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Feast
Day: April 25
Profile
Believed to be the young
man who ran away when Jesus was arrested (Mark 14:51-52), and the
"John whose other name was Mark" (Acts 12:25). The second Gospel was written by St. Mark, who, in the New Testament, is
sometimes called John Mark. Both he and his mother, Mary, were highly
esteemed in the early Church, and his mother's house in Jerusalem served
as a meeting place for Christians there.
St. Mark was associated with
St. Paul and St. Barnabas (who was Mark's cousin) on their missionary
journey through the island of Cyprus. Later he accompanied St. Barnabas
alone. We know also that he was in Rome with St. Peter and St. Paul.
Tradition ascribes to him the founding of the Church in Alexandria.
St. Mark wrote the second
Gospel, probably in Rome sometime before the year 60 A.D.; he wrote it in
Greek for the Gentile converts to Christianity. Tradition tells us that
St. Mark was requested by the Romans to set down the teachings of St.
Peter. This seems to be confirmed by the position which St. Peter has in
this Gospel. In this way the second Gospel is a record of the life of
Jesus as seen throuhh the eyes of the Prince of the Apostles. His feast
day is April 25. He is the patron saint of notaries.
Died
martyred
25
April 68
@ Alexandria;
relics @ Venice,
Italy
Patronage
against impenitence,
attorneys,
barristers,
captives,
Egypt,
glaziers,
imprisoned people,
insect bites,
lawyers,
lions,
notaries,
prisoners,
scrofulous diseases,
stained glass workers,
struma,
Venice Italy
Representation
winged lion;
man writing or holding his gospel; man with a halter around his neck; lion;
lion in the desert; man with a book or scroll accompanied by a winged
lion; holding a palm and book; holding a book with pax tibi Marce
written on it; bishop
on a throne decorated with lions;
helping Venetian
sailors;
rescuing Christian slaves
from Saracens
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