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St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
Catholic Church
12805 Valleywood Drive, Lake Ridge, Virginia Founded 1976 Third Sunday of Easter
April 19, 2015
Page Two
Third Sunday of Easter
April 19, 2015
“Suffering are the ties, the bands, which fasten and unite us to our Dearest!”
Daily Thoughts of Mother Seton
Mass Schedule
Monday - Saturday:
Saturday Vigil:
Sunday:
Holy Days:
9:00AM
6:00PM
7:30, 9:00, 10:45AM, 12:30PM
Vigil - 7:30PM
9:00AM, 6:00PM, 7:30PM
Pastoral Staff
Rev. David P. Meng
Rev. Edwin E. Perez
Dcn. Rob Warner
Mrs. Jackie Ezersky
Mrs. Kathy Lord
Pastor
Parochial Vicar
Deacon
Director of Religious Education
Director of Religious Education
for Middle School & Confirmation
Mr. Jon Laird
Director of Music
& Coordinator of Youth Ministry
General Information
Office Hours:
9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
RCIA: Adults who wish to become Catholic are invited to inquire
about the process. Please call the Parish Office.
Nursery Service: 10:45 AM Mass
Telephone Numbers
Parish Offices
Parish School, Aquinas School
Religious Education Offices
Fax
Web site
Weekend & evening receptionist
703-494-4008
703-491-4447
703-494-3966
703-494-1995
www.seas1.org
(703) 494-4008
Sacraments
Penance: Friday after 9AM Mass, Monday at 7PM,
Saturday, 3:30 PM (till lines run out) or by appointment.
PARISH ACTIVITIES FROM APRIL 19TH - 25TH
Sunday, Apr 19th
T1
9:30am
Treble Choir Practice
5pm
M.S. RE
F,T,Sts.P&P,LFR,Cr-A&B
7:30pm
High School Youth Group
F
Monday, Apr 20th
9am
MC
Mass
9:30am
Icons
LFR
10am
NO Seton Crafters
DH
10am
Moms’ Group
N
5pm
Bread and Wine Day
F&MC
6pm
M.S. RE
F,T,Sts.P&P,LFR,Cr-A&B
7pm
Boy Scouts
UH
7pm - till lines run out Confessions
C
Tuesday, Apr 21st
9am
MC
Mass
9:30am
Blue Army Devotion
ALL DAY ADORATION UNTIL 5:45 C
2pm
Parkinson Support Group
St. Peter
4:30pm
K-5 RE
Sts.P&P,T,LFR,N,F
7:30pm
Knights of Columbus
UH
Wednesday, Apr 22nd
9am
MC
Mass
9:30am
Divine Mercy Cenacle
Cr-B
4:30pm
K-5 RE
Sts. P&P,T,LFR,N,F
6pm
Legion of Mary
Cr-A
7pm
Charismatic Prayer Group
UH
Thursday, Apr 23rd
9am
MC
Mass
3pm
Divine Mercy Holy Hour
C
Friday, Apr 24th
9am
MC
Mass
C
9:30pm:30pm Confessions
9:30am
Friday AM Faith Sharing
T1
10:15
Legion of Mary
Cr-A
6pm
Silver Foxes Bingo
F
6pm
Charismatic Prayer Group
UH
Saturday, Apr 25th
8am
Charismatic Prayer Group
UH
9am
MC
Mass
9:30am
Silver Foxes
F&K
C
3:30pm:30pm Confessions
Baptism: Registration in parish and preparation is required.
Please call Parish Office for an appointment.
Marriage: Registration in parish and 6 month preparation is required.
Please call the Parish Office for an appointment.
First Communion: Administered in 2nd grade upon completion of 1st
grade in a Religious Education Program or Catholic School.
Confirmation: Administered in 8th grade after completing grades 1-7
in a Religious Education Program or Catholic School.
