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A moment to celebrate. Following Saturday’s Diaconate Ordination, the newly ordained deacons processed out through rows of clergy, seminarians and applause before receiving the bishop’s blessing. In his homily, Bishop Martin reminded them that their call is not only about doing things for the Church, but about giving their lives to Christ so that He may bear fruit through them. “Your lives need to be so compelling that the world comes to understand another level… where true service says: I will lay down my life.” Congratulations to Deacons James Johnson, Bradley Loftin, Patrick Martin and Connor White. And the celebrations continue… priest ordination is this Saturday at St. Mark.

From Saturday into Tuesday: At Saturday’s diaconate ordination, Bishop Michael Martin invited the four men being ordained — and all of us — to reflect on perspective. The Church has practical needs. There are people to serve, the sick to visit, the Gospel to preach, the poor to care for, and countless ways to respond generously wherever God places us. But the bishop challenged everyone not to remain only at that level. Reflecting on the Gospel, he pointed to those who came seeking Jesus. Their request was simple: We want to see Jesus. Christ’s response was unexpected. He did not point to success, authority, or accomplishment. Instead, He spoke about the grain of wheat that falls to the ground and dies, and in doing so bears much fruit. Bishop Martin suggested that this is the deeper perspective that the world struggles to understand and that Christians are called to reveal. Service in the Christian life is not simply about usefulness. It is relational. It begins with belonging to God and grows through learning to give of ourselves in love. “Your lives need to be so compelling that the world comes to understand that other level.” That invitation was given to our four new deacons in a particular way on Saturday. But it is also an invitation for each of us this week. Not simply to ask what needs to be done. But to ask whether the way we live helps others see Christ. Congratulations again to Deacons James Johnson, Bradley Loftin, Patrick Martin and Connor White. It was a blessing and an honor to witness your ordination under our roof. And now, with joyful anticipation, we look forward to another extraordinary moment in the life of our diocese as St. Mark welcomes the ordination of ten new priests this Saturday at 9 am.

Happy Memorial Day. 🇺🇸 Of all the things newly ordained Deacon Bradley Loftin could have chosen to say in the first moments of his first homily yesterday, he began with gratitude. “As Monday is Memorial Day, I would like to thank all the men and women who have served our country… thank you for your sacrifice, your service to our country, and for protecting our freedom of speech and religion.” How fitting that on the day before Memorial Day, his first public words as a deacon turned our attention to service, sacrifice, and gratitude. Today we join him in remembering and praying for all who have served our country, especially those who gave their lives in service to others.

Congratulations to Deacon Connor White on his first Mass as a deacon. Most people see the procession and the liturgy. Few get to see the moments just before and just after. Surrounded by priests, fellow deacons, seminarians, altar servers and parishioners, it is a reminder that vocations do not happen alone. They grow in the life of the Church. We have been blessed to witness Deacon White’s journey from baptism, to altar serving, to seminary, and now to ordination. May your witness inspire others to listen for His voice and follow where He leads.

It’s Pentecost. Come to Mass. Today we celebrate the birthday of the Church and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Yesterday, Deacon Bradley Loftin assisted at his first Mass following ordination. Today, Deacon Connor White will assist at the 9 am Mass and Deacon Patrick Martin at 11 am as they begin their first Sunday living Holy Orders. There will be a lunch reception in the Parish Hall at noon (after the 11 am) for our three new deacons. Please join us. All are invited.

We present Deacon Bradley Loftin! Congratulations to Deacon Loftin on his ordination to the diaconate today. In the words of Bishop Martin: “We look forward to the tremendous fruit that God will bring forth from your sacrifice, because as Jesus tells us, that’s how we see Him, that’s where we’ll see Him.” Vocations grow in the life of the Church through families, friendship, prayer, and the encouragement of faithful parishioners. Today, we rejoice with all those ordained for the Diocese of Charlotte and especially with the men of St. Mark who continue to answer Christ’s call. Thank you to all who support seminarians, priests, and deacons through your prayers and encouragement. Please continue to pray for vocations and for all those called to Holy Orders. Tomorrow, Deacon Connor White will assist at his first Mass at 9 am and Deacon Patrick Martin at 11 am.

A grateful end to a grace-filled day. Fr. John with the newly ordained Deacons Bradley Loftin, Connor White and Patrick Martin, together with the seminarians of St. Mark who served at today’s Mass. Vocations grow in the life of the Church through families, friendship, prayer, and the encouragement of faithful parishioners. Today we rejoice with all those ordained for the Diocese of Charlotte and give thanks in a special way for the men of St. Mark who continue to answer Christ’s call. Thank you to the many parishioners who support seminarians, priests, and deacons through your prayers, encouragement, and generosity. Please continue to pray for vocations and for all those called to Holy Orders.

It’s Ordination Day… LET’S GO! 🎉 After weeks of preparations across campus, today is finally here. Flowers arranged. Tables set. Banners hung. Bell tower cleaned. Chapel prepared. Rehearsals complete. And now we get to welcome the faithful from across the Diocese of Charlotte to St. Mark. Today, four men will be ordained deacons, including three of our own parishioners: Bradley Loftin Patrick Martin Connor White James Johnson Please pray for them today as they place their lives in service to Christ and His Church. Thank you to the countless staff members, volunteers, ministries, clergy, sacristans, grounds crews, decorators and prayer warriors helping make these days possible. What a gift to witness God still calling. See you at St. Mark. 9 am.

