Mark, Evangelist

Mark’s Gospel is very likely the first one written (sometime between 60 and 70 while in Rome) and is the shortest of the four. He often goes into much more detail in describing Jesus' ministry than the other evangelists. In the Acts of the Apostles and the Letters of Peter and Paul, Mark is mentioned several times. He was the son of Mary at whose house in Jerusalem Peter and the other Apostles stayed. He was a cousin of Barnabas. He accompanied Paul and Barnabas on Paul's first missionary journey, and he was with Paul in Rome during Paul's first imprisonment. Mark was evidently a disciple of Peter who refers to him as "Mark, my son." An early, though uncertain, tradition about Mark is that he was the first bishop of Alexandria.

Imagine telling the story of Jesus’ life to people who have never heard it before. Some of today’s evangelists are the teachers of faith formation who tell Jesus’ story to children.