see where it goes. It can't get any worse and I might even decide to like the game once again.

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

Peace,

Fr. David

Italian Feast/New Church Building

Greetings as we begin another week!

As I write this we just finished having a wonderful Italian feast held here at St. Mark under the auspices of the Knights of Columbus. Over 200 tickets were sold, although it seemed almost twice that amount that ate the delicious spaghetti and meatballs. I had to "oversee" the cooking of the sauce and meatballs, since I needed to be sure it met the standards that every Italian mother would accept. Thank goodness a real Italian, Nick Piscitelli, was able to make the sauce from scratch with real tomatoes rather than those other nationalities that simply use ketchup! Anyway, the meal was terrific, and I know many others felt the same way as we celebrated a "Taste of Italy" on this most beautiful night! Grazzie to all the Knights responsible for the success of this event, and we can't wait for the Friday Fish Frys that will be coming soon.

Again this week I have been meeting with families to talk about plans for our new Church, and it continues to humble me at how much the families of our parish care about our people and wish to give back in so many ways to God. Although we still have a ways to go in some areas, I can sense our people are as excited as I am at the prospect of a new Church in the near future, and they continue to stretch themselves by sacrificing to make this happen. I have been blessed by being a part of this parish these past 8 years and the love I have for our people here with all their experiences, both good and bad, has truly been an inspiration to me and cemented my decision to become a Priest almost 21 years ago. God is very good, and I hope I can continue to serve you the best I can in His Name.

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

Peace,
Fr. David

New Parking/Capital Campaign

Greetings to all of you!

Since it's been so cold lately, I have not been able to ride my bike out on Flatwoods and thus, my exercise program has been sporadic, not that I'm complaining. Since my childhood days, exercise was not one of my most treasured moments and I still, after all these years, try to force myself to get out there. So I'm always looking for excuses, and the cold weather is a good one!

Some of you may or may not have noticed, but the Knights of Columbus put up parking spaces for expectant mothers a few weeks ago which try to promote life. I think it's a wonderful idea, and I thank the Knights for their efforts in obtaining this for our parish, and I hope those expecting will be able to use them.

I have been out of the office a lot lately visiting families who will be able to help us in our effort to build a new Church. I have been amazed at the generosity of our people and many of them are excited at the prospect of this becoming a reality in the near future. Many have even stretched themselves a little financially in trying to make this happen for our parish community, and it goes to show how FAITH is such an important element in this important endeavor. I know God will bless them abundantly! Stay tuned to the bulletin and web-site for further information as we begin the countdown to the parish-wide Capital Campaign in the Spring!

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

Peace,
Fr. David

CRHP Men's Weekend/New Parking Spaces

Greetings to all of you!
As many of you know, last week we hosted the seventh men's gathering of Christ Renews His Parish (CRHP) and I was thrilled to see over 31 men attend! After participating in some of the events, I got a first hand chance to see the Holy Spirit in action, not only in the attendees, but in the team that put on the weekend. There was a glow in all the men, and it goes to show, once we let our guards down, the Holy Spirit will thrive! Congratulations to all the men who attended the retreat, and I can hardly wait to see the growth in holiness that this week's experience started in them. This week, the women of the parish will experience their retreat, so I ask for your prayers for these great ladies as they enter into this divine experience milieu!

Some of you also may have noticed that we have created two new parking spaces (right next to the parking spaces for Clergy) for expectant mothers of the parish. As young a parish as we are, I realize two spaces doesn't quite cut it since we have a good number of expectant mothers, but at least it's a start. Hopefully, the new Church will create more spaces, and the young Church of St. Mark will continue for generations to come! It is one of the ways we, as a Church try to promote life, and we also pray for families in this difficult time to let them know that we care for them.

Speaking of parking spaces, you may have noticed a new car in one of those clergy spaces. Yep, it's mine! One day I made the mistake of checking out the new Honda Fits and stumbled on the Honda Insight Hybrid which supposedly gets great gas mileage and is one of those green innovations for the protection of the environment. I'm having a great time driving it thus far, and it looks like I'm saving lots of gas when I stop and go in this Bruce B. Downs traffic! Monsignor Daly blessed the car for me the other day with his traditional Irish blessing. Then he proceeded to charge me for all his hard work! The Irish always know how to get something out of any act that's good. That's all I'm saying!

