Spirit FM

Greetings to all of you!

Sorry for not being able to get a column to you the last two weeks but It seems that I keep missing the bulletin deadline! I hope to do better in this new year but I can't promise anything. This past week a group of us from St. Mark had the opportunity in celebrating the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul at our Diocesan radio station, Spirit FM, 90.5 FM. What an honor it was for us to celebrate with listeners all across the diocese on this great feast. We had lots of fun and the staff at Spirit FM were so very kind to us, and of course, the Mass was flawless!

Again last week I had the privilege of meeting and greeting all the men and women who participated in the Christ Renews His Parish (CRHP) retreat. Like other retreats before them, the Spirit of God was working over time on those who participated. What Grace the attendants received by being a part of this spiritual event! If you haven't experienced a CRHP retreat just yet, we will have another one during the summer. It could certainly change your life!

Lately, I've been doing some practicing for our St. Mark Golf tournament on Feb. 10th. As you know, I will be on the 7th hole at Hunters Green C.C. hitting shots to the green. Hopefully, many or all of my shots will hit the target so I don't end up giving away all my "I beat Fr. David" shirts! How embarrassing it would be for me if everybody who "beat the Priest" wore that shirt to Mass one Sunday! Well, if you haven't filled out a registration sheet just yet, you better hurry up and take your chance. However, you better bring your "A" game if you're going to play against me!

Hopefully by now, you have seen the bells for our new bell tower that will be constructed in the near future! It is just a first step in our desire to build a new Church here at St. Mark. We will be meeting with the Diocese on February 12 to receive permission to break ground early so I ask you to pray that God's Will be done. I ask if you haven't made a pledge yet, to make a one time gift or a one year pledge so we can be able to bring to the Diocese some good numbers!

Well, that is all for now. May God bless your Stewardship to St. Mark parish!

Peace,

Fr. David

Embark on the Week of Christmas

Greetings to all of you!

As you read this, we are about to embark on the week of Christmas with all the holiday festivities in full swing!  Thousands of people will visit St. Mark, some for the first time, and I'm praying that their experience here will be a special one which will touch their souls so that they continue to come back on a regular basis.  It's amazing how so many St. Mark stewards will be involved in the planning and setting up for all the Masses and with out them, we would not be able to accomplish it all.  I thank them with all my heart!

Last Saturday we celebrated Breakfast with Santa and it turned out to be a huge success!  Over 135 children came with their parents and visited Santa, Mrs. Claus, and all the elves working their Christmas magic.  They were treated with a nice breakfast cooked by the Knights of Columbus and every one seemed to be happy with all the goings on.  I kind of hung around with Mrs. Claus most of the time and she told me some funny jokes about Santa.  I'll never tell!  I would like to thank MaryAnn Weigel and many of the adults who put on this event, especially many in the youth group who got up early on a Saturday morning to bring joy to the children who came.

As many of you have heard, Christ Renews His Parish (CRHP) retreats for men and women will be coming up in January.  What a wonderful way to start a New Year and I'm told there is no football those weekends so there will be no excuses!  I've seen so many blessed by these retreats and I know you, too, will experience something that will also change your life.  Go ahead and sign up and tell them Fr. David sent you!

In closing, on behalf of the Clergy and Staff of St. Mark, I wish you all a Blessed Christmas and make sure you remember the Reason for it all.

Peace.

Fr. David

St. Mark Christmas Party

Greetings to all of you!

This past Friday I attended our annual St. Mark Christmas party held at Hunters Green and it was an awesome time.  We were visited by the "Village People" who put on an awesome display of singing and dancing which really got the party rocking.  Over 115 people attended and the food was so good especially the desserts which are always a soft spot of mine!  My thanks go to Cyndi Letzeisen, Chuck Savko, and the entire committee for all their efforts in making this such a fun event.  Can't wait to see what they have planned for next year!

Well as the Calendar year comes to a close, I've decided to get back into bicycling to stay in shape and get a jump start on all the other people with the same idea for the new year.  I dusted off the handle bars the other day and brought it to Oliver's Bike Shop for a much needed tune-up!  Of course, the bike has been ready to be picked up for over two days now and I'm a little slow in getting around to it.  This might be one of those Freudian moments unfortunately.

I'm so thrilled that the way has been made easier for our northern parishioners driving on Bruce B Downs as they maneuver the left turn onto Cross Creek Blvd which consists of TWO lanes now.  I know it has been a real sacrifice for you getting to Church and I'm sure God will promptly reward you!  Now if the rest of BBD could finally finish, we might just enjoy for once traveling to and fro on it.  Here's hoping that early in the new year brings that wonderful present upon us.

