Parishioners gathered April 14 for a special occasion at St. Mark Church in Monticello: burning the mortgage note on the $1.2 million church. The event was additionally significant as it came a full decade ahead of schedule.
“(We have) reason for celebration as we burn the mortgage on this wonderful church,” said Father Rajasekhar Chappidi, pastor, in a press release. “It stands as a true testament to God and to the faith and generosity of this parish family.”
The parish held two 2008 notes on the property, $150,000 each from the Diocese of Little Rock and Glenmary Home Missioners of Cincinnati, which founded the parish. Thanks to the generosity of parishioners, the parish paid off the diocesan loan last year and, by February, had cut the principle on the remaining debt to $62,033.40.
Jim Foster, parish finance committee chairman, said while the lump sum was paid Feb. 20 thanks to an anonymous donation from a parishioner, the credit for the rapid payoff lies with the entire parish.
The community spirit was born among the 20 or so families that made up the original Catholic community. One of those early parishioners, Jo Carson, is typical of those who helped get the community off the ground.
“There have been so many good people involved with this parish, and I’m blessed to be a part of it,” she said. “This place is a miracle, that’s all I can say.”
Carson remembers meeting for Mass in homes and in various classrooms at the University of Arkansas Monticello. When the need arose for children’s religious education, she was one who volunteered her home as the meeting place and frequently hosted lunch for the Benedictine nuns who made the weekly trip from McGehee to teach.
The clergy assigned to the fledgling parish through the years channeled that zeal, resulting in growth. Capital improvements, begun more than 30 years ago, came about in three phases. First came a church/multipurpose building, seating 150, which was dedicated Feb. 23, 1986. A seven-room educational wing came next, which cost $250,000 to complete and was dedicated April 26, 1998.
By 2000, discussions were underway on the possibility of building a new church. These discussions resulted in the establishment of a building fund in 2002 and between 2002 and 2005, the parish community had raised $700,000; $300,000 of it from a relatively small circle of pledges, Glenmary beneficiaries and surplus church funds.
The original plan called for completion by July 1, 2006, at which time, the former mission parish would transfer from Glenmary Home Missioners to the Diocese of Little Rock. That timetable was scrapped by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, as overnight the disaster drove up the cost of the project by 20 percent.
The church was turned over to the diocese as scheduled, but groundbreaking was delayed until Jan. 18, 2007. The finished church was dedicated June 22, 2008.
The smoke had barely cleared from last month’s mortgage burning when the finance committee distributed a survey asking parishioners to identify their “wish list” of other parish improvements. Foster said the building committee has for the first time created a dedicated building fund and set a target for monthly contributions, $2,500, specifically to address physical plant issues and new construction.
In the meantime, congregants are soaking in the fact that the 300-seat capacity church is paid for. Such may seem comparatively modest in larger parishes, but not in the eyes of founders like Carson, who had a front-row seat at the mortgage burning.
“I drive by our new church, and I can’t even believe we have this amazing new place,” Carson said. “When I sit in the pew and look around, all I can think is, God must love us very much.”
