“Prayer is the only channel through which God’s great graces and favors may flow into the soul; and if this be once closed, I know no other way He can communicate them.”
St. Teresa of Jesus

The switch is moving forward and I am now unpacking the boxes that only a few days ago I was packing. I walked around the rectory and church of St. Lucy one last time on July the 1st making sure I hadn’t left anything behind, (I am sure I have) handing over my keys and garage door opener and driving away to my new home at St. Lawrence the Martyr Parish. What has seemed like a long two months of preparing to move seems to have come so quickly to a conclusion and passes by in a small short breath.
In this year of St. Joseph, I, in the hubbub of the day, often think of the home in Nazareth and how full of prayer it was, how full of peace, how full of joy and how full of love. This is where the call to prayer becomes so vital and transforming as our lives are disrupted and tossed about in the whirlwind of the moment life becomes if it is not grounded in faith and trust in a loving God.
In Archbishop M. de Langalerie book, “The Month of St. Joseph” he reminds us, “It is important to frequently recall to our minds that prayer is essential to the practice of all the virtues, to the avoidance of sin, and in general to the fulfillment of our duties.” ( p. 15) The blessing of prayer, especially in times of disruption, isn’t the avoidance of life but rather the ability and desire to enter into the wonder of life with all the pain and suffering, with all the celebrations and joys. What did Mary and Joseph talk about on the way to Bethlehem or as they fled to Egypt? Did they pray along the way? I have a friend who without fail, when he places the key in the ignition of his car, he then crosses himself and says “St. Christopher…pray for me.” And many of us have the experience of driving along and praying the Rosary as we head to our destination…it isn’t just about “killing time” but rather asking God to be with us on the journey. Now I know Mary and Joseph didn’t have the Rosary to pray but did they recite some psalms or other prayers learned in childhood.
“Prayer must be accompanied with confidence, humility, and fervor. Prayer is, in itself, an act of humility; for in soliciting favors from God, or when returning thanks for those already received, we find ourselves penetrated with a knowledge of our own unworthiness and misery, and our absolute dependence on God.” (p 15) These three small attitudes, confidence, humility and fervor (love) are part and parcel of our faith in God. If we see this through the eyes of St. Joseph we are able to recognize the pathway of blessings.

Knowing we are called by God into holiness should fill us with the confidence necessary to take up our cross, our vocation, our prayer with trust. Joseph, called by God as each one of us are called, took up his duty as husband, foster father and protector of the Holy Family. He could only do this with humility knowing for whom he was called to care for and protect. In doing this he offered his love, complete and without reservation to his wife and our Lord Jesus Christ. When we look at our life, do we move forward in these same actions. Our dependence on God leading us to these attitudes of blessings seeking to give, receive and share these gifts of life from God with gracious love and humility knowing in confidence we are beloved by God.
“We will find our models in this exercise in the humble cottage at Nazareth. It cannot be deemed rash to assert that Jesus, Mary and Joseph frequently practiced this holy exercise, nor can it be too much to consider Mary and Joseph as being the first to receive from the lips of Jesus that prayer which He Himself is the author.” (p 16) Did Mary and Joseph ask there son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, this life giving question: “Teach us to pray?” In their daily life they watched him enter into deep and peaceful times of conversation with our Heavenly Father. Did they ask, “How do we talk to the Father?”
Prayer is the fount and foundation of our lives. We cannot live without prayer. To seek guidance, to ask questions and to practice over and over again leads us into a more intimate relationship with God and his holy people. Pray and pray always.
“Prayer draws into the soul the Holy Spirit, and raises man to Heaven.”
St. Ephraem of Syria
God Bless
Fr. Mark

Well, let me begin by saying thank you. This will be my last Friday letter as the pastor of St. Lucy Parish. I would ask that you indulge me in two ways. One, I will not be talking about St. Joseph and two, I will be a little briefer than I normally am in my Friday writings.