Well, that is all for now.  May your Advent be full of peace and joy!

Peace,

Fr. David

Hustle and Bustle of Christmas

Greeting to all of you!

 

I'm sure many of you by now are into the hustle and bustle of Christmas yet keeping your stress levels at an all time low, at least I hope!  For Advent I have made a commitment to increase my meditation time every day and do some things I don't get a chance to do that often like visiting jails and prisons when I'm allowed to enter one.  It all kind of takes my mind off of all the commercialism of Christmas and really try to deepen what this time represents.  I've even dusted off my bike and took it for a ride last week listening to the new CD made by our choir!  I felt like I was in heaven as I rode around the trail at Flatwoods and saw the depth of God's wonderful creation.  Now if I could only dust off the golf clubs and maybe hit a ball once in awhile.  

 

As you read this we continue to move forward on the building of our new Church.  We hope to meet with the Diocesan Finance Council sometime before the spring and see if they will allow us to build sooner rather than later.  I realize we are in a tough economy and maybe you are not in a position to give toward the new Church, or maybe you're even tired of hearing me speak about it or feel we really don't need one, but after much prayer and collaboration, the time to build really is NOW!  Now only are interest rates down and costs are at an all time low, but I know it's the right thing to do.  Many times we wish to delay important plans and let future generations will have to face the issue, but if our ancestors thought that, then we would not have the beautiful Churches that we grew up in.  I just don't think that we should have our children and grandchildren pay for something we can do now, especially the uncertainty of what they face in the future.  After all, our parents and grandparents sacrificed for us and so why can't we do this for our own children in return.  As some of you may know, we are very limited to what we can do here at St. Mark because of space.  We are holding back the works of the Kingdom, so to speak, and I'm praying that many of you will find it in your heart to give generously to this important project. The Church we intend to build in New Tampa will be a center of spirituality and outreach and just think of the many who will benefit by our sacrifices.  So as the Calendar year ends, why not make a pledge or a gift to the campaign and make this happen!  I really need your help!

 

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

 

Peace,

Fr. David

Cruising Around Italy

Greetings to all of you!

Well as many of you may know, I spent almost two weeks cruising around Italy with two of my brothers and sister-in-law a few weeks ago.  What a wonderful trip it was since my oldest brother Joe has never been out of the U.S.A other than Canada.  It was an eye opening experience for him and it was fun as we brothers bonded even more spending all that time together.  Other than the snoring, it was nice sharing a room wherever we went catching up on old stories etc.  We even made a trip to my mother's birthplace Torrice in the province of Frosinone!  We visited her two hundred year old house which is abandoned now and even met up with our cousins for a fun filled Italian feast!  However, it's always great to get home and finally sleep in my own bed without having to listen to the locomotive sleeping in the bed next to me!

This week we have begun the great Season of Advent as we prepare once again for the Christmas celebration.  It seems the older you get, the faster these seasons come and go and most of the time I'm left with the question, "what just happened?"  I'm hoping to do better this season with more time for meditation and prayer and continue to reflect on the significance of this great event in history when God in His Awesomeness took flesh and became a human being.  So with all the hullabaloo that happens during this time of year, TRY to take some moments and reflect on this moving event that changed the course of history a brought light to darkened world.

Last week we visited St. Catherine's Church in Largo (since the Cathedral is closed for renovation) to witness the bestowing of the St. Jude Award Medal to one of our own, Mary Strickland.  This Medal is given to a person in our parish who has given themselves totally in the Stewardship way of life and has been instrumental in helping St. Mark parish in their self-sacrifice. Mary has been working with the RCIA for years now and has helped many people come into the Catholic Faith.  Her energy and devotion has been a model to many of us and we congratulate her on this special award. Mary truly is a disciple of Christ, not a mere follower but one who had taken on the work of ministry in bringing about the Kingdom of God.  Thank you Mary!

If you haven't gotten your tickets yet for this year's Christmas party to be held on December 7th, you better hurry before they get sold out!  We have always had a great time at these events and this year's is sure to be another great one!

Well, that is all for now.  May this Advent Season fill you with God's Peace.

Fr. David

Stewardship Renewal

Greetings to all of you!

I am so thrilled that the weather is finally breaking and getting cooler as the fall goes on! I haven't played golf since

February of this past year and the clubs have been calling out to me to get some sun. I even took my bike out the other day and flew around Flatwoods Park in record time although I could feel the sore muscles the next day! With the cooler

weather, we celebrated our annual Oktoberfest last Saturday night and thanks to the Knights of Columbus, a great time
was had by all. I look forward to the bratwurst every year and this year it was especially tasty! I even had part of a funnel cake that was so addicting I had to walk away from the funnel cake oven so I wouldn't be tempted yet again. Thanks to all who participated in the event and especially those brave enough to get up and dance to the great music provided. Thanks again my brother Knights! Another job well done.

