Update on Election of new Pope

Greetings to all of you!

 

As you read this, the Cardinals are beginning to gather in the Vatican to elect a new Pope and what an exciting time for the Church as the Holy Spirit begins to discern who the next man shall be.  Will he be Italian? European? African? South American? North American? Asian?  I think it's anybody's guess but one thing is certain, our God is a God of surprises so who ever it is, he will be the right person for the times.  We now say goodbye and a multitude of thanks to Benedict XVI for leading our great Church these past eight years.  It was a huge responsibility for this holy and shy intellectual and I'm sure he will rest well in retirement.  May God be with him!  On a side note, I did send my measurements over to Rome just in case.  My mother always told me that I would be Pope someday and I didn't want to disappoint her by not trying!  

 

I've been so impressed by our Elect and Candidates as they get closer and closer to Full Communion in the Catholic Church.  We celebrated the Rite of Election with Bishop Lynch two weeks ago and I'm still on cloud nine with admiration as these individuals shook the hand of the Bishop and now they more determined than ever to become Catholic. We will be celebrating the Scrutinies with the Elect in the next few weeks which is an ancient rite of spiritual self cleansing as they look forward to baptism.  Continue your prayers for them!

 

This week on Thursday, March 7th, every parish in the Diocese will be offering the Rite of Reconciliation from 5 pm to 8 pm at their local parishes. So where ever you are in the Diocese during that time, you will have the opportunity for Confession.  Here at St. Mark we will have 4 priests available so take advantage of this graced opportunity.  

 

Well, that is all for now.  I pray that Lent continues to be a life changing event in your life!

 

Peace,

Fr. David 

Lent, Golf Tournament & 1st Fish Fry

Greetings to all of you!

 

I hope Lent is going well for you thus far and I pray that you are not weakening under the burden of your promises during this most Holy time of year!  I realize it's not easy but with the strength of God we can do all these that seem impossible.  As you know, our golf tournament was a huge success once again this year as over 125 golfers teed it up at Hunters Green C.C. and balls were flying everywhere!  On the 7th hole, all the foursomes challenged me to a duel for closest to the pin and I came away with a 75% success rate!  Little did they know that I was using a "rigged" ball sprinkled with Holy Water but I needed the extra help!  Also, I had a back up plan as their hands got a little slippery as they ate an abundance of Italian sausage and peppers and drank the nectar of the gods before hitting the ball on my hole.  Anyway, we all had a great time and I'd like to thank Chairman, Mike Eggeling,  committee members Tom Bosso, Joe Cangi, and Cyndi letzeisen, along with many great stewards who came out to help us during the event.  We netted over $18,000 for a building fund which will really help us!  

 

Last Friday saw the start of our annual tradition here at St. Mark: The Lenten Fish Fry once again sponsored by the Knights of Columbus.  Over 500 dinners were sold which was a great opening night and we look forward to even more as Lent progresses.  This coming Friday on March 1st, Spirit FM will be here to judge our fish fry along with judging all the fish fries throughout the Diocese, so come on out especially that night and make St. Mark proud!  There will be great Christian music and most likely some giveaways so come on down!  I've always said our Knights are second to none when it comes to making St. Mark a great parish. Let's show them a lot of support!

 

As I write this, I will be meeting with the Bishop once again this week to determine if we will be allowed to break ground on our new Church.  Many of you have been praying very hard and I hope to make whatever announcement I can during this weekend's Mass.  Maybe I'll bring some nice Italian Lasagna to him and soften him up a bit.  

 

Well, that is all for now.  May this Lent continue to be a transforming experience in your life!

 

Peace,

Fr. David

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