| TRUTH SERUM | 
|
This week's Truth Serum: A Catholic Man Opens Up About Being "Restless"
|
| ST. IGNATIUS CALENDAR | 
| |
View Full Calendar
|
| POOR BOX COLLECTION | 
|
Each weekend St. Ignatius specifies a Poor Box collection for a needful cause. This week's collection will be for the SUDAN RELIEF FUND. To learn more
|
| 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 | 
|
|
|
PALM SUNDAY OF THE LORD'S PASSION
My Sisters and Brothers in Christ:
We begin our celebrations of the GREAT WEEK of 2014 by recalling Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem. With the traditional procession of palm branches and hymns we process into the church in a spirit of praise and joy. The rituals of this great feast day, which inaugurates the most important liturgical week of the Church's year, have their origin in the city of Jerusalem.
In the late Fourth Century, Sister Egeria, a Spanish Nun, travelled to the Holy Land and participated in the sacred rites in the church of the bishop of Jerusalem. Taking copious notes, she wrote the following reflections of her experience that HOLY DAY in 386.
"As the eleventh hour draws near, that particular passage from Scripture is read in which the children bearing palms and branches came forth to meet the Lord, saying: 'Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.' The bishop and all the people rise immediately, and everyone walks down from the top of the Mount of Olives (Garden of Gethsemane), with people preceding the bishop and responding continually with 'Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord' to the hymns and antiphons. All the children who are present here, including those who are not yet able to walk because they are too young and therefore are carried on their parents' shoulders, all of whom bear branches, some carrying palms, others, olive branches. And the bishop is led in the same manner as far as the city, and from there through the entire city as far as the
Anastasis (the place of the Resurrection), everyone accompanies the bishop the whole way on foot, and this includes distinguished ladies and men of consequence, reciting the responses all the while."
Andrew of Crete |
More than 300 years later, Archbishop Andrew of Crete who had been born in Damascus and entered a monastery in Jerusalem, preached a stirring homily proclaiming how the Christian faithful should celebrate this FEAST DAY. His words touch a deep cord in the heart and encourage us to consider the spirit in which we should celebrate not only PALM SUNDAY but also the remainder of HOLY WEEK at St. Ignatius Church. Listen to his words calling us to be humble before the Lord.
"It is ourselves that we must spread under Christ's feet, not coats or lifeless branches or shoots of trees, matter which wastes away and delights the eye only for a few brief hours. But we have clothed ourselves with Christ's grace, with the whole Christ---'for as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ"---so let us spread our coats under his feet."
As we approach the coming SUNDAY OF THE PALMS, we need to capture in our own hearts the spirit of what Sister Egeria witnessed in Jerusalem and what Archbishop Andrew preached about placing ourselves at the feet of Christ.
Fraternally in the Lord,
|
|
The Events of This Next Week
|
The Iņigo Book Group will meet on Tuesday, April 8 and again on May 15 to discuss "The Goldfinch" by Donna Tartt. The meeting in Ignatian Hall begins with social time at 6:30 and is followed by the discussion from 7:00 - 8:30 PM. All are welcome. If you have questions, contact Catherine Young at pianocate2@gmail.com.
|
"The Light Is on For You" Sacrament of Reconciliation
& Final Friday Night Lenten Mass/Program
 | | The Light Is on for You 2014 |
Pope Francis reminds us: 'The Lord never tires of forgiving: never! It is we who tire of asking his forgiveness.' He has also invited Catholic parishes to: 'Open the doors of the Church, and then the people will come in... if you keep the light on in the confessional and are available, then you will see what kind of line there is for confession.'"
During the Lenten season we are encouraged to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The Catholic Sacrament of Reconciliation (also known as Penance, or Confession and Reconciliation) has three elements: conversion, confession and celebration. In it we find God's unconditional forgiveness; as a result we are called to forgive others.
If you'd like to know more about the Sacrament of Reconciliation here are a couple of articles you might find helpful -
A priest will be available for the sacrament of reconciliation on Friday April 11, in the Church from 3:00 PM until 8:00 PM.
Mass and Lenten Dinner/Lecture
If you would like to stay around for the rest of the Friday Evening Lenten Program you are welcome! The activities are as follows -
- Mass will be held 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 "Establishing the Reign of God - Jesus, a 'holy man,' restores meaning to life (=healing) for Simon's mother in-law (Luke 3:38-39), for people with repulsive skin conditions (Luke 5:12-16). For these deeds he was put to death.