Well, that is all for now. Continue to pray for each other!
Peace,
Fr. David

Trip Continued-Egypt

Greetings to all of you!
I was informed the other day that despite the wonderful details of our trip, I forgot to mention our experience in Egypt. Possibly the reason was that our experience there was a little problematic. When we arrived at the Port of Alexandria, named after Alexander the Great, we found the city littered with garbage! It really took away from the beauty of this historic city, and it didn't get any better on our two hour bus trip to Cairo to see the Pyramids. The capital city was also littered with garbage and many of the streets were unpaved with donkeys pulling cargo on wagons. I didn't realize that Egypt was considered a "third world" country, and now I know! After arriving in Cairo, we took a lunch tour along part of the Nile which was kind of nice and the hotel we arrived at to stay the night was absolutely breathtaking! It was the hotel where Franklyn Roosevelt and Winston Churchill planned WWII. It also was the hotel where Begin, Carter, and Sadat signed the peace treaty between Israel and Egypt. It was amazing how a place of overwhelming decadence could be situated in such a poor country. Our first night in Cairo was spent watching the light show at the pyramids which at first was impressive until we sat through the narrative of the history of the pyramids and many of us ending up going to sleep. I think they should notify the folks at Disney to update their presentation! The next day after a wonderful evening at the hotel, we visited the pyramids themselves and it was quite an experience, although I wouldn't care if I ever saw another pyramid as long as I live. I'm sure history buffs and UFO followers would find them fascinating, but to me they were a neatly mounted pile of rocks that served no purpose but to be the burial chambers for Kings. Although there were camel rides available, I wasn't in the mood to get spit upon or smell like a Bedouin after I got off one. After the visit to the pyramids, we took the Kamikaze ride home through the desert and ended up back at the ship! I was never so glad to be "home" after that experience. I guess I'm not THAT happy a camper! Anyway, it was back to Italy after the experience in Egypt, and I looked forward to great food once again! Well, that is all for now. May we continue to pray for one another!

Peace,
Fr. David.

Important Changes

Greetings and Happy New Year to you all!

As you know, Faith Formation has been in need of a part-time individual to help them with the many needs of educating our young and older parishioners alike. Thus, I have asked Chuck Rizzo to move down to the Faith Formation office and work with them on a permanent basis. He will be continuing his duties in communications and scheduling along with his duties in that office. Dick Ray will now be working with Tom Hanrahan on our Capital Campaign and continuing with his Stewardship responsibilities. I thank both men for their willingness to take on these responsibilities, and I pray that 2011 will bring us all an abundance of grace!

Peace,


Fr. David

Beginning a New Year

Greetings to all of you!

It has been a few weeks since I've written because the holiday season always throws me for a loop when it comes to writing about my experiences on deadline schedules. Nevertheless, I hope to be back in the rhythm of things and write a little more consistently until the next holiday season approaches!

I hope by now we have gotten through Christmas and New Year unscathed and that we are still on our new year resolution schedule. I have made a few myself but of course I would never tell for fear of being accountable for what I promised, but as of this writing, I'm still on track! No, it doesn't concern my golf swing since that has been a wonderful lesson in hopelessness, but I do wish to improve upon a variety of things. Let's pray for each other in that!

These past few months we have been working hard on preparing for the upcoming Capital Campaign for a new church. A wide variety of dedicated individuals have come forward to work on the campaign and also have already made pledges. Despite the tough economic times, people have been VERY generous and willing to help to make this Church a reality. They see it as giving back to God for all His great blessings on us which really is what Stewardship is all about! So as we move forward, we pray that God will look upon us on this historic venture for our parish and bless us with his grace!

Next week, Christ Renews His Parish will conduct their 7th retreat weekend for men which is always a profound experience! Pray for those who will be attending this retreat and for their families who will sacrifice in allowing them to attend.

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

Peace,

Fr. David