From the bulletin for The Second Sunday of Lent (2026 March 08) March 8 - 3rd Lent “Never let a good crisis go to waste.” Thus spoke Winston Churchill, who lived through a crisis or two. In this case (only?), the Holy Spirit outdoes even the politicians. As the parable of the prodigal son shows, God, in His love, will often permit His children to fall into crises and pig-sties of all sorts in hopes that we will come to our senses, return to Him, and/or rise to the challenge w

From the bulletin for The Second Sunday of Lent (2026 March 01) Lord’s Day: A Deeper Dive Sacred Scripture is meant to be read more like a poem than the news. Its content needs to be unpacked to be appreciated, otherwise its richness will be lost on us.  Take the First Reading this Sunday: God commands Abram and obeys. Pretty straightforward, right? But when you dig in, questions arise. In the previous chapter of Genesis, we learn that Abram’s father Terah had already made de

From the bulletin for The First Sunday of Lent (2026 February 22) Feb 22 - 1st Sunday Lent In the Pledge of Allegiance, we recognize this land as “one nation, under God, indivisible, with justice for all.” We are forced, of course, to acknowledge that is more aspiration than reality: we live in a time when the oneness and indivisibility of the USA are under a severe test. And the degree to which the nation is or ever has been under truly the dominion of the God of Heaven, and

Fridays in Lent 2025 | 5:30 PM | Carolyn Hall Soup Suppers begin at 5:30 PM in Carolyn Hall! "Claiming Country for Kingdom - Your Part in the National Consecration" our Speaker Series, begins at 6:00 PM. ​ Our dates and speakers ​ Feb. 20 “The Catholic History of the USA”   Fr. David Hottinger, P.E.S. Audio recording available here Slide content available here   Feb. 27 “What is National Consecration?” Audio recording available here Fr. Patrick Evans, P.E.S. ​ Mar. 6 “Sta

From the bulletin for The Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (2026 February 15) Feb 15 - 6th Sunday Remember Lent? Well, it’s back. Your favorite time of year: when the natural world is thawing out and the world invites you to rejoice and frolic, but the Church makes you punish yourself by being sad and finding ways to suffer more than you already do. So you can appreciate Easter all the more! It may feel like that. But in truth, Lent is about learning how to rejoice and take deli

From the bulletin for The Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (2026 February 08) Feb 8 - 5th Sunday OT There is a heartening billboard northbound on Highway 52 that encourages the “red and the blue”, the “left and the right” to talk, for a change. Billboards rarely cheer my heart. But this one did. Yet it also raises the doubt: where will such conversations occur? True spaces of public forum are rare in our society.  In last week’s column I expressed the wish that St. Mark’s would

Lenten Stories | CRS Rice Bowl | DONATE The Bread of Life—which we receive through the Eucharist—fills us with God’s grace and love. The Eucharist feeds us. It nourishes us. It unites us with God and one another as members of the same body of Christ. And it is through our communion with the Bread of Life that we are called to share bread for life. Jesus tells us, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.

During the 6 PM Liturgy With Gratitude to God, the Superior General and members of Pro Ecclesia Sancta and his family are pleased to invite you to the Holy Mass and Profession of Perpetual Vows of Brother Evan LeRoy Steeves on Thursday, March 19th, 2026 at 6:00 PM at the Church of Saint Mark (2001 Dayton Avenue, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA). Archbishop Hebda presiding. After the ceremony you are invited to the reception to be held at Carolyn Hall.

Updated 2026 Feb 14 Church of St. Mark (Carolyn Hall, corner of Moore and Dayton) | 4:00 - 6:00 PM | RSVP here Join us for an evening of prayer, fellowship, and discussion on marriage and family life according to Saint John Paul II’s Rule for Married Couples. Bring a potluck dish to share! We are a family of families; all stages of life are welcome. Childcare is provided during the talk and adult discussion! Presenting this evening are Peter and Theresa Martin, authors o

5:00 - 7:00 PM | Cafeteria Have you not heard?! The 2026 Lenten Fish Fry, held on Friday, March 27 from 5:00 - 7:00 PM in the School Cafeteria. Meals are available in adult and child sizes. sizes. The adult meal offers freshly battered and fried fish, mac & cheese, coleslaw, cookie, and drink. The child meal has fish, choice of mac & cheese or coleslaw, cookie, and drink. Meals are priced at: $12 for adult, $9 for child, $40 for family of 4, and $60 for family of 6. Kids 4

