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ST. IGNATIUS WEBPAGE
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You can view or read last Sunday's Homily entitled
Called to be a Prophet by clicking on links below:
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TRUTH SERUM
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A beautiful devotion from Victor Hugo's Les Miserables. This week's Truth Serum is entitled
The Way It's Supposed to Be -The Priest and Jean Valjean
- click here
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POOR BOX COLLECTION
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Each weekend
St. Ignatius specifies a Poor Box collection for a needful cause. This week's support goes to
a parishioner in need. For more information
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MASS MUSIC
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Attached is the listing for the music selections at next Sunday's 10:30 Mass. click here
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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! - click here.
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ST. IGNATIUS CALENDAR
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JOIN OUR LIST
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Candid Interviews with Six Refreshingly Open American Bishops
My Dear Sisters and Brothers in the Faith,
Once in a great while we are taken up short by an article or interview that makes us shake our heads at the candor and frankness of the writer or interviewee. The words and insights are so compelling that we gravitate to sending the piece to friends or associates who will find it equally refreshing and glad to have been on the "sent list." Such a moment came my way a few days ago when I opened the recent New Digital Content of America magazine (6/1/15).
The article was titled "West Coast Catholicism" by Jesuit Jim McDermott. In a marvelous series of interviews with six different bishops, McDermott draws out rich and exciting reflections from these hard working pastors who are close to their people whom they genuinely respect and care for. They all are facing great challenges in some of the fastest growing dioceses in the country. Each diocese is missionary territory in one way or another. All are experiencing the newly emerging Hispanic Catholic Church that by mid-century will outnumber all other ethnic groups in the American Church including the Irish, Germans, Italians and Polish who have been such a dynamic part of the US Church over the past 100 or more years.
What is immensely fascinating about these six dioceses is the dynamism at play in each one of them. Clearly, they are not facing the closing or clustering of churches as is happening everywhere on the East Coast and Mid-west dioceses but the opening of new ones as the Catholic population grows exponentially. Another key feature of these six is the place and role of the laity who are actively engaged in the work and mission of their parishes. Striking, too, is the vast diversity that makes up the complexion of the Church in the far West: Filipinos, Vietnamese, Mexicans, Pacific Islanders, Laotians, old Europeans, and on and on.
If you do not have time to read all six interviews, although they are certainly worth it, I recommend the startling responses of 57-year old Bishop Joseph Tyson of Yakima Diocese in the state of Washington. Though he was chosen to be bishop in 2005, he nonetheless is emphatically a Pope Francis type bishop who speaks openly of his admiration for Francis. Of course, this is true of several other bishops in their interviews. In fact, I would say that all of them without exception carry the spirit of Francis and should be categorized, if that is the proper word, as men of the kind of Church the Pope frequently speaks about: "a field hospital."
It is evident that each of these bishops loves to go out to the peripheries and engage their people, ending up "smelling like the sheep" as Francis encourages them to do.
Should you want to listen to the perspective on the Church in America from bishops who are themselves Hispanic, I suggest that you read the interview of either Bishop Gerard Barnes of San Bernardino, California, or Bishop Armando Ochoa of Fresno, California. They both offer some important insights to the richness of their own peoples' contribution to the American Church.
To read one or more of these amazing interviews, click here and scroll down to select the one or more remarks of these very human pastoral bishops. You will not be disappointed.
Gratefully in the Risen Jesus,
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The Way It's Supposed to Be
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The Priest and Jean Valjean
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| | Les Miserables - The Priest and Jean Valjean (1978) |
Victor Hugo's Les Miserables is the story of the triumph of grace. The paroled convict Jean Valjean, imprisoned for twenty years because he stole a loaf of bread, is shown hospitality in the home of a bishop. But temptation is too much. He takes the bishop's silver and steals away into the night. Stopped by a constable, he tries to lie his way out of trouble: "The silver was a gift," he says. The constable takes him back to the bishop and Jean Valjean waits to hear the words that will return him to prison until he dies. Nothing in his life prepared him for what he is about to hear.
"You are mistaken," the bishop says to Valjean. "Of course this silver is my gift. But only part. You forgot to take the candlesticks."
Jean Valjean waits for the condemnation he knows he deserves. Instead he is blindsided by grace. One moment he faces poverty and prison; the next, freedom and abundance. - Read More
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A Prayer Service for Governor Larry Hogan
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 "I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people- for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior,
who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth."
