Take a Deep Breath

Greetings to all of you!

Well we can all finally take a deep breath of relief after all the Christmas and New Year festivities. I always love that time of year but it can do a number on our energy levels, that's for sure! However, the Masses were all very beautiful and well attended. I would like to thank the staff and many of you good stewards for making this all happen. This new year will be an exciting one and I can't wait to see what God has in store for all of us.

All you golfers, dust off all your clubs and find some golf balls as we celebrate our Annual Golf Tournament on Sunday, March 1, 2015. This is our 18th year and we have lots of fun and prizes awaiting you. Every year we have so much fun and lots of great food on the course. In addition, we are able to raise money to complete our new Church. So mark your calendars for this date and check the bulletin for details. We hope to have a record crowd of golfers this year!

 

As you may know, we have begun the Year of Study in our quest to be a more dynamic Catholic. There will be

lots to offer and I hope you are able to take advantage of this opportunity to learn more about our faith.

Again, check the bulletin for details.

 

Peace,

Fr. David

 

 

  

Happy New Year

Greetings to all of you!

 

Happy New Year! It always seems this time of year from Thanksgiving to New Year simply flies by and we barely catch our breath. However, now is a time to reflect on new beginnings and I pray that God will give us all the strength to carry out what we promised for the new year.

 

As you can see our new Church is coming along! However, due to the summer rains our dedication date had to be set back from March 28th to June 6th, 2015. This may seem to be disappointing but believe me, it will be beneficial in the long run. The Church will be amazing and I wanted you to see it completed to experience its full affect. Check the bulletin for more details as we get closer to the dedication date. Thanks again to all of you who have made this such a great reality in our short history!

 

This week we begin the Year of Study and I hope that many of you will partake of the various activities planned to learn more about our faith. We will be starting with the Gospel of Mark so if you haven't signed up, please do. Other courses will be offered throughout the year. Take advantage of this great opportunity.

 

Well, that is all for now. May God bless you in this New Year and always.

Peace,

Fr. David  


 

Moment of the Incarnation is upon us!

Greetings to all of you!  

 

As I write this, the awesome moment of the Incarnation is upon us! This week we will once again celebrate the time in which the "Word made flesh" would dwell among us.  I pray that the joy of Christmas is an everyday experience for all of you and not just a once a year event. I'm always enthused during this time of year since it is a continuous reminder to me of God's great love.  Merry Christmas to all of you!

 

You may have noticed (or not) some banners being brought in at the start of Mass. These are being used to bring about a more celebratory experience in Liturgy as we begin this extraordinary event in our week. Hopefully it brings more attention to what is about to happen and I know it will be even more powerful when we move into the new Church. Thanks to those of you who asked what this was all about!  

 

Speaking of the new Church, as you can see it's coming along nicely. So many decisions still have to be made regarding fabrics, colors, etc., etc., etc., and I can't even decide what i'm going to have for breakfast in the morning! However, a majority of the details have been worked out so I can breathe a little easier for the time being. Now I know more about what people go through when they build a house! 

 

Lastly, I finally got out on the golf course two weeks ago.  The clubs were pretty rusty and the golf balls must have been old since they didn't go quite as far as they used to.  However, it was a great day to be out there with some really great people!  Isn't that really what it's all about?!

 

Well, that is all for now.  May God's blessings be upon you during this Holy Time!

 

Peace,

 

Fr. David

Thank All the brave families

 

Greetings to all of you!

 

First of all, I wish to thank all of those brave families who have decided to participate in our Stewardship Renewal by filling out a pledge card. I realize it's not easy to commit to anyone, let alone God Himself, but I do know that God will never be outdone in generosity! So for all of you who decided to take that step in faith, congratulations! Be prepared to enjoy what God has to offer! To those who still are somewhat hesitant, let go! Deepen that faith for it will be your salvation!

 

I made the trip to Ocala again this year for Thanksgiving and as always I ate too much and my sweet tooth got the best of me! How does one resist homemade apple pie with a dollop of whipped cream on top! Anyway, it is always a treasure to be with family especially when we celebrate a new addition to the household with the birth of a great nephew. Wait until he sees what Christmas is like!

