From the Pastor – Palm Sunday

April 15, 2019

From the Pastor – Palm Sunday

This Palm Sunday represents one of the great liturgical dichotomies. We begin the liturgy with a procession of celebration, and we continue to the reading of the Passion, which reaches its zenith with the Lord calling out, “ ‘Father, into your hands I commend my spirit’; and when he had said this he breathed his last.” It is as if we move from joy and celebration to utter defeat and emptiness. However, that is the essence of our entire Lenten journey, and our beginning of Holy Week, which is today. One of the important aspects of our sense of stewardship is gaining an understanding of our Faith, some of the details relating to what we do and why we do it.

The steward understands that she/he travels with the Lord every step of the way, from the highs to the lows, from triumph to evident disaster. Like Peter, nonetheless, we may become reluctant. What are we really following and what are we really believing and practicing? We may proclaim Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Throughout Lent we have been striving to deepen our relationship with Him. Nevertheless, when it comes right down to it, we may resist His invitation to us because it can mean pain, sacrifice, and suffering. That is why we must experience Lent. That is why we must experience His Passion. And that is why next week on Easter Sunday we will arise with the Lord in triumph, joy, and celebration. Truly, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.”

Pastoral Pondering

Diocesan Support Appeal — We have exceeded our goal when donations received and pledges made are added together. Remember anything over our parish goal comes back to the parish to support our charitable giving efforts.

Stained Glass — All 22 windows are now sponsored. Thanks to all who supported this effort. The installation will take place over the coming months as each window is completed.

Matters of Faith — The following is taken from the Exodus 90 manual. As we begin Holy Week, I thought it a helpful reflection to share.

The use of incense is common to both the Hebrew and Christian liturgies, and has been for thousands of years. There are many reasons for the use of incense in worship: its smell, its “otherworldly” movement about the sanctuary, and its ability to lift the eyes and the mind toward God. Incense also has a connection to the realms of heaven.

The Psalmist petitions the Lord, crying, “Let my prayer be counted as incense before you” (Psalm 141:2). In Revelation, it is written that “another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer; and he was given much incense to mingle with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar before the throne; and the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints from the hand of the angel before God” (Revelation 8:3–4). If the smoke of incense is used to accompany the prayers of the saints to the seat of God, how much more important is it for us, the Church on earth, to make use of such a powerful sacramental.

Horns protrude from the altar as part of the Israelites’ earthly liturgy. In the description of the heavenly liturgy in the Book of Revelation, we read of “four horns of the golden altar before God” (Revelation 9:13). Both the earthly altar and the heavenly altar are ornamented with horns. This shows that the liturgy in which we participate on earth—the structure, the rubrics, the smells, the bells, the colors, and the actions—is designed to mirror as closely as possible the perfect worship of God, the heavenly liturgy. So the next time you encounter incense at Mass, as the smoke pours out into the sanctuary, know that you are joining your ancestors, the angels, and the saints in one universal offering to God.

Today, take some time to consider the sacred liturgy. Give God time to tell you all about each part, its function, and its fruits. If you have unanswered questions about certain parts of the liturgy, write them down and seek out the answers. Like the use of incense, other parts of the liturgy, when properly used, have much to teach us about God, ourselves, and our relationship with him.

