EVENTS | St. Mark the Evang

St. Mark The Evangelist Catholic Church

EVENTS & NEWS

You are invited to join parish families to enjoy a live performance depicting the moments when Joseph an Mary were unable to find lodging in Bethlehem when the birth of Jesus was at hand. After the performance stay for tamales, drinks, sweets, and pinata. Come Sunday, December 15, 2019 starting with 2:00 PM Mass. Pick up your free tickets at the Pastoral or Sunday offices.

La Posada 2019

Each year the Women's Guild and Knights of Columbus partner to offer scholarships to our parish's graduating High School Seniors. Click on the link below to see if you are your student qualify.

Scholarships for Graduating Seniors

“Para ustedes brillará el sol de justicia, que les traerá la salvación en sus rayos.” Malaquias 3, 20Estas invitada a retirarte y recibir renovacion espiritual y hacer nuevas amistades! Durante este retiro tendrás la oportunidad de enfocarte en tu fe y su aplicación a la vida diaria. Encontrar propósito en tu vida de oración, aumentar tu presencia en la liturgia y cultivar amistades con los miembros de la comunidad de la iglesia. Para mas informacion llamar a: Directora Mary Solis (210) 316-8474 Co-Directora Gloria De Anda (210) 792-1252 Co-Directora Claudia Banda (210) 544-1467

Retiro ACTS en Español para Mujeres Noviembre

14 - 17, 2019

Six years ago, I had no idea if I would become a priest, or decide to enter the workforce. I did know that God would accompany me in this journey, and in these past six years, he has guided me here. I stand now on the edge of entering ministry full time as a priest, and I could not be more excited. By the time you read this, God-willing, I will be preparing to be ordained a deacon, with an eye on being ordained a priest this coming May. I’ve been in school full time now since 1997… enough education to have earned an MD or a Ph.D. It attests to how prepared a priest has to be. He has to respond to a myriad of possible crises in people’s lives, provide them comfort, and resolution that will get them moving forward. Some days, he is incredibly successful; other days, not so much. In all of them, he has to rely on the grace of God, who chose him to bring His grace into the world. St. John Paul II reminded generations not to be afraid. This rings true today more so than ever. Thousands of my peers, disenchanted with the Church, leave religion behind as a fossil of history. Every day, thousands decry the Church as antiquated and declare that the Gospel has no place in modern society. Such is the reality I am entering into ministry. There is no more challenging time than the present to be a priest, but it’s also incredibly rewarding. As I move toward ordination, I get more and more excited that God is asking me to bring his sacraments, his presence into our lives. He desires me to be his instrument to sanctify the world; to preach, to teach, to baptize. So then, what is the next step on my journey? God-willing, I will be ordained a deacon on November 16, with an eye toward ordination as a priest in May of next year. In that time, I will be preaching, baptizing, serving the mass in a new capacity and teaching the Gospel. Right now, I am assigned to St. Matthew Catholic Church on Wurzbach; please pray for the people I serve there and for me. Pray for my ordination, and for my brothers being ordained, that we may serve the people well. Finally, pray for more vocations. The priesthood cannot be sustained without your prayer for and activism for vocations. Foster vocations in your families: Encourage single young men to consider the priesthood, just as you encouraged me. To you young men at St. Mark who are considering the priesthood, there is nothing better than following after God’s desire for your life. He will reward you a hundred times over for your generosity every day. God bless you abundantly for your support and thank you for your love of me and for my brothers every day. My ordination to Transitional Deacon will take place Saturday, November 16, 2019 at St. Anthony Mary Claret Church at 6150 Roft Rd. in San Antonio. Mass will be at 10:00. I join my fellow Seminarians Matthew Robert DeLeon, Ricardo Ramirez Alvarez and Blayne Charles Joseph Riley in thanksgiving for this celebration. I will celebrate my first Mass as a Deacon the same day at St. Mark the Evangelist at the 5:00 PM Mass. I invite my entire St. Mark community to join me in celebration at a reception to follow Mass in the Community Center Shalom Room. Deo Gratias!