Holy Thursday (Apr 02) Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper @ 7:00 PM Altar of Repose 8:00 PM - 12:00 AM Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion (Apr 03) 3 PM Stations of the Cross & Confessions (last Confessions before after Easter Sunday) Liturgy @ 7:00 - 8:30 PM Holy Saturday (Apr 04) Easter Vigil Mass @ 8:30 PM No Confessions Easter Sunday (Apr 05) Masses @ 10:00 AM ONLY No Coffee and Donuts No Confessions *Please note the Parish Center will be closed Holy Thursday through Easter

Prayer Campaign: Feb. 18 - Mar. 29, 7 AM - 6 PM | Planned Parenthood | 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM St Mark’s, along with Nativity of Our Lord, is adopting two days of prayer vigil outside Planned Parenthood (671 Vandalia St) as part of the national 40 Days for Life campaign. St. Mark's/Nativity will be covering Friday, March 13 and Wednesday, March 25. Our priests will also lead an hour of prayer at 1 PM on March 30. The goal is to have at least 2 dedicated prayer volunteer

Help them give money away! Did you know that every year the St. Mark’s Council of Catholic Women raise $30-40,000 through their Fall and Spring Rummage Sales along with the Christmas sales to bless charitable organizations and fund vital parish restoration or special projects? Thank you to the many CCW members, parishioners, and greater community who work at and support these sales. Every March they invite you to submit your suggestions for charities and parish projects to

From the bulletin for The Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time (2026 February 01) Feb 1 - 4th Sunday OT You know the feeling: the slightly sickening sensation, with a touch of vertigo, when you begin to realize that another person with whom you had been friendly has very different political views from your own. Many are experiencing that sensation these days, “when the thoughts of many hearts are being revealed” (cf. Lk 2:35). Indeed, it’s happening even here  at St. Mark’s, among

9 AM - 12 PM | Carolyn Hall ”The Marriage Enrichment Retreats are a great way to keep Christ at the center of our marriage while we connect with other parish couples of all ages.” -Pat & Karen Shrake, married 36 years Mark your calendars for the next marriage enrichment retreat: Apr. 11: ”A Cure for Discouragement”

At the Feast of St. Mark Feast | Cafeteria If you're artistically inclined (amateurs welcome), to greater enrich the community, then your works are desired for Saint Marks in Art! Any makers welcome!, provided that the art made is 2D, wall-mountable, and at most 24" × 24" and the subject depicted is either our patron saint, the parish, the winged lion, or the Sacred Heart This'll be an exhibition, not a competition, though Father David may throw out a blue ribbon here or th

Tuesdays | 7:00 - 8:30 PM | Carolyn Hall Bring your bibles (Ignatius Study Bible (RSV) recommended) and your good will! The Psalms: Prayer Journal of God’s People, Prophecy of the Interior Life of Christ The Book of Psalms is the Old Testament book most quoted by Our Lord, and the one book of the Bible from which there is a reading at (almost) every Mass of the Church year. Join us for this six-session live Bible study with Fr. David on the Church’s sacred songbook, wh

St. Mark’s Extremely Flexible Monthly Service Opportunity - Loaves and Fishes! St. Mark’s draws on a large pool of volunteers to field a rotating team of 10 to 20 people who prepare and/or serve dinner at two Catholic Charities locations each month. Folks can volunteer every month or once a year. Even if you never take a shift, as a St. Mark’s parishioner, you are still contributing because the food provided on these days is funded in part by St. Mark’s “Sunday Giving”. Ever

from the Pastor for this year (emphasis is the editor's) "Living for the Day of the Lord" is an invitation to a conversion of life, through which God becomes truly the center of everything and the priority to which everything is ordered. Like Israel during the Exodus, we hope to undergo this conversion as a family and in stages in the course of the coming year. Recognizing the primacy of grace and God's will that we live for Him as members of a Body, in September we will fo

7:00 - 10:00 PM | School Gym Admission is $10 general, $8 for students. Lessons start at 7 PM and the dance runs from 7:30 - 10:00 PM! Tables and seating are available, too, if you just wish to enjoy the sounds and the spectacle. Volunteers get free admission!