Ground Breaking Ceremony

Greetings to all of you!

Last Saturday was one of the most important days in our short history as we celebrated the ground breaking ceremony for our new Church!  Over 600 people came to witness this historic event and everyone was overwhelmed by the joyful atmosphere arranged by Chairperson Nancy Larson and her very creative and hard working committee.  We had a trumpets, drum players, a parade, singers from the Latin and Anglo communities, and children ambassadors who were on hand to encase special rocks into our foundation.  Priests and laity from here and afar who have had some history with St. Mark were on hand to witness this event.  Hopefully we will get the pictures up on our website for all of you to see very soon.  Now we begin!  Keep praying for our new building and all those who will be working on it.  In 12-14 months, we hope to have the dedication!

Next weekend is our Annual St. Mark Golf tournament and if you haven't signed up yet, please do! We hope to do very well so we can add to our Building Fund account for the new Church.  I'm starting to sharpen up my skills so I can at least swing the club on the "Beat the Priest" hole. Hopefully, I won't be giving away too many balls and tee shirts!

On February 2nd another important event will be happening regarding our parish.  Sr. Clare (formerly known as Deanna Paine, daughter of Deacon Scott and Carol Paine) will be taking her simple vows in the Community of the Epiphany in Myakka City, Florida. With these vows she leaves the novitiate and takes the next step in becoming a fully professed member of her community.  We congratulate Sr. Clare on this important event in her life!  

Last but not least, you may have noticed individuals carrying signs on St. Mark property asking for money.  Please, DO NOT give them anything since these are professional beggars who simply wish to take advantage of the goodness of people from St. Mark and elsewhere, especially on Mass weekends.   We have a St. Vincent de Paul society that can help them if they wish to take advantage of this opportunity.  However, they never do!  So please, don't feel guilty passing them by and if you give them money, they will keep coming back with more beggars.  

That's all for now.  May God bless us as we move forward to our new Church!

Peace,

Fr. David

Golf for Charity Event

Greetings to all of you!

Well, I finally got the golf clubs out last week and played in a charity event for the University of Tampa baseball team who recently made a trip to Cuba for some exhibition games. My nephew used to play for them which is the reason why I went, plus my brother was paying! Anyway, I saw this gentleman at the registration desk who had an athletic build and looked the part of a former athlete. I joked to him that he must have played some baseball in his lifetime. I asked, "did you play baseball when you were in college?" He said he did. I then asked if he got a chance to play in the minor leagues to which he responded, "yes." I asked him did he ever play in the major leagues? He responded laughingly that he did. "Oh", I said, "what team did you play for?" A big smile came across his face and told me he played for the Tampa Bay Rays. "Oh", I said, getting a little more embarrassed as the questioning went on. Then I asked him what his name was and he said, "Fred McGriff" I immediately excused myself and walked away as I heard laughter coming from behind me. My brother yelled at me for not realizing that this is one of the great players the Rays ever had! At least my golf game was somewhat respectable!

Speaking of which, our golf tournament is coming upon us and if you haven't gotten your name in or your foresome picked out, you will be missing out on a great day! Not only will you be able to "Beat the Priest" on the seventh hole, but you will be able to enjoy a sumptuous sausage and pepper sandwich along with a glass of great red wine taken directly from my wine cellar! I had to give away too many "I beat Fr. David" tee shirts last year so I'm practicing a little harder, so you better bring your "A" game! I guarantee that you will have lots of fun so sign up before it fills up.

Last week was another opportunity to meet some of the women who participated in Christ Renews His Parish (CRHP). It never ceases to amaze me how blessed we are to have people of such caliber in our parish. This week is the men's retreat which I'm anxious to write about next week.

Well, that is all for now. May God bless you in this Year of Prayer!

 
Peace,

　

 
 Fr. David

We should be in for a great year!

Greetings to all of you!

As you read this it is the new year 2014 and if it begins the way 2013 ended, we should be in for a great year! We experienced another outstanding Christmas with over six thousand people attending Masses during this Holy Time. It sure felt very festive and I am so thankful to all those people who played a large part in making this all happen. The Liturgy Committee was flawless in planning and executing all these events. Without these unsung heroes, none of this would have ever gotten off the ground.

On another note, I wish to thank all of you for the ways you acknowledged the passing of my brother Joseph. My family was deeply moved by your concern and especially those who were able to make the long trek to Lecanto to be present for his funeral. My deepest gratitude goes out to all of you from St. Mark. It just goes to show what a true family we really are!

 

Another exciting event will be happening in January as we break ground on our new Church! This is truly going to be an interesting year as the structure begins to go up and we hope to have it finished in 12-14 months. Watch the bulletin for details as we celebrate this historic event.

 

Well, that is all for now. The golf clubs are looking at me wondering when I'm going to take them out and I promised it will be soon! On another note, the Annual St. Mark Golf tournament is coming up in February so I better get in shape to play. Now if I only can remember how to hit the ball!

Peace,

Fr. David