The Ordination of Ian Robbins to Transitional Deacon

St Mark’s presents the 2019 Men’s ACTS/R retreat weekend December 5-8, 2019. The goal of the retreat is to deepen your relationship with Jesus Christ, renew yourself spiritually and give new meaning to prayer life. This Retreat focuses on men who have been affected directly or indirectly by addictions. The retreat begins Thursday evening, December 5th, and ends Sunday, December 8th following the 12:00 Mass at St. Marks. After Mass there will be a gathering at the church for light refreshments and fellowship. Round trip transportation is provided for all retreatants, leaving on Thursday evening from St. Mark’s Church. Attendees from the Kerrville area will meet at Notre Dame Catholic Church in Kerrville. The cost for the retreat is $175.00. Please enclose $175 or a deposit of $75 with this application. The remaining $100 is due at the Thursday check-in. Make checks payable to St. Mark’s Men’s Recovery. Please note: Financial difficulties should not prevent anyone from attending the retreat. If you are unable to pay all or part of the fee, financial arrangements can be made by contacting Thomas Lemley (303) 246-1353, Etienne Beaullieu (210) 259-1120, or Daniel Gomez at (830) 237-1634. Please mail or deliver your registration form and fee to: Men’s ACTS/R Retreat c/o St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church, 1602 Thousand Oaks Drive, San Antonio, TX 78232-2398 You will receive a letter 10 to 14 days prior to the retreat that will list the items you should bring with you for the retreat. If you need any additional information regarding the retreat, please contact one of the directors listed above.

Men in Recovery ACTS Retreat

St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church, San Antonio, is a vibrant Catholic community of 3,200 families, in a residential neighborhood on Thousand Oaks Drive. They have a well-deserved reputation for superior community outreach ministries for the needy. Under the leadership of The Rev. Monsignor Kevin Ryan, and Parish Administrator Dorothy “Dot” Hamlin, the parish has managed its growth, adding new ministries to meet the growing need of the community. But, there was something missing. St. Mark’s had no pipe organ. Former Music Director, Lena Gokelman, was instrumental in changing that. It was a daunting endeavor to educate the parish to the difference which a pipe organ could make in their Liturgical and musical lives, and then convince them that they needed one! A long-standing parishioner of means was convinced, and through his generous contribution, a Buzard Pipe Organ was purchased, and the parish paid for the installation of the organ. The church planned for the basic space for a pipe organ when it was built in 2000. The sanctuary seats about 1,200 people and is remarkably lively in its acoustical environment. The organ was designed to visually compliment the interesting contemporary sculpture of the Christus Rex, incised into and built out from the brick wall at the front of the assembly. The organ itself is raised 18 feet above the floor and sounds along the building’s axis. Sonically it fills the entire room whether playing soft or loud. The woodwork in the façade is solid white oak, stained in two colors and finished to relate to the Church’s other woodworking. Pipes in the façade are made of polished tin and flamed copper. Two sets of horizontal trumpets emphasize the aural excitement which a pipe organ can bring to a solemn Liturgical occasion. A high pressure Tuba made of polished tin is in the organ’s façade; a polished copper set of lower high pressure Pontifical Trumpets is mounted over the entry doors. Lest you think that valuable resources were squandered on two Chamades, which might have otherwise been used to increase the main organ’s specification, the Chamades were included only after the organ’s chamber space had been completely filled with the necessary and customary stops. The choral singers are located to the right of the building’s axis, in its own “bump-out” seating area. Because the choir is effectively in another acoustical room, and the singers cannot hear the organ clearly, we provided a five stop Choral Organ to accompany them, housed in a small free-standing case which stands behind them. The instrument sports 35 independent stops and 43 ranks of pipes across three manual keyboards and the pedal clavier. As in all Buzard Organs, there is a wealth of tonal variety, even if the instrument is modest in size. At the hand of Tonal Director Brian Davis, all the Diapasons have individual interest; the flutes are liquid in tone and often take their cues from orchestral counterparts; strings impart a warmth and keenness to the palate. The chorus reeds are spectacular, each stop having its own depth and degree of èclat; the plaintive English Oboe is a tremendously effective solo player, but also colors the Swell flues subtly. All metal pipes are made of rich, high tin-content metal of generous thickness, most 70% tin. The instrument has been extremely well-received by the parishioners, clergy, and the wider organ community. Organist David Heller dedicated it in Solemn Pontifical Mass followed by a concert on Saturday, November 21st, 2009. St. Mark the Evangelist will celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the dedication of their Buzard Pipe Organ Friday, November 15, 2019 with a concert by David Heller, Director and Chair, Department of Music for Trinity University. The concert will begin at 7:00 PM in the Main Sanctuary of the Church. Please join us. Excerpts from https://buzardorgans.com/buzard-opus-38/.

10th Anniversary of the Pipe Organ

November 2, 2019 is All Saint's Day, a day of Holy Obligation. An anticipatory Mass will be held at 5:00 PM Thursday, October 31. November 1 Masses will be at 8:15 A.M. and 7:00 P.M. Friday. Campus offices will be closed with the exception of Mass.

All Saint's Day