St. Mark's Catholic Church in west Boise serves more than 1,500 families from a campus at the corner of Cole and Northview that has grown around the same block where the parish began. The community worships in a 1,650-seat sanctuary, educates students from Pre-K through 8th grade at St. Mark's Catholic School, keeps a Perpetual Adoration Chapel open around the clock, and runs a food bank that helps feed more than 26,000 people each year. With more than 70 ministries and weekly Mass in English alongside a monthly Mass in Spanish, St. Mark's welcomes newcomers, returning Catholics, and anyone searching for a community rooted in the Eucharist.
From Sacred Heart Mission School to a 1,650-Seat Sanctuary
In 1956, Bishop Edward J. Kelly of the Diocese of Boise purchased property at Cole and Northview in west Boise with a plan to someday establish a new parish. The first use of the land was the construction of Sacred Heart Mission School by Father James Hallissey. The school opened in 1967 with three classrooms for first, second, and third grade; fourth through sixth grade classrooms were added over the next three years, followed by seventh and eighth grade classrooms and a gymnasium.
Bishop Sylvester W. Treinen approved the new parish in June 1970. Parishioners first gathered for Mass in the Bishop Kelly High School gym while the parish school chapel was remodeled into a worship space seating 300. That summer, the new community chose Saint Mark's as the name of their parish. In January 1974, Bishop Treinen appointed Father Raymond Peplinski as the first pastor. A building committee was formed shortly after his arrival, and on Christmas Eve 1975 the first Mass was celebrated in the new church. Father Peplinski retired in June 1986, and Bishop Treinen appointed Father John F. Donoghue as the next pastor.
Father Donoghue, a Pittsburgh native and Duquesne University graduate ordained in 1954, had served across Idaho as a pastor, school leader, and diocesan administrator before coming to St. Mark's. Under his leadership the parish purchased a new priest residence, converted the old rectory into parish offices, added a cry room, and completed a shrine for the tabernacle. Father Donoghue retired in 1998. Father Len MacMillan and Father Steve Rukavina were then named co-pastors, with Father Paul Materu serving alongside Father Steve from 2003 to 2004. Pope Benedict XVI later named Msgr. Donoghue a Protonotary Apostolic, and St. Mark's honored his service by naming Donoghue Hall, the parish's place of gathering and community, after him.
After years of planning, the parish purchased the building then used by Treasure Valley Bible Church with the intention of building a new sanctuary on the larger lot. The new church was completed in January 2004. Father Steve served as pastor until 2013, when Father Ben Uhlenkott was appointed. Father Uhlenkott served until May 2022, when he was transferred to Risen Christ Parish. Father Adrian Leszko served as parochial vicar from 2021 to 2024. Father Paul O'Donnell, an Illinois-born artist and author with missionary experience in the Philippines and Mexico, served as pastor from July 2022 to July 2024 and added the reredo and a statue of St. Mark to the sanctuary during his time at the parish. Father John Mosier became pastor in August 2024, and Father Celestine Agwu, a Nigerian-born priest who had served in Cameroon and Canada before joining the Diocese of Boise, was assigned as parochial vicar in August 2025.
The parish celebrated the twentieth anniversary of the new sanctuary on January 21, 2024, opening a time capsule and sharing lunch together. The community has since raised funds for a new reredo, an HVAC system, and parking lot improvements.
Mass in English and Spanish, Confession Twice a Week
St. Mark's offers daily Mass Monday through Saturday and three Masses on Sunday, along with a Saturday Vigil Mass. Weekday Masses are celebrated Monday and Tuesday at 8:00 am, Wednesday at 8:30 am, Thursday and Friday at 8:00 am, and Saturday at 8:00 am. The Saturday Vigil Mass is at 5:00 pm, and Sunday Masses are celebrated at 8:30 am, 11:00 am, and 5:00 pm. A Mass in Spanish is offered on the second Sunday of each month at 1:00 pm.