In the second reading at this coming Sunday Mass, St. Paul in the Second Letter to the Corinthians reminds them, as he reminds us today, of the surplus of blessing we are called to bestow upon each other and how “your abundance at the present time should supply their needs, so that their abundance may also supply your needs.” (2 Cor 8:14) It is this interchange of blessing that brings about hope.
As I prepare myself for next Wednesday where at midnight I will cease to be the pastor of St. Lucy Parish and become the pastor at St. Lawrence the Martyr parish I know the abundance of prayers and blessings will following me up the road to Santa Clara will sustain me in my needs. There will be times of sorrow, confusion, frustration with doubt and fear as I step into these new responsibilities. My faith tells me I am not alone. Rather I am surrounded by the prayers and abundant blessings of the communion of saints on heaven and on earth. It is here that I find my peace. In each of my moves, no matter how difficult they seemed and heavy my heart was, I discovered joy and the movement of holiness in the reminder and the reality of your prayers and blessings. It is the wonder of being sent forth in blessing and received in blessing.

What is going to happen now? I know this question is one we all are asking and feeling. A lot of the answer is contained in our working with God in continuing the good and holy work as a parish community. Because just as I am being sent forth and welcomed in blessing, Fr. Ernesto who is leaving St. Lawrence to become pastor of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph has a similar heavy heart infused with the hope and faith in God’s goodness and love at his new parish. And this is what Fr. Rick as he moves down the hill from St. Mary Parish in Los Gatos to our beloved parish of St. Lucy, to be sent in blessing and received in blessing.
When I arrived six years ago it was confusing and difficult and yet the warm welcome and the joyful spirit of St. Lucy comforted my soul.

Once more, I wish to say…thank you and may God bless you and our little part of His kingdom at St. Lucy Parish in Campbell CA.
God Bless
Fr. Mark.

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As we think about St. Joseph as a “model of hope” in our lives it becomes clearer that Christian hope, founded in Jesus Christ, has a much different grounding than hopefulness in the world. As I write to the St. Lucy community this penultimate letter as your pastor, I ask you all to reflect on Christian hope modeled in and through St. Joseph.

I have been thinking a lot about hope these past two months after it was announced I was leaving St. Lucy for St. Lawrence the Martyr in July. There was hope looking back and hope looking forward as I reflected on the blessings shared for the past six years and the blessings to come in the mysterious design of God’s holy will.
Thinking about how St. Joseph lived his life as I pack my boxes, remove the pictures from the walls and put away the many memories, it is wonderful to know he did these same things in looking back in hope. Archbishop M. de Langalerie in his book “The Month of St. Joseph” shares this, “Christianity alone makes hope a virtue, for it alone teaches us the opposite excesses of defiance and presumption…To guard against presumption, we must rely on God alone, and distrust ourselves. Presumption caused St. Peter to deny his divine Master. Let us be penetrated with these thoughts, and dwell on them, and beg of God the virtue of hope through the intercession of St. Joseph, who practiced it in its perfection.” (p 51)
St. Joseph as a faithful and faith filled Jewish man knew the hope of tradition, the coming of the Messiah in the line of King David but he was also aware of the hope found in his pregnant bride, in the voices of the angels, the songs of the shepherds and the gifts of the Magi of the East. It is here St. Jospeh could look forward in a hope based on the lived experience of love.

Are we able to do the same? Yes, this is the example of all the saints but especially St. Joseph in the Christian gift of tradition.
As I pack and say goodbye, I too look back in wonder, see the blessings and the presence of God in the moments surrounding me now and the hope of new graces to come found in my blessed relationship with the community. It is a hope based in and on the lived gift of gratitude and generosity of God and his holy people.

Don’t get me wrong, it is not easy. There are moments of doubt, fear, frustration, anger, sadness at real losses. And yet we know this truth found in Mary’s husband, “Neither earthly joys nor human consolations mingled in the hope of St. Joseph. His future life on earth and in heaven was blended in the one same hope and love.” (p 52) The blending described is the continued searching for the presence of God knowing with certainty he is here with us. He is not playing hide and seek with us but rather helps us to lift the blindness from our eyes. When we, like St. Joseph, know Jesus intimately and are with him each day in prayerful conversation then he becomes a constant image in each and every person we encounter.