As you know, our Governor, Larry Hogan, has been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a cancer that is often curable. On his behalf, St. Mary's Catholic Church in Annapolis is holding a Rosary prayer service on Wednesday, July 8 at 7:00 PM. Please attend if you can, but if you are not able to attend, please consider offering a Rosary in solidarity with this service for the health of our governor. Thank you for your prayers. For directions and more information, click here.
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Summer Project - Collecting Housewarming Items
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Catholic Charities' Weinberg Housing and Resource Center provides shelter for 275 people in Baltimore every day! |
Housewarming Items for Weinberg Residents.
The Weinberg Housing Resource Center, down the street on Fallsway, is a code blue shelter for the homeless but it's also much more. WHRC provides transitional housing, job training and counseling for men and women who are working to turn their lives around. When they are ready to go out on their own, WHRC helps their residents to find a place to live, but they have nothing to furnish their new homes.
On the weekend of July 19, we will be collecting housewarming items for WHRC: such things as dishes, pots and pans, utensils, towels, can openers, coffee makers, shower curtains, cleaning products. The complete list for the housewarming baskets can be found by clicking here and on the bulletin board in the Reeves Gallery.Only the smaller items should be brought to St. Ignatius. If you have a bed, microwave, or other large item to donate, please make arrangements directly with the Weinberg Center.
Thank you for your generosity to those who are in need!
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A Great Month for Spiritual Growth
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What Ignatius offers is not so much an ideal. It's an invitation, the invitation of Jesus to follow, to always strive for what Ignatius called magis, which means always striving for more, always trying to grow more. We need not worry about an impossible ideal put before us if each day we strive with God's help to be more free, more grateful, more generous, more loving, more in tune with the heart of Jesus. If we strive each day to be more attentive and more responsive to God in our lives, that's what he invites us to. That's God's hope for us, and it is the deepest desire of our hearts.
In honor of St. Ignatius's feast day July 31, join in a month-long celebration of Ignatian spirituality with this special calendar of Ignatian-themed links. Please share the calendar and invite a friend to join in the celebration too!
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| Upcoming Events |
 Pride Prayer Service
- Thursday, July 9
Embracing God's Gifts, St. Ignatius' Gay & Lesbian ministry, is inviting you to join us on Thursday, July 9th at 7 PM in the Chapel of Grace, where we will give thanks to God for the gift of our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters in a Prayer Service. Through music, readings, prayer and a spirit of gratitude, we will gather to celebrate being members of God's family. All are welcome and please bring a friend! A light reception will follow in Ignatian Hall.
 Justice & Peace Committee
- Thursday, July 9
The Justice & Peace Committee is dedicated to the service of faith and the promotion of justice. We are organized through subcommittees that identify particular programs to more effectually: serve the poor and our focus on hunger and homelessness in Baltimore City; support Immigration advocacy and projects - at risk children and families; Economic Justice (legislatively advocate a paid sick leave initiative); support justice issues especially impacting women; and advocate for and develop diversity in our community. We remain committed to organizations working for domestic and international peace and justice. We invite you to join us at our next meeting on Thursday, July 9 at 7:30 PM at the church offices (805 N. Calvert Street). For more information about the Justice & Peace Committee, contact the committee chair, Candra Healy. All are welcome!
Young Families Ministry Summer Gathering
- Friday, July 10
Looking for ways to connect, commune, and celebrate marriage and family? Join St. Ignatius' ever-growing community of young married couples and families as we blend the spiritual, social and practical aspects of family life.
On Friday, July 10, the group will meet for a casual social at Belvedere Square, where families set up chairs or blankets, purchase food/drinks and listen/dance to live music.
| Time: | 6PM - 9PM | | Cost: | Free | | Location: | Belvedere Square (529 E. Belvedere Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21212) - the group will gather in the grass/parking lot to the right of the band, on TCBY side. | | Parking: | You will be lucky to find street parking or parking in the Belvedere Square lot unless you arrive early. There will be plenty of parking available in the Staples parking lot, diagonally across from the Senator Theater. | | Ages: | All | | RSVP: | by Thursday, July 9: email Anne Mattia |
Iņigo Book Group
- Tuesday, July 14
 Iņigo Book Group will meet on Tuesday, July 14 in Ignatian Hall to discuss The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson. The meeting begins with social time at 6:30 PM and is followed by the discussion from 7:00-8:30. All are welcome. In September the group will discuss "The Language of God" by Francis Collins. Please contact Catherine Young at pianocate2@gmail.com with any questions.
