Our Chaplain, Fr. Urey P. Mark
Fr. Urey Patrick Mark was born in 1973 in Monrovia, Liberia, Africa. He moved to the United States in the year 2000 where he received most of his formation and has exercised his entire priestly ministry. His father and relatives from both sides of his family are also living in the US, and he also has some living here in the Archdiocese of Atlanta.
Fr. Urey was ordained to the Priesthood on May 26, 2007 in Techny, IL for the Society of the Divine Word after completing his theological studies at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. He received a Master of Divinity degree with emphasis on World Mission and a Masters of Arts in Theology degree with Church History as his major and Systemic Theology as minor.
His first assignment was to St. Nicholas Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of St. Louis where he faithfully served as Pastor of St. Nicholas Parish and Administrator of St. Nicholas Early Childhood Development Center and Preschool from September 8, 2007 to November 2, 2014. He also served the Archdiocese of St. Louis as member of the Board of Trustee of Kenrick-Glennon Seminary and as a member of the Archbishop Annual Catholic Appeal Council (ACA). Fr. Urey is a strong advocate for Early Childhood Development programs, a cause he championed greatly when he served the Archdiocese of St. Louis by making Catholic preschool affordable for inner city families in St. Louis.
From December 1, 2014 to June 7, 2015, due to pastoral needs in the Diocese of Des Moines (Iowa), Fr. Urey was assigned temporarily to provide pastoral care for St. Peters Parish in Defiance and St. Joseph Parish in Earling Iowa, an assignment he successfully completed before coming to the Archdiocese of Atlanta.
Fr. Urey has an unparalleled level of energy and excitement, as well as gifts and a spirituality of pastoral experience, cross-cultural ministry, stewardship and development, young adult faith formation, administration, public speaking, leadership, and a special devotion to the Eucharist.