| Home |
| Find Everything Here |
 |
| Fr. Mark Purcell Parochial Vicar |
| A Letter From Fr. Mark |
| Greetings! I am pleased to begin my assignment in the St. Joseph Catholic Community. I have met several of you already and feel so very welcomed. Your warmth and goodness speak highly for your community, and I am very much looking forward to meeting everyone. So in order to help facilitate getting to know me a little better, I’d like to share some things about me with you. I had two great teachers in the Catholic Faith during the mid-1990s, two priests who catechized me and bolstered my faith (I’m a “cradle” Catholic). Their examples and mentorship were superb, and it is because of them that I realized God was calling me to serve Him in a special way. Their names? -- Fr. David Huffman and Msgr. Luciana … you probably have heard of them. I am thrilled to be working with Fr. Huffman as his assistant, and the fact that Msgr. Luciana is so close in Huntington makes this all the more amazing for me! Since becoming a Benedictine Priest (my Ordination was May 13, 2006, so I just turned 5), I have found that working in parishes, administering the sacraments, giving retreats, working with youth, and visiting at hospitals and homes really appeal to me. But I have longed to be close to my family. They (we) moved just across the river to Coolville, Ohio in ’93 from Vienna/Parkersburg WV, where I grew up. Not too long ago, I asked Bishop Conlon if I could come to Ohio and become a diocesan priest in his diocese. We have begun that process, and little did I know that I’d be assigned to Fr. Huffman; God sure has a sense of humor in bringing my faith journey full-circle! My education includes graduating from Parkersburg High School in 1989 at age 18 (you can do the math to arrive at my present age..). I earned my bachelor’s degree in Secondary education, majoring in mathematics, from Ohio University in ’94. In 2004 I earned my MA in Theology from St. Vincent Seminary in Latrobe, PA., and in ’06 received my Master of Divinity degree from there as well. My hobbies and interests are vast and varied. Drumming is a part of who I am, and I’ve been playing drums for 30 years. I have been in several bands, and recently completed a cd project. Drumming heroes for me are Neil Peart, Mike Portnoy, Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa, Stewart Copeland, and the great Chet Backus of Parkersburg, WV (my private instructor, recently deceased). Scuba diving is part of my life as well, and I have many ocean dives under my belt. I hope to dive again soon in St. Croix where my aunt and uncle live (nothing beats Caribbean diving!) Weight lifting and running are also important interests. I like snow-skiing, and, well, most adventure oriented things. Airplanes are awesome, and I went through flight school in the 1990s, completing my solos and cross-country flights. Would love to fly again sometime. So I hope this gives you more of an idea of who I am. I very much look forward my new assignment. God bless!  |