Once more, this is not easy and I fail at this so many times I stand in awe and wonder of how God continues to be patient, forgiving and loving with me. Finally St. Joseph reminds us, “We are not obliged to forego all pleasures and joys; but we should not allow our hearts to become attached to them, so that in the enjoyment of them we forget the desire of heaven. The more we seek for earthly happiness, the less we think of heaven; and the practice of hope.” (p 53) If our final destination is Heaven (we hope) then the blessings of earth become more precious not less because they no longer bind us but allow us to be lifted up in joy. There are many small and large blessings surrounding us daily and our challenge is to see them with God as gifts given and shared and not as prizes to be hidden away and placed in storage.
Thank you for your prayers and blessings.
God Bless
Fr. Mark

Today, Friday June 11 2021 the Roman Catholic Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is a wonderful time to reflect on the gift of the healing love pouring forth from the wound seen in the Gospel of St. John, “One of the soldiers, however, pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out.” (Jn 19-34)
As we continue to meditate on St. Joseph during this year today we are reminded, like all of us through the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we are “Confirmed in Grace.” Archbishop M. de Langalerie reminds us that in a world full of sin and disordered passions each of us is invited into a renewal of life through the grace poured out on us through our relationship with God through the mercy flowing out of the heart of Jesus.

Each day in our lives we are challenged to see gratitude, blessing and abundance in our Heavenly Father’s gift of life shared through creation. It is a reminder of the power of the blessings of God seen in the Beatitudes offered to us by Our Lord Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel. (Mt 5:1-12) where we are invited to enter into the blessedness of sacrificial love. In “The Month of St. Joseph” we hear, “His share of family inheritance during his existence on earth was poverty, exile, persecution, and the Beatitudes of the Gospel. Do we understand and appreciate the blessings of the new law of love? Have we tasted of happiness purchased by them? Are we circumcised in heart so as to joyfully endure poverty and suffering and find therein that holy, inexpressible, hidden sweetness praised by the infallible Word of Almighty God?” (p 39-40)
Too many times in our lives we focus on the negative, the hurtful and the pain and suffering we endure, yet, St. Joseph in his life reminds us that when we are focused on God’s gift of life then we are able move into a different vision of the world where we become healing ministers and are healed by the Divine Physician Jesus Christ.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” (Mt 5:8) This is the gift St. Joseph sought each day, along with the other Beatitudes, the pureness of heart, united to his beloved spouse Mary, in caring for Jesus. It is seeing each other in the blessedness in which we are all created in the image of our Father in heaven. It is by this unity we can strive to open our heart to be consumed by Divine Love.

“He derived an abundance of precious graces from his constant relations with Mary and with Jesus Christ, the source and giver of all graces, and the mediator between God and man. St. Joseph was not elated by these many mysterious favors. He faithfully cooperated with them, thus meriting an increase of grace.” (p 41)
Being united to Jesus is recognizing Mary as Mother of God…Seeing the presence of God in our cooperation with divine grace.
The prayer below is a prayer that I have prayed daily for over 20 years in consecration to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. When we invite him into our heart, like St. Joseph did through his unity with him as his foster father, then we truly experience the life giving gift of love and are confirmed in grace.

God Bless
Fr. Mark

Merciful Jesus, I consecrate myself today and always to Your Most Sacred Heart. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus I implore, that I may ever love You more and more. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I trust in You! Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us! Sacred Heart of Jesus, I believe in Your love for me. Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like your heart. Amen

St. Joseph: Model of Interior Recollection…what do we mean and how can we follow in this blessing of prayer and knowing God. In Thomas à Kempis’ spiritual classic “The Imitation of Christ” he begins his reflections with these words,“Every man naturally desires knowledge; but what good is knowledge without fear of God? Indeed a humble rustic who serves God is better than a proud intellectual who neglects his soul to study the course of the stars. He who knows himself well becomes mean in his own eyes and is not happy when praised by men.” (#2)

