St. Mark’s University Parish

From the Pastor

Dear Friends in Christ,

As we conclude the first of two phases to renew our parish buildings, we marvel at what has been accomplished in over one year of construction. Through the grace of God, we now embark on an Archdiocese-wide capital campaign, aptly named Called to Renew.

The campaign has experienced great success, with parishes throughout all five regions of the Archdiocese raising an astonishing amount. As local dean and a member of the Archdiocesan campaign steering committee for Called to Renew, I have enjoyed watching Msgr. Richard Martini and his parishioners at St. Joseph, Carpinteria, raise close to $900,000 — far surpassing their $330,000 goal. There are numerous other success stories in our area, and now it is our turn to fly.

St. Mark’s University Parish has been assigned a campaign goal of $190,000, with 50 percent of this amount remaining in our parish, and 50 percent going into an Archdiocesan pool for parish programs, projects, and, most especially, for the poorest parishes in our Archdiocese. Like the annual Together in Mission program, we will also retain 100 percent of any funds we collect over our Called to Renew goal. Details about how we plan to use our share of campaign funds are on the following page.

Our accomplishments over the past few years are magnificent, and I know you will join me in beginning to collect needed funding for our own projects while also helping parishes in our Archdiocese most desperately in need of upkeep and repair.

To reach our immediate Called to Renew campaign goal of $190,000, I am asking you to prayerfully consider a five-year pledge to the campaign. Our parish has received decades of support from the Archdiocese, and I am confident that our generous families and individuals will take this opportunity to return some of this generosity and help us far surpass our goal.

Please feel free contact with me with any questions concerning Called to Renew.

Peace in Christ,

Rev. John W. Love, V.F.