TRUTH SERUM |
|
Reflections on the Almsgiving focus of Lent
|
ST. IGNATIUS CALENDAR |
|
View Full Calendar
|
POOR BOX COLLECTION |
|
Each weekend St. Ignatius specifies a Poor Box collection for a needful cause. To learn about next weekend's collection
|
WORLD WATCH |
Weekly updates on Christian persecution around the globe. Keep a prayerful watch on what is happening with your brothers and sisters!
|
JOIN OUR LIST | 
|
|
|
POPES AND SAINTHOOD
My Sisters and Brothers in Christ:
Just a few weeks from now, namely Sunday, April 27th, known as Divine Mercy Sunday, Pope Francis will canonize two extraordinary popes: John XXIII (1958-1963) and John Paul II (1978-2005). These saintly yet very human men are greatly admired by people across the entire world. In their lifetime they made a lasting impact on the Church and the world. Men of deep prayer and great service to others, their lives and accomplishments continue to exemplify a goodness and holiness that inspire us to imitate them in our own lives and actions.
In the light of their coming canonizations, word has surfaced that Pope Paul VI (1963-1978) is one step closer to beatification following attribution to him of a miracle. At the same time, his immediate successor, Pope John Paul I (1978) who was pontiff for a mere 33 days, is being considered also for sainthood. In the wings remains Blessed Pope Pius XII (1939-1958) whose canonization has been stalled due to the great controversy over what is seen by many as his failure to speak out on behalf of the persecuted and murdered European Jews during the Second World War.
No doubt, for some people it is disconcerting to see this number of popes either being canonized or being considered for eventual canonization. It gives the appearance that once you are pope, you are automatically "on track" to be canonized. Placing this issue in the context of the history of the 264 popes, we find that within the first 350 years of the papacy all of the first 35 popes bear the name "saint" mostly because they were either martyred or exiled for the Catholic faith. In addition, there have been dozens of others throughout the 2000-year history of the papacy who also bear the title of "saint."
On the other hand, we know that in the course of that same long history there have been popes who have failed to live in imitation of Jesus and the teachings of his Gospel. We have to turn only to Pope Alexander VI (1492-1503), a member of the Spanish Borgia family, whose uncle was Pope Callistus III (1455-1458), to encounter a pontificate marked by greed, sensuality and nepotism. His papacy is the most notorious in history. (It is interesting to note that he was elected the year after Saint Ignatius Loyola was born in the Basque region of northern Spain.)
Mindful, too, that there were any number of other popes, especially during the Medieval and Renaissance Periods of European History, who lived less than exemplary lives, we are grateful to God that the popes of the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries have been men of commendable reputation even though they may have made ecclesial decisions in their role as pope with which many may not have agreed.
As we look forward to the canonizations in the final week of April, we might wish to take time to research some of the more outstanding popes of history such as Leo the Great (440-461) and Gregory the Great (590-604). Father Richard McBrien, professor of theology at Notre Dame University, has published a worthy though prodigious work titled, Lives of the Popes.
.
Gratefully, In Christ,
P.S. - If you'd like to know more about the canonization process for sainthood, here's a link to an excerpt from the book "Saints For Dummies". |
The Events of This Next Week
|
Lenten Reconciliation Service
- Wednesday, April 2
There will be a communal reconciliation service for parishioners of St.Ignatius, St. Vincent de Paul, and Corpus Christi held at St. Vincent de Paul Church at 7:30 PM on Wednesday, April 2. Five priests will be available for private confession. Everyone is encouraged to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation to help make this prayerful season more meaningful. For map and directions click here.
Friday Night Mass and Lenten Program
- Friday, April 4

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 "Announcing the Reign of God - Jesus, a 'holy man,' is anointed by God, establishes a surrogate family, forms a faction, and teaches about God in parables". 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.
2nd Annual Ignatian 5k: "Runners For Others"
- Saturday, April 5
Online registration is still open for "Runners for Others: An Ignatian 5K". The 3.1-mile race and 1-mile family walk kicks off at 9:30 AM on Saturday, April 5 in Patterson Park. To register click here .
Details:
- Registration on race day begins at 8 AM at the park, at the entrance near the corner of Eastern Avenue and S. Linwood Avenue.
- Registration fees are $25, with discounts for certain groups (see registration site for details) and FREE registration for children 10 and under and for members of religious orders.
- Proceeds will go to the eight Jesuit schools and organizations in the Baltimore area to support a variety of initiatives that directly help people in need.
- Represent St. Ignatius Church at the Race; To volunteer for the St. Ignatius information table or with other needs on race day, such as handing out water to runners, send a message to anne.haddad1@gmail.com.
Participating organizations are: Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, Ignatian Volunteer Corps, Jesuit Volunteer Corps, Loyola Blakefield, Loyola University Maryland, Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus, St. Alphonsus Rodriguez Parish in Woodstock, St. Ignatius Church in Baltimore and St. Ignatius Loyola Academy.