We are all searching for something greater and this can lead us in two directions: the search for the material and finite or the search of the eternal. There are goods in both of these searches but only one will fill and satisfy the longing of our souls. This search is not about letting go of the complexity of life but in the embracing of life and knowing God will be discovered in all things.
When I think about and pray with St. Joseph, I imagine the quiet person who opens his heart continually to seeking the greater of unity. We often hear how St. Joseph was a talented and magnificent carpenter and yet rather than seeking the glory of putting himself forward, where we could see arrogance or boastfulness we see rather the humbleness and gentleness in looking towards his home where our Blessed Mother and the Divine Son could be found. Where true happiness and joy could be found.
We see this in the miracle of the mysterious carpenter who built the impossible staircase in the Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe New Mexico. Once more, if you have faith in the story (link below), this anonymous carpenter built something to give glory to God first and foremost then slipping away without taking any adulation or praise for himself. It is knowing the heart of the beloved and serving him through his beloved wife Mary that is St. Joseph’s interior gift of love.
Moving back to “The Month of St. Joseph” by Archbishop M. de Langalerie his reflection reminds us, “The habit of prayer produces in the soul an interior recollection, which keeps the mind fixed on God, and prevents our begin to absorbed in exterior occupations…Let us consider how profound and tranquil must have been the life of St. Joseph, who, whether at work, alone or with companions, had his heart and mind centered on God. “ (p 19)
Can we imagine what it must have been like to work with St. Joseph, to play with him, to have a beer with him, to simply talk and share life stories with the foster-father of Jesus? The gratitude and generosity of life and love flowing from the man with whom the author of life and the very heart of love resided within his home but also, and most importantly, resided within in the home of his soul.

The interior recollection is seeking to be present to God in each moment. This isn’t impossible, but it takes practice and a heart open to sacrificial love. And the interior prayer and recollection is vital to grow in being present to God and seeking the presence of God daily and in each moment.
From “The Imitation of Christ” once more, “If you wish to learn to appreciate something worth while, then love to be unknown and considered as nothing.” (#2) Like St. Joseph we are called to be unknown as we allow others to see in our lives the presence of God. We are remembered because others know God through or lives, through the gift of love. Let us, with our Mother Mary and her holy spouse Joseph truly learn the worthwhile gift of knowing the one true God.

God Bless
Fr. Mark

https://aleteia.org/2016/07/06/the-staircase-st-joseph-built-in-new-mexico/

St. Joseph as the First Confessor of the New Law…as we continue to look at the blessing of St. Joseph in our lives as faithful disciples, we come to understand him as a confessor of faith. As Archbishop M. de Langalerie writes, “He was the first after the Blessed Virgin to imitate Jesus Christ in a perfection until then unknown. He listened to Jesus Christ, and implicitly believed the truths received from the lips of Eternal Truth.” (p. 48, from “The Month of St. Joseph”) As a confessor of truth he knew the voice of God through his interactions with the life of our Lord Jesus Christ.

One of the most important aspects of being a confessor of faith is to see the blessings God gives in love of His creation where we read in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “The human person: with his openness to truth and beauty, his sense of moral goodness, his freedom and the voice of his conscience, with his longings for the infinite and for happiness, man questions himself about God’s existence. In all this he discerns signs of his spiritual soul. The soul, the “seed of eternity we bear in ourselves, irreducible to the merely material”, can have its origin only in God.” (#33)
This positive view, where holiness, goodness, and happiness are the cornerstones of who we are in the eyes of God and how we should look outward in our relationships with others in our life of faith. We can imagine St. Joseph as he enters into marriage, fatherhood and the growing closeness with Jesus and the Virgin Mary, the weariness and hurts of the world begin to fall away and his heart opens to the holiness and goodness he lives in contact with every day of his life. When we live in the reality of God’s blessing surrounding us in such great abundance, our heart naturally opens to greater love.

