From the Pastor – 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

October 6, 2019

From the Pastor – 27 th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings today show us that living a stewardship way of life — a life focused on serving God and His Kingdom — is not easy. They also show us that our lives belong to God, not to us, and that God will indeed bring about the fulfillment of His kingdom. We just need to have faith that He can do it and commit to our small part in His grand design. This is both our privilege and responsibility as Christian stewards.

Jesus makes this privilege and responsibility clear in today’s Gospel passage from Luke. When the apostles ask the Lord to increase their faith, He tells them that even a mustard seed-sized faith is all that is needed to move mountains (because it is God who does the heavy lifting). We need only take the tiniest step forward, and He will do the rest.

But living our lives in His service is also very much our responsibility, as Jesus explains through the parable of the unprofitable servant later in this passage. Our Lord describes a scene in which a servant has just come in from tending to the master’s affairs and asks whether it would be reasonable for the master to begin waiting on his servant. Of course, it would not be reasonable! The servant would be expected to continue to serve his master until he has completed the work the master has given him that day. Jesus says we should have this same attitude before God.

The time, talents, and treasure entrusted to us are all God’s. Our very lives belong to Him. Whatever we do on God’s behalf with our lives and our gifts is simply our God-given responsibility.

The stewardship way of life makes the privilege and responsibility of serving Christ and His kingdom a reality. © Catholic Stewardship Consultants

Pastoral Pondering – Once again we, as a Church, celebrate Respect Life Sunday. While great strides have been made in our defense of human life, much still needs to be done. The culture of death continues to fight for supremacy and, sadly, many places are embracing it fully. The following is offered by the USCCB to commemorate this special observance this year.

From the time we are knit together in our mothers’ wombs until we take our final breaths, each moment of our lives is a gift from God. While every season of life brings its own challenges and trials, each season also gives us new opportunities to grow in our relationship with God.

“Hold fast to the hope that lies before us. This we have as an anchor of the soul, sure and firm.” Hebrews 6:18-19

Today the gift of life is threatened in countless ways. Those who are most vulnerable, rather than receiving the protection they deserve, are all too often seen as a burden and as expendable. As new attacks on human life continue to emerge, we can be tempted to despair, but Christ instead offers us unfailing hope.

Hope is not false optimism or empty positivity. Christian hope is something much more profound and goes to the very depths of our identity as followers of Christ.

Hope is the virtue “by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ's promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit” (CCC, 1817).

Like us, Christ entered the world through the womb of a woman. He willingly experienced the fullness of human suffering. He breathed his last on the Cross at Calvary in order that He might save us. Therefore, “God is the foundation of hope: not any god, but the God who has a human face and who has loved us to the end” ( Spe salvi 31).

Christians know “they have a future: it is not that they know the details of what awaits them, but they know in general terms that their life will not end in emptiness” (SS 2).

For this reason, a woman experiencing a difficult pregnancy can find the strength to welcome her precious child into the world. A man facing a terminal diagnosis can see that the end of his earthly life is only the beginning of eternal life with Christ.

The Church teaches us that “the one who has hope lives differently” (SS 2). Christ’s promise of salvation does not mean that we will be spared from suffering. Rather, the promise of salvation ensures that even in the darkest moments of our lives, we will be given the strength to persevere. By virtue of this Christian hope, we can face any challenge or trial. When the seas of life swell and we are battered by the waves, hope allows us to remain anchored in the heart of God. May we hold fast to Christ our hope, from the beginning of life to its very end.

NABRE © 2010, CCD. Used with permission. Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition © 2000 LEV-USCCB. Used with permission. Excerpts from Spe salvi, © 2007, Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Used with permission. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2019, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, D.C.

All rights reserved. Reprinted (excerpted) from Respect Life Program © 2019, USCCB, Washington, D.C. All rights reserved.