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
|
|
Mass Hospitality
- Sunday, April 13
Plan to stay after the 6 PM Mass for the monthly reception. Enjoy some refreshments and get to know your fellow parishioners. Bring a snack to share if you can!
|
|
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 Project Rachel 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.
|
|
Perhaps the greatest gift you could ever give is a simple invitation to a Palm Sunday or Easter Mass...
|
 
NBC headlines stated: "Twenty million Americans consider themselves lapsed Catholics, but Pope Francis is convincing many to test the holy waters again with his bold gestures and common touch. After years of disenchantment with the church's hierarchy and teachings, former members of the flock say they are willing to give the Vatican a second chance under new leadership."
Many are willing to venture out to church on Palm Sunday or Easter. How about being the bridge back home for someone over the next couple of weeks? Invite them to church...and take them to lunch. It could be the easiest and most life changing investment you ever made.
Check out the videos below!
 | | Welcome Home |
 | | Catholic, Come Home! |
|
|
A Call to Bringing Christ into the Social Media Arena
|
"It's a challenge that we all face together in this environment of social communications, and the problem is not principally technological. We must
ask ourselves: are we capable of bringing Christ into this area, or rather, of bringing about the encounter with Christ?"
- Pope Francis, addressing the Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, 9/21/13
"Go in peace to love and serve the Lord...online."
Perhaps that's not actually what the priest says at the end of Mass, but it still holds true. And, as we reflect on the words of Pope Francis written above, there's an inherent challenge within-we are called to live the Gospel in all we do. That means taking the Word of God online-to Facebook, to Twitter and to everywhere in between.
In that spirit, we invite you to engage with our parish Facebook page and to follow us on Twitter (@StIgnatiusBmore). There, you'll find articles, videos and more that we think are interesting, challenging or just plain fun. We invite you to share your thoughts-always governed by Christian charity-and to learn from your fellow parishioners.
Have a blog? Tell us about it! Let us share our spiritual journeys and join our tweets, posts, likes and shares for the greater glory of God.
"Christ Has No Online Presence but Yours"
- Meredith Gould, dreconnect.loyolapress.com
Christ has no online presence but yours,
No blog, no Facebook page but yours,
Yours are the tweets through which love touches this world,
Yours are the posts through which the Gospel is shared,
Yours are the updates through which hope is revealed.
Christ has no online presence but yours,
No blog, no Facebook page but yours.
To join us, follow us, and to contribute:
|
To interact with us on Facebook click here. Make sure to push the "like" button on our page to connect with us! | 
|
To communicate and share on our Twitter Account click here. Make sure to push the "follow" button in order to add us! |
This article was prepared by Eric Clayton who is a member of the St. Ignatius Pastoral Council and works at Catholic Relief Services as a Program Officer for CRS Rice Bowl.
|
|
Spiritual Retreat - - - We need your input now!
|
Here's an important notice that we need your quick response to. We are tentatively planning a fall spiritual retreat entitled "Finding God In All Things" on October 4-6 under the leadership of Father Bob Hamm. This Friday evening through Sunday lunch retreat will be held at the beautiful Bon Secours Retreat and Conference Center in Marriottsville, MD. There will be ample time of teaching, spiritual direction, prayer, good food and quiet reflection. There are only 10 rooms available, so we need a commitment now in order to reserve the rooms. The cost is $280.00 with a $50.00 deposit required. Please tell us now if you are interested so we know if we should proceed. Click here if you are interested.
|
|
Viva House Thanks You!!!
|
You really did a wonderful thing this past weekend! But then you are a most generous church. Truly and in so many ways. This past weekend it was about the grocery collection for those in need in our city. We received the following thank you note yesterday from Viva House. Here's what it said:
After a fierce never-ending winter we pray joyfully for a long Spring and the reassuring hope of Easter. The St. Ignatius community helped to usher in the joy. We thank the parish community for contributing 96 food bags (60% of the total) and we were able to distribute 161 bags to our neighbors. These bags are a Godsend especially as folks begin to deal with the whopping heating bills of the winter. We appreciate your constant support and wish everyone all the blessings of Easter. - Peace & Viva from Willa and Brendan, for Viva House and our neighbors
Thanks Ignatian family - we even found some more bags tucked away in the Reeves Gallery when we opened up on Monday morning. We will make sure they get delivered as well. it's such a pleasure serving Jesus with you!
|
|
Visit the St. Ignatius Photo Gallery
|
This past weekend was the "Runners for Others: Ignatian 5K and Fun Walk." Not only was it a great time with beautiful weather, but donations went towards social ministry programs of the Jesuit organizations of Baltimore. We've posted the photos from the event in our St. Ignatius Photo Gallery. If you're so inclined, click here to re-capture the moments of the day!
|
|
|
e-zine compiled by John. C. Odean
|
|
|