This doesn’t mean the sin of the world disappears. Because as we know very clearly how the violence and sins of the time surrounded the Holy Family and something St. Joseph had to deal with each and every day, but holiness in his daily interactions with the Word Made Flesh, Jesus Christ, transformed his heart into a willing receptacle of the grace given and shared.
And this is how we are called to live our lives. Even amidst the horrific sins of the world we are invited to share our lives in service of one another. Imagine where we, like the Holy Family are called to invite others to our table as well as the table of the Lord. We are challenged to care for our neighbors with prayers and works of mercy. We are given the gifts needed to do all things with God as our guide and center of our life.
This begins the path of holiness and points us towards our true home. “We can enter heaven without being canonized saints and confessors, or without forcing on ourselves the fulfillment of the evangelical counsels; but it is not possible for us to attain eternal bliss if we do not, in some degree, imitate the saints and advance in the path of perfection.” (p 48) In other words, we don’t have to be perfect to follow Jesus. We must simply begin to follow him and the path of perfection will be placed before us.

This brings us back to St. Joseph and our call to imitate him in seeing and living the gift of holiness, as confessors of the new law, in our own life and seeking this in others even when we are surrounded by a culture of death and the sins of our fallen world. I often think of Joseph bringing co-workers and friends back into his home for a meal, a prayer and some time together and how the child Jesus would listen to the words of his foster father as he spoke with gentleness and kindness seeking the very best of each person. This challenges us to do the same, as Jesus continues to be present in our homes, to listen and share seeking the best of each other …seeking the holiness and truth of our Heavenly Father.
God bless
Fr. Mark

St. Joseph as a model of union with Jesus Christ is seen most visibly in the many depictions of Joseph holding our Lord in his arms, embracing our Mother Mary as she carries Jesus or of St. Joseph and our Lord Jesus in the workshop of Nazareth. The union comes in the constant unity, companionship and care for Jesus in each and every aspect of the life of St. Joseph as husband of Mary and foster father of Jesus.
This union is what each person should strive to live in our lives with St. Joseph as our model. It is a unity and model of seeking the holiness of life in serving our brothers and sisters in our daily life.
How do we do this in our lives? Ultimately, I believe it comes from a joyful faith in Jesus Christ. “Union with Jesus Christ is the most perfect expression of our faith, at the same time is its characteristic principle. Spiritual life receives its vitality from Jesus Christ, and is more productive of virtue and abundant in good works as the union of the soul with Jim becomes more intimate.” (p 43 from “The Month of Joseph”)

I have been privileged as a priest to witness this virtue of joyful service in so many people in my ministry. A good example of this is another Joseph I know: Fr. Joseph Diaw, who has been is in residence with us at St. Lucy parish these past four years. Joyful and abundant in love of Jesus are two very simple ways of describing Fr. Joseph in a way that St. Joseph was a model of for each of us.
Fr. Joseph has been working and studying here in the United States as he prepares to return to his home diocese in Senegal where he will continue to serve the poor and refugee in the love of Jesus Christ.
Fr. Joseph will be leaving us very soon and reflecting back on his union with Jesus Christ and how we can continue to carry out his mission. I didn’t expect this gift of joy in my life and ministry when I arrived at St. Lucy. I received a call from Fr. Oscar, the former pastor of St. Athanasius, that there was this African priest who was here to study and did I have a place for him at St. Lucy. I was happy to accept him and there began the journey. Fr. Joseph’s English was limited at the time but the his joy and willingness to serve was apparent and he immediately fit into the house with Fr. Steve and I as we shared time together. We learned both expressions in French and Fr. Joseph’s native language but also the unity of our Catholic faith as he shared stories of serving in Africa and his missionary work with refugees.

During his study of English and then his MBA at the University of San Francisco this past year showed a dedication and virtue of perseverance where his love of God’s people drove him forward in learning something that did not come easily and took much time as he continued to serve at St. Lucy. His “yes” like the “yes” of St. Joseph was one that often stretched and invited him into areas that are not comfortable. And there our Fr. Joseph entered joyously and with a smile on his face. When asked, his “yes” came with a smile and for this I will always be thankful.
As Fr. Joseph departs St. Lucy, let us once more here the reflection of Archbishop M. de Langalerie, “Are our lives in union with that of Jesus Christ? Let us repeat these words, imposed on us as a dogma: Nothing without Jesus; on the contrary all things by Jesus, in Jesus, and with Jesus by him as mediator of grace; with Him, our model and our strength; in Him, the sole objects of the Satisfaction of the Father.”
Farewell my brother and God Bless you on your journey
Adieu mon frère et que Dieu vous bénisse pendant votre voyage. (google translate…forgive the errors.)
God Bless
Fr. Mark

