May the promise of the resurrection bring you peace!

Welcome to St. Mark Catholic Church

    A brief historical synopsis follows.      For a detailed history click here

Plans for this church had been a long time in the making. From the early days of the Colorado Springs Diocese, Douglas County has been growing. Long ago talks were in progress as to where and when, in western Highlands Ranch, to begin another church. It was not until the prospect of land purchase and the availability of a priest made this church community a possibility.

With the cooperation of the parishes just “north of the border” Most Reverend Richard C. Hanifen, then Bishop of the Diocese of Colorado Springs, met twice with concerned Catholics, at two meetings, hosted at St. Thomas More Church (Centennial) and St. Mary Church (Littleton). Excitement was evident, and as a follow-up, approximately 150 households who indicated serious interest were contacted and gathered for suppers at the Padre Restaurant at St. Thomas More. Liturgical and educational ministries were established and the name "St. Mark" was granted by Bishop Hanifen.

The first Mass was celebrated by founding Pastor Fr. Larry Solan on Palm Sunday, April 16, 2000. Some 100 households attended with a potluck following Mass. St. Mark Catholic Church officially opened her doors, in temporary space at ThunderRidge HS Commons Area, on Easter Sunday, April 23, 2000 with three Masses. More than 1,200 people celebrated Easter with us on that historic day. Our property was dedicated by Bishop Hanifen on May 6, 2001. Site and financial planning, choosing the firm of SlaterPaull as architects, and Fransen Pittman as General Contractor followed. Throughout 2001-2002, parish-wide meetings were held to discuss needs and desires for our land. Development, Finance, and Design Councils and Pastoral Staff members all contributed many hours to make our dreams come true. A gala parish-wide Capital Campaign Celebration was held on November 17, 2002 as the culmination of our funding commitment drive.

Groundbreaking was celebrated on March 21, 2004 with 950 people in attendance. Construction began on the property March 4, 2004. The first public Mass in our new church building was held on April 4, 2005 for the late Pope John Paul II. Dedication of the building was celebrated on the Feast of St. Mark, April 25, 2005. The building provides a 750-seat sanctuary with a large Gathering Space and a lower level for administrative offices, classrooms, a youth room and a multipurpose room. The lower level, excluding the offices, was finished and dedicated on January 3, 2007. The 14 acre site will eventually include outdoor gathering and ritual spaces and a prayer garden. During the summer of 2009, a successful funding drive was held to design and build an outdoor Activity Center and Playground, which was completed November 2009 and dedicated April 25, 2010.

St. Mark currently has seven employees - Fr. John Auer, Tim Rohl, Jennifer Garcia, Katherine DeBacker, Amanda Mortus, Ron Lesnick and Julie Adam. We are also privileged to have Deacon Garrett Christnacht to help. Volunteer staff include Ken & Sue Petracek. We have grown to over 900 households and more than 50 ministries. We are a community of people filled with the love of Christ, energized by the Holy Spirit striving to worship well and bring about the kingdom of God. We would be blessed to have you consider St. Mark Catholic Church your parish.

And from here, where shall we go?

Why St. Mark?
(What’s in a name?)

The Gospel attributed to the writer "Mark" is unique in many ways:

• Mark is the only gospel writer to actually entitle the Gospel: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ (the Son of God).” If this entire work is but the beginning, were is the rest of it? It lies in the lives of those who read it. The rest of the story of Jesus is how we, the readers and believers, live it out.
• Mark always has Jesus on the move. The first eight chapters of this gospel have Jesus moving rapidly in the northern (Galilee) region, rushing to heal, proclaim and teach. The second eight chapters have him journey to Jerusalem, to his suffering and death (His passion). Our lives together, as a new community, are on the move. We should neither hesitate, nor cease to be a journeying people.
• Mark has a lot of contention between Jesus and His disciples. Jesus is constantly asking them, “Don’t you understand?” Our faith journey is always going to include a new awareness of who Jesus is.
• The disciples in Mark often want the easy way to faith. Jesus counters this by reminding them the way of faith is not easy and not always comfortable. True disciples embrace their own suffering and the suffering of others. As Jesus embraced the lonely, sick, dying, outcasts and alienated, so we must recognize those aspects of ourselves and others and embrace these.
• Mark consistently has Jesus reach out to the marginalized. In fact, those considered on the "outside" by society are really on the "inside" of the Kingdom of God.
(I believe) Most importantly, Mark has no ending to his gospel. The longer ending 16:9ff was a second century addition. It is different in vocabulary and style from the rest of the gospel and based primarily on Luke 24. The original gospel of Mark ends with 16:8:

Then they (the women) went out and fled from the tomb, seized with trembling and bewilderment. They said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

As the gospel ends, “they” told no one. Now that we believe and know the life of Jesus Christ, Son of God -- shall we be the proclaimers of His story?