From the Pastor

From the Pastor - Dedication of Saint Mark Church

By John Putnam • August 21, 2026
This weekend we celebrate a sacred milestone: the anniversary of the dedication of our church building. The readings chosen for this occasion invite us to look beyond brick and mortar and ask a deeper question: What makes a house of God holy? And how do we, the living Church of Saint Mark, continue to be that house? In the First Reading, Solomon stands before the newly completed Temple in Jerusalem and prays with both awe and humility: “Can it indeed be that God dwells on earth? If the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain you, how much less this temple which I have built!” Yet he dares to ask the Lord to keep His eyes open toward this place and to hear the prayers of His people. The Temple was never meant to limit God; it was meant to make His presence accessible to a people who needed a place to gather, to pray, and to be reminded that they belong to Him. Saint Paul takes this truth even further. Writing to the Corinthians, he tells them—and us—“You are God’s building… Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” The foundation of this living temple is Jesus Christ alone. No other foundation can be laid. The physical walls of our church matter. They have been consecrated. They shelter the Eucharist. They hold our baptisms, our weddings, our funerals, and our daily prayers. But the true temple is the community of believers who gather here. We are the living stones. When we treat one another with reverence, when we protect the dignity of every person, when we refuse to allow division or scandal to take root, we honor the Spirit who dwells among us. Finally, in the Gospel, Jesus asks the decisive question: “Who do you say that I am?” Peter answers with the faith that becomes the rock: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Upon that confession Jesus builds His Church and entrusts Peter with the keys. Every time we renew our faith in Jesus as Lord, every time we hand over our lives to His authority, we strengthen the foundation of this parish. Saint Mark’s is not simply a building dedicated years ago; it is a community continually being built upon the rock of Peter’s confession and the living presence of Christ. As we mark this anniversary, let us give thanks for the sacred space that has sheltered our parish family. Let us also examine our hearts. Are we living as temples of the Holy Spirit? Are we building one another up on the one true foundation? May the Lord who cannot be contained by any temple continue to dwell richly among us—and may Saint Mark church always be a place where heaven and earth meet in prayer, in charity, and in faithful witness to Jesus Christ. Pastoral Pondering Consecrated church buildings hold a central place in Catholic worship and theology because they are set apart as sacred space—places where heaven and earth meet in a privileged way. The architectural style, the overall design and the artistic elements are all to serve Catholic worship and belief. The following offers some information on the role of church buildings in the life of the Church. 1. They are truly dedicated to God Through the solemn Rite of Dedication, a church building ceases to be ordinary architecture. The walls, altar, and space are anointed, blessed, and consecrated exclusively for divine worship. From that moment, the building belongs to God in a special way. Canon law treats consecrated churches as sacred places that may not be used for profane purposes (Canon 1210). This consecration is not merely symbolic; it affects a real change in the character of the place. 2. They house the Real Presence of Christ The most decisive reason a consecrated church is holy is the presence of the Blessed Sacrament in the tabernacle. Once the Eucharist is reserved there, the building becomes the dwelling place of the living Christ. Catholics genuflect not to architecture but to the Lord who remains present. The church is therefore more than a meeting hall; it is a true house of God. This presence elevates the entire space and gives Catholic church buildings a unique sacred character that persists even when no liturgy is being celebrated. 3. They are the ordinary place of the Church’s sacramental life The major sacraments of the Christian life—Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Reconciliation, Matrimony, Ordination and Anointing of the Sick—are normally celebrated within consecrated churches. The building itself becomes the visible setting in which the invisible grace of the sacraments is given. The altar, in particular, is the focal point: it is anointed and contains relics of the saints, signifying that the sacrifice of Christ is offered in communion with the whole Church, living and dead. 4. They image the mystery of the Church Catholic theology sees the consecrated building as a visible sign of the invisible reality of the Church. The physical structure points to the living temple made of “living stones” (1 Peter 2:5; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17). Just as Solomon’s Temple was the place where God’s name dwelt among His people, the church building is the place where the People of God gather as His temple. The architecture, art, and orientation of the building are meant to lift the mind and heart to the heavenly liturgy and to the eschatological reality of the New Jerusalem. 5. They foster continuity, identity, and reverence A fixed, consecrated place creates a shared sacred memory across generations. The same walls that witnessed baptisms and weddings decades ago continue to shelter the community today. Beauty, silence, and sacred art within the building form the senses and train the soul in reverence. This is why the Church has always insisted on the dignity and permanence of consecrated churches: they shape the faith of those who pray within them.  In short, consecrated church buildings matter because Catholicism is a sacramental religion. God works through material realities—water, oil, bread, wine, and also space and architecture. A consecrated church is not merely a convenient location for worship; it is a privileged locus of God’s presence, a visible expression of the Church, and a permanent invitation to encounter the living Christ.