He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” (Mk 16:15)

This weekend we will celebrate the Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ into heaven and the words from Mark’s Gospel we read above are the last words spoken by Jesus to us his disciples. This command is still relevant today as it was 2,000 years ago when it was first spoken. And that is what they did following the command of our Lord.
I have spent this past week with our Bishop and many of my brother priests in four days of study. What did we study? Our lives. We looked at who we are and what we are called to do and how these 16 months of pandemic restrictions have affected our ministry and our person as sons of the Living God. This was the first time we had been together during this long time and the community rebuilding was so vitally necessary where the four days did not seem enough and we will continue to work on this ministry.
Our presenter, Fr. Chris, a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia shared with us many insights that are not just necessary for our priestly fraternity but also call each of us to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” The parish staff and leadership at St. Lucy has begun to look at doing much of the same things we talked about during these four days but more and more I am convinced of the need to begin to heal our souls from the woundedness and division these past 16 months have inflicted upon our communities.
And I believe that Pope Francis, in declaring this a “Year of St. Joseph” and where our Diocese of San Jose calls for a jubilee year we have been given a great gift to begin the healing and blessing of life where each of us continues our baptismal mission to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation”
As Pope Francis notes in Patris Corde, “Joseph’s attitude encourages us to accept and welcome others as they are, without exception, and to show special concern for the weak, for God chooses what is weak. He is the “Father of orphans and protector of widows,” who commands us to love the stranger in our midst. I like to think that it was from Saint Joseph that Jesus drew inspiration for the parable of the prodigal son and the merciful father.” (#4) Like St. Joseph we are called to reach out and serve, heal and care for those around us. We may have become strangers in our own way these past 16 months but we are called to accept and welcome God and others into the heart of our love.
This means the entering into a conscious and deliberate decision to seek and include the presence of God in the moments of our lives, not just when it is convenient or in a moment of despair or suffering, but in the little and seemingly insignificant moments of our lives. Pope St. John Paul II shares this bit of wisdom, “What is crucially important here is the sanctification of daily life, a sanctification which each person must acquire according to his or her own state, and one which can be promoted according to a model accessible to all people: “St. Joseph is the model of those humble ones that Christianity raises up to great destinies;…he is the proof that in order to be a good and genuine follower of Christ, there is no need of great things-it is enough to have the common, simple and human virtues, but they need to be true and authentic.” (#24)
The sanctification of daily life is the service in joy and hope of all people. It is an invitation to return to the offer of life Jesus shares with us and St. Joseph chose to embrace. Let us choose to embrace Joseph’s way in living the life of holiness, the gift of sanctity and the grace of family in the life of a true disciple of Jesus Christ.
“ Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”(Phil 4:4-7)
God Bless
Fr. Mark

Cambios son difíciles. Y espero que esto ayude a explicar por qué dije que sí al cambio de asignación parroquial.

