The Catholic Community of St. Ignatius. Parish: 'the thought'. The Jesuit Church in Baltimore Since 1856.
Issue # 210114                                                                       January 21, 2014
ST. IGNATIUS WEBPAGE


A FEW OF MY 
FAVORITE THINGS

A further resource surrounding 
 Sunday's Homily

ST. IGNATIUS CALENDAR
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POOR BOX COLLECTION

Each weekend St. Ignatius specifies a Poor Box collection for a needful cause. Tlearn about next weekend's collection  


WORLD WATCH
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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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The Watters' Edge

 
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
A Personal Remembrance From a Young Jesuit

 

 My Sisters and Brothers in Christ:

 

April 23, 1965: The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. was at the center of the mile-long column of marchers walking from Roxbury to Boston Common. The march left the Carter Playground in Roxbury and ended at the Parkman Bandstand on the Boston Common. King spoke for about 25 minutes in a chilling drizzle to the crowd estimated at 22,000. "Now is the time," he said "to make real the promise of democracy. Now is the time to make brotherhood a reality. Now is the time...This is not a battle of white people against black people. It is a struggle between the forces of justice and injustice."

 
Our national holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. has brought back memories of my marching with him along with 60 other Jesuits and a large number of  Boston citizens in the spring of 1965.  We walked from Roxbury, just outside the city, to the Boston Common in the downtown area. It was a protest march focusing on the city's need to integrate the Boston school system. Council woman Louise Day Hicks, a Catholic, was vociferously in opposition to integrating the schools. We Jesuits believed that we needed to be a Catholic voice in support of the integration of the public schools.

  

Recalling that day with Dr. King and aware that February is Black History Month, I recommend that you see Steve McQueen's latest movie, 12 Years a Slave. (To view trailers click here). The film is based on Solomon Northup's 1853 memoir of a free Black man who, while living a fully integrated life with his family in New York State, is kidnapped when visiting Washington, D.C. and is sold into slavery. The movie is not only a powerful condemnation of slavery and the utter dehumanization of African Americans in a culture built on barbarism but also a personal immersion in the heinous world that was once an intrinsic part of our American way of life. One leaves the movie feeling the experience of slavery itself rather than merely condemning it. 

 

12 Years a Slave is the winner of the Golden Globe for Best Picture and is also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. It is on more 
top 10 lists than any other film this year.

 

I also wanted to provide for you a blog article that was passed on to me this morning. It's from the Daily Kos entitled "Most Of You Have No Idea What Martin Luther King Actually Did"For many of us, it will change everything we thought we knew about the work of Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Finally, Tomorrow, January 22nd, marks the day 41 years ago when the Supreme Court handed down its decision legalizing abortion in light of the Roe vs Wade law case. As Catholics, we uphold the sacredness of all life, including the infant developing in the womb of the mother. In the face of abortions in our country the Catholic Church has established a special ministry: Rachel's Vineyard. In our Archdiocese this ministry maintains a network of professional clergy, licensed  counselors and volunteers all trained to provide one-on-one spiritual and psychological support for those who are suffering from the trauma of abortion. We at St. Ignatius support the ministry of Rachel's Vineyard through our prayers and this week's POOR BOX donations. To learn more about this week's offering and about Rachel's Vineyard, click here

 

Gratefully, In Christ,

      Watter Signature  
In Keeping with the MLK Remembrance...

As we remember the work of Martin Luther King Jr., we certainly remember also a life taken away so quickly because of his commitment to equality and justice for all. We thought we'd share with you one of history's greatest speeches called "The Mindless Menace of Violence", given by Robert F. Kennedy on April 5, 1968, the day following the assassination of MLK, Jr.  The Massachusetts-born politician, younger brother of JFK, was assassinated only a few months later.

Robert F. Kennedy Speech: The Mindless Menace of Violence
Robert F. Kennedy: The Mindless Menace of Violence

Upcoming Events

 

International Week Of Prayer For Christian Unity

- Saturday, January 18 - Saturday, January 25

 

The 2014  Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (WPCU) is taking place from January 18-25 under the banner of the theme:  " Has Christ Divided Us?"  (cf. 1Corinthians 1:13).

 

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity has a history of over 100 years, in which Christians around the world have taken part in an octave of prayer for visible Christian unity.  By annually observing the WPCU, Christians move toward the fulfillment of Jesus' prayer at the Last Supper "that they all may be one."  (cf. John 17:21).

 

To learn more about the Week of Prayer For Christian Unity please click here.