TGIF: Thank God for Vocations Tomorrow, four men will be ordained to the Transitional Diaconate for the Diocese of Charlotte, including three of our own parishioners: Bradley Loftin, Patrick Martin and Connor White. For St. Mark, this moment feels especially close to home. Many of us have watched these young men grow up in our parish. We have seen them serve at this altar, pray in this church, build friendships, discern God’s call, and continue saying yes to Him year after year. Ordination does not happen overnight. It grows quietly through family life, parish life, prayer, mentorship, sacrifice, and the steady work of the Holy Spirit. Tomorrow marks an important step in their formation and service to the Church. Today, we pause to give thanks. Thank God for men open to God’s call. Thank God for families and parish communities that help nurture vocations. Thank God that the Holy Spirit continues to call and continues to form hearts willing to serve. Please keep all four future deacons in your prayers in a special way tomorrow. God is never outdone in generosity.

Part III: It’s beginning to look a lot like Ordination! More preparations are underway as we get ready to host the Ordinations on May 23 and 30. Yesterday, the bell tower received a much-needed cleaning as part of the many projects happening across campus in preparation for these historic days in the life of our parish and diocese. It’s a lot of little — and in this case big — details coming together. Fresh mulch. A chapel prepared for prayer. Bell tower chimes. And now a freshly cleaned bell tower standing ready to welcome thousands of people to St. Mark. Thank you to everyone helping prepare our parish grounds and buildings for four men being ordained deacons — three from our own parish — and then the largest priestly ordination in the history of the Diocese of Charlotte. Something special is coming… stay tuned. We’re just getting started.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Ordination! More signs of ordination keep appearing around here. This week, Stephen Magyar delivered five handmade kneelers to the Adoration Chapel as part of the Mary’s Sons “Kneelers for Priests” pilgrimage ahead of the Priest Ordination on May 30. (There will be five more kneelers next week.) Over the next two weeks, parishioners are invited to stop by the chapel and pray for the men preparing to become priests for the Diocese of Charlotte. Prayer cards are available, along with journals where parishioners can leave notes and prayers for the future priests. There is something pretty moving about seeing these kneelers lined up in the chapel in front of the Blessed Sacrament knowing they will soon belong to newly ordained men of Christ. This is the largest priestly ordination in the history of the diocese. Please continue praying for Deacons Robert Warren Bauman, Michael Patrick Camilleri, John Warren Cuppett, Maximilian Karl Frei, Juan Gonzalez Hernandez, Bryan Ilagor, Michael James Lugo, Daniel Chaves Peña, Peter James Townsend, and James Connor Tweed as they prepare for ordination here at St. Mark.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Ordination! Thank you to parishioner Gerardo Garcia of KG Landscaping and Irrigation for spreading 125 yards of mulch yesterday and today! It takes a lot of people to prepare the parish for the Diaconate and Priest Ordinations. Landscapers, gardeners, sacristans, caterers, cleaners, musicians, staff… and a whole lot of prayers. The Diaconate Ordination is Saturday at 9 am at St. Mark. Please keep the ordinands — and everyone working behind the scenes — in your prayers. (KG Landscaping and Irrigation: 704-617-9723)

Sunday into Monday: Deacon Tom McGahey reflected this weekend on the Ascension of the Lord and reminded us that the Ascension is not Jesus leaving us, but rather a change in how He remains present with His Church. Before ascending to the Father, Christ entrusted His mission to the apostles and commanded them to “go and make disciples of all nations.” Deacon Tom reflected on the many ways that mission continues through the Church, the sacraments, and the work of the Holy Spirit. Over the past several weeks at St. Mark, we have witnessed baptisms, First Holy Communion, Confirmation, and now look ahead to the upcoming ordinations for our diocese. “The Church is alive at St. Mark… and we are not done yet.” As we move toward Pentecost, Deacon Tom challenged the parish not simply to stand looking upward, but to become witnesses of Christ in our homes, workplaces, schools, and communities. “These messengers from God are essentially saying: get to work.” He encouraged the parish to begin praying this novena to the Holy Spirit so that on Pentecost Sunday we will be strengthened to lead others to Christ: “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Lord, if my life is a mirror of your love, if my words are worthy of you, then empower me as you did the prophets, angels, and saints. Roll away the stones that prevent me from encouraging so many hearts from receiving your grace. Here I am, Lord. I come to do your will. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

Holy Spirit Come! Today, our second group of confirmandi received the Sacrament of Confirmation, bringing the total to 185 young people confirmed at St. Mark this spring. Together with our First Holy Communicants, more than 400 youth have now received sacraments in recent weeks. “The Holy Spirit will come upon you in a very powerful way. You are strengthened, you are sent, and you are loved.” — Fr. John, 5/16/26 Come, Holy Spirit, renew the face of the earth.

