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

     

Congratulations!

Greetings to all of you!

First of all, I would like to congratulate our very own Mary Strickland for graduating from the Lay Pastoral Ministry Institute held at the Cathedral this past week.  The LPMI is an accredited course of studies in theology that prepares students for teaching and working in parish ministry.  It takes four years to achieve this degree and we are so thrilled that Mary was able to accomplish this feat!  Looks like we will all have to genuflect in front of her next time we are in her presence.  I hope she doesn't ask for a raise just yet! Congratulations Mary!

I am also happy to announce two new staff members to our St. Mark family. The first is Yoceline Rincon who will be managing the staff in the front office. Yoceline is a parishioner here and attends the 12:30pm  Mass in Spanish. She also helped with the many decorations in our Sanctuary as a member of the Liturgical Art and Environment committee.  She will be starting on June 18th.

Our other new staff member is Dr. Valarie Mainguy, who will be the Director of Development, Communications, and Marketing for St. Mark Church.  Dr. Valarie is also a parishioner of St. Mark and comes to us with many years of experience in the corporate world.  She will begin her assignment on July 1st.  I'm sure they will make a wonderful addition to our staff as we continue to grow more in the future.  I'm sure you will get a chance to meet them sometime soon and see what great individuals these are. 

As I write this, I've been told that the walls of our new Church might be going up very soon.  It is all so very exciting and I simply ask for your continued financial support to make this a Church for the generations.  If you haven't pledged or you are behind in your payments, I ask that you reach down deep and join the many others who have made this happen. Building a house of God is a privilege and I know He will bless you greatly for your sacrifice.

Well, that is all for now.  May God bless your Stewardship!

Peace,

Fr. David

Welcome Bishop Lynch

Greetings to all of you!

This weekend we welcome Bishop Lynch at the 5:30 pm Sunday Mass as we celebrate the Rite of Confirmation to over 90 young men and women of our parish. This will be the first time that the Bishop will have seen the beginnings of construction of our new Church. I'm sure I will hear an earful!
Speaking of the Church, I didn't realize there would be so many meetings regarding this construction! I am slowly becoming a small expert on roofing, plumbing, wall construction, sound, air conditioning, etc. etc. etc. There are so many acronyms being thrown around that I thought I was also in the military. Of course, sometimes I sit there wondering where God fits in to all this. I guess someday I will know!

Some times during my day off I enjoy sitting in a coffee shop reading and sipping on my favorite beverage. The other day I realized that as I get older, the more "stuff" I have to take in with me. First, the book itself. Then the sunglasses to keep the sun out of my eyes; then reading glasses because they print the sentences so small these days; and finally my cell phone so I can stay connected with the world. I'm running out of pockets! I just hope my knees hold out so I won’t need crutches too.

 

Well, that is all for now. May God bless you as we begin another summer!

 

Peace,

 

Fr. David

 

Summer in Florida

Greetings to all of you!
Now that summer is unofficially here in Florida, with it comes the hot weather and makes it not my most favorite time of year. I always envy those who love the hot weather but it seems God made me with more of a cold blooded nature so I will just have to grin and bare it. Yes, you can call me "wimpy" and I would have to agree with you! I say, "Bring on the Fall!" We are now heading into the sixth month of our "Year of Prayer" and I hope all of you are taking the time to pray during our busy days. Just taking a minute to be in God's presence every day will certainly change your life! As they say in the commercial, "I guarantee it!"
During this busy time I have been involved with meetings, meetings, and more meetings! Much of it has to do with our new Church and the Family Life Center. I have been working with some outstanding men and women with great ideas regarding the future of our parish. More information will be forthcoming. Next week is Pentecost! We will have the privilege of having Bishop Lynch here to Confirm over 90 young men and women at the 5:30 pm Sunday Mass. This is always a huge celebration in our parish and if you can wear red that day, all the more festive. If you normally go to the 5:30 pm Sunday Mass, expect a packed house and a longer service than usual. 
Peace,

　
Fr. David   


 

Thank you MaryAnn Weigel and Lorraine Green

Greetings to all of you!

 

It has been awhile since I last wrote an article and so much happened!  As you can see, we are progressing on our new building.  Although it looks just like a lot of dirt being tossed around, the contractors have been busy doing the work we usually don't see. like the foundation and plumbing.  Hopefully soon we will have the new parking lot finished which will give us more room and eliminate the hassle of finding a spot.  Thank you so much for your patience during this hectic time!  Better times are coming.

 

As many of you know, MaryAnn Weigel, our Youth Minister is moving to Alabama in the next few weeks.  After 8 years at St.Mark we will miss her greatly and we offer our love and prayers to her and Monty as they venture into a new life.  We thank you MaryAnn for all your wonderful work these past years and please know that you will always be a large part of our St. Mark family.

 

On a similar note, Lorraine Greene, the leader of our front office staff, will be retiring at the end of June.  She has been a member of our staff here at St. Mark for over 6 years and we will miss her greatly.  It is well known that when God ends one journey, He takes us on another.  We thank Lorraine for her work here these past years and we look forward to see what God has in store for her in retirement.  Well done good and faithful servant!

 

We also welcome back all our college students, especially our graduates!  It is great seeing them and hearing all about their experiences.  Hope to see you all at Church while you are home.

 

Well, that is all for now. Enjoy the gift that God has given us in each other.

 

Peace,

Fr. David