Morning of Reflection
- Saturday, April 5
Fr. Bob Hamm S.J., Seamus Dockery, and Toni Moore-Duggan will conduct this time of prayer and reflection. There will be additional time given for personal prayer, sharing and questions. Grow more deeply into your faith and grow in your prayer life and desire of service in the world you live in. The program begins at 9:00 AM but coffee & donuts are available after 8:30.
Embracing God's Gifts Weekend Retreat
- Saturday, April 5
Our parish's Gay and Lesbian Ministry, Embracing God's Gifts, is sponsoring an afternoon retreat on Saturday, April 5th from 1 PM- 5 PM. The program will celebrate the themes of wholeness and holiness with opportunities for prayer, dialogue and creative exercises. Anyone in our parish is welcome and encouraged to join us. Contact Gordon Creamer with questions or more information at themissionbridge@yahoo.com. To learn more about the Embracing God's Gifts Ministry click here.
|
Future Dates to Put on Your Calendar
|
Making Abortion Unthinkable
- Saturday, April 26
A workshop from 9AM - 12:30 PM on the issues surrounding the Church's teaching, the basis for the underlying belief, responses to frequently asked questions and the help provided by The Rachel Project ministry.
What you can expect: In this Pro-life 101 workshop using part of the "Making Abortion Unthinkable" DVD series from Stand to Reason, attendees will receive a comprehensive and practical guide to presenting the facts about abortion and why it should be outlawed in a peaceful, charitable, rational and intelligent way. It will show how to answer common objections in a gentle and respectful way, in order to convince pro-choice people that abortion is wrong. Appropriate for all adults and mature high school juniors and seniors. Click here to download flyer for further information and registration form.
|
Viva House Collection is This Weekend
|
On 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).
|
Because We Need to Understand the Issues
|
IS PEACE POSSIBLE?
The conflict in the Holy Land has been painted as an unsolvable religious dispute. But is there more to the story?
|
To our St. Ignatius Readers: As followers of Christ we feel it's important to gain understanding of the issues surrounding the center and homeland of our faith. To that end we present you with an in-depth text/video article about the Israel - Palestine conflict and what individuals on both sides are doing to seek peace. We also wanted to share it with you because some of them are our dear friends and fellow believers.
| | |  | |
When Bassam Aramin was 17 years old, he was sentenced to seven years in prison for being with a group of friends that lobbed
grenades toward Israeli jeeps.
It was his most severe crime against Israel's military rule, but it wasn't his first. As a child in the ancient city of Hebron in the West Bank, Aramin had raised a Palestinian flag on the school playground-which was illegal. When he was 12, he and some other students threw stones at Israeli tanks. Soldiers retaliated by shooting one of the students dead.
"At that moment, I developed a need for revenge," Aramin says. "I joined a group whose mission was to get rid of the soldiers controlling our town. We called ourselves freedom fighters, but the outside world called us terrorists." The law called him a criminal and he ended up in jail.
With limited options for entertainment, Aramin attended a showing of Schindler's List - Steven Spielberg's famous Holocaust opus. His first thought as he began watching the story of the European Jews was, "I wish they had all died. Then I wouldn't be in this place." But minutes into the film, he found himself crying - crying for the 6 million Jews who had been herded into the gas chambers. For the first time, he truly felt the horrific reality of Jewish suffering.
(to continue article and videos, click here)
|
Reeves Gallery
|
The past few weeks in the Reeves Gallery have been wonderfully creative as we've hosted CREATE - a series of panels where our parishioners created their own faith-based impressions.
Continuing on, we have a wonderful exhibit in store for you! Beginning this next Sunday (April, 6) we open the showing of Engagement with Soul- Selections from the Art Collection of Dianne Smith. The exhibition will run through May 4th. Dianne Smith is an individual who resonates in the fabric between soul and spirit. Her connections with artists over the years have retained a warm luster of friendship and solidarity. Dianne will be in the Reeves Gallery after the 10:30AM Mass on Sunday, April 6th.
|
In the Media
|
Since Pope Francis, More Catholics Say the Church is in Touch  | Click on video to view |
By Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Anthony Salvanto and Fred Backus
One year into Pope Francis' papacy, Catholics appear to be feeling more of a connection to their church than in the recent past. For the first time in CBS News polling, more Catholics now say that the Catholic Church is in touch with the needs of Catholics (48 percent) than say it is out of touch (43 percent).
Last year, before Pope Francis became Pope, a majority of Catholics (53 percent) said the church was out of touch. Catholics were more divided (47 percent "in touch", 47 percent "out of touch") in their views back in 1995. There are some differences within the Catholic community. Most who attend religious services weekly or nearly every week think the church is in touch with the needs of Catholics, but Catholics who go to church less often are more divided: 47 percent say the Catholic Church is out of touch, while 42 percent think it is in touch. (to continue article click here) |
|
e-zine compiled by John. C. Odean
|
|
|