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish
Welcomes Our Newly Baptized
Logan James Bechtold
Mara Celeste Black
Declan Nicholas Steward
Page Three
WEEK
OF
APRIL 20TH
FEAST DAYS & READINGS
20th Mon
Acts 6:8-15; Ps 119:23-24, 26-27, 2930; Jn 6:22-29
21st Tues Feast of St. Anselm
Acts 7:51 — 8:1a; Ps 31:3cd-4, 6, 7b,
8a, 17, 21ab; Jn 6:30-35
22nd Wed Acts 8:1b-8; Ps 66:1-3a, 4-7a;
Jn 6:35-40
23rd Thurs Feast of Sts. George & Adalbert
Acts 8:26-40; Ps 66:8-9, 16-17, 20;
Jn 6:44-51
24th Fri Feast of St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen
Acts 9:1-20; Ps 117:1bc, 2;
Jn 6:52-59
25th Sat Feast of St. Mark
1 Pt 5:5b-14; Ps 89:2-3, 6-7, 16-17;
Mk 16:15-20
26th Sun Acts 4:8-12; Ps 118:1, 8-9, 21-23, 26,
28, 29; 1 Jn 3:1-2; Jn 10:11-18
MASS INTENTIONS
Mon
9:00am
Tues
9:00am
Wed
9:00am
Thurs
9:00am
Fri
9:00am
Sat
9:00am
6:00pm
Sun
7:30am
9:00am
10:45am
12:30pm
Mathew Gilbert
Wilfredo Guico
Sr. Jeanne Devaney
Edward Clocek
Ann Twardowski
Msgr. Francis Castellano
Frederick Engels
Maria Barabosa
Deceased Members of the
James Flickinger Family
Joe Sparmo
For the People of
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
Please Pray for…….
Sick ~ Michael Baker Sr., Evagenalina Cordoviz, Sr.
Mary Lou Garner, Ed Glenn, Baby Jaxson, Baby
Patrick, Michael Heck, Megan Murray,
Ed Stevens & Joseph Troup
Deceased ~ Clara Mae Alpaugh, Darlene Farrell,
Avery Heino, Gary Helfrecht, Mary Marcolongo &
Eleanor Tracy
SUNDAY COLLECTION
APRIL 5, 2015
Collection w/Faith Direct
Capital Campaign - Gold
Capital Improvement
Easter
Catholic Home Missions
$24,631.04
6,433.50
1,118.00
9,629.00
1.717.00
APRIL 12, 2015
Collection w/Faith Direct
Capital Campaign - Gold
Easter
$18,671.63
2,820.00
396.00
THANK YOU to all parishioners who support this parish.
PARISH NEWS
Eucharistic Ministers
IS THE LORD ASKING YOU to consider serving as an Extra-ordinary Minister of Holy
Communion? To serve in this capacity one must be at least 21 years of age, registered in
the Parish, a faithful and practicing Catholic, if married – married in the Church and
willing to attend a workshop sponsored by the Diocese so as to obtain a mandate from
the Bishop. If you would be willing to serve in this most excellent work, please call the
office, 703-494-4008 to register.
SEAS DIVINE MERCY
CENACLE AND HOLY HOUR
The SEAS Divine Mercy Cenacle
meets on Wednesdays and Thursdays
immediately following 9:00 AM
Mass. On Wednesdays, the Cenacle
follows a program of study and prayer
developed by the Eucharistic Apostles of Divine Mercy. The objectives of the program are
to gain a deeper understanding of the Divine
Mercy message, the role of St. Faustina in
spreading and increasing devotion to the Divine
Mercy, and to grow in living the Divine Mercy
in our daily lives. On Thursdays, the Cenacle
hosts a Holy Hour in the SEAS chapel to pray
for the sick and dying, for an end to abortion,
for our priests, for an increase in vocations, for
the special needs of the parish, for religious
freedom and for the intentions of SEAS parishioners. All are welcome to come and participate! For more information about the Cenacle
and Holy Hour, please contact Mary Ann Cowden at 703-492-8149.
ACTS
Two more weeks to bring your non-perishable
food items to help the hungry in our county.
Don’t forget personal items, such as soap,
shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, and toilet
paper. Every little bit helps to alleviate the
suffering of our less fortunate and we are helping ACTS with the Feinstein Challenge! Every
pound of food earns ACTS $1! Thank you.
MOTHER‘S DAY CARDS
MOTHER’S
DAY
SPIRITUAL
BOUQUET CARDS are available in the
foyer of the church. Please return all envelopes to the Parish Office by Monday, May
4th so we can publish all mothers’ names for
Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 10th. Please
neatly print and clearly mark deceased/living
all names. Thank you!