This week we will be kicking off our annual Stewardship renewal beginning with the parade of ministries located out under the big tent! We are so blessed to have so many people take ownership of our parish and become involved with the work of Christ. Many miracles have happened here at St. Mark because of them so why not deepen your faith in Christ by getting involved! Believe me, your life will change!

Speaking of how Stewardship can change a life, we are so honored and proud here at St. Mark with from what I can tell is our FIRST vocation to the Religious Life. Deacon Scott Paine and his wife, Carol, are now the proud parents of SISTER CLARE who accepted her habit a few weeks ago! Congratulations to Sr. Clare and may God bless your ministry!

I hope by now many of you have seen the new video that was sent to your emails regarding the new Church. It was so well done and I think Cyndi Letzeisen, Jeff Cobb, Tammy Peralta at "Bean Productions", and the rest of the marketing committee that put this together! Look for additional videos in the months to come in our quest to raise $3 million by Christmas of 2013! May God bless our effort!

 

As you read this, I will be on my way with my brothers to Italy for a cruise around the Mediterranean! It has been many years since I had the opportunity to go on vacation with more than one brother and so I'm looking forward to the experience. We will be visiting the birthplace of our mother during our visit to Rome which will be a special moment for us. Meeting cousins, uncles, aunts, etc will be also very exciting. I'll see you in a couple of weeks!

Well, that is all for now. May God continue to bless all of us at St. Mark!

Peace,

Fr. Davidd

Invocation and Benediction for one member of our parish family

Greetings to all of you!

 

Last week I had the privilege of giving the Invocation and Benediction for one member of our parish family to the awesome responsibility of Judge here in Hillsborough County.  Jennifer Gabbard who is a team member of the RCIA here at the parish was invested with the robes on Thursday, October 4, on the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi.  The ceremony was filled with heartfelt remarks along with quite a bit of humor as Judge Gabbard was honored by her colleagues and superiors alike.  State attorney Mark Ober was quite the comic as he presented into evidence of the overworked Jennifer in her office of prosecuting attorney mired knee deep in books and papers.  He presented another picture into evidence of JUDGE Gabbard sitting at her desk with absolutely nothing on it!  Funny stuff!  As a real treat, State Attorney General Pam Bondi was also there as a close friend to Judge Gabbard and I had yet another privilege of being allowed to sit right next to her!  She was a delightful lady and although she has gone on to higher realms, she continues to maintain that humble, non-pretentious disposition about her despite the fact that she can be a tough prosecutor when the situation calls for one.  In addition, she was so easy to speak with as we chatted on occasion during the event and I am so glad to have met her OUTSIDE of the courtroom!  I was also taken back by the "fraternity" of the judges here in Hillsborough county as many of them came to the investiture.  It seems that they exhibited a kind of family aura and I was impressed by their care and concern for each other.  But, the day belonged to Jennifer who was an outstanding prosecutor and an exceptional faith-filled woman!  Her entire family was there and I could see the how proud they all were of her and probably a little overwhelmed by the accomplishments of this great lady who is also a humble Catholic Christian,  Jennifer, on behalf of our entire congregation, we all offer you our prayers and support as you begin this awesome path. Congratulations Judge Gabbard!  May God be with you!

 

After the Investiture, I was able to visit those from our parish picketing at a women's center against abortion during these 40 days of prayer.  Despite the heat, parishioners from our parish stood for hours trying to change minds and hearts.  As I stood there with them, some cars came by beeping their horns in support of what they were doing.  It is such an emotional experience for those ladies who decide to have abortions and we are here to let them know that there is another way.  I was so proud of our people for taking the time and effort in promoting life and I hope and pray that more individuals will understand the importance of human life and safeguard it against all those who wish to destroy it.  Let's keep up the effort!

 

Finally, sometimes in this column I feel compelled to speak on matters that might seem simple and inconsequential but I feel are very important when it comes to living a Christian life.  The first matter I would like to bring up is:  WILL PEOPLE USE THEIR BLINKERS WHEN CHANGING LANES AND/OR TURNING INTO ANOTHER STREET!   One of the things that makes someone Holy is being conscientious when it comes to others.  When driving, it's a matter of courtesy and drivers in Florida seem to lack a lot of it!  It's also a matter of safety too.  So please:USE YOUR BLINKERS!   There, I said it!  There will be others, just stay tuned.

 

Well, that is all for now.  May God help us in all we do!

 

Peace,

Fr. David