St. Mark

John Mark in the New Testament

St. Mark, author of the second Gospel, is generally identified with the John Mark of the New Testament, whose mother's house in Jerusalem was a gathering place for the first Christians (Acts 12:12). A cousin of St. Barnabas, he accompanied Barnabas and St. Paul on their first missionary journey, but turned back at Perga — a departure that later caused a sharp disagreement between the two apostles. The rift healed with time: Paul, imprisoned in Rome, would write, "Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is helpful to me in the ministry" (2 Timothy 4:11).

Peter's Interpreter and the Second Gospel

Mark's closest association, however, was with St. Peter, who calls him "my son Mark" (1 Peter 5:13). The early Church writer Papias, in the second century, described Mark as Peter's interpreter, who wrote down accurately the preaching of the apostle. His Gospel — the shortest of the four and, in the judgment of most scholars, the earliest — moves with vivid urgency, presenting Jesus as the suffering Son of God and calling the reader to the same road of discipleship.

Alexandria in Ancient Tradition

A strong and ancient tradition holds that Mark brought the Gospel to Egypt and founded the Church of Alexandria, one of the great sees of early Christianity, and that he was martyred there, traditionally around the year 68. While these accounts cannot be verified historically, the Coptic Church to this day honors Mark as its founder and first patriarch.

Venice and the Winged Lion

In 828, Venetian merchants carried relics believed to be Mark's from Alexandria to Venice, where the magnificent Basilica of St. Mark was raised to enshrine them; the evangelist's winged lion became the emblem of the city itself. His feast is celebrated on April 25, and he is honored as patron of Venice and of notaries.

Significance

Whenever the Church reads the Gospel of Mark, believers meet a Jesus who suffers out of love and invites them to follow Him. Mark's own story, from turning back on an early mission to becoming a valued helper of Paul and a son to Peter, shows that an early failure need not be the final word. Venice, notaries, and all who proclaim the Gospel honor him as one who helped hand on the apostles' preaching to every generation.