| TRUTH SERUM | 
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Reflections on The Mount of Transfiguration
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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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First Anniversary Celebration of Pope Francis, The Bishop of Rome
My Sisters and Brothers in Christ:
Since last Thursday newspaper columns have appeared the world over heralding the First Anniversary of the March 13th 2013 election to the papacy of Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio. When he appeared on the balcony overlooking Saint Peter's Square that rainy evening few knew who he was. Yet within minutes the name he chose, "Francis," signaled to those looking for signs what the Church should expect from its new leader. Adding to the name was his unexpected request that the assembled crowd of Roman citizens bless him before he offered them his first papal blessing. Later that evening, unlike all popes before him, he was pictured returning by bus with a number of other cardinals to his hotel room and the following morning paying his hotel bill while carrying his own luggage. His simple and humble life style, warm personality and insightful homilies on the Gospel quickly became top news in the world's media. From day one there has been a steady flow of articles, photos, video clips and media interviews that has made this pope's first year's journey unprecedented.
Given the numerous essays about Francis and his first year that have been published recently, I have selected three that provide balanced and cautious insight into the man and his accomplishments thus far and what he faces in the year and years ahead. The first article comes from the Sojourners website and is written by editor Jim Wallis. It was first published on March 13th and is entitled One Year In: The Joyful Surprise of Pope Francis. You can view it by clicking here.
The second article, Francis: Far More Than Show, is written in two parts by the former editor of America, Fr. Drew Christiansen, SJ, which appeared on its website for March 10th. For part one click here, for part two click here.
Finally, editor Paul Bauman of Commonweal has a very sober and telling reflection, The Public Pope, in Slate of March 11th. Bauman's article is an important read in light of the attempt by the world press to make Francis into a Superman, an image and title the pope himself has recently rejected. To read this article click here.
As follow up to reading these articles, I encourage you to attend this evening's The Francis Factor, a Panel Discussion led by Cardinal O'Malley of Boston and other experts. It will take place at Loyola University in the Ritz Arena at 7:00 P.M. If you are unable to attend, you can view it live on the Archdiocesan website.
Finally, as Francis himself often reminds us, we need to pray for him as he continues to proclaim Jesus and his Gospel to the world, setting about to continue the challenging work of revamping the Vatican and its Curia so that the Church can truly reflect Jesus and a Gospel of and for the poor to all people everywhere.
Gratefully, In Christ,
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As we travel towards Easter...
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Lent is a time of reflecting on the magnificent and far reaching love of God. We know that 'God demonstrates His own love for us in this, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.' (Romans 5:8). Before there was anything in it for Him, God reached out and provided Himself as the solution to our problems. That's good news anytime, but don't you think it particularly is this year when global relations seem all the more threatening with a powerful country flexing its muscles and imposing itself upon another? Certainly that is always happening somewhere in the world, but we now have a formidable world power exerting its will, and to what end? Is it only about the particular geographic situation? Or is it a message to the United States, the European Union, and other countries? At this point it's hard to say - but it does tend to make one wonder what is in store for the future. And this second week of Lent, that is exactly the point. Reality has not shifted. God is and always has been in control. We do not know what will happen in this world in which we live. What we do know is that God alone holds the future - not a person, not a government. These next weeks and months will be interesting as we watch events play out on the global stage. It is cause for prayer and intercession - and to that end we offer you a simple song of truth in the hope that it will 'reset' your reality and reduce you back to faith in God's love and care for you and your future.
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Because He Lives
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We share a second video with you about Michael John "Mike" Sweeney. Sweeney is a former Major League Baseball first baseman. He played his first 13 seasons in the majors with the Kansas City Royals. He also played for the Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, and Philadelphia Phillies. A follower of Jesus, a fellow Catholic, and a man of flesh and struggles like all of us, this video tells the beautiful testimony of a man who puts God first in his life. Like all of us, he makes choices that are not always the best - but eventually, under the leading of the Holy Spirit and with the desire to please God, he determines to clean up his messes! On this second week of Lent we present to you Champions of Faith - The Mike Sweeney Story.
