Summer Sneaking by

Father David’s Travels...

Greetings to all of you!
Wow! The summer us sneaking by us and already school has started in some places to the excitement of students and parents alike!  I was hoping that Bruce B Downs would be mostly completed by the school year but it seems we're just going to have to contend with the traffic a little while longer and more so since school is starting.  Oh well, we are all doing our penances early for Lent so we can be that much more disciplined when the "Serious Season" comes around.  I wonder how those of you who come from the northern part of the parish withstand that left turn onto Cross Creek Blvd every weekend?  You all deserve more jewels in your crown in Heaven!

After watching the PGA championship last weekend on the Ocean course in Kiawah S. Carolina, everyone was saying how difficult the course can be.  It certainly showed itself to be a monster when the wind was blowing but otherwise the tour players tamed it with their great skill.  It was fun to see Rory Mcliroy conquer the field going away and it seems that we have a new young number one golfer in the world!  Being from Northern Ireland I hope he would be a Catholic, but one never knows.  However, I think I'll claim him as one and send him a letter to help us with our building campaign after winning all that money!  I can see it now:  McIiroy Chapel!  It has a nice ring to it!

Speaking of our new Church, we are relaunching the capital campaign in late September and it promises to be very exciting.  Already some donors have had a sneak peek at what is about to be presented and many of them came away very impressed!  Keep checking the bulletin for more details as we approach the date.

Well, that is all for now. Hope your week goes well and know that you are truly loved by the God who created all things!

Peace,
Father David

Olympics in London

Greetings to all of you!

This weekend was the start of the Olympics in London. Held every four years in which people from all around the world compete to win medals, but most of all, give honor and glory to their respective countries for a job well done. After the Olympics, some of the winners go on to do TV commercials and get paid handsomely in promoting products for corporations etc. Yet, in the Diocese of St. Petersburg, every year there are people who are recognized from every parish who have performed outstanding feats all in the name of God. Although they won't be paid handsomely in this life, they are at least recognized by the Bishop and awarded the St. Jude Medal for outstanding Stewardship to their respective parishes. This year the winner of this prestigious award goes to Mary Strickland! If any of you know Mary, she has been working tirelessly with the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) for some years now and has helped in the spiritual journey of countless people looking to come into the Catholic Faith. We congratulate Mary and we thank her for being such a wonderful disciple of Christ! Although the medal will be bronze, it is GOLD to us!
After watching the British Open last week, my heart went out for one of my favorite golfers, Adam Scott, for losing in the final holes to Ernie Els. It must be a devastating experience to lose a major championship as that one with only a few holes to play and I'm sure he must have been crushed. But on the other hand, being good enough to BE at that moment in history means everything! How many of us fear putting ourselves in any position that might fail? That's not what a true Christian is all about. Jesus came to give us life and to live that life to the fullest, and yet, so many times we fear failure so we don't put ourselves in a position to even try. So congratulations to Ernie Els, but an even bigger "atta boy" goes Adam Scott!
Well, that is all for now. Continue to embrace the challenge that life brings, and know despite it all, that God smiles not on the timid, but the strong!

Peace,
Father David

Parish (CRHP) Retreat

July 16, 2012

Greetings to all of you!
This weekend the Men's Christ Renews His Parish (CRHP) retreat is going on here at St. Mark as many of us are reading this column. It always amazes me how so many men's lives are changed by this experience as the Holy Spirit begins to work during this weekend. I've seen marriages strengthened, lives turning around, priorities changing, among many other rich blessings. This is a weekend that recharges our batteries and puts us on the path to holiness. However, it's not magic! Many still have to be open to the Spirit and some times much sacrifice needs to be made. Yet, for those who take in this experience, great things begin to happen in your life. I know for me, it was CRHP that changed my life and led me eventually to seek the Priesthood. So let us pray for these brave men and may their hearts be changed! For the ladies, your weekend starts in two weeks. I'm not sure if there are any open spaces left for this retreat, but it will be repeated again in February. Watch the bulletin for details.
These past few months our staff has been undergoing some strategic planning workshops assisted by Alan Caron & Associates to better serve our parish family. With the input from our staff, Alan has put together some great ideas and strategies to make St. Mark parish one of the best in the country. We are so blessed to have Alan as part of our parish family and he is offering his services free of charge as part of his stewardship to God and our parish community. We all thank Alan for his wonderful gifts and helping us to achieve something that will propel St. Mark to even greater heights in the future! God has so blessed us with so many fine people here at our parish and Alan is one of them. Thank you Alan!
Well that is all for now. I hope you all are enjoying the hot and rainy summer so far and the kids are still loving the fact that there is no school! Anyway, continue to treat each other with kindness and love.
Peace,
　
　
　
Father David

LPMI

Greetings to all of you!

As some of you may know, the Diocese of St. Petersburg has been offering courses in the Lay Pastoral Ministry Institute on Liturgy, Scripture, Morality, etc during these past 12 years or so.  We at St. Mark have had a number of graduates from this institute who are now equipped to work in Parish Ministry and have been doing a great job for the Church of our Diocese. We have recently had two graduates, Noel and Nellie Negron whose ceremony took place a few weeks ago and are now full-fledged Lay Pastoral Ministers.  Another one of our parish family, Mary Strickland, is currently going through the program and has achieved high marks already!  We should all be so proud of these great people who take the time out of their busy schedules to deepen their relationship with Our Lord and I am so happy that many from St. Mark have participated in all or at least some of this training. The Church is VIBRANT and it bodes well for our future!

