Pastor's Message

July 30, 2010

Dear friends of Saint Mark Parish:

The week passed without the delivery of our new playground equipment. There were the expected excuses from the supplier, but the bottom line is: no equipment. May this week? In the meantime, there were a number of meetings with All Saints School parents regarding admission, Mass attendance, and tuition. The Library is slowly taking shape in what used to be called: "Sunflower Hall." It will be wonderful to have the great resource inside the main building. At the same time, the dream of having a chapel space in the building for individual class use is coming together quickly because of faithful and good stewards who responded to a call. The first prayers in that space will be prayers of gratitude and blessing for those who made it possible.

Mary Bojarski and I met to continue revising our First Confession/First Communion program with the hope of building a stronger and more visible community among the children and their parents. A letter from Mary will be going out to members of parish who have second grade children. I also met with the parents of Confirmation Classes and enjoyed another Inquiry evening in the Library with several people interested in Catholicism.

On Wednesday morning we had a visit from Tim O'Connor, Director of Catholic Charities, and from Father Bill Pruett a member of the Catholic Charities Board. They were here to talk about the upcoming fall Catholic Charities Annual Fall Appeal. We have become one of their most generous contributors here at Saint Mark, and Tim was happy to tell of the accomplishments we have helped bring about in 2009.

I spent a lot of time this week working on retreat talks that I shall be giving in the fall at a seminary in Baltimore and with the priests of Grand Island, Nebraska. As time draws near for the priests retreat, I may be asking members of the parish for their support, prayers, and letters of encouragement for those priests.

I will be absent from Saint Mark this Sunday after presiding at the Saturday evening Mass because of a trip to Saint Meinrad Seminary in Indiana. I will be home Wednesday morning.

Let us continue to rejoice in God's blessings and as this Sunday's Gospel suggests, let us continue to reflect upon what it is God asks of us with our many gifts.
Fr. Tom Boyer