St. Mark’s University Parish

My second home

Great community. I recently was confirmed in the church and their RCIA classes were great! The priest (Father Love) and Deacon Sandner are amazing and really make you feel like part of the community without pressuring you or dampening your personal opinions. They offer a sunday evening mass (7pm) which is great as a student!

St. Mark’s is a more contemporary Church, which you can see immediately upon entering. The Baptismal font is beautiful, as are the artwork and sculptures within. The chairs are arranged in a circle around the alter, making everyone have a different perspective for the mass. It’s small, and with it’s few rows, everyone is closer while sharing the experience.
I went to St. Mark’s during my years at UC Santa Barbara and I’m so glad I did. I loved the sense of community I received there, and met many great friends who I’ve kept in touch throughout the years. Everyone is always friendly, and you feel at home there. Recently, I was even married there! =)
I called St. Mark’s and asked if I could be married there back in May (as soon as I was engaged!) and I couldn’t have prayed for a better experience. Father John Love is incredible! He is a funny, friendly, and wonderful priest and wouldn’t have wanted to have the marriage orchestrated by anyone else. Father was willing to work with us long distance to make it happen and did a terrific job. We learned a lot, and thanks to his discussions, my husband and I had many good conversations afterward. Father John Love also knew how much I loved the Christmas season, and made sure that the Christmas decorations were ready for our wedding, making it even more special and joyful than it would have been otherwise.
Father John Love made everyone feel comfortable in the rehearsal and at the wedding. Everyone loved having him as part of the wedding, and commented on how lucky we were to have such a charismatic priest who was able to convey the strong messages so well (although, I doubt we’ll be able to handle the 8 kids he expects us to have!). He also made time in his VERY busy schedule to stop by the rehearsal dinner and the reception, which meant a lot to us. Father John Love will always hold a special place in our hearts, and so will St. Mark’s.