From the Parochial Vicar - August 19, 2018

August 20, 2018

Pastoral Pondering - August 19, 2018

“Are you a minister?” a stranger timidly asks.

“A Roman Catholic priest, yes!” I reply. “I sometimes come here with our Young Adult Group after our gatherings.”

“That’s cool. I was raised Catholic; went to Catholic school,” the man offers willingly.

“Well, I think it’s time you come back,” I say with a smile and offering my business card. “Here’s my card. There’s a Catholic church right down the road. It’s Saint Mark Catholic Church. We have confessions every day but call me to set up an appointment if you are more comfortable coming at a different time. We have Masses throughout the day on Sunday.”

Astonished, the man pipes up, “I didn’t even know there was a Catholic church in Huntersville!”

That line always gets me: I didn’t know there was a Catholic church in Huntersville. I hear it more frequently than I’d care to admit. It amazes me how busy people get with life that they don’t even hop on “the interwebs” (hat tip to Fr. Becker) to look for a Catholic church when they move here. I just smile, order my beer, and head back to the group of local Catholic young adults at the bar.

It’s a Tuesday night. We have had a handful of young adults reply to the MeetUp.com invitation to join our discussion at the Ranson Road House. There are over 100 young adults that get a weekly invitation to join us for this or that event. Many times, we have around ten people, and sometimes we get upwards of 15 or 20. It interests me when a newcomer walks in. We have had people walk in who were just passing through visiting family or friends and just wanted to spend an evening with other Catholic young adults. Others may be involved in another parish, but just wanted somewhere wholesome to be on Tuesday night because they had no plans. Many times, a “newbie” joins us because they have no other connection to the Church outside of Sunday Mass. Sometimes they come because I hear the loneliness in their voice during Confession and reach around the grille to hand an invitation card to the penitent.

Youth Ministry, as I have written about the last two weeks, is about accompanying our youth and guiding them into an intentional relationship of love. Young Adult Ministry (adults in their 20’s and 30’s) keeps the spark of love for the faith in the hearts of our young adults. It brings together adults who are all at a different place in their faith journey in order to “fan into flame the spiritual gift” (1 Tim 1:6) of their choice to remain Catholic, but sometimes do not know where they belong. Young Adult Group revolves around two main principles. First, in different and engaging ways we encourage one another to “let no one despise your youth, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity” (1 Tim 4:12).

When I returned from my conversation at the bar with a beer in my hand, one of our group said, “Evangelizing again, Father?” It is not uncommon for them to witness the power of the little, white Roman collar in public.

What transpired while I was getting a drink and talking to this gentleman who had fallen away from the faith was a continuation of a conversation that began during our young adult meeting, which twice a month is called PATH (Paschal Adoration through History). There were many questions about the Sacrament of Confession and how to approach it. What do you do if you haven’t been in a long time? How can I get over my nerves? I had a bad experience in confession one time when the priest was very hard on me. How can I be sure the confessor will be helpful and kind? When does a feeling become sinful? Little by little, the conversation naturally progressed from the sacraments and faith to society and politics. There was a passionate discussion as I piped in briefly at times to guide the conversation according to principles of Catholic Social Teaching. I encountered a very serious problem, however. I had an empty glass. I excused myself, offering to others who had an empty glass to grab another drink since I was making the walk back to the bartender. Taking the two or three orders, I left the group as they were approaching the subject of immigration.

“That’s really inspiring,” says a familiar voice behind me as I waited for the bartender who was tediously attending to the taps behind the bar. I turned and saw the same man with whom I was conversing with before. “I have been listening in to your conversation. I don’t agree with everything I’m hearing, but I have never heard such intelligent conversation at a bar before. I wish I had a young adult group when I came out of college. I felt like there wasn’t a place for me until I started a family and needed something for my kids. By then, I was getting by just fine without the Church. But now I see that my family is missing something.”

That man came back to the Church. His wife came into the Church. His children will be receiving the sacraments. And the young adults got their beer. Again, they noticed I had been talking to the same man as before.

“Still evangelizing, Father?” one asked again, adding, “Oh, and thanks for grabbing another beer for me.”

I smiled approvingly at the group and said, “Not me this time. You all. You all have been evangelizing.”

That man perceived in his 20’s that the Church lacked a place for him. He simply decided to just get on with his life and leave religion behind only to discover his mistake years later. I think his local parish community was a little at fault, too. This points to the second principle for the Young Adult Group: it is the ministry of John the Baptist. Part of John the Baptist’s mission was to catch disciples and then pass them off to Jesus when he came. The Young Adult Ministry is a “feeder group.” The members frequently participate together in different parish activities and, as a result, individual members discover their own personal interests, gifts, and talents that they can use individually within the community.

I am so very grateful to the young adults who are a part of our group. Each one is there for a different reason. And each one discovers faith, fellowship, fun, and renewal. Whether we are talking about some aspect of the faith, or just getting together at an Escape Room or River Jam, it is the love of Christ that binds them together and to the parish. If you or someone you know is a young adult that would benefit from a crazy group of peers who all desire holiness and truth, reach out to us. Pop in for a visit and bring a friend. Nobody can say that something “isn’t their thing” until they try it.