The story of the statue doesn’t end there. The upcoming construction of the parish life center will lead to the eventual relocation of the adoration chapel. The Blessed Virgin has made it known that she wants her statue moved to the new garden! Angeles described a recent night when she was awoken, not by a sudden sound or by an aching muscle but by the gentle urging of the Blessed Mother herself. And without hearing a word, Angeles knew what she was being called to do. To spread the story of the statue’s origin and to make sure the three foot tall portrayal of the Mother of God will always remain close to her Son who resides in the perpetual adoration chapel. Thank you to David Hains for sharing Angeles’ story.

TGIF: Thank God for quiet corners that hold so much history, prayer, and love. Some places on our campus are easy to miss if you are hurrying to Mass or heading to the parish office. But tucked beside the Adoration Chapel is a small Marian garden that has become a place of prayer, beauty, memory, and peace for generations of parishioners. This statue of Our Blessed Mother was the very first statue donated to St. Mark. Long before our parish had a permanent church building, before the piazza and the gardens, before Perpetual Adoration, parishioners were already preparing a place for Mary near her Son. Today we are grateful not only for the statue itself, but for the faith of the parishioners who loved this parish enough to preserve its story and care for it through the years. Mary's Garden: St. Mark's First Statue The grounds of St. Mark Church are blessed with beautiful statuary. Coming down the main driveway everyone is greeted by the Sacred Heart of Jesus. On the piazza are The Immaculate Conception, her spouse St. Joseph, a rendition of the Pieta and St. Francis holding a bowl full of water for passing birds. Each gives parishioners and visitors a serene reminder of the steadfast beauty of the Catholic faith. Tucked away outside the adoration chapel sits the dense, carefully maintained foliage of Mary’s Garden. Presiding over the garden is a three foot tall statue of the Blessed Mother as the Immaculate Conception. The first statue ever donated to the parish, she stands quietly along the footpath that winds through the garden. Flowers in vases are often placed at her feet, especially during her month of May. Around her neck are rosaries, the prayer dedicated to her by St. Dominic. Usually a delicate crown of flowers can be found on her head. The statue has an interesting history that goes back to the late 1980’s. It was originally purchased by a couple who were members of Our Lady of Assumption Church on Shamrock Drive in Charlotte. Except for the wife, Delores, the exact name of the rest of the family has been lost. The couple was acquainted with the late Deacon Robert Murphy and his wife Angeles, who now resides in the Ranson Ridge assisted living home. Angeles and Robert were enchanted by the beauty of the statue the first time they saw it and expressed as much to Delores. She and her husband had purchased it recently and had it shipped to Charlotte. A few years later Delores died. Eventually her husband re-married and when he was preparing to move away it was became evident that he could not take the statue. He recalled Angeles and Robert’s admiration and gave it to them. By this time the Murphys had moved to Huntersville and wanted to donate the statue to the recently organized parish of St. Mark. But there was a problem. In the late 1990’s, the parish had no home. Mass was celebrated in the bowling alley at Exit 25 or on the campus of Davidson College. St. Mark’s first pastor, Monsignor Joseph Kerin, asked the couple to take care of the statue until the first building on the campus, now named the Kerin Center, was built. The original design of the building had a daily Mass chapel in what is now the adoration chapel. Outside the clear glass windows was an ugly piece of lumpy clay soil that was littered with construction debris. Volunteer gardeners took over the plot and began tilling the soil to fashion it into a garden. Finally, the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary had a home. Along with song birds and a rabbit or two, she has presided there ever since. Growth in the parish made the small chapel impractical for daily Mass less than a year after it was built. It was transformed into a perpetual adoration chapel under the guidance of Pastor, Monsignor Richard Bellow. Cont in comments:

This was a great talk at the parish. Now your chance to hear him again in Salisbury! Saturday, May 23, in the Gym, 9 am.

To Jesus through Mary… By placing a crown upon the head of an image of our Blessed Mother, we continue a tradition that dates back to the 13th century, celebrating the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Queen of Heaven. When we place a crown of blossoms upon her statue, we seek her intercession, trusting in her powerful advocacy before the throne of God. As our loving Mother, Mary is always ready to bring our needs and petitions to her Son, Jesus. Thank you go the many parish ministries and groups who continue this tradition each year. We don’t have photos of them all but we know St. Mark School, St. Mark Preschool, Mary’s Women of Joy, Fidelis, St. Mark Homeschool, and the Hispanic Ministry have all crowned an image of Mary this year. Let us join together in asking our Heavenly Mother for her prayerful intercessions — today and everyday — that she may guide us, strengthen our faith, and fill our hearts with peace and hope. May her example inspire us to live with humility, love, and faithfulness, drawing ever closer to Christ.

Fr. John recently joined The Conor Gallagher Show youtu.be/QQOkU3PoI5g?si… to reflect on Fatima, the Rosary, the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and the message Our Lady brought to the world through three shepherd children in 1917. He also shares how a pilgrimage to Fatima during seminary became a pivotal moment in his own vocation story, and why he has returned there more than 30 times. “The point of Fatima was not fear. It was salvation.”