Saint Mark, also known as John Mark, was a disciple of Jesus Christ and the author of the second Gospel in the New Testament. He is honored in the Church as an Evangelist and missionary, and his life reflects a deep dedication to spreading the Good News of salvation.

According to the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 12:12, 25; 13:5, 13), Mark was the son of a Christian woman named Mary of Jerusalem, in whose home early Christians often gathered. He was a companion of Saint Paul and Barnabas on missionary journeys, though he later became closely associated with Saint Peter. According to ancient Church tradition—preserved by Church Fathers like Papias and Eusebius—Mark acted as Peter’s interpreter and wrote down Peter’s eyewitness account of Christ’s life and ministry, forming the Gospel of Mark.

In a 2007 audience, Pope Benedict XVI affirmed that Mark’s Gospel offers a vivid and concise narrative of Jesus’s actions and suffering, and is likely the first Gospel written, becoming a primary source for Matthew and Luke.

Tradition holds that Saint Mark founded the Church in Alexandria, Egypt, becoming its first bishop and eventually suffering martyrdom there around the year 68 A.D. His relics were later brought to Venice, where the Basilica of Saint Mark remains a place of deep veneration.

Feast Day: April 25
Patron Saint of: Notaries, Venice, Egypt, and writers