St. Mark Catholic Church Newsletter —Jan/Feb 2021

Saint Mark

JAN/FEB 2021

NEWSLETTER

Liturgy Schedule Saturday Vigil: 5 p.m., 7 p.m. (Spanish) Sunday: 7 a.m., 9 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 2 p.m. (reserved for 60 & older parishioners), 4 p.m. (Lifeteen) Daily Mass: Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri, 7:30 a.m.; Wed, 12 p.m. (noon) Adoration: Mon-Thu 8 a.m. 8 p.m.

Fri 8 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Confessions: Sat 3 to 4 p.m.

Sam and Kim Shaneyfelt:

Sharing Their God-Given Talents with Others

I

f there is one thing Sam and Kim Shaneyfelt enjoy in life, it is sharing their talents with others.

“We believe we have been given so many gifts,” Kim says. “As it says in the Parable of the Talents in the Gospels, if you just bury your talents in the ground and don’t share them, you won’t grow them. But if you share them, they will actually increase. It only makes sense.

Even though you may worry that if you get involved, you will lose track of your

time, the opposite is true — you will only find yourself more enriched.”

By giving to our parish family and beyond, Sam and Kim have found themselves abundantly blessed in return. Our parish community is very near and dear to their hearts, and it shows. Both of them enjoy serving as sponsor couples for St. Mark’s Marriage Preparation program, as well as instructors for the Pre-Cana class of the Diocese of Ft. Worth. They have a continued on page 2

Sam and Kim Shaneyfelt profound appreciation for helping couples embrace the true meaning of the Sacrament of Marriage.

“The family is so foundational to the formation of our children and the support of our elderly,” Kim says. “Strong parishes have strong families. For instance, Sam’s mother, Myrna, just moved in with us full-time about three months ago. I couldn’t think of any better way for her to live right now, than being welcome in our home. We help couples see that we have such a beautiful blueprint to follow in Christ the Bridegroom, and His Bride, the Church. Stress, curveballs and challenges are a normal part of family life, but if you have a sacramental marriage with Christ at the center, you will be able to handle whatever the world throws at you.”

Furthermore, Sam and Kim both volunteer as team members for our parish’s Adoration Community Theology Service (ACTS) ministry, which offers inspirational retreats for men and women.

“We enjoy this ministry because it builds a stronger sense of community among our parishioners, and it really helps us refocus on the sacraments,” Kim says.

Sam and Kim appreciate being able to serve on the parish’s evangelization team, as well.

“We want to share what is so special about our Catholic faith with others,” Kim says. “As a team, we are discussing ways to evangelize people who aren’t quite sure about the Catholic faith yet, and start conversations with them to deepen their faith.”

continued from front cover

Sam also helps to run the Protection Ministry, which ensures that there are armed guardians present at every one of our weekend Masses. Kim also serves on the leadership team for our annual St. Mark Gala Dinner and Auction.

“In past years, this event has raised over $100,000 annually to help us achieve the goal of building our parish sanctuary,” Kim says. “We want our sanctuary built and completed by the end of 2023. It is exciting to be part of that effort.”

Overall, the Shaneyfelts have found our parish to be a “second home” for them, where their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ dwell.

“Our parish is really a family to us,” Kim says. “This is so important for us because we are both retired military officers who have spent a significant portion of our adult lives moving from place to place. We appreciate having such a strong sense of community at St. Mark’s. We have options to move to other places, but we stay in this area because of our parish.”

Over time, they have found that being involved at St. Mark’s helps nurture the relationships they have formed.

“We have such great friendships with the people of this parish,” Kim says. “But these friendships would not have developed if we hadn’t been very active in the parish. You don’t really get to know people unless you start helping in some way. St. Mark’s has been such a blessing to our family.”

“We believe we have been given so many gifts. As it says in the Parable of the Talents in the Gospels, if you just bury your talents in the ground and don’t share them, you won’t grow them. But if you share them, they will actually increase. It only makes sense.

Even though you may worry that if you get involved, you will lose track of your time, the opposite is true — you will only find yourself more enriched.” — KIM SHANEYFELT

All Masses can be streamed anytime on the parish Facebook page — Facebook.com/st.markdenton 2

A Letter From Our Pastor

Forget the Resolutions...

