The Feast of Saint Mark

The writer of the Gospel of Mark, often referred to in scripture as John Mark, was
an intimate disciple of St. Peter (one of Jesus’ 12 Apostles). Tradition states that he was born in Cyrenaica and his mother’s house was in Jerusalem. He was a cousin of St. Barnabas, a preacher partnered with St. Paul in Cyprus and central Asia.

St. Mark spent time in jail in Rome, with St. Paul, during the rein of the emperor Nero. (Nero is known for using Christians as a scapegoat for a massive fire which he set, resulting in many being martyred, some being used as torches that were ignited at dark).

An excellent evangelist and writer, the traditional symbol of St. Mark is a winged lion with a book, symbolizing the strength of his word and the Gospel. As such, St. Mark assisted St. Peter in documenting his preaching, and is attributed to founding the Church of Alexandria.
He was later appointed Bishop, and for the crime of converting pagans to belief in Christ (away from their traditional Gods), he was ultimately martyred. St. Mark was tied by his neck to a horse and dragged through the streets of Alexandria until he died. His Feast Day is April 25th.

St. Peter, the Apostle Our Lord built His Church upon Simon Peter. "And I tell you, you are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church, the gates of Hades will not prevail against it." (Matthew 16:18) This 6" statue is made with wood paste and resin, hand painted by the craftsmen in Val Gardena in Italy.	St. Paul, the Apostle Jesus converted Saul on his way to Damascus planning to persecute the Christian there. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" (Act 9:4) This 6" statue is made with wood paste and resin hand painted by the craftsmen in Val Gardena in Italy.