PARKINSON SUPPORT GROUP
The Parkinson Disease Support Group will
meet in the downstairs Conference Room A on
Tuesday, at 2:00 p.m.. This is a faith-based
group, and all who have been diagnosed with
Parkinson Disease; spouses and caregivers are
WOODBRIDGE CATHOLIC
welcome. The group meets regularly on the
YOUNG ADULTS
third Tuesday of each month. For info, call
Join local young adults for fellowship, prayer,
Becky Richardson at 703-910-6899.
speakers and presentations on a variety of topics that will ignite your faith and spark your
A Prayer For All Who Are
intellect! We meet every Tuesday at 7:00
Serving Our Country
p.m. at Our Lady of Angels. Church. Contact
WoodbridgeCatholicYA@yahoo.com or search Almighty God and Father, look with love upon
for us on Facebook: "Woodbridge Catholic our men and women in uniform and protect
them in their time of need. Give them health
Young Adults”.
and stability and allow them to return to their
loved ones whole and unshaken. Be with their
HUMAN CONCERNS
families and sustain them in these uncertain
In the month of May we are honoring our fallen
times.
soldiers by helping our injured soldiers. We
will be collecting gas cards, non-sugared items
Sgt. Ryan Accornero, USMC
such as nuts, protein/granola bars, etc.. Please
Capt. Erin Anderson, US Army
bring items to the Fellowship Hall and place in
1Lt Aaron Bradley, USAF
the blue bin by the Parish Offices.
GM3 Coleman Calhoun, USCGC
AIC Daniel P. Callahan, USAF
PVT Daniel Cardinale, US Army
FEINSTEIN FOUNDATION
Col. Dennis Curran, USAF
Each year the Feinstein Foundation donates $1
ISC Benjamin Evan, USN
million to hunger fighting agencies. Help
IS2 Michael Flick, USN
ACTS earn this generous award! All donations
Sgt. Joseph Frederick, USMC
made to the ACTS Food Pantry from March 1
1Lt Christopher Hoffmann, USMC
to April 30 will be counted toward the Fein2Lt. Jonathan Likovetz, US Army
stein Challenge, including cash, checks and
Lt.
Col Michael P. Marciniak, US Army
food. Check and cash donations should be
SrA Taylor McCarthy, USAF
marked “ACTS Feinstein Challenge.” Each
Lt Casey Smith, USN
pound of food donated to ACTS in March and
CPT Rob Stark, US Army
April will count for $1. Since April is the
Cpl Robert Talbert, USMC
ACTS Food Drive month at SEAS, please
WO2 Dave Tomlinson, USMC
donate generously!
EN1 Jeffrey Lee Vitols, USN
Page Four
K - 5 RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
Monday, April 20th: Bread & Wine Day for all 2nd graders
in our program, including Family Catechesis & Aquinas;
5:00-6:00pm in the Fellowship Hall (downstairs in the
church building).
Monday, April 27th: 1st Communion Practice; 5:30-7:30pm
in the main church and chapel; for all 2nd graders in our
program and one parent. Babysitting is available for
siblings. Call the RE Office at ext. 135 to reserve a
babysitting slot.
MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS CONTINUED ~
ADULT CONFIRMATION: The first Adult Confirmation
class will meet at 2:30PM on April 26 in Conference Room A
downstairs in the main church. The remaining classes will be
held on the following Sundays: May 3, May 10 and May 17.
Adult Confirmation will take place on Sun, May 24 at 2:30PM
at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington. Adult
practicing Catholics who have not yet been confirmed,
please contact Kathy Lord at kathy.lord@seas1.org for
information and requirements and to sign up. All
candidates are encouraged to attend the 12:30PM Mass
preceding the classes.
HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH MINISTRY
Date:
Monday/Tuesday,
May 11/12, 2015
Time: 6:00-7:00pm
Place: Fellowship Hall (in church building)
Cost: $25.00 per child
VBS is opened to all children ages 4-10, and will take place
July 13-17, 2015 from 9am-12:00pm.
Many volunteers are needed to make our VBS happen.
Adults and middle school through high school students are
invited to sign up!
Training for all volunteers will take place on Tuesday, June
2nd @ 7:00pm.
Registration for next year’s middle school classes will be
held on Sun, May 3, at 5:00pm and Mon, May 4, at 6:00pm.
MIDDLE SCHOOL
MIDDLE SCHOOL RE 2014-15 REGISTRATION
IMPORTANT CONFIRMATION DATES
1. Due ASAP
Service hours
2. Due ASAP
Letter to Father Meng due to the Middle
School RE office.
3. May 3
Mandatory Confirmation practice from
3:00-5:00PM.
4. May 8
Confirmation 7:30PM – Confirmandi should
be in the chapel with their robes at 6:30PM.
