July 5, 2024— Fr. Mark’s Legacy of Hope
The National Shrine of St. Jude hosts a special Mass for Benefactors each year as a way of saying thank you to all the devotees and supporters of the St. Jude League who help us carry out our ministries of faith, healing and hope. The special Mass for this year is scheduled for July 21st at 10:30am at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, home of the Shrine.
This year, the gathering will take on new meaning as we gather to recognize and appreciate the inspiration and commitment Fr. Mark Brummel has demonstrated over his lifetime of service to the Claretian Missionaries and League. To honor Fr. Mark’s legacy, we are pleased to announce the establishment of the Fr. Mark Brummel Legacy of Hope Fund, formed to support and sustain the hope and faith so evident in all his ministry. At the reception following Mass, we’ll officially launch the Fund with the announcement of a special Leadership gift.
“I find it satisfying working with many different people and sharing a common vision of ministry,” Fr. Mark says. “The most difficult part of my vocation is trying to balance the spiritual and ministerial aspects of life.”
Fr. Mark Brummel, CMF
As a Claretian, Fr. Mark has served on numerous boards, such as the National Federation of Priests Councils, Associated Church Press, Chicago Family Health Center, Eighth Day Center for Justice, Association of Chicago Priests, United Neighborhood Organization and Claretian Associates. He was honored with the prestigious St. Francis de Sales Award in 1996 for his contributions to the Catholic press as a member of the Catholic Press Association.
Fr. Mark has also been affiliated with three Claretian ministries near and dear to his heart and ministry which will benefit from the Fr. Mark Brummel Legacy of Hope Fund: Villa Guadalupe Senior Community, Our Lady of Guadalupe School, and the National Shrine of St. Jude. Fr. Mark, a member of the Claretian Missionaries USA-Canada Province, is a part of a global congregation of over 3,000 members located in more than 70 countries. Through his ministry, he has assisted in addressing challenges in communities across the United States and Canada.
Fr. Mark has also served as associate pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, which was established by the Claretians in 1929. He was also a former superior of Blessed Philip of Jesus House for Claretian seminarians in Chicago.
During his many years at the National Shrine of St. Jude, Fr. Brummel’s greatest memories are not of amazing healings or divine interventions, but rather of the serene, unwavering faith of everyone who is devoted to St. Jude.
“One person may face a serious health problem, another may have to cope with a difficult family member or struggle with the loss of a loved one, but they come to the Shrine or send their petitions with confidence in their prayer that St. Jude will intercede with God in their time of need—and I am inspired by that” shares Fr. Mark.
As Fr. Mark makes his new home with the Claretian’s Dominguez community in California, he will be personally involved with the Legacy of Hope Fund. We celebrate the Fund as just one way to keep his legacy and faith thriving and bringing hope to the youth served by OLG school, the seniors who call Villa Guadalupe home and for the countless millions who turn to St. Jude in their times of need.
Fr. Mark, the Claretians, and the St. Jude League are grateful to the founding supporters of the Fr. Mark Brummel Legacy of Hope Fund for their generosity, spirit and prayer. We embrace and encourage donations of all sizes, particularly ones that have the power to transform.
