St. Mark Catholic Church

You can park at the beach, walk two blocks, and be in a quiet little church that feels miles from the boardwalk. The white stucco facade with its three green arched doors sits back from Coeur d'Alene Street, flanked by a pair of tall cypress trees that have clearly been there longer than most of us. It reads like a postcard, and it is exactly as friendly as it looks.

Inside, St. Mark is small enough that the whole room feels like one conversation. Nothing about the space is showy: a simple cross above the altar, warm light, and pews close enough to the front that you can actually see what is happening. First-timers tell us the same thing every time, that it is easy to settle in here within the first five minutes.

It is also one of the liveliest parishes we visit. Sunday morning brings the full range, from the early quiet Mass to the noon celebration in Spanish, and the place hums between them. Families, surfers with towels over their shoulders, regulars who have been coming for decades. Venice in church form.

We came for the evening Mass and stayed for the sunset, which is the correct way to do it. The light hits the stucco gold, the palm trees behind the roofline go dark, and you remember that this neighborhood has been praying by the water for almost a century.

St. Mark is our home parish, so expect to see this stop show up on the calendar more than most. Bring a hoodie, even in summer. The ocean breeze finds you on that corner.