Mark DeCourval was born and raised in Flint, Michigan which at the time was a major automobile manufacturing city. His early development benefited by living in a racially diverse urban community during the school year and spending his summers on a relative’s farm; where he learned to care for the animals, harvest the grain fields, and the value of being self-reliant. From the onset he was a studious and intellectually curious boy which resulted in his graduating from high school with honors a year early. Lacking resources to immediately attend college to study for a desired career in psychiatry, he joined the Navy. While in the Navy, he received specialized training as medical psychiatric technician; after which, he was assigned to the US Navy Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he cared for traumatized and geriatric military personnel. Upon being discharged from the Navy and not being able to find a suitable paying job in the psychiatric field, he went to work for a major Philadelphia bank. Soon after his employment had commenced at the bank, he was selected to receive advanced training as a software programmer/system analyst. While employed at the bank, in addition to working in different capacities in the Information Technology (IT) arena, he took on the pursuit of earning a college degree. In his banking career, he realized a position as Vice President in charge of its marketing databases, where he gained valuable insight into recognizing the cause of specific attitudes and behavior patterns and how they translated into a person’s choices and actions. After forty-five year tenure, he accepted an early retirement package with the hope to pursue a long desired ministry vocation. Although he had been raised as a Roman Catholic, around the age of twenty-four he began to realize his personal theology conflicted with that Catholicism and went religion shopping; wherein, he found compatibility with Unitarian Universalism; and therein, the hope that one day he could serve in its ministry. This aspiration has been realized and he is currently serving as an active participant in the Unitarian Universalist ministry.
Professional Experience
Mark is delighted and honored to be a sponsored ministry candidate with the historic First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia, where he also serves on the Membership and Caring Ministry Teams, as well as a Worship Associate. He has prepared and administered entire Worship Services; and preached both at First Unitarian and as a guest at other UU churches. He is currently completing the requirements for his Master of Divinity Degree from the Union Theological Seminary of New York City; where his focus is on pastoral care/counseling and community ministry. During the summer of 2010, he completed an intense Clinical Pastoral Education program that included training as a chaplain at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania which is one of the top ten trauma centers in the United States; and where he has been asked to continue working as an adjunct chaplain. He works as a supporter of MANNA, a Philadelphia non-profit agency that provides and delivers nutrition meals to home-bound terminally ill patients. In January 2011, he spent two weeks in Rome, Italy in a program that focused on important crossroads of Ecumenical and Interfaith dialogue.
In addition to his ministry credentials, he holds Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Science degree from Drexel University where he was a member of the honors society, Beta Gamma Sigma. He is versed in several computer software languages and in administrating customer and information databases. His long career in the banking/financial field has provided him with extensive business management and personal relationship skills.
Ministerial Ideology
Standing on the side of Love and Compassion. In covenant with the Unitarian Universalist principles of respecting the inherent worth and dignity of every person; and in the wisdom of all the world’s religions which inspire us in our ethical and spiritual lives. Providing communal spiritual support and comfort; especially to the marginalized and disenfranchised. Helping to build a Dignitarian World free of rankism and bigotry.