Confession is heard on Friday afternoons from 1:00 to 2:00 pm and on Saturday mornings from 9:00 to 11:00 am, and by appointment through the parish office. Visitors are welcomed to attend any Mass and introduce themselves. The sanctuary is fully accessible, with automatic doors at both the front and back entrances for those using wheelchairs, and free parking is available around the church.
A Perpetual Adoration Chapel, Open Around the Clock
Across the campus, St. Mark's Perpetual Adoration Chapel is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Parishioners spend quiet time in front of the Blessed Sacrament there, with substitutes especially needed for the late-night and early-morning hours. The chapel is open to anyone interested in spending time in prayer; the parish office can share the access code.
St. Mark's Catholic School, Where the Parish Began
St. Mark's Catholic School serves students from Pre-K through 8th grade on the same campus where Sacred Heart Mission School opened in 1967. Donna Gordon serves as the school's principal. Students and staff of St. Mark's School contribute regularly to the parish food bank throughout the year and participate in the Garden Ministry's annual service days alongside Bishop Kelly High School students. The school is the parish's original ministry and remains central to its life.
From the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd to Confirmation
Children's Faith Formation (CFF) at St. Mark's welcomes children from age 3 (potty-trained) through 5th grade. The heart of the program is the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS), a Montessori-based approach to religious formation rooted in Scripture, Catholic doctrine, liturgy, and prayer. CGS Level I serves ages 3 to 6, Level II serves grades 1 through 3, and Level III serves grades 4 and 5. A textbook-based Faith and Life program is offered for 4th and 5th graders. Classes meet Sunday mornings from 9:45 to 10:55 am (Pre-K through 5th grade), Monday mornings from 10:00 to 11:30 am (Level I), Tuesday afternoons from 4:15 to 5:45 pm (Levels 2 and 3), and Tuesday evenings from 6:30 to 8:00 pm (Levels 2 and 3). Ginger Mortensen serves as Director of Children's Faith Formation, with Mary Wonacott as Coordinator.
First Reconciliation and First Communion are two-year programs that take place within the CGS atrium or the textbook program. Parents and children attend a monthly meeting during the second year in addition to the weekly class. Children age 7 and older who have not been baptized normally enter the Children Becoming Catholic program. Vacation Bible School is offered each summer for children age 3 through outgoing 5th graders, with adult and Jr. Aide volunteers supporting the week.
Youth Ministry runs both middle school and high school programs and serves as the parish's hub for Confirmation preparation. Lillianna Sieker is the Director of Youth Ministry and Confirmation. The youth group also coordinates the parish's participation in the Idaho Catholic Youth Conference (ICYC), held each March at the Boise Centre in downtown Boise.
Sacraments from Baptism to Anointing
Children age 6 and under can receive the sacrament of Baptism with parental permission. Children age 7 and older who have not been baptized normally enter the Children Becoming Catholic program. Adults who have never been baptized normally enter the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA), a two-year preparation program required by the Diocese of Boise. Deacon Chris Privon teaches OCIA, several Bible studies, and some youth group classes, and works with a team to engage those without a religious affiliation. Renee Hankel handles OCIA registration through the parish office.
The parish prepares couples for Marriage, celebrates Funerals (frequently live-streamed on Facebook), and offers the Anointing of the Sick to those who are ill, preparing for surgery, or in need of healing. Pastoral care for the sick and homebound is coordinated through the Eucharistic Outreach Ministry, whose members take Holy Communion to retirement centers, hospitals, and private homes throughout the week.
Feeding 26,000 Boiseans Each Year
St. Mark's Food Bank distributes food to families and individuals in crisis on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. The food bank operates in partnership with St. Vincent de Paul's food distribution network and is supported by the St. Jude Fund. The Knights of Columbus, St. Mark's School students and staff, Bishop Kelly High School students and staff, and parishioners of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church are among the regular donors who help the parish feed more than 26,000 people each year.
The Garden of Plenty, maintained by the Garden Ministry, supplies fresh produce to the food bank from a plot on the parish campus. The garden also provides more than 45 plots for refugee families to grow food familiar to their own kitchens, helping to build community for people making Boise their home. Garden volunteers meet on Saturday and Wednesday mornings from 9:30 to 11:00 am, May through October, with additional work days scheduled throughout the spring and fall. The Garden Ministry invites children and families of all ages into the work and welcomes volunteers who can help with flood irrigation, calling, and writing for the bulletin.
