Meet Your New Neighbors

Reverand Mark Maxon was assigned to Saint Malachy Catholic Church in Tehachapi last November by Bishop Ochoa of the Fresno Diocese. "Assign" may not be quite the right word, because Rev. Maxon said that he chose Tehachapi out of several assignments that he was offered. As a man who loves the outdoors, he said that he is delighted to be here. Before moving to Tehachapi, Rev. Maxon was Associate Pastor for a year and a half in Visalia and at Saint Francis of Assisi in Bakersfield for two years.

Rev. Maxon is far from what one would call an average priest. He has a very unusual background. According to his office staff, his vocational history is referred to as the three Ms – military, mining and ministry. He told me that he did not receive his calling until he was in his middle 40s while working in Nevada. Once he found that the Fresno Diocese would ordain an older priest, he spent the next six years at St. John's Seminary in Camarillo. Rev. Maxon was ordained in May of 2012 by Fresno's Bishop Ochoa.

Mark Maxon was born in Elgin, Illinois, the youngest of eight children. He has six brothers and one sister. He said that while growing up, his sister was his baby sitter. The family moved to Tucson, Arizona when he was two years old. His father, Don, was an architect and developer in Illinois. His father and his uncle were the primary developers of Green Valley, Arizona, a group of retirement communities in Pima County that now has a population of nearly 24,000 people. His father also headed a landscaping project at the old Anaconda Mine is Bisbee. It was no surprise that young Mark started working in construction.

He joined the Army in 1982, serving four years active duty and two years reserve. He spent his active duty with the Army's maritime and amphibious units. On his return to Arizona, he attended college at the University of Arizona at Tucson. He majored in Hydrology which he said included courses in civil engineering, meteorology and geology. On further research, I found that "hydrology is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and quality of water on Earth and other planets including the hydrologic cycle, water resources and environmental watershed sustainability". I have to admit that I'm thoroughly impressed. After college, Mark embarked on a career in water resource design and environmental engineering.

He was hired by Newmont Mining Company, one of the largest gold producers in the world with operations on five continents. He traveled throughout the United States and overseas doing environmental studies and designing water resource systems. He said that he even worked in Uzbekistan for a while and at one time did an environmental study for the gold mine in Mojave.

As I mentioned earlier, Reverand Maxon told me that his love of the outdoors is one of the reasons he came to Tehachapi. He grew up hunting, fishing and hiking. He also told me that, at one time, he raised and trained hunting dogs. He said that it was his uncle, however, who was the real pro with the dogs. Although he no longer hunts, he is looking forward to doing some hiking and fishing locally.

As the new pastor of Saint Malachy Catholic Church, Reverand Maxon said that he is forever looking for ways to enhance the parish. His business savy and friendly welcoming manner are proving to be a real asset to the parish. He said that he has plans to expand the church gift shop with items obtained locally and is researching events that will help attract new parishoners.

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit with Reverand Maxon. Saint Malachy is very fortunate to have him as their new pastor. Welcome Reverand Mark Maxon!

If you have moved to the Greater Tehachapi Area within the last six months and would like to know more about your new community, call (661) 822-8188. We will be happy to make an appointment for a hostess to come by and give you lots of helpful information, some valuable coupons, gifts and much more. Many families and individuals who come to the area are pleasantly surprised with the amount of knowledge they gather about their new home. Publishing your welcome article is completely voluntary and is not a requirement of being welcomed.