Early Christian traditions and the New Testament provide us with a great deal of information on St. Mark, the author of the Second Gospel. Mark the Evangelist is thought to be the 'John Mark' mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles. He was the son of Mary of Jerusalem, whose house the apostles met at (Acts 12:12). In addition, he is a Cypriot, a Levite, and the cousin of St. Barnabas (Colossians 4:10).

In 44 A.D., Mark went to Antioch with St. Paul and St. Barnabas on their first missionary trip. Christian tradition states that Mark left the group when they got to Cyprus and headed back to Jerusalem, probably because he was missing home (Acts 13:13). This might have made Paul wonder if Mark could be a trustworthy missionary. Paul and Barnabas got into a fight over this, and Paul declined Mark's company when they traveled to the churches in Cilicia and the rest of Asia Minor on their second journey.

Nevertheless, it seems likely that Paul and Mark's problems were short-lived because, according to Col 4:10, Mark, who was at the time in Rome and intended to travel to Asia Minor, visited Paul during his initial imprisonment.

Mark's trip to Asia Minor was probably fulfilled when Paul wrote to Timothy in Ephesus during his second captivity, just before his martyrdom, telling him to "take Mark and bring him with you [to Rome], for he is profitable to me for the ministry" (2 Timothy 4:11). If Mark went back to Rome around this period, he was most likely present when Paul was crucified.

Christian tradition also says that Mark was very close to St. Peter, who called Mark "his son" in a letter he wrote to several churches in Asia Minor (1 Peter 5:13). Irenaeus, Papias, and Clement of Alexandria all suggest that Mark served as Peter's interpreter.

Though he is not mentioned in relation to the city by either Clement of Alexandria or Origen, he was most likely the first bishop of Alexandria, Egypt, and the founder of the Church of Alexandria.

Written between 60 and 70 A.D., Mark's Gospel was presumably inspired by the teachings of St. Peter. It is thought that Mark gave Luke and Matthew the foundational material for their respective gospels.

After several years of living in Alexandria, St. Mark was dragged through the streets and killed as a martyr. St. Mark's relics were stolen from Alexandria in 828 and transferred to Venice, Italy. They are kept in a stunning cathedral there that is devoted to the saint.

The winged lion represents St. Mark. His portrayal of St. John the Baptist as "a voice of one crying out in the desert" (Mark 1:3) is thought to be the source of this. The wings are derived from the four-winged creatures that Ezekiel saw as the evangelists. He is commonly represented as holding or writing his gospel. He is sometimes shown as a bishop on a throne or as a man helping Venetian sailors. St. Mark is revered as the patron saint of Venice and his feast day is celebrated on April 25.

Other Saints of the Day
Saint Mella
Saint Anianus
Saint Phaebadius
Saint Macedonius
Saint Robert of Syracuse