Group "A" is scheduled to work at The Lord's Diner on Friday, May 25.

The Lord's Diner volunteers assist St. Mark's parishioners one day every other month to serve a meal to the homeless.  This is a great volunteer opportunity for families to serve together.  Volunteers must be at least 12 years old and a current Food Handlers Permit is required.

If you are interested in volunteering, please contact the parish office and we will provide you with more information, or you may read more about The Lord's Diner by clicking on the image above.

The next gathering of the Golden Achievers will be Sunday, May 27 after the 10:00 a.m. Mass in Heritage Hall.  New faces are always welcome!

This would be a great opportunity to bring friends, and especially family, to visit the cemetery and decorate your family members' grave site.  Remember, Memorial Day is the next day, and our cemetery is always decorated beautifully.  It is so touching to see all of our deceased service men and women's flags flying in the Kansas wind.  Please join us.

26 new members of Swiss Guard were sworn in at the Vatican. Each Swiss Guard takes an oath to serve the Pontiff, Pope Benedict XVI, and his successor(s). The Swiss Guard goes back 500 years, to Pope Julius II, who specifically asked for Swiss soldiers to protect him.  As the name implies, they must be from Switzerland.

The Ascension of the Lord empowers the Church to fulfill its messianic mission: to gather the nations of the world into a relationship with the God of Israel.

Mark 16:15-20

Jesus said to his disciples:

"Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.  Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.  These signs will accompany those who believe:  in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages.  They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them.  They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God.  But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.

The most important person on earth is a mother. She cannot claim the honor of having built Notre Dame Cathedral. She need not. She has built something more magnificent than any cathedral—a dwelling for an immortal soul, the tiny perfection of her baby's body.

The Angels have not been blessed with a such a grace. They cannot share in God's Creative miracle to bring new Saints to Heaven. Only a human mother can. Mothers are closer to God the Creator than any other creatures. God joins forces with mothers in performing this act of creation.

What on God's good earth is more glorious than this: to be a mother?

— József Cardinal Mindszenty

Congratulations to Jeremy and Regan Christiansen, who were married at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church on April 21, 2012.  May God bless them each day of their married life with a love like that of Christ for His Church.

On Palm Sunday, after you participate in Holy Mass, plan on the following:

+  At 4:30 pm, an edited version of The Passion of the Christ will be shown in the parish hall.  This "Definitive Edition" has less violence than the original, theatrical version, but it is still not for younger children.

+  At 7:00 pm, our Lenten Penance Service will be held, with six priests present to hear confessions.

Sunday, March 11 to Tuesday, March 13, St. Mark's will be hosting a Lenten Mission.  Here are the presenters:

Tony Brandt (right), who leads our parish’s monthly DTS group for high school students, will join his radio co-host Chris Stewart (left) from AM 1330’s “Casting Nets” to present St. Mark Parish’s Lenten Mission beginning each evening at 7:00 p.m. in the Parish Hall.  The mission will help you enter more fully into the mysteries of Lent and Easter.

Click on the picture of Cardinal Dolan to link to the talk that Cardinal Dolan was asked to give (in Italian!) to the Pope and all the cardinals on the Church's New Evangelization.  This "assignment" from our Holy Father is widely seen as a sign of the esteem he has for Cardinal Dolan.  To read the talk, scroll down a bit below the video...