Diocesan Youth Bash: All middle school students are invited
to a celebration of our Catholic faith and love of the Lord at the
Diocesan Youth Bash on Sat, April 25, 2015 at Paul VI High
School. The cost is $10.00 per student which includes a pizza
dinner, music, games, inspirational speakers, comedians,
confessions and Sunday Vigil Mass. We will have more
specific information in upcoming bulletins as it is released from
the Diocese. Chaperones and drivers are needed for this event.
Please contact Kathy Lord at kathy.lord@seas1.org to sign up
or chaperone.
HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH GROUP: The High School
Youth Group will meet on Sun, April 19 at 7:30PM in
Seton Hall.
CONFIRMATION
1.
2.
Due ASAP
Due ASAP
3.
May 3
4. May 8
Service hours.
Letter to Father Meng due to the Middle
School RE office.
Mandatory Confirmation practice from
3:00-5:00PM
Confirmation 7:30PM – Confirmandi should
be in the chapel with their robes at 6:30PM.
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS REGIONAL SCHOOL
St. Thomas Aquinas Regional School, a National Blue Ribbon
School of Excellence, is accepting applications for the 20152016 school year. Aquinas is a PK4 through Eighth Grade
regional Catholic school. The school is administered and
staffed by the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia. Daily faith
formation and the instilling of virtues through our Virtues in Practice
Program are the focus of our mission. Aquinas was named a Top 100
Virginia School by Johns Hopkins University and we have a unique
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) partnership with
the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth. We have a middle
school sports program, an award-winning band and chorus, and an
Extended Day Program that operates from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on
school days.
Visit us at www.aquinastars.org for additional
information or email us at admissions@aquinastars.org to schedule a
tour.
SAINT JOHN PAUL THE GREAT
Saint John Paul the Great Gala ~
The Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School Family
Association invites you to attend their 3rd Annual Gala and
Auction on May 16, 2015. It will be a fun-filled evening for
adults, in support of Catholic education! Ticket and
sponsorship information may be found at www.jpthegreat.org
or gala@jpthegreat.org or 703.45.0300.
Page Five
PARISH NEWS CONTINUED ~
CAR RAFFLE UPDATE
PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS THE LAST OPPORTUNITY TO PURCHASE/RETURN TICKETS ! ALL SOLD AND UNSOLD TICKETS
MUST BE RETURNED NO LATER THAN THIS MONDAY,
4/20. There are a variety of ways to return your sold/unsold tickets: via
U.S. Mail, in the offering baskets during weekend Masses, or drop them
off at the Parish Office. Tickets returned after 4/20, unfortunately, cannot
be accepted.
As this year's All Saints 5 Car Raffle draws to a close, please know
how much your support means for the High School Youth Group Work
Camp, Religious Education, and Respect Life/Human Concerns! Your
efforts will make a difference in all of these awesome ministries - so thank
you! This year's raffle drawings will be held on Saturday, 4/25 at the All
Saints Parish Festival at All Saints Catholic Church (9300 Stonewall Road,
Manassas, VA 20110).
FALL GALA
Save the Date - Saturday, November 21st, 7:00 p.m. to
10:00 p.m., for our 1st Annual SEAS Fall Gala which
includes a silent and live auction.
All money raised will be used to send our youth delegation to World Youth Day in Krakow Poland in
2016.
Our first planning meeting will be on Thursday,
April 30th at 7:00 p.m. in Conference Room B. We
invite you to come and meet the planning committee
members and get more information about the auction.
The first drawing is at 1pm, with the last drawing at 9pm. Best of luck If interested in donating, please call Saskia
to all of those who participated! Hoping for more winners from SEAS this
Majchrowitz at 703-497-4837.
year! In 2014 we had a $500 winner! As soon as the list of winners is
provided, it will be printed in the bulletin or you can check the All Saints
webpage for updates: http://www.allsaintsvachurch.org/news-and-events/
KOVAR CHARITY COLLECTION
parish-festivalraffle/car-raffle/raffle-schedule-and-winners/ Thank you After all Masses on Saturday, May 2nd, and Sunday, May 3rd, our
again for all of your support!
Knights of Columbus members will be collecting donations for their
state-wide charity “Adults with Intellectual Disabilities,” or “KOVAR.”
LIVING ROSARY
Your contributions will assist citizens with intellectual disabilities and
Sunday, May 3rd, the Knights of Columbus and Legion of Mary will host
fund projects that include: home loans; vehicles needed to transport
a Living Rosary. We will pray the Rosary in front of the Parish Hall at
persons with intellectual disabilities; group home furnishings; grants to
2:00 p.m. This is an event that is open to all parishioners of the parish and
establish early detection programs to identify infants with or at risk of
we invite the entire family to come pray the Rosary together. In these
times where the church is under attack for religious freedom, we need to intellectual disabilities; funding for organizations to train persons with
pray together to ask the assistance of Our Blessed Mother to save the free- intellectual disabilities; and the Special Olympics programs. Our
Knights of Columbus Council sincerely appreciates your support of this
doms we have come to take for granted.
most worthwhile charitable cause.
