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ST. IGNATIUS WEBPAGE
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TRUTH SERUM
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This week as we focus on Mercy or Truth Serum focuses on "Catholic Understanding of "Mercy"
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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 Concrete Rose, an organization that helps mentor, give spiritual formation, and job and life skills to the young African American males in Baltimore.
click here
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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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CALENDAR
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JOIN OUR LIST
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Carissimi,
Now that the Holy Year of Mercy has begun, I want to share some thoughts from Fr. James F. Keenan's book, Commandments of Compassion.
He begins by taking us beyond the legalistic view that sees God as an impartial, earthly judge who objectively examines the evidence against us, passes judgment, and then may have mercy at sentencing.
Rather, he contends, God has taken our side from the moment of creation and continues trying to rescue us from harm at every moment of salvation history: "Our God's justice is from its beginning merciful."
...our entire tradition always talks of mercy in terms of actions, as either the spiritual or corporal works of mercy. Like clothing the naked or feeding the hungry, mercy entails acts of rescue, whereby one stretches out to those who are struggling to survive. Understanding mercy as rescue helps us to appreciate the powerful utterances of those with illnesses who cried out, 'Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.' They were crying out to Jesus to rescue them from their blindness, from their leprosy, and from their marginalization by the rest of society.
In a similar way, when we cry out in our sinfulness at the beginning of the liturgy, "Lord, have mercy," we are not crying out to Jesus, "Be not severe in your judgment." Rather we are asking Jesus to rescue us. We are not saying, "Don't punish us, even though we are sinners." We are saying, "Save us because we are sinners." ....Mercy is the act of God saving us and we are called to imitate God in God's own act of rescue....It is for this reason that Jesus tells us that at the Last Judgment those who performed the corporal works of mercy will be saved, for by rescuing others we participate in God's life.
In the coming year, may we who live through God's life-giving mercy bring that life to others through our own acts of mercy.
By your side, in His service,
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AIN'T IT THE TRUTH?
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Brené Brown on Blame
You are probably a bit of a blamer - most of us are. But why should we give it up? In this witty video, inspirational thinker Brené Brown considers why we blame others, how it sabotages our relationships, and why we desperately need to move beyond this toxic behavior.
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| | Video: Brené Brown on Blame |
Brené Brown is an American scholar, author, and public speaker, who is currently a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work.
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A RE-VISIT
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As so many of you came to the "Concrete Rose - Pushing Past the Hopelessness of a Broken City" lecture in November, we wanted to update you on Rev. Joshua Smith, his projects, and what St. Ignatius is doing to assist his efforts. Concrete Rose is an organization that Joshua is starting, which focuses on mentoring Baltimore's African American young men - helping with spiritual formation, giving them job training, life skills, and helping them move past the hopelessness they face in order to emerge as holistically healthy men of God. We had such a tremendous time hearing about Joshua's pathway and history of working in the midst of our broken inner city ( click here to view lecture video), and we met several of those who are Joshua's up and coming leaders. At that event, we shared that our intention was to help Joshua bring several of these developing leaders to a conference in Chicago in which they would receive training at a "Crucible Weekend" - and in turn bring this training back to continue in the transformation of our own neighborhoods in Baltimore. We wanted to put this effort before you once more for your consideration of support. We feel this effort could have a significant impact on the lives of many young men, and in turn our city. Here is the original flyer we passed out at the lecture. As well, we are setting aside this week's POOR BOX collection for the Concrete Rose Project, and the work of Rev. Joshua Smith. Our goal is for 100 parishioners to donate $70 each to support this very critically important project. To date we have received gifts of $1000 and thank each of you who have already made a donation to support African-American youth development in southwest Baltimore city.
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Upcoming Events
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Young  Adults Fair Trade Testing
- Thursday, January 7th
Join the young adults Thursday January 7th at 7:00 PM for a fair trade tasting event! Sample fair trade wines, chocolates, coffees, and more while learning about the value of buying fair trade. For those in their 20s and 30s. Gathering will be in Ignatian Hall. Contact Alli Clayton, alliclayton@st-ignatius.net, for more information.