From the Pastor

From the Pastor - 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

By John Putnam • July 11, 2025
In today’s Gospel passage, from Luke, we read the well-known parable of the Good Samaritan. Here, Jesus teaches us in rich detail what stewardship in action looks like. In fact, this parable could just as accurately be called the parable of the Good Steward. The first thing we note about the Good Samaritan is that he is aware of the needs of those around him and responds generously. While the priest and Levi brush right past the man on the side of the road, the Samaritan is watching for those who might be in need. He has a hospitable way of looking at the world around him and so he is able to “see” in a way that the others did not, and he was “moved with compassion at the sight” of the man. Next, we see the Good Samaritan spring into action to serve this man, setting aside his own schedule and plans to meet his needs. He does not just give the man a few dollars or offer quick words of encouragement from across the road. He goes right up to the man. He cleans and bandages his wounds. He puts the man on his own animal and brings him to an inn where he can heal. He ensures the innkeeper would continue to look after him, and he commits to re-turning to the man on his way back. That is how we live out God’s commandments. That is true hospitality and service.  That is how a good steward springs into action when he comes upon a neighbor in need. And Jesus says to each of us personally, just as He did in today’s Gospel, “Go and do likewise.” ©Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2025 Pastoral Pondering I want to welcome Father Christopher Angermeyer to St. Mark as Parochial Vicar. As many of you know, Father was ordained in June. After completing his undergraduate studies at Belmont Abbey and St. Joseph College Seminary. He completed his theological studies and priestly formation at Mount St. Mary’s in Cincinnati. His home parish was St. Thomas Aquinas in Charlotte. We are happy to have Father Angermeyer with us. I know you will do your part to make him feel welcomed here at St. Mark. I will be away for the next couple of weeks on pilgrimage with a group of seminarians and faithful. Please know that the parish will be in my prayers, and I take all of your intentions with me to the Shrine of Our Lady.

From the Pastor - 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

By John Putnam • July 7, 2025
In today’s Gospel passage, from Luke, we find our Lord appointing disciples to go out and prepare others to receive His invitation into the Kingdom of God. Every verse has something to say about the way a Christian steward should approach others. Let’s consider at least one of the coaching tips Christ gives. “The Lord appointed seventy-two others whom He sent out ahead of Him in pairs to every town and place He intended to visit.” In His wisdom, Christ sent His disciples out not as individuals but in pairs, as teams. This approach to evangelization certainly provided practical advantages. The disciples could lean on each other for mutual support and encouragement, helping each other to stay on task and to put their heads together to pray and problem-solve. This teamwork approach is just as relevant to us modern-day Christian stewards. It takes courage and commitment to go out and invite others into the Christian life. We need to work together to do it well. But there is also symbolic importance to working in teams. It points to the reality that when we invite others to embrace the Good News of the Gospel, we are not merely inviting them into a belief system, but into a relationship with Christ and through that relationship, into Christ’s family — our fellow Christian disciples near and far. Our parish is our immediate spiritual family in this extended worldwide fold. We are not meant to live as isolated individuals within the parish any more than we are meant to live in isolation within our families. We are meant to be a community. That is why it is so important for us to foster a vibrant, supportive, welcoming parish life. This is why we emphasize hospitality as one of the pillars of stewardship. It is not enough just to point others to Christ; we must invite them to join us in community with Him; we must offer a place and mission for them in the Church and within our parish family. © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2025 Pastoral Pondering As you know, during the last weekend of May (5/31-6/1), we had our final push for our Growing Home Campaign. I wanted to give everyone a final update as we conclude our fundraising period. During that weekend’s presentation, I asked everyone to help us close the $325,000 gap to meet our $9.7 M goal. As we close this portion of the campaign, I am happy to report that we have reached $10.5 million in pledges and gifts, exceeding our goal by $800,000! I am continuously amazed by the giving spirit that pervades our parish. Your generosity is a tangible expression of your commitment to our amazing parish. The funds raised over the goal and any funds raised going forward will help us to address the ever-increasing cost of construction and reduce the loan amount that will be required to complete the overall project. As noted earlier this year, the Rectory project has started and is projected to take about 12 months to complete. Our hope and plan is to break ground on the Monsignor Bellow Center and Adoration Chapel next summer or early Fall. Words alone never seem adequate to express the gratitude that I have in my heart for all of you who have participated in and supported this monumental effort. Both the financial support and the support with time and talent have been tremendous and for that, I want to offer a heartfelt “THANK YOU!”. May God bless each of you for your generosity in helping us grow our home here at St. Mark.
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