| OFFICE OUTPUT MEMO | 
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Important Information From Church Offices
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| A CHRISTMAS CLASSIC | 
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Helen Steiner Rice's
Christmas Classic
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| ST. IGNATIUS CALENDAR | 
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View Full Calendar
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| POOR BOX COLLECTION | 
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Each weekend St. Ignatius specifies a Poor Box collection for a needful cause. To learn about next weekend's collection
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| WORLD WATCH | 
Weekly updates on Christian persecution around the globe. Keep a prayerful watch on what is happening with your brothers and sisters!
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My Sisters and Brothers in Christ:
This past Sunday's 10:30 Mass was resplendent with the music of Antonio Vivaldi's Magnificat. Our choir, accompanied by multiple strings and oboes offered us Mary's beautiful canticle of praise and thanksgiving to God.
In the same spirit of Mary's hymn that brings joy to the heart, I wish to thank the many, many parishioners and friends of St. Ignatius who have brought the countless number of gifts for the children whose parents are incarcerated. Without your giving hearts these children would have no Christmas presents. The same goes for the homeless who live on the streets in downtown Baltimore. If it were not for the great generosity of so many persons within our parish they also would not be receiving any gifts on Christmas night. May God favor you who have favored God's little ones and forgotten ones.
The Advent hymn O Come, O Come, Emmanuel is familiar to all of us. We sing it as our processional hymn each of the four Sundays of the Advent Season. In each of the hymn's seven stanzas, Christ is addressed with a specific title that identifies who he is. For example, he is called "Wisdom," "the Rod of Jesse," "the Dayspring," "the Desire of the Nations," etc.
Now that we are just one week away from the Feast of Christmas, the Church invites the faithful to prepare more diligently for the Lord's birth on Christmas Day by focusing each day on one of the seven titles that tell us who Christ is. The titles are highlighted at our daily Masses from December 17th to 23rd in the Alleluia verses which are read/sung just prior to the reading of the Gospel. The titles are repeated during Evening Prayer (Vespers) as antiphons to Mary's Magnificat. These seven titles are presented, therefore, in what are called the O Antiphons because each of the seven begins with the exclamation O as the Church calls upon Christ in one of his special titles.
Therefore, we are encouraged to meditate on these titles during these next seven days making each one a mantra or repetitive prayer for each of the seven days in order to prepare ourselves for the Feast of Christmas-- our great "Feast of Light." To assist you in this process we direct you towards this wonderful O Antiphons resource link.
A gift each one of us can give to a family member or a friend is an invitation to come with us to Christmas Mass. This invitation will be appreciated, especially by those who are not regular church goers but who would welcome just such an invitation at Christmas. Surprise yourself and the persons you invite by welcoming them to join you. It could be the greatest gift you ever give!
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Advent Week 3 - Joy
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 In this third week of Advent our emphasis is on Joy. Happiness is an emotion that can disappear as quickly as it rises to the surface. Joy, however, is a choice. We have a choice. God gives us a joy that is unconquerable. We can choose to live in an attitude of resentment, anger, and fear or we can choose to pursue the joy of Christ. So what is the picture of joy in the Bible? (to find out, click here)
Advent - "Video Thought"
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In the News
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On the edge of Buenos Aires is a nothing little street called Pasaje C, a shot of dried mud leading into a slum from what passes for a main road, the garbage-strewn Mariano Acosta. There is a church, the Immaculate Virgin, toward the end of the pasaje-Spanish for passage-where, on one occasion, the local priest and a number of frightened residents took refuge deep in the sanctuary when rival drug gangs opened fire. Beyond the church, Pasaje C branches into the rest of the parish: more rutted mud and cracked concrete form Pasajes A to K. Brick chips from the hasty construction of squatter housing coagulate along what ought to be sidewalks. The word asesino-murderer-is scrawled in spray-paint on the sooty wall of a burned-out house, which was torched just days before in retaliation for yet another shooting. (to continue article, click here).
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Events for This Week and the Holiday Weeks
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Prayer Shall Ministry
- Wednesday, December 18
 Prayer Shawls are knitted or crocheted blankets for those that are most in need of extra prayer (i.e. sick or homebound parishioners, retreatants, etc.) Join us on Wednesday, December 18 at 6:00 PM at the parish office. MEN ARE WELCOME TOO!!! Please email Duarte Aguiar or call him at
410.727.3848 if you can't make the meeting but would still like to participate, or if you have questions about what a Prayer Shawl Ministry is or does.
Embracing God's Gifts
- Wednesday, December 18
You are invited to join members of our gay and lesbian community in Ignatian Hall at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, December 18. This group is open to anyone interested in fostering support, maintaining communications, and encouraging social activities among diverse members of our parish. Contact Gordon Creamer at 410.236.8225 with any questions. To learn more about the Embracing God's Gifts Ministry click here.
Homeless Persons' Memorial Day Service
- Saturday, December 21
On the first day of winter, on the longest night of the year, we remember those who were homeless and who died in 2013. Come to the candlelight vigil on Saturday, December 21, at 5 PM at the Inner Harbor Amphitheater near Pratt & Light.