  

Women of the New Testament   

- Tuesday, January 21          

  cancelled due to weather

The next meeting for Women of the New Testament group will take place on Tuesday, January 21 at 7 p.m. in Ignatian Hall.  Women of the New Testament explores the diverse roles of women in the early church by studying and discussing the New Testament, other writings and practices of the early church, and scholarly commentary on these sources. In the light of this process, the group-women and men-pray to discern the roles to which women (and men) are being called in the contemporary church. Contact email: Melody Gordon-Healy. Current reading is: Women in the Old Testament, by Irene Nowell. 

 

March For Life 

- Wednesday, January 22

  

Wednesday, January 22 is the 41st annual March For Life in Washington DC. The march will take place following a rally on the National Mall between 7th and 9th Sts. at noon and will proceed up Constitution Ave to the Supreme Court building on Capitol Hill. The event brings together hundreds of thousands of people from across the country at around the time of the US Supreme Court decision in Roe vs. Wade to advocate for pro-life. Those interested in busing to DC with other parishes can find transportation information at the Archdiocese's web site http://www.archbalt.org/family-life/respect-life/march.cfm.  For carpooling information, call our parish's Respect For Life Coordinator Jerry T. Lawler at 410.804.1413.

 

Christian Unity Prayer Service 

- Friday, January 24

Please join us for the Prayer Service for Christian Unity on Friday, January 24 at 7:30 p.m. at The Cathedral of the Incarnation, 4 East University Parkway, at the intersection of St. Paul, Charles, and University. This annual ecumenical service will include participants, including our own Father Bill Watters, from several Christian faith traditions. The St. Ambrose Children's Choir will sing, under the direction of Betty (Roy) Butler, a former soloist at our New Year's Eve Interfaith Service. A reception following the service will be catered by Sofi's Crepes. All are welcome. For information click here.

 

Young Adult Spiritual Exercises

- Sunday, January 26

You spoke and we listened! In a recent survey done at St. Ignatius, we asked the Young Adults what they would like to see here at the Parish. The Spiritual Exercises were mentioned quite often and now we've come up with a program for our Young Adults. The Spiritual Exercises are a compilation of meditations, prayers, and contemplative practices developed by St. Ignatius Loyola to help people deepen their relationship with God. For centuries the Exercises were most commonly given as a "long retreat" of about 30 days in solitude and silence. In recent years, there has been a renewed emphasis on the Spiritual Exercises as a program for laypeople. Our group will meet on the last Sunday of every month at 4:30 PM. in Ignatian Hall. Those interested in deepening their relationship with Christ through these Exercises should join us on Sunday, January 26 at 4:30 PM in Ignatian Hall as we meet for one hour before the 6:00 PM Mass.

From Deacon Paul Weber

An Open Invitation to All Parents of Gay or Lesbian Children

Deacon Paul Weber

As a deacon along with my wife, we have served the gay and lesbian community and their families for over 25 years. I would like to invite any parent of a gay or lesbian son or daughter to contact us. We know the anxiety, pain and questioning that such parents can experience. We also know that talking about the situation with others who understand and have had similar experiences will help. Each and every child is a gift from God and deserves to be loved. Be reassured that any and all contact will be held in strictest confidence. We will be happy to come to you if that is preferred. Please contact Deacon Paul or Meg Weber at 410 747 2452 or [email protected] .

In the News

 

Breastfeeding In Church? Pope Says Yes!

Pope Francis baptizes a child inside the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican on Sunday, January 12. The Pope baptized 32 infants during the ceremony. 

  

By Daniel Burke, 

  

  

(CNN) - Amid the iconic art in the Sistine Chapel on Sunday, Pope Francis told mothers that it's acceptable to breastfeed their children in public, even in holy sites like churches.

  

Children's voices, even when crying, make "the most beautiful choir of all," Francis said during a service in which he baptized 32 children.

"Some will cry because they are uncomfortable or because they are hungry," the Pope said. "If they are hungry, mothers, let them eat, no worries, because here, they are the main focus."  - to continue on click here.  

  

 
From Jerusalem Post
  From CBC News:
Pope Francis Urges Homeless, Migrants Not to Lose Hope For a Better World
 

 

From Fox News: 

Seattle Seahawks Players: Jesus Is Better Than The Super Bowl

 

  

  From Catholic Online:

Site Associated With Christianity's First Mission Into China Discovered

  From the Washington Post:

Can Muslim Lands Learn to Tolerate Christianity?

 
In the Reeves Gallery

 

This coming Sunday, January 26 marks the opening of a new exhibit in our Reeves Gallery. This presentation entitled, An Asheville, North Carolina Connection- Applique, Sculptures, Dolls, and Paintings by Betsy Kendrick  has a rich correlation between Southern and French influences. Her work fuses Craft and Fine Art with a human voice. Stop by the Reeves Gallery before or after all Masses and view her work during the scheduled run of January 26 through March 9. To view a portfolio by Betsy Kendrick, click here.

e-zine compiled by John. C. Odean