St. Mark Teenagers

Greetings to all of you!

Last Saturday I had the privilege of spending some time with a group of our St. Mark teenagers on their Confirmation retreat. It was a great time to talk with them and spend some time eating dinner and afterwards celebrating Mass with young men that I normally wouldn't be able to spend quality time with. Needless-to-say I was impressed by their openness and ability to express themselves in a mature way which made me forget for the time being that they were still teenagers. We have a remarkable group of young people in our parish and I give lots of credit to their parents for passing on their faith, wisdom, and love to these young men and women in these difficult times. I know it's not easy raising teenagers with all the distractions that this world brings and you're doing a wonderful job!

After reading in the paper about Tampa, specifically Ybor City, being the home of the Cuban sandwich, I just had to make a trip down there and take a stroll along 7th Ave and visit some of the restaurants and wine and cigar bars that proliferate the city. I did get invited to eat at the Columbia Restaurant on

Sunday night, although it has been many years since I ate there, and found the food to be wonderful. I also had a half glass of their wonderful Sangria, ok, a full glass since it was so good (remember the glasses are small).

Anyway, I had the salad which was a meal in itself and later the Grouper "El Greco" which was absolutely delicious! Ybor continues to be quite a place with it's rich history and its "enigmatic sights." Maybe next time I will go and have one of their great cigars that everybody talks about and watch all the

interesting people go by! As I write this, we are having a nice cool wave sweeping over our area and I

can't wait to get my bike out there on the trails once again! You might call me a "fair weather biker" since I don't like doing anything outside when it's hot when I just feel like I'm melting. As a matter of fact, I think I lost a few inches of height in the last few years and I'm starting to look like Danny DeVito! I'm

just saying......!

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

Peace,

Fr. David

Easter Season

Greetings to all of you!

As we celebrate the Easter Season, I would just simply like to thank so many stewards who have given so much time and talent to make the Easter Services so special. It takes literally dozens of individuals to make these events happen and without these great stewards, it would not be the first class experience that we all have come to know here at St. Mark. I was overwhelmed by the crowds that attended this year and it just goes to show the potential that exists in New Tampa of Catholics who don't attend on a regular basis. It also shows that we all have so much work to do to evangelize and bring people back to Christ.

Why not ask a friend or a neighbor who is Catholic and has not been to Mass in awhile to come and attend some weekend. And if you're real brave, invite someone who isn't Catholic to come and experience the joy of the Mass and the wonderful sights and sounds of the Catholic faith. The fields are aplenty my brothers and sisters! Let us go out and spread the good news! After Easter Sunday was over, I took a huge nap in the afternoon and upon awakening, I ate an entire chocolate rabbit that was given to me by a sweet little girl. As I looked at that rabbit, I reminded myself that this sweet little girl

would be disappointed if I didn't eat the thing and I also didn't want to lie to her and tell her that I did. So I took a deep breath, ripped out the bunny from the box and devoured the entire thing starting with the ears. I know.....I know.....it was quite a sacrifice on my part but at least one little girl will be happy to read

this! Isn't that what Easter is about?

As you know the Rotary Pig Roast is coming upon us and this year it looks like it's going to be quite a celebration! They have asked us to sell tickets here at St.Mark and for every one that is sold here, St. Mark gets $5! So how about buying a ticket and not only help St. Mark but many of the charities in our area. It's always lots of fun for the entire family, so come on down! Well, that is all for now. Continue to enjoy the gift that God has given us in each other!

Peace,

Fr. David

Happy Easter

Greetings to all of you!

Happy Easter! I've been wanting to say that for over 5 weeks and now I am able to not only say it, but shout it from the rooftops! I'm sure that for many of you Lent was not easy (especially if it's done right). However, I think that the discipline of Lent makes us more aware of the profound freedom that the Resurrection experience gives! It reminds us once again that life really is eternal and that those

things we worry about in this life tend to be not that important in relation to eternity. May this Easter experience bring you joy not only today, but for the rest of the year until we celebrate it again!