Maryland State Boychoir
- Saturday, December 21
 The Maryland State Boychoir presents The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at the Maryland State Boychoir Center for the Arts, 3400 Norman Avenue, Baltimore 21213. Performances take place Saturday December 21 at 7 PM., and Sunday December 22 at 4 p.m. Our own parishioner Mary Zajac will be one of the readers on December 22. Admission is $18 or $22. Discounts available for groups of 20 or more. For information and tickets call 410.554.8644.
The following Masses will be celebrated on Christmas Eve: Mass of the Day at 7:25 AM. A priest will be available for confession in the Chapel of Grace on Christmas Eve from 11 AM-1 PM, but there will not be a 12:10 Mass that day. Family Mass will be held at 4:00 PM (including the children's Christmas Pageant). Evening Mass will be held at 6:00 PM. There is a half hour of Christmas Music (8:30 PM) before the Solemn Christmas Mass which will begin at 9:00 PM. This Mass will be followed by our parish's traditional Christmas Eve Grand Reception in Ignatian Hall from 10:30 to 11:30 PM.
Christmas Day Mass Schedule
- Wednesday, December 25
There will be two Masses on Christmas Day. Mass in the Chapel will be held at 8:00 AM. and Mass in the Church will be held at 10:30 AM. There will be a reception in Ignatian Hall following the 10:30 Mass.
The following Masses will be celebrated on New Year's Eve: Mass of the Day (7:25 AM and 12:10 PM). Vigil Mass will be held at 4:30 PM. Music prior to the Interfaith Service will be held at 8:00 PM with the Interfaith Service beginning at 8:30 PM.
Once again, historic St Ignatius Church at Calvert and Madison Streets will be the site of an inspiring Interfaith Prayer Service on New Year's Eve. It will be the 21st yearly gathering of the various faiths - Jewish, Christian and Muslim - to offer thanksgiving for blessings during the past year and to pray for continued blessings in 2014. This is truly an inspirational way to begin the new year in the proper spirit. The musical program will begin at 8:00 PM on Tuesday, December 31, and the prayers service beginning at 8:30 PM. and concluding at 9:30 PM, well in advance of other New Year's Eve activities. As in the past, the Governor, the Mayor and the City Council President will be participating in the service. A reception in the parish hall will follow. No tickets are required and there is free parking. The event is free.
The MARY, MOTHER OF GOD Mass will be celebrated on New Year's Day at 10:30 AM in the Church.
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Upcoming Events to Mark on Your Calendar.
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NEW YEAR'S EVE RETREAT AT LOYOLA-ON-THE POTOMAC, FAULKNER, MD: Pray in the New Year at Faulkner. The retreat begins with dinner on New Year's Eve Wed, Dec 31, and is followed by a time for prayer and quiet reflection. Celebration of the Eucharist brings us into the New Year followed by a social and a light breakfast on January 1st, prior to departure. This retreat is led by Father Frank Kaminski, S.J. Fee including meals and lodging is $95. For more information or to register, please contact Lisa White at Faulkner, phone 301-392-0819, or email lisa.white@loyolaretreat.org
St. Ignatius will be hosting the University of Notre Dame Chorale, which is the official concert choir of Notre Dame (South Bend, Indiana) for a concert here on Wednesday, January 8 at 7pm. There is no charge but there will be a free will offering. They will sing a variety of classical and traditional music, including sacred pieces and some works from Handel's Messiah.
To hear a sampling of the Notre Dame Chorale in concert, click here.
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Jesse Tree & Solidarity with Loaves & Fishes
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It's the last week to bring your gifts for the Jesse Tree - where people buy warm gloves, hats, socks and scarves as Christmas gifts for our homeless brothers and sisters who are served by our Loaves & Fishes ministry, as well as $25.00 gift card from Safeway for the women served by My Sister's Place. These gifts should be placed under the tree in the Narthex, UNWRAPPED, for ease of delivery. As always, your generosity is greatly appreciated...this truly will help meet needs of others during the cold days ahead!
Even after the holidays we will continue to collect and work in solidarity with the Loaves & Fishes Ministry. That's because there is always a need for warm clothing for the homeless of Baltimore. There are cards available on the food table at the after-Mass receptions in Ignatian Hall that indicate needed items such as scarves, gloves, hats, socks, and monetary donations for the Loaves and Fishes Ministry which provides so much for our city's homeless people.
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 We have several items to communicate with you. Let's begin with:
Christmas Flower Donors - We would like to thank those of you who have contributed to the Christmas Flower Fund. How beautiful our Christmas Masses become because of your efforts. As you know, the bulletin on Christmas Day will include a list of Christmas Flower donors and the names of persons in whose memory or honor the contributions were made. If you donated through Faith Direct you likely didn't indicate the name of the person you would like to have remembered or honored. If you made a contribution through Faith Direct we need you to email parish@st-ignatius.net NO LATER THAN FRIDAY, DEC 20, to let us know the names of the persons you would like to have remembered or honored.
To continue through the Office Output Memorandum, click here.
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e-zine compiled by John. C. Odean
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