Dear Parishioners and friends of St. Mark Parish:
I am filled with great gratitude for the generosity of your commitments to prayer before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament during our 40 Hours Devotion from Friday, August 28th at 4PM through Sunday, August 30th at 8:20AM. It truly was a time of great grace and blessing for our parish and the larger community. I was personally inspired by the many people who signed up and who committed to multiple hours. Our intentions were to pray for the end of the Coronavirus Pandemic, for the support of our newly ordained priests especially those struggling with their vocation, for our seminarians and youth that they recognize and generously follow God’s plan for their lives, for our students, teachers and administrators returning to school, and in thanksgiving for the dedication and continued good health and safety of all our medical professionals and first responders. As you know all the hours were covered by at least two people, however, there were times when there were several people present to join in prayer, even in the wee hours in the morning. I have heard from many regarding the blessings they received from being present in prayer. Personally, I found the time spiritually nourishing and refreshing for me. I know God will pour forth his blessings upon us through our willingness to open our hearts to Him in prayer. Our Good and Gracious God is never outdone in generosity. Remember our Church remains open for prayer from 8AM - 5PM everyday. Due to COVID-19 we are not currently permitted to reopen the Adoration Chapel, we can still come and adore the Lord present to us in the Tabernacle. Please consider stopping in to continue prayers for the above listed intentions and any other intentions you may have. The intention box will remain in the sanctuary space. Please come pray and leave your intentions and we will offer them up specifically at each Sunday Mass. In gratitude first and foremost to God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and to all of you, I assure you of my continued prayers as we continue through this challenging time for our community, country and world.