From the Pastor - 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

By John Putnam • August 14, 2026
Today's Gospel from Matthew reminds us to trust the Lord even when it seems He is not answering our prayers. God desires to lead us to the joy of heaven and eternal life with Him. To prepare us for that day, He calls us to grow in faith and to live each day as a grateful response to His goodness. In other words, He is forming us into saints. This is what the stewardship way of life is meant to accomplish. At times that process is difficult. Often, it stretches us beyond our comfort. Jesus certainly challenged the Canaanite woman in today's Gospel. She cried out to Him on behalf of her daughter, who was tormented by a demon. How did Jesus respond to this desperate mother's plea? At first, He "did not say a word in answer to her." Undeterred, she continued to seek Him, and He continued to test her faith. She responded with such remarkable trust that Jesus proclaimed, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish." Imagine hearing those words spoken to us by our Lord. There could be no greater affirmation of a life lived in faithful discipleship. The stewardship way of life will test our trust in God at times. But those are often the moments when He is doing His greatest work within us. Let us persevere in faith, trusting that His plan is always leading us toward the joy He has prepared for us. © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2026. Pastoral Pondering As the school year begins and we move into the post-summer routine, I wanted to give you an update on a few things which may be of interest to you. Building projects The rectory build is going well. Grainda Builders are projecting the project to finish by November (I am hoping for earlier!). We do plan to have an open house so that folks can see the new rectory upon its completion. The preliminary work for the second phase of our building projects is occurring with the installation of the water lines that will feed the new buildings. This will hopefully be done by Labor Day. We should be able to hold a groundbreaking shortly after the first of the year. Everything depends on when the present rectory sells and where we are with funding. The Diocese requires 60% of the project to be in cash, 30% to be in pledges and 30% allowable for Diocesan loan. We will keep you posted. Obviously, as we move forward, there will be growing pains that cannot be avoided due to the disruption of some parking. We are working with the general contractor to keep disruptions to a minimum, but we cannot avoid all of them. Thank you for your patience. Church Maintenance  As many of you know, we have been battling issues with the church roof for some time. There have been numerous leaks over the years that have been patched and patched again. We have been battling the insurance company for over a year, and it is clear that, after a minimal payment to repair water damage, they are not going to approve a claim for roof replacement. Kudos to the Pastoral Council and Scott Bruno for making a significant investment of time and energy to try to do the groundwork to provide justification for the claim. With that being said, we have already replaced a portion of the roof that was causing significant problems (the lower roof closest to the driveway). Nonetheless, the whole roof really does need to be replaced. Estimates for replacement are in the neighborhood of $250K. At present with the other projects going on, we do not have this in reserves or the operating account to cover this expense. Should you wish to assist, donations can be made on the website. We will continue to monitor and do what we can to manage the problem until we are able to fully address it. The second significant issue that has arisen is the foundation of the Kerin Center. Over the last several years, due to water and drainage issues, we have had to address foundation instability. Reinforcements were added a couple of years back to the school-side of the building, but we have been seeing some issues on the church-side of the building over the past year. We are watching it very carefully and trying to ascertain the root cause of the problems. We are appreciative of those parishioners with engineering expertise who have assisted in this effort. There is also a link on the parish donation website for Kerin Center repairs.