Issue: #07142015
July 14, 2015
ST. IGNATIUS WEBPAGE

You can view or read last Sunday's Homily by clicking on links below:

 

TRUTH SERUM

This week's Truth Serum looks at five passages 

of scripture in

 Five Verses That Don't Mean What You Think 
 
click here 

POOR BOX COLLECTION

Each weekend 
St. Ignatius specifies a Poor Box collection for a needful cause. This week's support goes to
The Helping Up Mission. For more information
MASS MUSIC

Attached is the listing for the music selections
at next Sunday's
10:30 Mass.
  click here

WORLD WATCH

Weekly updates on Christian persecution around the globe. Keep a prayerful watch on what is happening with your brothers and sisters! -  click here.

ST. IGNATIUS CALENDAR
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View  Full Calendar

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"There's an Appointed Time For Everything" - Ecclesiastes 1:1

 

My Dear Sisters and Brothers in the Faith,

 

Yes, there is surely "An appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens." The sacred writer goes on to identify some of those special appointed times: "A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance."  One of those special appointed times he does not mention is a time to assume a leadership role and a time to step down from that leadership role.

 

As many of you know from the announcement that was made at all the weekend Masses two weeks ago, the time has come for me, as the pastor of our remarkable parish community of Saint Ignatius Church, to step down as your pastor and to invite all of us to welcome back home Father Jim Casciotti who was pastor here from October 2005 to May 2008. He has been appointed by Archbishop William Lori at the request of our Maryland Province Jesuit Provincial, Father Bob Hussey. His official date to resume his work as pastor is August 1st.

 

My two terms (September 1991-October 2005 and November 2008-July 2015) as pastor of Saint Ignatius Parish comprise almost 21 years of presence and ministry with you who have proven to be a most gracious, giving and energetic people. I feel greatly blessed by God to have had these amazing and fruitful years of mission and ministry with you. Fortified by God's grace, we have worked together and have been able to build a dynamic community of "friends in the Lord," steeped in prayer and engaged in multiple ministries which serve many people, not least of all the poor. I am full of gratitude to all of you for your constant support and readiness to do the work of the Gospel.

 

Now the time has come to turn over the role of pastoral leadership of our parish community to Father Jim whom we all know very well to be a seasoned, compassionate and competent pastoral leader. Already quite familiar with our community, he returns to nurture and develop further the mission and ministries of our parish. I know that we will welcome him warmly and enthusiastically.

 

For me the good news is that, in his kindness, Father Casciotti has asked me to assist him and all of you, the parishioners, by continuing to do pastoral ministry at St. Ignatius. I am deeply pleased to do so and count his invitation a special opportunity to remain with you in the work of this outstanding parish community.

 

As I finish my work as your pastor on July 31st, the Feast of our Patron and the Founder of the Society of Jesus, I do so with a heart full of profound regard and gratitude for all of you, my fellow parishioners of Saint Ignatius Church. Thank you all and continue to be deeply blessed by God.

 

Gratefully in the Risen Jesus,

 

The Most Important Thing

"Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" - Luke12:32
 

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Summer Project - Collecting Housewarming Items

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!

A Great Month for Spiritual Growth



 
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!

Upcoming Events

I�igo Book Group 

- Tuesday, July 14

I�igo 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 [email protected] with any questions.

 

Parish Picnic Weekend

     - July 17-19

Our annual parish's annual picnic is this weekend, July 17-19  at Blue Ridge Summit, PA. The picnic itself is on Saturday the 18th, 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 now be purchased only at the parish offices during normal business hours and at the picnic. 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 of Reading the Women of the Bible: A New Interpretation of Their Stories by Tikva Frymer-Kensky. This book address�es 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  [email protected].

 

Bread For The World Volunteer Event

- Tuesday, July 21

Bread for the World will be hosting a volunteer event for interested parishioners on the morning of Tuesday, July 21st. The Restore Such a One Deliverance Center, located right across from the parish on 202 East Madison Street, is a participant in the federally-funded Summer Food Service Program (feeding an estimated 2.4 million children annually). Members of St. Ignatius would have the opportunity to assist with distributing lunch to children who attend the summer camp run by the church - Camp Restore. Volunteers would arrive at the parish, no later than 10:30 AM, and then head over to the Deliverance Center around 11:00 AM. Supplies for lunch would then be carried over to the building formerly occupied by St. Ignatius Loyola Academy. Lunch is to be served at 12:30 PM, where parishioners will assist in ensuring all camp attendees receive meals. This can serve as a wonderful opportunity to continue the action begun during last month's Offering of Letters, and to see firsthand how many are impacted by child nutrition programs. To sign up to join this effort please contact Phillip Clark at [email protected] or 443-469-7348.

  

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 surely be a Mass of great beautyThe celebration will include selections from Mass of Hope: A Mass in the Jazz Idiom, by Pittsburgh jazz guitarist and educator Joe Negri.  This joyous and tuneful setting of the Mass will feature a jazz ensemble (piano, bass, drums and guitar) led by our very own Tim Murphy. We hope you will join us for this unique worship experience. A grand feast will follow in Ignatian Hall. 

 

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. 

 

To download flyer of event CLICK HERE.

In the Media

 

Black Churches Matter


We've heard many religious leaders speaking of liberty and persecution recently. We've yet to hear them mention the burning of black churches. We watched hours upon hours of coverage of a smoldering CVS in Baltimore. We've yet to see sufficient coverage of the string of churches burned in the past weeks. We've defended the rights of bigots to gather and preach their hate on public land under the long shadow of the confederate flag. And yet, we've failed to defend those whom they hate from the consequences of their racist speech.

 

Religiously. Culturally. Politically. We have failed.

 

***

Black lives matter. One of the many reasons they matter is that they are witnesses of a profoundly Christian truth. They matter because, like our sacred scriptures, they're revelatory - they reveal the truth of God's incredible goodness and beauty even as they reveal the consequences of our sinful history and our continued complicity in systemic racial inequality and violence.

Black churches matter too. They matter for anyone who takes Christianity seriously because they are places of authentic witness to the Gospel narrative of love and justice, a love that lives in the midst of crucifixion while proclaiming the joy of resurrection. When someone burns black churches they are burning the body of Christ. - READ MORE

READER NOTIFICATION:  

"Parish: the thought" is a publication of St. Ignatius Catholic Community, Baltimore. Each edition contains articles and news feeds that are included for awareness of current topics in our world today. The positions expressed by outside authors and news feeds are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions or positions of St. Ignatius Catholic Community or its staff.

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