FR. MARK PAYNE: PRIEST FOR A NATIONWIDE PARISH

“Everyone in church is thinking about something.” As Fr. Mark Payne walks toward the altar at the start of Mass, he thinks of the people who have gathered.  In the parishes he serves as pastor, he knows people by name. When he celebrates the Heart of the Nation Sunday TV Mass, he knows that viewers come in need of spiritual care.

            “It’s one thing to minister to a community you know,” Fr. Mark explained. The TV Mass extends Fr. Mark’s ministry to Catholics in 120 dioceses across the country. “I don’t know if I’m always connecting. The needs of people in Sacramento are different from the needs of people in Wisconsin. I think of the shut-ins and prisoners, and I try to include them in the homilies.”

            Fr. Mark has experienced priesthood before the cameras for the TV Mass, in religious community life, as a high school and college campus minister, and as a parish priest. On ordination day back in 1994, Fr. Mark never envisioned the number of people he would be called to serve.

            Born and raised in Plymouth, WI, Fr. Mark now has his home base as pastor of St. Veronica Parish, in Milwaukee (one of six parishes in a cluster). He also serves nearby St. James Parish.  Appointed by the Archbishop Jerome Listecki as dean for one of 16 districts in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Fr. Mark represents the archbishop in encouraging inter-parish collaboration, guiding priests in parish management, and finding opportunities for continued theological education and spiritual growth for priests and deacons.  

            Meanwhile, Fr. Mark is pursuing a degree in canon (church) law at the Catholic University of America. “For two months in the summer, I’m in Washington, DC. The rest of the time,” he said, “I complete coursework online.”

            Fr. Mark recently agreed to serve as chaplain for Heart of the Nation, too. “At first, I said, ‘No, I’m busy. Then I said, ‘Okay, I’ll do a TV Mass or two.’ The first time celebrating TV Mass, I was sweating. Now, I love it!” Fr. Mark exclaimed.

            Heart of the Nation chaplaincy offers a unique opportunity to minister to people—the very reason Fr. Mark became a priest. “It’s about the Lord working through me,” Fr. Mark said.  

            Striking a balance in his prayer life, personal life, student life, and ministry can pose a challenge. “Balance is important. Jesus set the example. He went off by himself to pray at times,” Fr Mark explained.

            For fun, Fr. Mark enjoys wine-making and canning. “I can tomatoes and pickles, I make my own spaghetti sauce. I really enjoy that.” He doesn’t need a garden, though. Parishioners gladly share produce from their own gardens.

            Knowing that people have been victimized by clergy abuse has colored his priesthood. “I’m sad. The victims are being victimized again when cases are about money. Money isn’t healing. The victims need to know that the church cares about them. People need to know that we hear them and care for them.”

            Catholics stop attending Mass for other reasons, too. “Then they aren’t being nourished. We need the Lord. Everyone wants to be fulfilled. Only Jesus can fill us,” Fr. Mark said. “When the Lord asked the Disciples if they planned to abandon him, Peter answered for us, ‘To whom shall we go?’ Drugs, sex, power, and money don’t fill us.”

            For Fr. Mark, priesthood continues to fulfill a dream that began in fifth grade.  “I never wanted to be anything else,” he said. “I played priest, and my youngest brother and some of his friends were my congregation.”

            Priests at his childhood parish of St. John the Baptist, in Plymouth, inspired him. A Capuchin priest came to his grade school and asked if any of the students wanted to attend a discernment weekend, and Fr. Mark’s hand shot up. When it came time for high school, Fr. Mark asked his parents if he could attend St. Lawrence Seminary, in Mt. Calvary, WI, run by the Capuchins, and there he went.

            In college at Marquette University, Fr. Mark simultaneously participated in the priestly formation program for college students through Saint Francis de Sales Seminary. He wanted to teach as part of his ministry, and the Norbertine religious community seemed like a good fit.

            After college, Fr. Mark taught in DePere and Green Bay. In between, he earned a master’s degree in theology from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, in Rome. He was ordained a priest in the Norbertine religious community in 1994.

            As associate pastor and campus minister at St. Norbert College, a shift occurred. “I had noon Mass and 4:30 Mass and even 10:30 p.m. Mass,” Fr. Mark recalled. “The chaotic schedule meant that I would miss prayer with my religious community. It wasn’t working.”

            After 12 years with the Norbertines, Fr. Mark became a diocesan priest. Following his first parish assignment, at St. William Parish in Waukesha, Fr. Mark headed north in the winter of 2002-2003 to a snowy, short-term assignment in Eagle, WI. He has been at St. Veronica’s since the summer of 2003.

            Once Fr. Mark earns his degree in canon law, he will help in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee’s Metropolitan Tribunal. The Tribunal has responsibility for upholding canon law in matters such as marriage annulment and eligibility to participate in the sacraments. Canon law hasn’t changed much over the years, “but it has changed me,” Fr. Mark said.

            “I appreciate the law now. It doesn’t help people to do something outside of these guidelines. It confuses people if a priest in one church does something different from a priest in another church.”

            Fr. Mark used the analogy of a Scout earning merit badges. “You have to do certain things to earn the badges. If you gave someone all of the badges without the instruction and experiences behind them, the badges would be meaningless.” So, too, the sacraments only have meaning for the faithful who truly understand them.

            To Fr. Mark, priesthood is about ministering to people. Many, he recognizes when they come to Mass. Others recognize him as a celebrant of the Heart of the Nation Mass on TV or on YouTube. “My parents are 80 and 81, and they watch the TV Mass.” Fr. Mark said, “It’s a way to evangelize. You never know who you’ll touch.”

            For time and channel information for the Heart of the Nation TV Mass, or to view the Mass online, visit www.HeartoftheNation.org.

“I appreciate the law now. It doesn’t help people to do something outside of these guidelines. It confuses people if a priest in one church does something different from a priest in another church.”

Fr. Mark used the analogy of a Scout earning merit badges. “You have to do certain things to earn the badges. If you gave someone all of the badges without the instruction and experiences behind them, the badges would be meaningless.” So, too, the sacraments only have meaning for the faithful who truly understand them.

To Fr. Mark, priesthood is about ministering to people. Many, he recognizes when they come to Mass. Others recognize him as a celebrant of the Heart of the Nation Mass on TV or on YouTube. “My parents are 80 and 81, and they watch the TV Mass.” Fr. Mark said, “It’s a way to evangelize. You never know who you’ll touch.”

For time and channel information for the Heart of the Nation TV Mass, or to view the Mass online, visit www.HeartoftheNation.org.