27th Sunday: Thank you for your generosity!

“Let me now sing of my friend, my friend's song concerning his vineyard. My friend had a vineyard on a fertile hillside; he spaded it, cleared it of stones, and planted the choicest vines; within it he built a watchtower, and hewed out a wine press. Then he looked for the crop of grapes, but what it yielded was wild grapes.” Isaiah 5

 
It has been a sad week with the murders in Las Vegas and the continuing international tension between our nation and others. We also have the joy of welcoming our new bishop, the Most. Rev. Edward J. Weisenburger. Isaiah, the prophet, compared Israel to a vineyard. When the owner came to inspect the crop of domestic grapes growing in the vineyard, he found wild grapes instead.  Our parish is a vineyard, a place of faith and hope in our world. It is a place where young and old can encounter the presence of God and an environment that nurtures their faith.
 
St. Mark relies on your continuing generosity to maintain this community.  Your sacrifices for our parish are deeply appreciated. St. Therese of Lisieux, my favorite saint, said,

“Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word; always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love.” 

I am once again calling on your generosity. We are on the right road to pay off the mortgage for our parish church and to meet the other obligations and needs of our parishioners. Through your generosity, we have been able to care for young families and also provide for our retired people who have been foremost in leadership and faithful givers in our parish.

Once again, we will ask our parishioners to make a special commitment on the weekend of October 14 and 15.  I have asked two of our parish families to talk to you today about why they support St. Mark Parish.

• Mr. Andrew Lugo and Ms. Kayla Harvey will be married here in November and, with God’s grace, start their family. A young couple starting a new family is always a sign of hope. They will talk about the importance of St. Mark parish to their hopes.

• Mr. and Mrs. Paul and Diane Guertin moved to Oro Valley to be close to their daughter and her husband and children. They will address you about the role that St. Mark Parish has in their lives and the importance of our community. 

Next weekend, we will ask you to make a commitment to our parish for the coming year. I support our parish offertory and building collection from my own financial resources just as I ask you please to do. If we all make small sacrifices, we can achieve our parish goals together. St. Mark is the vineyard and we are the harvest.

Thank you for your generosity!