Put this date and time on your calendar and let us pray together.
Stir into Flame: April 24,25
“For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame the gift of
God that you have through the imposition of my hands.” 2
Tim 1:6
You know ABOUT God, but do you know that you can personally
experience His love and power to transform your life?
You can learn to present Jesus and His Church in a renewed way that
can enrich the lives of others and challenge and change our culture, just
like in the days of the early Church.
When: Fri. April 24, 7:30-9:30pm and Sat. April 25, 10 am- 4 pm
Where: St Elizabeth Ann Seton, Parish Hall
12805 Valleywood Drive, Lake Ridge VA 22192
Hosted by: The Mother of Joy Charismatic Prayer Group
This life changing opportunity consists of contemporary praise and worship, motivating talks, personal testimonies and enlightening small group
discussion designed to help you learn what it means to live a fully authentic Catholic Christian life. The talks, by Deacon Marques Silva, Permanent Deacon at St. Mary of
Sorrows Catholic Church and Director of OPCYP, Catholic Diocese of
Arlington, will cover:
The Call: Learning to Respond to the Love of God
The Cost: Where the Spirit of the Lord is; there is Freedom & Life The Commitment: A Personal Pentecost The Commission: Equipping for the Journey
REGISTRATION: Veronica O’Brien/
motherofjoyprays@gmail.com 703-897-7752
ATTENTION ADULT
PRACTICING CATHOLICS
WHO HAVE NOT YET BEEN CONFIRMED
Please be sure to contact Kathy Lord at 703-494-3966 to register to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. Participants
must provide a recently obtained certificate of baptism WITH
NOTATIONS or reception into full communion with the Catholic Church. In addition, kindly furnish proof of valid marriage –
a copy of a marriage certificate issued by a Catholic Church.
There will be four mandatory preparation classes: Sun, April
26; Sun, May 3; Sun, May 10; Sun, May 17. All Candidates
are encouraged to attend the 12:30pm Mass preceding the classes
which begin at 2:00pm. The Adult Confirmation Mass for the
Arlington Diocese will be held at St. Thomas Moore Cathedral
on Pentecost Sunday, May 24, 2015 at 2:30PM.
COMMUNITY NEWS
From the Chancellor’s Desk
Catholic Home Missions ~
The Catholic Home Missions Appeal will take place next week. One
way that this appeal works to strengthen home mission dioceses in the
United States is by funding seminarian formation in poor dioceses. The
blessing of seminarians places a financial burden on these dioceses,
where educating each seminarian costs $35-40,000 per year. Your support is needed for these young men so that they might go back and serve
their parishes. Please strengthen the Church at home by making a generous gift to next week’s appeal.
Page Six
Charity in Truth
Marriage: Love and Life in the Divine Plan
The following is an extract from the USCCB Pastoral Letter of the same name dated Nov 17, 2009:
While marriage is a special blessing for Christians because of the grace of Christ, marriage is also a natural blessing and gift for everyone in all times and cultures. It is a source of blessing to the couple, to their families, and to society and includes the wondrous gift of co
-creating human life. Indeed, as Pope John Paul II never tired of reminding us, the future of humanity depends on marriage and the family. It is just such a conviction that has led us, the Catholic bishops of the United States, to write this pastoral letter. We rejoice that so
many couples are living in fidelity to their marital commitment. We thank them for proclaiming in their daily lives the beauty, goodness,
and truth of marriage. In countless ways, both ordinary and heroic, through good times and bad, they bear witness to the gift and blessing they
have received from the hand of their Creator. We are grateful, too, for all those who work with young people and engaged couples to establish
good marriages, who help married couples to grow in love and strengthen their union, and who help those in crisis to resolve their problems and
bring healing to their lives.
At the same time we are troubled by the fact that far too many people do not understand what it means to say that marriage—both as a natural
institution and a Christian sacrament—is a blessing and gift from God. We observe, for example, that some people esteem marriage as an ideal but
can be reluctant to make the actual commitment necessary to enter and sustain it. Some choose instead to live in cohabiting relationships that may
or may not lead to marriage and can be detrimental to the well-being of themselves and any children.