Cuando estaba en el seminario, mi director espiritual, el Padre Vincent, y yo tuvimos largas conversaciones sobre las dificultades que enfrentan los sacerdotes una y otra vez. Fue parte de mi cuestionamiento y su consejo y formación de mi corazón para estar más cerca del corazón de Jesús.
Una cosa que siempre me recordó fue que la promesa de obediencia es algo tan difícil y es fácil caer en la desobediencia cuando nuestros propios deseos chocan con nuestra obediencia a Dios y su santa Iglesia.
Cuando dije que “sí” a la solicitud del Obispo de cambiar de parroquia y dejar Santa Lucía, fue en obediencia y amor a nuestra Iglesia Católica. Fue difícil y mi corazón está roto y lleno de tristeza, pero fue mi elección decir que “sí” con amor obediente.
Sé lo difícil que es para una parroquia cuando los sacerdotes cambian de asignación y, especialmente, durante este año de pandemia, parece aún más difícil y, sin embargo, debemos continuar moviéndonos y encontrar nuevas formas de servir a Dios en y a través de nuestra fe y la Iglesia.
A menudo me han sorprendido mis asignaciones, siempre para lo mejor. Busco encontrar los dones positivos y las bendiciones detrás de cada nuevo desafío, a veces misterioso, de mi sacerdocio.
Mi primera asignación fuera del seminario fue como vicario parroquial de St. Martin of Tours. Antes de mi ordenación, varios sacerdotes diferentes me aseguraron que me asignarían a una parroquia u otra, pero St. Martin nunca apareció en ninguna de nuestras conversaciones. Cuando me senté con mis compañeros de clase y abrí nuestra carta de cita del Obispo, me quedé impactado y sorprendido de ver mi primera tarea, incluso hice una doble vuelta para mirar y asegurarme de que era mi nombre en la parte superior de la carta. No me decepcionó, sino que me confundió y, al final, me alegré de ser sacerdote y comenzar a servir a Dios. Mis tres años estuvieron llenos de tantas bendiciones y en esto me convirtió en un mejor hombre y en un sacerdote aprendiendo muchas lecciones del Padre Jack y el Padre Chris, los dos párrocos bajo los que serví y también el Padre Ray Kenny (+) quien estaba jubilado en residencia.

Mi segunda asignación a la parroquia del Holy Spirit también fue parte de mi experiencia de aprendizaje. Mi “sí” fue con dificultad por irme, pero también aprendí mucho del párroco de Holy Spirit, el Padre Brendan quien compartió conmigo muchas lecciones. Mi único año en la parroquia pasó volando y me ayudó a comprender mucho mejor las necesidades de las comunidades donde, incluso en este corto tiempo, construí muchas amistades que aún alimentan mi deber.
El cambio inesperado a mi tercera asignación, como párroco de St. Catherine of Alexandria, donde me habían asignado para mi año pastoral, fue en un momento inspirador y abrumador. Estaba descubriendo cómo ser sacerdote y ahora estaba asignado a dirigir esta maravillosa parroquia. Fue allí donde vino mi ministerio con el Encuentro Matrimonial Mundial, mi crecimiento en el idioma del español, mi comprensión de la corresponsabilidad y las dificultades para liderar y cuidar de una gran comunidad diversa, todo con altibajos y muchos obstáculos en el camino.
Después de seis años, cuando el Obispo me pidió que me cambiara, hubo una gran tentación de decir “no” por muchas razones. Estaba a la mitad de varias cosas. Quería completar algunos proyectos pastorales que acabábamos de comenzar. Estaba cómodo. Estaba contento viviendo en Morgan Hill. Podría enumerar cien más … pero en el amor obediente a la Iglesia y mi promesa a mi Obispo dije que “sí”.
Si no hubiera respondido con un “sí”, tal vez no estaría escribiendo esta carta a mi familia de Santa Lucia. Quizás nunca hubiera llegado a conocerlos y amarlos. Quizás mi vida sería menos rica ahora por un “no”. Si hubiera dicho “no” hace seis años, ¿qué otros “no” habrían comenzado a llenar mi ministerio como sacerdote? Esa es la tentación y la realidad. Decirle “sí” a Jesús es tomar la cruz, por difícil y doloroso que sea en estos tiempos, porque siempre lleva al amor.
Estoy muy feliz de haber dicho que “sí” hace seis años, incluso cuando me causó tanto dolor y el corazón de St. Catherine of Alexandria. Mi “sí” a Santa Lucía ha estado tan lleno de bendiciones que esta página no puede contenerlas.
Cuando decidí decir que “sí” a la solicitud de nuestro Obispo de cambiarme a St. Lawrence the Martyr, supe la tristeza que llenaría mi corazón y las lágrimas que seguirían. Cuando la escuela parroquial llenó mi oficina con tarjetas de bendición por mi cumpleaños, me reí mientras lloraba, sabiendo que esta sería la última vez. Pero la tristeza también está llena de tantos buenos recuerdos.
Sé que esto nunca explicará completamente las decisiones o quitará la tristeza, pero confío en la Divina Providencia de la santa voluntad de Dios y en el futuro a medida que avanzamos como la Iglesia una, santa, católica y apostólica de Jesucristo.
Que Dios lo bendiga,
El Padre Mark.