I did try to play golf these past two Tuesdays but the golf gods were preventing me from finally taking the clubs out on the course. One Tuesday was biting cold and the other was a raging monsoon! Maybe I should take the hint and stay away!

Well, I hope Advent is going well thus far for you! May this Peaceful Season be one for a deepening of God's love in our hearts.

Peace,

Fr. David

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank You St. Mark Stewards

Greetings to all of you!

Last week the staff and I put on a "Thank You" to all our stewards at St. Mark who give so much of their Time, Talent, and Treasure in making our parish a light to the New Tampa/Wesley Chapel community.  I realize that they are in no need of our thanks and simply do it for the love of God, but I feel it is always nice to at least get together and have a party!  Over 250 people came and what a nice celebration we experienced!  Just seeing all those stewards together in once place brought joy to my heart and the staff had lots of fun serving all of them. (I would like to thank Sun Kropp and her committee, Barbara Delman for helping us with the skit which was lots of fun and Gina Savko for assisting Sun with the hospitality.)  I would also like to thank our great St. Mark staff for their continuous dedication and desire to make St. Mark a wonderful place to serve God.

In a little over a week, I will be heading to the "old sod" once again to visit with Pope Francis at the Vatican.  I realize our schedules are pretty tight so we may not be able to meet up but at least I will enjoy a Mass at St. Peter's Basilica for the Ordination of St. Petersburg seminarian, Brian Boyle, to the Diaconate.  A number of seminarians from around the country who have been studying at the North American College in Rome will be ordained Deacons for their home diocese.  I'm thrilled that I will be able to see Brian ordained while I'm there.  I also can't wait to sit outside the various restaurants in Rome enjoying the wonderful pasta and Italian wines.  I wish you all were going with me!

Well, that is all for now.  I'm hoping that by the time I get back, the roof on our new church will be up!  It's really looking great so far!

Peace,

Fr. David

St. Mark has been selected to host a graduate student from Notre Dame

Greetings to all of you!

I am happy to announce that St. Mark has been selected to host a graduate student from Notre Dame who will be learning the ins and outs of parish life. Beginning in August, this person will be under contract for two years and he/she will be working with our staff in the various departments of our parish. This is truly an honor for us as we work in conjunction with the College of Notre Dame to equip their students in parish ministry to the future benefit of the Universal Church. However, there is a small salary we must provide to meet the needs of the student while he/she is with us. I am asking all those in our parish who have graduated from Notre Dame if they would be interested in helping us meet this small salary. Anything you can give would be greatly appreciated and of course is tax deductible. If you are interested, please email me at frdavid@stmarktampa.org or call me at the office. I will be able to provide more information on the person in a later bulletin. Thanks again for anyone who can help.

 

As we all know, July is usually a very slow month when it comes to doing anything worthwhile in the Church. Between the heat and family vacations, we see less of our St Mark parish family during the week and on weekends. Just remember to bring God on vacation too in whatever capacity you can. Hope you all enjoy this time of rest!

 

Well, that's it for now. I think I'll take a nap!

Peace,

Fr. David

Back to Ordinary Time

Greetings to all of you!

Now that the Easter Season and the various Feasts and Solemnities that follow it are almost over (Feast of St. Peter and Paul this weekend), we can now get back to Ordinary Time and take a small breather!  We are back to the Gospel of Matthew as we continue the Cycle A readings. Matthew is written primarily to a Jewish audience hoping that they will follow and learn from the true Messiah.  We will be reading from Matthew until the season of Advent begins on November 30th.  It's hard to believe that it is less than six months before Christmas!  Maybe I will get my shopping done early this year!

As you can see, our building is going up quickly. I am told we are right on schedule (Easter 2015) despite the rains, and when the walls go up the real exciting part begins!  Keep praying for the safety of the workers and the success of our building campaign.

As an added benefit, the 4th of July is on a Friday this year so it makes for a long weekend!  Just be careful, we need you here in one piece on Sunday morning! 

Well, that is all for now.  Enjoy the holiday and be good to one another.

Peace,

Fr. David