Catholics celebrated the Feast of St. Mark on Wednesday, and Kalamazoo Bishop Paul Bradley shared some thoughts about the significance of the day.

“On this Feast of St. Mark, one of the four Evangelists, today’s Gospel reveals Jesus’ ‘Great Commission,’” Bradley said in a tweet.

He then quoted a relevant segment of the Gospel: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature!” (Mk.16:15-20), adding his own thoughts, “May we have St. Mark’s fervor to live the Gospel and be the Risen Jesus’ witnesses to all we meet.”

The Feast of St. Mark, also known as the rosebud festival, is an annual holiday celebrated on April 25 by the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches. It honors the death anniversary of St. Mark, who is the patron saint of Venice and died in 68 A.D, an article in National Today said.

Various countries have their own ways to celebrate the day. A Venice tradition on the day calls for a man to give a single rosebud to the woman he loves. In Aguascalientes, Mexico, the day is marked with the St. Mark National Fair, Wikipedia said.

The Feast of St. Mark serves as a reminder of the efforts of St. Mark, who was reported to be one of the 70 disciples of Jesus sent to spread the gospel in Judea. He is also believed to have authored one of the four Gospels in the New Testament and founded the church in Alexandria, Egypt. He was killed in 68 A.D. by Alexandrians who did not agree with his efforts to convert them to Christianity and replace their old pagan gods with the belief in one true God, the National Today article added.

Some suggested ways to observe the Feast of St. Mark include indulging in Italian cuisine, attending a church service or mass to honor the contributions of various saints to the Christian faith, and conducting research to learn more about St. Mark, including his teachings and travels, according to National Today.