Seize the Opportunities!

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

O

ne of the most unforgettable years in our lifetimes is finally over and 2021 is here! With the new year, I recommend we forget the notion of making resolutions.

This new year presents us with opportunities to practice faithful stewardship — that is, to view the start of 2021 as a time for opportunities instead of resolutions, and to choose to be the disciples we are called to be.

The choice is ours, as it has always been.

I know all too well that each New Year’s Day on Jan. 1, we do more than just begin a new calendar year. We make all kinds of promises, articulate expectations, and express hopes, desires and dreams. I don’t know who started that custom, but I do know I have spent years attempting with the best intentions to follow my own resolutions, only to become disappointed that most are forgotten all too soon. Therefore, it occurred to me that this year, I need a new and fresh approach to this. Perhaps we all need a new perspective.

After all, isn’t that what faithful stewards are best at?

The to-do list for 2021 should be seen as a list of opportunities to practice the discipleship intended by Jesus — not just at the beginning of each year, but each day throughout the year when presented with opportunities to be a Christian disciple. In doing so, we are practicing the stewardship way of life. Maybe this year, each of us will be open to embracing the connection between discipleship and stewardship.

Discipleship and stewardship are indeed closely linked, so much so that it clearly defines our Catholic spirituality and touches every aspect of the life of the Church. I hope that the same vision is clearly in your sight — the moment of discovery that stewardship is

a way of life, a defining moment presenting opportunities to live what we believe, using our time, talents and treasure to reach others around us.

Therefore, as we close out one of the most eventful years in modern history, and are at the start of a new year filled with promise and hopefulness, I ask you to join me in celebrating the opportunities that will present themselves during 2021. We need to keep our eyes, ears and hearts open to them. They will be there when we least expect them. Our Lord’s call to be faithful stewards of the gifts we have been given is already echoing in our hearts as we have concluded a season of giving in which God’s gift to us, Jesus Christ, remains the perfect gift that keeps on giving to each of us. If we continue to receive our Lord with grateful hearts, we can respond in our own way of giving time, talent and treasure back as opportunities to become Christ for others.

I know that 2021 will be a year of great interest in what will happen in the world around us, and new opportunities will abound. Wait for them. Look for them.

Treasure them when they become known.

While resolutions always seem to be good ideas, opportunities are often what God has chosen for us to experience so that our lives may be more whole and fulfilling. Can you think of a better way to start a new year than to forget the resolutions, and instead seize the opportunities God has waiting for us?

In Christ, Fr. George Pastor

3

The Significance of the Presentation of the Lord T

Things to Do: •

Hold your own candlelight procession at home, teaching your children the significance of the light as a symbol of Christ.

•

Ask a priest to bless the candles you hope to use at home this year.

•

Read the Gospel account of the Presentation, found in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 2, verses 22 to 35.

•

Pray a decade of the Rosary, focusing upon the Presentation of the Lord, the fourth Joyful Mystery.

4

raditionally, the Church has set aside Feb. 2 in observance of the Presentation of the Lord — or the day in which Joseph and Mary presented Jesus to the priests and elders in the Temple.

For years, this feast — which in the United States is only formally celebrated when it falls on a Sunday — marked the end of the Christmas season. In old days, the Presentation was often referred to as “Candlemas” and was celebrated by a candle-lit procession into the church, signifying Christ as the “light of nations.”

Known originally as the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin, the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord is a relatively ancient celebration.

We know that the Church at Jerusalem was observing the feast as early as the first half of the fourth century, and likely earlier.

According to Jewish law, the firstborn male child belonged to God, and the parents had to “buy him back” on the 40th day after his birth, by offering a sacrifice of “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons” (Luke 2:24) in the temple — thus the “presentation” of the child. On that same day, the mother would be ritually purified — thus the “purification.”

St. Mary and St. Joseph kept this law, even though, since St. Mary remained a virgin after the birth of Christ, she would not have had to go through ritual purification. In his Gospel, Luke (2:22-39) recounts the story.

Originally, the feast was celebrated on Feb. 14, the 40th day after Epiphany (Jan. 6), because Christmas wasn’t yet celebrated as its own feast, and so the Nativity, Epiphany, the Baptism of the Lord (Theophany), and the feast celebrating Christ’s first miracle at the wedding in Cana were all celebrated on the same day. By the last quarter of the fourth century, however, the Church at Rome had begun to celebrate the Nativity on Dec. 25, so the Feast of the Presentation was moved to Feb. 2, 40 days later.

