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
