St. Mary - St. Mark

Easter is not suspended, it lives in every home!!  Let's show the world that #apartwearetogether as we celebrate this most Holy time. 

Holy Thursday -- place a candle or lantern in a window, porch or balcony
Good Friday -- display a Cross on our doors to commemerate this Holy Day
Easter Sunday -- drape a white cloth on our doors or windows to share the message that Jesus has Risen!
Send your pics to jnau@stmarystmark.org or drop them on our Facebook Page!

Dear Parishioners of St. Mary & St. Mark,

Wishing you all a very Happy and Grace filled Holy Easter 2020. It is a unique Easter for us this year. I do not know of any time in the history of the Church, we have celebrated the Easter without the church. We willingly accept the situation and respond to the world’s wellbeing, with Jesus’ grace. Jesus was taken away from His family, disciples and world, but for a short time only. So too we are taken away from our normal life style but we shall overcome it very soon and celebrate the Newness of Life and the Renewed World in the Risen Lord.  
We entered the Holy Week without the Palms in the hand, but sang Hosanna in our hearts meaning ‘Lord Come and Redeem’ us. From the Hosanna song to the Crucifixion of Jesus we have seen many changes in the life of people. We too experience the same in the family and community and world - acceptance, rejection and conversion. It is a chance to experience what we miss now and come to the Lord with greater faith and love. As we walk with Jesus with our own crosses of Pandemic sickness, uncertainty and chaos, Jesus assures us with His own Crucifixion and Resurrection that He is the Way to New Life at the end of the tunnel. As persons helped Jesus to carry the cross to His burial, so also we are called to serve one another to lighten the burden of others and experience the newness of life and joy in solidarity.
It was the promise of Jesus that after His crucifixion and death, He will resurrect and be with us forever as the Light of the world, destroying sin and death. These are our certain hope and trust in the Resurrected Lord that we too will arise above all the difficulties, sickness, economic depression, unemployment, anxieties, worries, hopelessness, injustice, betrayal, enmity and anger that we are faced with now to the fullness of Glory and Hope and Strength in the Risen Lord.
 Our Blessed Mother Mary is known as ‘Our Lady of Good Health’ who brought the Redeemer to the world. She continues to pray and heal everyone who approaches her with sincere Faith and Prayer. Let us approach her with greater trust to eradicate the pandemic from us, pray for the patients and their families and all medical professionals during this Holy Week, especially on Good Friday, and Easter Sunday,  by wearing Mother Mary’s medal on the neck, if possible, a miraculous medal of Mary, and pray to Jesus through her, the Lord will certainly listen to us and do us a miracle to take away the pandemic virus from the world and renew the face of the earth with His redeeming grace.
Let us join with the Church in Praising and worshipping the Risen Lord who will set us free from the coronavirus and unite the entire world in His Resurrection.  Wish you all Happy Easter.       
                                                                                                                               Father John   

Even though we are not able to gather for Mass on Palm Sunday... this would be a wonderful way for us all to celebrate together (while we are apart) When your door or window is adorned with the greenery, snap a pic and share it on our FB page (or email it to me)!  #wearechurch

The Missionaries of the Holy Spirit posted this idea on their Facebook page:

What if everyone on Sunday April 5 in the morning, puts a branch on the door of their house or on the window, to celebrate Palm Sunday?

It could be any green branch you can get. This would help, despite the social distancing, to be connected as we enter into the Holiest of Weeks.

We may be physically isolated, but not separated. We are united as the body of Christ.

Want to join?  We are the Church.

Yes, we are. We’ve got this. Let’s do it!!

Hello All!!

Per the Diocese of Buffalo, there has been a change in the passing out of Palms this Sunday.  Due to the quarantine, the Bishop has decided that it is not safe at present to have Palms available for pick-up in the churches.  There would be no way to control how much they are handled so in the interest of public health, Palms will not be available at this time.

It has also been decided that there will be no Chrism Mass as well as no public Masses during Holy Week.  Bishop Scharfenberger will be offering these online opportunities for worship on the Diocese of Albany's website: 

Watch live stream Masses here -->> www.rcda.org/livestream

• Sunday, April 5, 11 a.m. - Palm Sunday Mass

• Holy Thursday, April 9, 5:30 p.m. - Mass of the Lord’s Supper

• Good Friday, April 10, 5:30 p.m. - Solemn Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion and Death

• Holy Saturday, April 11, 8 p.m. - Solemn Vigil of Easter

• Easter Sunday, April 12, 11 a.m. - Easter Mass, Father David R. LeFort, rector of the cathedral, presiding.
  
  There are several churches in the Buffalo Diocese offering online weekday and weekend Masses, you can find them all here -->> DOB Livestream Masses

Read the complete update from Bishop Scharfenberger on HOLY WEEK here -->> HOLY WEEK

Beginning tomorrow, Tuesday, March 31 St. Mark's Church will be open from
8am - 5pm every day until Easter Sunday.  St. Mary's Church will continue to be open 8am-3pm daily.

In the interest of public safety due to the COVID-19 outbreak and until further notice, all weekend Masses, Parish Events and Religious Ed. Classes (including Adoration) have been suspended at St. Mary-St. Mark Parish.  

St. Mary's Church is open from 8:30am-3:00pm daily to allow parishioners to make private devotions.

In the mean time:

  View Sunday Mass on EWTN's Website here  -->>  Sunday Mass 
  View Bishop Baron's Daily Mass here  -->>  Daily Mass 
  Pray during Eucharistic Adoration LIVE daily 9:00am-6:00pm here -->>  Adoration
  Pray the Stations of the Cross LIVE Fridays at 2:30pm here -->> Stations 
  OR
  Watch EWTN on TV: Spectrum Channel 945, Dish Channel 261, Direct TV  Channel 370

Latest updates from the Buffalo Diocese can be found here -->> Diocesian Updates

Dear Parishioners,

This is a gentle reminder that in this uncertain time, our parish is truly in need of your support. Since Masses are suspended, no weekly offerings will be collected.  Because of this, our parish will have an extremely limited income. It is our  prayer that you will continue to support St. Mary-St.Mark by mailing/dropping off your envelopes or keeping your online donations current. If you are interested in setting up on-line donations, follow this link -->> On-Line Giving
If you would like to drop off your offering, please leave it in the mailbox of the Parish Center or the Rectory.
Thank you!

Please take care of yourself and your family... stay safe and healthy and may God Bless you all.