When Christ was presented in the temple, “there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel.” When St. Mary and St. Joseph brought Christ to the temple, Simeon embraced the Child and prayed the Canticle of Simeon: “Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in sight of all the peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel” (Luke 2:29-32).

Because of the words of the canticle — “a light for revelation to the Gentiles” — by the 11th century, the custom had developed in the West of blessing candles on the Feast of the Presentation. The candles were then lit, and a procession took place through the darkened church while the Canticle of Simeon was sung. Because of this, the feast also became known as Candlemas. While the procession and blessing of the candles is not often performed in the United States today, Candlemas is still an important feast in many European countries.

From the Catechism

What is Almsgiving?

D

“Giving alms to the poor is a witness to fraternal charity: it is also a work of justice pleasing to God” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2462).

uring the seasons of Advent and Lent, it is not uncommon to hear about fasting, prayer and almsgiving. Most of us are familiar with at least two of the three penitential practices — prayer and fasting. We engage in prayer each day, while fasting becomes a regular part of our Lenten routines.

But what is almsgiving?

It is simply giving to those less fortunate than ourselves.

This can be through donations of canned goods to the local

food pantry, spare change to the Salvation Army during the Christmas season, or even through person-to-person contact with the poor.

This Lent, if your family has not regularly engaged in almsgiving, consider making a change. Search for opportunities to serve the poor and vulnerable, making their lives easier — even if in a small way.

Things to do with your family: • Place a coffee can in a prominent place in your home, and commit to filling it with loose change throughout the week. Then, donate the money to a local charity.

• The next time you shop for groceries, buy a few extra canned goods and donate them to a food pantry or food bank.

• Research a charity that works with the poor, and make a commitment to regularly give to that organization.

• Resolve to never judge those who are less fortunate, and teach your children the same.

Lenten Schedule Ash Wednesday, Feb. 17 Mass Schedule and the Distribution of Ashes 6 a.m., 7:30 a.m., 12 Noon, 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Fridays of Lent 7 p.m. — Stations of the Cross 7:30 p.m. — Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament Parish Mission “The Upper Room: The Night before Jesus Died” Wednesday, Feb. 24, and Thursday Feb. 25 7–8:30 p.m.

5

The Patron of Catholic Schools in AmericaSt. Elizabeth Ann Seton

A

s the first American-born canonized saint, Elizabeth Ann Seton’s entrance into history was guided by Divine Providence. Born on Aug. 28, 1774, just months after the Boston Tea Party, Elizabeth’s childhood witnessed pivotal events in the formation of our country — the Continental Congress, the Declaration of Independence, and the American Revolution. At the time of the foundation of the new Republic, in a society predominately hostile toward Catholicism, a flower blossomed that would forever change the shape of education in the United States.

Elizabeth Seton was born into a wealthy Protestant family in New York City. Her life, although materially blessed, was not without suffering. Elizabeth’s biological mother died when she was only 3, and her younger sister, Catherine Josephine, died at the age of 2. A spark of faith, however, was visible even in her early childhood. When questioned about her sadness concerning her sister’s death, Elizabeth simply responded, “Kitty is gone up to heaven. I wish I could go there too.”

Elizabeth grew into a beautiful woman, courted lavishly by handsome young men from prominent New York families. At the age of 19, she met a charming New York financier, William Seton, and the couple was wed in 1794. They remained in high society until her father-in-law’s passing, which left them to care for William’s seven younger siblings, along with three children of their own. Consequently, the Seton finances crashed.

The couple traveled to Italy — it was here that William’s health failed him, and he died in December 1803.

Providentially, Elizabeth was left in the company of a strong Catholic family where she witnessed the practice of the faith. In a letter to her sister, Elizabeth wrote,

6

“My sister dear, how happy would we be, if we believed what these dear souls believe, that they possess God in the Sacrament, and that He remains in their churches...”

After an eight-month stay, Elizabeth returned to America, and she began to investigate Catholicism more deeply. She was besought by Protestant friends who hoped to dissuade her. At this time, Elizabeth prayed repeatedly, “If I am right, Thy grace impart, still in the right to stay. If I am wrong, oh teach my heart to find the better way.”

