Happy Easter

Greetings to all of you!
Happy Easter! What an amazing week it has been leading up to this great day in the Church Year. It all began with the crowds on Palm Sunday welcoming Christ into Jerusalem, the celebration of the Lord's Supper on Friday, the Crucifixion on Good Friday, to finally the Great Easter Vigil. The Catholic Church does these Rites so well as we enter into those last days of Christ on earth as if we are actually there! What a special blessing it was for all those who attended and I pray that more and more will come to Christ because of it. I would like to thank all the Priests, Deacons, Altar Servers, Music ministers, Church decorators, liturgy commission, and countless others who made these services go so beautifully. Many don't realize what goes into the planning and preparation for these events and without all of you, we wouldn't have had such a great experience. My many thanks to all of you!

It seems that this year our Mission was once again a great success. Over 600 people came each of the three days to hear him speak and many went away with a great experience. His humor was especially appreciated and his message was right on track. It was a good preparation to Holy Week!
As you may have noticed, the Bell Tower is in the midst of being constructed and we are all so very excited to eventually hear the bells in action! We are hoping to bless and name the bells in the near future so look for the date in the bulletin and/or email blast when the time comes. I hope many of you will be able to attend. 

Last but not least, I wish to thank all of you for your prayers and best wishes on my birthday. Even though it was over a week ago, I'm still eating birthday cake! My waist thanks you!

Well, that is all for now. May God continue to bless you in this glorious season.

Peace,
　

　
Fr. David

Lenten retreat, Feast of St Patrick, Yankee training & Cardinals in Conclave

Greetings to all of you!

 

This week we are privileged to have Fr. Michael Sullivan with us to do our annual Lenten retreat.  He will be preaching at all the Masses this weekend and the retreat will begin on Monday and run through Wednesday night!  Hope all of you will be able to attend at least one, or even better, all of the Mission program.  Make this Lenten experience be a life changing one for you!

 

As you all well know, we celebrate the Feast of St. Patrick this weekend and I'm sure all our Irish brothers and sisters will be out wearing the green in full force!  Even those of us who aren't Irish will also fill our bellies with green beer and corned beef and cabbage.  I'm so glad it doesn't fall on a Friday this year thus eliminating all those phone calls about a dispensation!  My hand for blessings and dispensations can get tired!

 

I did get a chance to take in a Yankee spring training game this week which was the first time in over 6 years I've been to a game.  It was one of those beautiful Florida days when all the northerners get burned by the sunshine as they eat their popcorn and cracker jacks.  I even tried to get Yankee manager Joe Gerardi's attention by saying a few words in Italian to him but he didn't seem to hear what I was saying.  Maybe he doesn't speak the language.  Anyway, it was nice to get out and see a live game for once and get out with the guys.  

 

As of this writing, I haven't heard from the Cardinals in the Conclave upon whether I will be called to Rome or not but It seems they most likely are thinking of another guy.  Maybe we will have a Pope by the time you read this and we can rejoice in the selection.  It's going to be hard not saying Benedict at Mass but I'm sure we will get it down after a few months practice.

 

Well, that is all for now.  May God continue to bless your Lenten experience.

 

Peace,

Fr. David

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