Speaking of joy, the last fish fry held here at St. Mark this lent was truly a miracle in that over 670 dinners were sold which is a new record! When they started running out of fish during the latter part of the evening, they came over and begged me to perform a miracle of multiplication. I threw off my cloak and went over to the few remaining fish set out on the table. Looking up to heaven and saying a prayer to the Father, miraculously fish began dropping from the sky! There was so much fish that they began to break the wooden baskets used to catch them all. After cooking these miraculous fish, people commented that this fish was the best they have ever tasted! They wondered why we kept the best tasting fish until now? I simply went back to my tent praising God until they came back once again and said that they had run out of wine. Well, I'm sure you know the rest of the story! Anyway, what a great time these past weeks have been for our parish community and I thank the Knights of Columbus and the Columbiettes for all their hard work and great tasting fish and desserts! Incidentally, in a few short weeks the New Tampa Rotary will once again put on the annual Pig Roast which benefits charities throughout the Tampa area.

One of those charities is the St. Vincent de Paul Society which helps those in dire need in our New Tampa area. St. Mark is also a beneficiary of ticket sales since we are providing the space for this great event. For every ticket sold here from St. Mark, we will receive $5 from the Rotary which will go into

our Capital Campaign fund for a new Church. So make sure you buy your ticket here at St. Mark and help us build our Church! Well, that is all for now. May God continue to bless you in this glorious Easter Season!

Peace,
Fr. David

The Bells

Greetings to all of you!

Since I came here almost 9 years ago, I noticed (and I'm sure many of you did also) that during the elevation of the Holy Eucharist, there were no bells ringing to signify this important event in the Mass. I simply assumed that this was the custom of this parish before I came here so I didn't much think about changing this practice. After all, bells were rung prior to Vatican II to remind and "wake up" the faithful to this important moment especially those who may have been saying their own private prayers such as the Rosary among other religious practices. Bells were needed because most of the Mass was in Latin and the Priests" back was to the congregation, hence it was difficult for the faithful to know when this important event was happening. Since Vatican II when the Mass was changed to the vernacular of the people and the altars were turned around, this practice began to fall by the wayside since people could now see and understand the point at which the elevation occurred. However, people would constantly come to me and express their disappointment that bells weren't rung here at St. Mark and they missed their significance. I often would kid around with them and tell them if they wanted bells, they would have to buy them! Well, one parish family took me up on the offer so after 15 years of St. Mark history, we have restored the bells for Mass beginning today on Palm Sunday! I would like to thank Joe and Ellen Cangi

for their most generous contribution to make this happen for our parish family. I have to admit, they do add some color to the Mass now and I appreciate the Cangi's persistence. Hope you like the "new" sound! Last Saturday I had the privilege to attend an event held by the Columbiettes entitled, "Art in the Afternoon Tea". Over two hundred mostly ladies, attended this star studded gala which included stars from Disney, the Beatles, and of course, the one and only Nat King Cole singing his famous song "Mona Lisa". Of course the ladies just mobbed Nat after his performance and they all wondered if he was singing to each one of them. I can just tell you that OF COURSE he was singing to each individual there and considered them ALL Mona Lisa's! Anyway, what a grand event we had and the ladies worked hard

donating much of the proceeds to our Capital Campaign for a new Church. I would like to thank Darlene Fritz, Nancy Larson, and the whole crew for doing such an outstanding job! I wonder what stars they have in store next year? This week as many of you are aware is Holy Week, the most Sacred time of

the Church year! Please review the website and bulletin for Mass times for the Tridduum and of course that great event on Saturday night, the Easter Vigil which is the highlight of our entire Church year. If you have never attended a vigil, you are in for a real treat! Just be warned, it lasts around two

and a half hours but will seem like two and a half minutes! Come and celebrate with us!

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

Time of Year!

Peace,

Fr. David