In 1805, after much interior struggle, Elizabeth became Catholic.

Abandoned entirely by her family and friends, she resolved her financial difficulties through teaching.

In 1807, Elizabeth was invited to establish a Catholic school for girls in Baltimore. The task was daunting, and Elizabeth labored intensely, explaining how “from half past five in the morning until nine at night, every moment is full — no space even to be troubled.” After winters spent in continual hardship and sacrifice, the school flourished and, within years, Mother Seton planted the seed from which sprang the parochial school system — along with hospitals and orphanages.

Before her death in January 1821, she was the active mother of five — although two of her daughters died young — and the spiritual mother of a full-fledged religious congregation known as the Sisters of Charity. She was canonized in 1975, and her feast day is celebrated on Jan. 4.

Thanks to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the Catholic parochial school system remains vibrant and active. And as we celebrate Catholic Schools Week, we are thankful for the sacrifice of this loving wife, devoted mother, foundress and all-American saint.

Capital Campaign Kick-Off Set for Church Construction R estrictions under COVID-19 may have temporarily stopped the St. Mark Capital Campaign in March, but the Campaign has restarted and is again underway with the kick-off weekend set for Feb. 6 and 7.

“Building a Community to Worship as One” is the touchstone for us to freely offer our treasure so our parish family can come together in a church for the liturgy and other events. Currently, our 2,500 parish families have been gathering in the Parish Activity Center.

However, that space had to be expanded, with seating also provided in the Religious Education Building. Inperson seating is limited to 50-percent capacity. Masses are available on livestream through the parish website at www.stmarkdenton.org.

Taking part in the campaign is a prime opportunity to practice stewardship on behalf of our parish family, by freely offering our treasure.

“Simply giving is what stewardship is, at the heart of it,” says Joy Medley, Campaign Cabinet Chair and Director of Liturgy. “It is making it a home, and St. Mark’s is home.”

The goal of the campaign is to raise $6 million toward the church construction. A design is in place for the building, which will the first actual church building the parish has had since its inception 25 years ago. The total cost is $17.5 million — the campaign already has $6 million on hand. A loan from the Diocese of Fort Worth will also help with the cost of construction.

When the kick-off weekend arrives, everyone should have received pledge cards and a packet with campaign information. The last weekend in April is the commitment weekend, when all the campaign pledges are to be collected. Parishioners will have a three-year commitment to fulfill their pledges.

Although there are no campaign support activities scheduled at this time, the pledge packets will have a prayer booklet for parishioners to use at home to pray

for the success of the campaign. The Rosary will be said before each Mass, and 50 hours of adoration also are planned.

“Being able to reach people is a problem,” Joy says of the campaign outreach. “Right now, the problem is not knowing what we will be allowed to do.”

Parishioners who have been working on the Capital Campaign have been renewing their outreach for pledges. The Cabinet members are: (back row, from left) Jack Kearny, Bret Curran, Rich Jedlowski, Greg Johnson, and Brett Walford; (middle row) Dennis Pettit, Dee Fincher, Kala Guidry, and Kim Bonfield; (front row) Tony Parra, Joy Medley, and Sharon Pichon. (Not pictured: Tim and Kathie Herr, Joe and Robin Davis, Leo and Jeanette Wehkamp, Deb Schmitz, Deacon Jim Galbraith, Mark Nejtek, Susan Gulig, Dan Kulle.)

This rendering depicts the completed church building. When it is done, it will be the first building for St. Mark’s Parish that is originally our own.

“Simply giving is what stewardship is, at the heart of it. It is making it a home, and St. Mark’s is home.”

— JOY MEDLEY, CAMPAIGN CABINET CHAIR AND DIRECTOR OF LITURGY If you would like more information about the campaign, please call Joy Medley at 502-671-9035.

7

Saint Mark 6500 Crawford Road│Argyle, TX 76226 (940) 387-6223│www.stmarkdenton.org

If you are not attending Mass in person at this time, you can still contribute to the offertory through our online giving portal at membership.faithdirect.net/TX587 Or drop your check in the mail to St. Mark Catholic Church 6500 Crawford Rd. Argyle, TX 76226