 | | Champions of Faith - Mike Sweeney |
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The Events of This Next Week
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The Francis Factor
- Tuesday, March 18
The Archdiocese of Baltimore will host The Francis Factor, tonight. This is an event to mark the one-year anniversary of the election of Pope Francis as Supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. Cardinal Seán O'Malley, OFM Cap., Archbishop of Boston and member of Pope Francis' Advisory Council of Cardinals, will share his thoughts and observations on Pope Francis and his amazing first year as leader of the Catholic Church. Joining Cardinal O'Malley will be Father Thomas Rosica, CSB, CEO of Salt & Light Television and Vatican Spokesperson, Helen Alvaré, Professor of Law at George Mason School of Law and Catholic author, and Fr. Matt Malone, S.J., Editor-in-Chief of America, who will share their experiences and observations on the first year of Pope Francis' papacy. All four will participate in a Q&A discussion with participation from the audience. Tickets to the event, which is part of the Archdiocese of Baltimore's year-long celebration of the 225th anniversary of the founding of the Diocese of Baltimore, must be requested through the website. The tickets are free! The Francis Factor will also be streamed live.
Friday Night Mass and Lenten Program
- Friday, March 21
 During the Lenten Season St. Ignatius celebrates Mass each Friday night at 5:30 PM in the church. The Stations of the Cross follow at approximately 6 PM. After Mass we go down to the parish hall to share a simple Lenten supper of soup, salad and bread, after which there is a presentation on scripture by Dr. John Pilch, followed by a discussion. This week Dr. Pilch will speak on Isaiah's Prophecy - The will of God for Isaiah's "here and now". Dr. Pilch lectures in the Odyssey Program at Johns Hopkins University. For 18 years he taught the Introduction to Biblical Literature at Georgetown University. A prolific author, he contributed "The Cultural World of the Ancient Mediterranean" to the Little Rock Catholic Study Bible, Revised New American Translation (Liturgical Press, 2011). If you are able to help with the meal please email Diane White at dwhite@mdsj.org. For a complete schedule of events and liturgies during Lent, Holy Week and Easter, click here.
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"CREATE" in the Reeves Gallery
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 The Reeves Gallery is inviting you to CREATE. A series of panels and paper will be displayed on the walls of the gallery March 16 - 30. We invite you to be creative and add your own faith-based impressions as a collective consciousness of our community at St. Ignatius Church. It is an invitation to express yourself and your faith. In particular, you may add and respond to others as a form of collaboration. Children will need parental supervision with the markers, chalk and paper. Our impressions will be made over two weeks at various times. Feel free to add to the exhibit whenever you are in the gallery
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Viva House Collection
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On the weekend of April 5 & 6 we will be collecting bags of groceries for the neighbors of Viva House, the Catholic Worker House in southwest Baltimore. Please help and share your blessings with those who are less fortunate by bringing to Ignatian Hall a doubled brown paper grocery bag or reusable cloth bag filled with the following items (Click here).
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Moved to Greater Love
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 Just a reminder...if you haven't yet signed up for the daily spiritual prayer program called "Moved to Greater Love" you still can. So many in our parish are deriving benefit from the daily time of prayer and reflection. If you still want to join in (it concludes on the third Sunday of Easter), then click here. You will be sent resources each evening for the next day's devotional time. It's really an easy way to start your day!
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In the Media
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5 Things You Didn't Know About Jesus
Opinion by the Rev. James Martin, special to CNN
(CNN) - With Easter approaching, and the movie "Son of God" playing in wide release, you're going to hear a lot about Jesus these days.
You may hear revelations from new books that purport to tell the "real story" about Jesus, opinions from friends who have discovered a "secret" on the Web about the son of God, and airtight arguments from co-workers who can prove he never existed.
Beware of most of these revelations; many are based on pure speculation and wishful thinking. Much of what we know about Jesus has been known for the last 2,000 years.
Still, even for devout Christian there are surprises to be found hidden within the Gospels, and thanks to advances in historical research and archaeological discoveries, more is known about his life and times. (to continue article click here)
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America Magazine:
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New York Times:
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Catholic Herald UK:
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Religion News Service: |
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e-zine compiled by John. C. Odean
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