From the Pastor

From the Pastor - Fourth Sunday of Advent

By John Putnam • December 19, 2025
As our Advent preparations draw to a close and Christmas fast approaches, it is fitting that today’s readings demonstrate the intensity of the Father’s perfect and passionate love for each of us, culminating in the gift of His own Son, Jesus Christ, on Christmas Day. As we reflect on the enormity of this gift, let us ask ourselves what we can offer in return. In our first reading, from Isaiah, the Lord invites King Ahaz to “ask for a sign from the Lord, your God.” And not just any sign. The Lord says, “let it be deep as the nether-world, or high as the sky!” Ahaz, though, cannot arouse himself from his bleak and limited outlook, and actually refuses this invitation. Undeterred by his negativity, the Lord says through the prophet Isaiah, that he himself will provide the sign: “the virgin shall conceive and bear a son” and his name will be Emmanuel which means, “God with us.” What great love and patience our heavenly Father has shown his people throughout all ages! In the second reading, from Paul’s letter to the Romans, St. Paul sends a blessing of “Grace…and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. This — grace and peace — is precisely the gift we celebrate on Christmas Day. Through his incarnation, Jesus brings the intimate love of God right into our midst; and through His death and resurrection, He saves us from our sins and restores us to right relationship with the Father. This is the peace that the world cannot offer. In response to such an overwhelming gift, what can we do except offer our lives as a gift in return, embracing a stewardship way of life with all the love and strength we have to give? In our Gospel passage from Matthew, we find an unparalleled example of one who embraced this way of life in St. Joseph, as he responds to God’s call to him through the message of an angel. St. Joseph immediately and humbly obeys the instruction from the angel: “Do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” Open to this extraordinary role, he did as the angel commanded and “takes Mary into his home.” We never hear St. Joseph speak, but the Scriptures tell us he was always listening, attentive to the leading of the Holy Spirit for his family. It was Joseph who found the stable where the baby Jesus would be born. No doubt it was Joseph who cleaned it up and prepared it for Mary and Jesus since we know that Mary was about to give birth. Joseph protected the family, guarded them, and tended to their safety, their comfort, and their well-being at the expense of his own plans and preferences. Though we do not hear any words from St. Joseph his actions clearly show that he offered himself, his whole life, as a gift to his family through his strong guidance, protection, and service. Let us imitate St. Joseph, then, as good stewards, giving our very lives to those around us in love and gratitude to God who has given us everything we have, especially His own Son, Jesus Christ. We will no doubt find that the more we give ourselves away, the more our generous Father will fill us with His grace and peace — these are truly the best Christmas gifts we could receive. © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2025 Pastoral Pondering Christmas is upon us and as we enter into these last days before the celebration of the Lord’s birth, I wanted to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude for the myriad ways each one of you makes St. Mark a wonderful place to pray, to worship and find a parish home. As I speak to people who visit us from other parts of the country or parishioners who, due to trips away, visit other parishes, it is nice to hear that St. Mark has something special about it. That “something special” has a great deal to do with the people who call St. Mark home. Christmas is a time to share the love of Christ, and over the past several weeks, you have done just that in our various charitable efforts, most recently our Christmas Giving Tree. Lives have been impacted for the better because of your generous response, and I know that God will bless you because He is never outdone in generosity.  Finally, please know that Fathers Angermeyer, Martinez, Huber and I wish each and everyone of you a very merry and blessing-filled Christmas!

From the Pastor - Third Sunday of Advent

By John Putnam • December 12, 2025
Good news, Christian stewards — we are gaining ground on our Advent mountain climb and it is time to take a moment to rejoice in the Good News that our Savior will come again in triumph one day. Today’s readings on this Gaudete (“Rejoice”) Sunday are filled with reminders of God’s final victory over suffering and injustice, and encouragement to remain steadfast in our mission to live as faith-filled disciples. Such a day almost seems too good to be true, especially when we look around at the dire circumstances we face in our world at present. But by faith, we know this day is coming. Lest we grow weary as we await the glorious day of Christ’s return, St. James, in our second reading, offers wise counsel. “Be patient, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord.” “Make your hearts firm… Do not complain, brothers and sisters, about one another, that you may not be judged.” This is excellent advice for us Christian stewards as we face the challenges of everyday life in our broken world, especially in the hectic days that precede Christmas when stress can make us and those around us less than our best selves. St. James reminds us that we can choose our response to both the great strains and the minor annoyances of life. In other words, we can be good stewards of our attitude, “making our hearts firm” by practicing patience with others and refusing to give in to the temptation to complain. We can choose to see and rejoice in God’s presence with us, no matter the circumstances surrounding us. © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2025 Pastoral Pondering Prior to the Hamas attack in Israel of October 7, 2023, I was planning to lead a pilgrimage to the Holy Land with our seminarians. The events of that day put that pilgrimage on hold even though we had already raised funds for the pilgrimage. Now that relative peace has been restored, we will be embarking on the pilgrimage on December 26 th . I wanted to thank all of you who supported the effort and wanted to let you know that we are finally preparing to go. Pilgrimages to the Holy Land are very special opportunities for everyone, but such a pilgrimage is especially significant for a man preparing for priesthood because it provides a completely different perspective on the Scriptures and is able to inform his preaching and teaching. Christopher Cross is organizing this for us, and I would recommend one of his trips to anyone who would like to go. Chris brings a unique blend of humor and deep faith that makes the experience come alive in a wonderful way. I have been on a number of pilgrimages, and those with Chris have been the most impactful by far.  Please keep all of us in your prayers as we prepare for the pilgrimage and certainly know that you all will be in ours as we spend the Christmas Octave in the Holy Land.