 Parish Picnic Weekend - July 17-19 Plans are underway for the parish's annual picnic on the weekend of July 17-19, 2015 at Blue Ridge Summit, PA. The picnic will be held Saturday, July 18, and will include tasty grilled items, side salads and dishes and desserts. Tickets for the picnic are: $20 for individual; $25 for couples; and $30 for family (two adults and children from ages 5 years to 18 years). Tickets can be purchased in the narthex or gallery this weekend after Mass, or from the parish offices during normal business hours. Note: There will be an additional $5 charge for tickets purchased at the picnic. Camping options are also available. The prices per night are: $20 for adults and $10 for children over 12 in the houses; or for those who bring a tent, $10 per night for adults and $5 per night for each child over 12. Plan to join us!  Women of the New Testament - Tuesday, July 21 On July 21 we will continue our discussion on Reading the Women of the Bible: A New Interpretation of Their Stories by Tikva Frymer-Kensky. This book addresses two of the most significant intellectual and religious issues of our day: the experiences of women in a patriarchal society and the relevance of the Bible to modern life. Both men and women are invited to participate in these fascinating discussions. The meeting will be at 7 PM in Ignatian Hall. If you are interested in joining the group, you may order the book from Candra Healy at chealy@loyola.edu.  Viva House Collection Grocery Collection - Sunday, July 26 In celebration of the Feast of St. Ignatius and in keeping with our goal of becoming Men and Women for Others, on July 26, we will be collecting groceries for the neighbors of Viva House, the Catholic Worker community in southwest Baltimore. If you can help, please bring to Ignatian Hall on Sunday, July 26 a reusable cloth bag (or a double brown paper bag) containing the following items: 1 box cereal (low or no sugar preferred), 1 peanut butter, 1 jelly/jam, 1 vegetable, 1 pound spaghetti, 1 spaghetti sauce, 2 cans meat (chicken, chili, etc.), 2 soups, 2 cans beans (without pork if possible), 2 macaroni and cheese, 1 toilet paper. Thank you for your generosity. You really make a difference to those in need.
 Annual Feast of St. Ignatius
- Sunday, July 26
Plan to join us at the 10:30 Mass on Sunday, July 26, when we will celebrate the feast day of our patron saint in a special way. This will be a Mass is will surely be one of great beauty. Our choir will be joined by guest musicians to present outstanding music for the celebration. A grand feast will follow in Ignatian Hall. Further details to follow.
 Annual Ignatian Day Lecture
- Monday, July 27
The Annual Ignatian Day Lecture will take place this year on Monday, July 27th featuring Fr. Tom Gaunt, S.J. and the topic: "Rediscovering Catholic America: Growing, Moving, Changing."
The Catholic population of the United States is dynamic and changing, as it has always been. The factors underlying these changes are often overlooked or misrepresented - factors that are key to understanding the Church's vitality and engagement. Where is the Church growing and diminishing? Who are today's Catholics? Who are tomorrow's parish leaders? This presentation of current research on Catholics is both provocative and insightful. The Ignatian Day Lecture will be held in the Chapel of Grace at 7:30 PM; there is no charge, and a reception will follow in Ignatian Hall.
Fr. Gaunt is Executive Director of the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), and research professor at Georgetown University.
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| In the Media |
The 'strength to love' and forgive
Michael Gerson is a nationally syndicated columnist who appears twice weekly in the Washington Post. He is the author of Heroic Conservatism (HarperOne, 2007) and co-author of City of Man: Religion and Politics in a New Era (Moody, 2010). Gerson serves as Senior Advisor at ONE, a bipartisan organization dedicated to the fight against extreme poverty and preventable diseases.
Published: Tuesday, June 23, 2015 at 1:00 a.m.
When many relatives of those cruelly murdered in Charleston - by a man who talked and prayed with his victims for an hour before systematically gunning them down - publicly offered their forgiveness, it was stunning and admirable in many ways. Not least of which, it provided a contrast to our political culture. So many are engaged in a search for evidence of their victimization in order to justify their anger. Here, genuine victims of a horrible crime responded with mercy.
The killer chose a historic African-American church for a reason. For centuries, black churches have been a place of refuge, a voice for social justice, and a target of racist violence. Dylann Roof drove two hours to Charleston because he undoubtedly wanted a symbol - and he got one. Against all his intentions, it is now the symbol of a living faith. The killer set out to defile a sacred place and ended up showing why it is sacred.
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