I'm also pleased to see that many of our parish family have been coming to Church consistently during these hot summer months!  Usually attendance trails off during the summer due to vacations and other activities but it doesn't seem to be happening here at St. Mark.  I'm sure that a lot of it has to do with the deepening relationship with Our Lord among our parish family and the joy that comes with knowing God in a more intimate way!  It just goes to show how deeply blessed we are here at St. Mark with so many devoted members who are on fire with God's love.  Now if only someone could turn down the temperature so I can get a round of golf in!  

Well, that is all for now!  May the Good Lord continue to shine His face upon you and give you His peace!

 Peace,

Fr. David

Summer School for Religion

Greetings to all of you!

I just finished watching the golf tournament at Congressional C.C. in which Tiger Woods won yet another tournament and I found myself pulling for him despite the fact that his personal life has been in chaos and it seems he's really not a nice person overall.  I'm not sure what it is but despite his personal side, Tiger Woods is good for golf.  Ratings sky rocket whenever he's playing and even more so when he is in contention.  Maybe we keep hoping that as his career is getting back on track, that somehow his conversion process would be also.  I also wonder if God sits up there in Heaven and hopes the same thing for us?  It is just amazing to me how somewhere deep down, we are all in this together and as Christians, we hope for the best in everyone.  Oh well, enough philosophizing for now!  I'm heading to the kitchen for a nice peanut butter and jelly sandwich!

Last Friday we finished our first "Summer School for Religion" in which some sixth, seventh, and eighth graders took a two week intensive course in religious education.  It was met with extreme enthusiasm among the parents and participants and we look forward to continuing this for next year.  The junior high students attended Mass everyday during those two weeks and learned a great deal about God and how He fits into our daily lives.  We were blessed with great teachers and I would like to thank Claudia Garcia and her staff for putting together such an outstanding program. For further information for next year, call Claudia or one of her staff at the Faith Formation office.   

As some of you may well know, we will be "kick-starting" our Capital Campaign for our new Church sometime in the next few months.  We have an excellent group of individuals who are working hard to present new options in helping to build our future Church in a short time.  We finally have received the renderings for our new Church and it is absolutely breathtaking!  So keep watching the bulletin and website for information on how we are going to proceed.  Maybe this time next year we can break ground?  It will all be up to you!

Well that is all for now.  May God continue to bless your commitment to His Glory!

Peace,

Fr. David 

Graduation & Father's Day

Greetings to all of you!

As we all know, June is the month for graduation ceremonies, and of course, we also celebrate a special day for Dad's. First of all, I wish to congratulate all those who are either going on to higher education or venturing into the workforce. It's always a bittersweet moment when we leave friends and family to move on to other venues, but it truly is a fact of life and one that helps us to grow in experience and discover the vastness of what the world has to offer. It also helps when faith becomes part of that life's journey because it can really be the impetus for greatness. I just wish I had that faith element when I was going through higher education, it would have been so much easier for me in dealing with the trauma of new beginnings. Encourage your own graduates to follow Christ continuously as they venture on because He brings the foundation and stability we need especially during those unexpected bumps in the road. So again I say, Congratulations to all you graduates! Wait on the Lord and He will give you your hearts desire! Next Sunday, we celebrate all Fathers as we say "thanks Dad" for their wonderful presence in our lives. I have been seeing all the advertisements on television and on the local newspaper about what we can buy your Father on his special

day. I would suggest that you buy me some golf shorts, shirts, and maybe a nice belt to wear with my outfit. After all, I'm a Father too!

Well, that is all for now. As you begin summer vacations, remember to keep

the Lord's Day Holy and continue to be strengthened by His great sacrifice for

us!

Peace,

Father David

Armed Services Dinner

Greetings to all of you!

Last Sunday night I had the honor of attending the Armed Services Dinner held at Hunters Green sponsored

by the 4th Degree of the Knights of Columbus. What a wonderful night it was as we were honored by the presence of 5 young men who were wounded in war and a retired Colonial who gave us a resounding

speech on what it means to be an "Authentic American." I'm so proud of my brother Knights for

continuing to honor these brave men and women who do so much for our country and many times at

great sacrifice! As we celebrate Memorial Day weekend, let us keep in mind those people who gave us

the ultimate gift of themselves so we can all be free. May God bless their souls! As you may have noticed, there is a new Honda Civic Hybrid car sitting in one of the Priest's parking spaces. Yes, it's mine, well at least I'm paying to drive it around. What happened was that I brought my Honda Insight in for service last

Friday and as I was minding my own business working on my homily for the weekend, this Jamaican Angel walked over to me and said that God said I needed a new car. Pffft...I said. "I only came in to have my car serviced and I don't need a new car so go away!" Well, before I knew it he put a magic spell on me

and I woke up later to find that I was driving down I75 behind the wheel of a new car! Don't ask me what happened because I have no idea. But I do know that there is this new car parked in my garage and now I'm thinking that God really wanted me to have this! I love the car so far and I didn't have to spend

anymore money for it. It MUST be God's Will! Anyway, so now you know and I simply ask that you do not approach me trying to sell the Sunshine Skyway bridge. I'm not sure the spell is completely worn off yet and I just might take you up on it.

Well, that is all for now. Let us continue to love each other as Christ has taught

us!

Peace,

Father David