SAINT MARK'S CHURCH AND SCHOOL

A Strong Family United in Christ Grows through Faith and Good Works

At the Church of Saint Mark in Saint Paul, MN, how do we live our faith? We demonstrate our faith through Corporal Works of Mercy:

1. Feed the hungry: Parishioners regularly serve at Loaves and Fishes, a service to homeless and needy Children of God.
2. Give drink to the thirsty: Eighth graders stock food shelves, pack meals for Feed My Starving Children and serve meals to fulfill service hours, a requirement for all persuing Confirmation
3. Clothe the naked: A dedicated knitting group crafts prayer shawls that are gifted to those in need of a warm embrace.
4. Shelter the homeless: We feed, serve and shelter families in Operation Home.
5. Visit the sick: Staff and volunteers visit and bring Holy Communion to ill, hospitalized and homebound friends.
6. Visit those in prison: Parishioners minister to challenged individuals through a local juvenile detention facility.
7. Bury the dead: Saint Mark's community supports life, from beginning to the end, and beyond, praying for the dead and supporting family members.

We demonstrate our faith through Spiritual Works of Mercy:

1. Admonish sinners: Reconciliation services in communal and personal settings help us hear God's voice in our lives more clearly.
2. Instruct the ignorant: Adult Rite of Christian Initation classes welcome mature people ready to deepen exploration of their spiritual lives.
3. Counsel the doubtful: From preschool to seniors, Saint Mark's offers instructional classes and seminars on the journey of spiritual enrichment.
4. Comfort the sorrowful: Grief support groups serve mourning survivors from across the metro.
5. Bear wrongs patiently: Adoration of the Eucharist invites community to spend time in peaceful meditation in the presence of Our Lord, to gain the inner resolution to bear all things.
6. Forgive injuries: Daily and weekly masses invite us to model the sacrifice of Jesus, in our daily lives.
7. Pray for the living and the dead: Memorial Masses remember loved ones and encourage their families.

Your gift today will support Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy that will make the world a better place, through the hands of Saint Mark's students, parishioners, staff and community.

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The Mission of Saint Mark's Catholic Church and School:

Called by a loving God to be Holy People, we place ourselves in the light of our Baptismal commitment and come together as a community of believers. We reflect on God's plan for us as revealed by Jesus Christ and brought to fullness by the Holy Spirit, who unites us in communion with our Pastor, with the Archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis, and with the Bishop of Rome. We believe we are called:

• To rejoice and to celebrate, through prayer and the Sacraments, God's ongoing and creative presence in our lives;
• To provide quality education, especially to the young, in order to pass on the Christian message as revealed in the Scriptures and in the Tradition of the Church;
• To create an environment of human concern in order to hear the cry of those in need and to respond to those needs in an ecumenical spirit;
• To give vision and hope to the future by our openness to the Good Shepherd, who calls us and nurtures us as we go forward with love.

Please support the Church of Saint Mark today.