In addition, the incidence of divorce remains high. The social sanctions and legal barriers to ending one‘s marriage have all but disappeared, and
the negative effects of divorce on children, families, and the community have become more apparent in recent decades.
We are alarmed that a couple‘s responsibility to serve life by being open to children is being denied and abandoned more frequently today. Couples too often reflect a lack of understanding of the purposes of marriage. There is a loss of belief in the value of those purposes when couples
readily treat, as separate choices, the decisions to get married and to have children. This indicates a mentality in which children are seen not as
integral to a marriage but as optional. When children are viewed in this way, there can be damaging consequences not only for them but also for
the marriage itself. We note a disturbing trend today to view marriage as a mostly private matter, an individualistic project not related to the common good but oriented mostly to achieving personal satisfaction.
Finally, we bishops feel compelled to speak out against all attempts to redefine marriage so that it would no longer be exclusively the union of a
man and a woman as God established and blessed it in the natural created order. …
We address the pastoral letter first and foremost to the Catholic faithful in the United States. We call upon them to stand against all attacks on
marriage and to stand up for the meaning, dignity, and sanctity of marriage and the family. In a spirit of witness and service we also offer our message to all men and women in the hope of inspiring them to embrace this teaching.
Our pastoral letter presents those beliefs and teachings of the Catholic Church—informed by human reason and enlightened by Divine Revelation—that summarize and express God‘s plan for marriage. This divine plan, like the gift of marriage itself, is something we receive, not something we construct or change to fit our purposes. It is a firm foundation, a truthful guide, a trustworthy light for the way. For all who seek to find
meaning in their marriage will do so when they are open to accepting the transcendent meaning of marriage according to God‘s plan. Our pastoral
letter is an invitation to discover, or perhaps rediscover, the blessing given when God first established marriage as a natural institution and when
Christ restored and elevated it as a sacramental sign of salvation.
The entire Pastoral Letter can be found at http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/marriage-and-family/marriage/love-and-life/upload/pastoralletter-marriage-love-and-life-in-the-divine-plan.pdf
The Saints Corner
St. Mark
Feast Day: 25 April
Patronage: against impenitence, against struma, attorneys, lawyers, captives, imprisoned people, lions, notaries, stained glass workers, Venice
Like the gospel writer, Luke, Mark was not one of the 12 apostles. We don’t know for certain whether he knew Jesus personally,
but some scholars feel that Mark was speaking of himself describing the arrest of Jesus in Gethsemane: “Now a young man followed him wearing nothing but a linen cloth about his body. They seized him, but he left the cloth behind and ran off naked.” (Mark, 14:51-52) Most of what we do know about Mark comes from what is written in the New Testament. Mark’s mother,
Mary, was also a prominent Christian and her home was a meeting place for Christians in Jerusalem. (In Acts 12:12 it says Peter
escaped from prison and went to the home of Mark’s mother.) Mark was baptized and instructed by St. Peter around 42 A.D. Paul and
Barnabus (who was Mark’s cousin) took him on their first missionary journey through the island of Cyprus. He also did missionary work with
St. Barnabus alone. We know that when he was in Rome with St. Peter and St. Paul, he’d had a short falling out with St. Paul. We know the
disagreement didn’t last too long because Paul asks for Mark to visit him in prison. While St. Mark was in Rome, sometime between 50-60
A.D., the Roman faithful requested that he write his Gospel, generally considered to be written for the Gentile converts. Mark’s Gospel is the
second gospel, as well as the oldest and the shortest. He rarely quotes the Old Testament, and focuses primarily on recording the life of Jesus as
seen through the eyes of St. Peter. St. Mark emphasizes Jesus’ rejection by humanity, the crucified Messiah, while also being God’s triumphant
envoy. St. Mark was careful to explain Jewish customs, rites, and words. He excels at portraying the emotions and affections of both Christ and
His hearers. There is also evidence that St. Peter wasn’t his only source as he spent time in the Church of Jerusalem (Jewish roots) and the
Church of Antioch (mostly gentile). Some believe that Mark was the first bishop of Alexandria, Egypt. Venice’s famous Piazza San Marco,
claims Mark as it’s Patron Saint, and the large basilica there is believed to contain his remains. A winged lion is Mark’s symbol. The lion derives from Mark’s description of John the Baptist as the “voice of one crying out in the desert” (Mark 1:3) – like a roaring lion. The wings come
from Ezekiel’s vision (in chapter 1) of four winged creatures to the evangelists.
Page Seven