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Change is hard. And I hope this helps to explain why I said yes to the change of parishes assignments.

When I was in seminary my spiritual director, Fr. Vincent, and I would have long conversations about the difficulties facing priests over and over again. It was part of my questioning and his advising and forming my heart to be nearer to the heart of Jesus.
One thing he always reminded me of was that the promise of obedience is such a difficult thing and it is easy to slip into disobedience when our own desires and wants clash with our obedience to God and his holy Church.
When I said yes, to the Bishop’s request to change parishes and leave St. Lucy, it was in obedience in love of our Catholic Church. It was difficult and hard and my heart is broken and filled with sadness but it was my choice to say yes in obedient love.
I know how hard it is for a parish when priests change assignments and especially during this pandemic year it seems even more difficult and yet, we must continue to move and find new ways to serve God in and through our faith and the Church.
I have been surprised often in my assignments, always for the better. I seek to find the positive gifts and the blessings behind each, sometimes mysterious, new challenge of my priesthood.
My first assignment out of seminary was as parochial vicar of St. Martin of Tours. Leading up to my ordination I had been assured by several different priests that I would be assigned to one parish or another but St. Martin never came up in any of our conversations. When I sat with my classmates and opened our appointment letter from the Bishop I was shocked and surprised to see my first assignment, I even did a double take to look and make sure that it was my name at the top of the letter and not mix up with a classmate. I wasn’t disappointed but confused and in the end just happy to be a priest and begin serving God . My three years were filled with so many blessings and in this I became both a better man and priest learning many lessons from both Fr. Jack and Fr. Chris the two pastors I served under and also Fr. Ray Kenny (+) who was retired in residence.
My second assignment to Holy Spirit parish was also expected and was part of my learning experience. My yes was one of difficulty in leaving but also of a new time of learning from Holy Spirit’s pastor Fr. Brendan who shared with me many lessons. My one year at the parish flew by and helped me to understand the needs of communities much better where I, even in this short time, built many friendships that still feed my soul.

The unexpected move to my third assignment, as pastor of St. Catherine of Alexandria, where I had been assigned for my pastoral year, was at one moment inspiring and the next overwhelming. I was just figuring out how to be a priest and was now assigned to lead this wonderful parish. It was there my ministry with Worldwide Marriage Encounter came, my growth in my Spanish language, my understanding of stewardship and the difficulties in leading and caring for a large diverse community came with ups and downs and many bumps in the road.
After six years, when the Bishop asked me to move, there was a great temptation to say “no” for many reasons. I was in the middle of something. I wanted to complete some pastoral projects we had just begun. I was comfortable. I liked being in Morgan Hill. I could list one hundred more…but in the obedient love of the Church and my promise to my Bishop I said yes.
If I had not responded with a yes, perhaps I would not be writing to my St. Lucy family this letter. Perhaps I would never have come to know and love you. Perhaps my life would be less rich now because of a no. If I had said “no” six years ago what other no’s would have begun to fill my ministry as priest. That is the temptation and reality. Saying yes to Jesus is to take up the cross, as difficult and painful as it is in these times, because it always leads to love.
I am extremely happy I said yes six years ago even when it caused so much heartache and sorrow in both my heart but also St. Catherine of Alexandria. My yes to St. Lucy has be so filled with blessings this page cannot contain them.
When I chose to say yes to our Bishop’s request to move to St. Lawrence the Martyr, I knew the heaviness that would fill my heart and the tears that would follow. When the parish school filled my office with cards of blessing for my birthday, I laughed as I cried, knowing this would be the last time. But the sadness is also full of so many fond memories.
I know that this will never fully explain the decisions or take away the sadness, but I trust in the Divine Providence of God’s holy will and the future as we move forward as the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church of Jesus Christ.
God bless
Fr. Mark.