Mercy Kitchen, in partnership with Interfaith Sanctuary, prepares and serves meals for people experiencing homelessness in Boise. Parish volunteers cook and serve at the parish kitchen and at the day shelter. The parish also collects breakfast casseroles for Corpus Commons, a day shelter, and prepares Thanksgiving food boxes for St. Vincent de Paul. All are welcome to help, regardless of faith tradition.
The Latino Community and the Spanish Mass
The Latino Ministry's mission is to promote Latino cultural awareness, organize and coordinate the parish's Our Lady of Guadalupe celebration, and serve the wider St. Mark's community. Its members participate across parish life on the parish council, in evangelization retreats, in the Boy Scouts troop, on Radio Sal y Luz, in the Extraordinary Eucharistic Ministry, as greeters, and in the music ministry. Deacon Joe Rodriguez, who is fluent in English and Spanish, focuses much of his work on Latino ministry, jail ministry, the Cursillo movement, the Legion of Mary, and visiting the sick. A monthly Mass in Spanish is celebrated on the second Sunday of each month at 1:00 pm.
Reel Men, the Council of Catholic Women, and Small Faith Groups
Reel Men is a men's ministry that meets at 6:00 am every Thursday morning and again at 7:00 pm every Thursday evening. Each session opens with prayer, includes open discussion of faith and current issues, and closes with study of the upcoming Sunday's Scripture readings. The ministry's mission is to challenge men as husbands, fathers, grandfathers, brothers, sons, and mentors, drawing on the proverb, "As iron sharpens iron, so man sharpens his fellow man."
The Council of Catholic Women (CCW) has united the women of St. Mark's in religious, educational, and social activities since 1970. Affiliated with the Idaho Council of Catholic Women and the National Council of Catholic Women, the CCW oversees Altar Care, Funeral Dinners, monthly Coffee Hours, charitable fundraisers, an annual rummage sale, a sewing circle that provides altar linens, and a children's play group. The group meets the first Monday of each month at 6:00 pm in Donoghue Hall and is always looking for ways to assist the parish and community.
Small Faith Groups grow out of the parish's annual Evangelization Retreat. Groups may meet weekly or monthly and may consist of all men, all women, families, or any combination that works. They pray, serve, and grow together using parish library books or videos checked out from the office. Other prayer groups and spiritual development ministries include Contemplative Prayer, Cursillo, the Legion of Mary, the Monday Night Rosary for Peace, the Prayer Chain, the Prayer Shawl Ministry, the Rosary Makers, and Story Link Idaho.
Music, Liturgical Service, and the Works of Mercy
Kris Foster serves as the parish's Director of Music and Liturgy. The Choir leads the congregation in song at weekend and holy day Masses, with music licensed through ONE LICENSE (license # A-707645). Liturgical ministries at St. Mark's include Altar Servers (open to fourth graders and older), Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (open to confirmed Catholics), Greeters, Lectors, Sacristans, Ushers, and Art and Environment stewards who set up seasonal art and furnishings. Scheduling for liturgical ministers is coordinated through the Ministry Scheduler Pro app.
Volunteer opportunities organized around the Works of Mercy include the Eucharistic Outreach Ministry (taking Holy Communion to the homebound and hospitalized), St. Vincent de Paul home visits, the Comfort Quilters and Prayer Shawl Ministry (handmade gifts for those who are grieving, ill, or homebound), the Health Ministry, GriefShare, Divorce Care, and Story Link Prison Ministry. Prayer Shawls are hand-knitted or crocheted with prayers from start to finish and freely given to anyone in need of comfort, no questions asked.
For more than half a century, St. Mark's has been a place where west Boise gathers to pray, learn, serve, and grow in faith. From the daily Mass offered Monday through Saturday to the food bank that welcomes neighbors in need to the Garden of Plenty where refugee families plant familiar seeds, the parish lives out the Eucharist in its neighborhood and beyond.