Maryland Campaign For Paid Sick Days
2016 Kick-off Event
- Monday, January 11
With Maryland's 2016 state legislative session just around the corner, momentum for earned sick days continues to build as a growing number of cities and states across the nation enact legislation. We need your help to ensure that Maryland is next! On Monday, January 11, the Maryland Campaign For Paid Sick Days will have its 2016 Kick off Event. Sponsored by Working Matters, and working in conjunction with the Saint Ignatius Justice and Peace Economic Justice Subcommittee, faith leaders will issue a call-to-action in order to encourage state legislators to pass the "Earned Sick Leave Bill" during the next legislative session, which convenes on January 13. During the upcoming 2016 Session, the Maryland Legislature is poised to pass legislation that would allow every Maryland worker the ability to earn paid sick leave, but they need persistent reminding. We want to help send a loud message to Annapolis to pass legislation that respects all Maryland workers and their families. Joining in the evening are the two major sponsors of the bill, Senator Catherine Pugh and Delegate Luke Clippinger who will give us first hand knowledge of what the bill entails, and what we can do to help support it. We need your support and loud voice, and we heartily encourage you to attend this event that will kick off this push to change the law to help so many... maybe even you! The rally is from 6:30 until 8:30 PM in Ignatian Hall. This event is free but space is limited - please Click here to RSVP
Iñigo Book Group
- Tuesday, January 12 Iñigo Book Group will meet on Tuesday, January 12 in Ignatian Hall to discuss TransAtlantic by Colum McCann. The meeting begins with social time at 6:30 and is followed by the discussion of the book and choosing of the books for 2016 until 8:30. All are welcome. The next meeting will be held on Feb. 9 (book to be discussed will be announced ASAP. Any questions? Please contact Catherine Young at pianocate2@gmail.com.
Women of the New Testament  - Tuesday, January 12
The Women of the New Testament group is currently discussing 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 6:45 PM in the Conference Room at the Parish Offices (110 East Madison Street).
 Ecumenical Prayer Service for Christian Unity
- Friday, January 22
Christian churches of the Baltimore metropolitan area will join Christian communities throughout the world in observing the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity when we are asked to pray, in communion with the prayer of Jesus, "that they all may be one" (John 17:21). Traditionally these eight days of prayer are observed between January 18, the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, and January 25, the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. In accordance with this, the Central Maryland Ecumenical Council is holding an ecumenical prayer service on Friday, January 22, 2016, at 7:30 PM in the Cathedral of the Incarnation, 4 E. University Parkway. The service, which is open to all, is co-sponsored by St. Ignatius Catholic Community and the Episcopal Cathedral of the Incarnation. A reception will follow. There is ample on-site parking with entrance on N. Charles Street. For more information, contact the Central Maryland Ecumenical Council by email at cmecouncil@gmail.com. To download a flyer for this event, click here. To learn more about the history of the Week of Prayer (originally the "Octave of Prayer") for Christian Unity, click here.
 The National March for Life
Washington D.C.
- Friday, January 22, 2016
Thousands upon thousands of Americans flock to the Nation's Capital every year on January 22 to remember the more than 55 million Americans who have been lost to abortion. People march to remember the moms and dads who have suffered from the pain of abortion. People march with the vision of a culture of life, one where every child is welcomed into life, and protected by law. Join others in Washington, D.C., and at locations throughout the nation on January 22, 2016 to speak out, to stand up, and to march for life! For more information, click here.
Young Family Ministry "Walters Art Museum" Play Date/Drop In Activity
- Saturday, January 23  On Saturday, January 23rd, the Young Family Ministry will hold a play date / drop-in activity at the Walters Art Museum at 10:30 AM. Meet in the play area outside of the Family Art Center on the lower level of the museum. Cost is free. Lunch is available for purchase in the museum cafe if you would like to prolong your visit. The Walters Art Museum is located at 600 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21202. Please RSVP to Gracie Smith at craig.gracie.smith@gmail.com by January 16.
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"KEEPING THE DREAM ALIVE - A CELEBRATION OF THE LIFE OF MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR."
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In celebration of the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., St. Ignatius Church is hosting a few memorable events, and participating in other city offerings that we wanted to point you towards. We are calling the week: "Keeping the Dream Alive - A Celebration of the Life of Martin Luther King, Jr.". Listed below are events we encourage you to participate in.
Blankets for Viva House - Weekend of January 16-17
As part of our "Keeping the Dream Alive: "A Celebration of the Life of Martin Luther King, Jr.," we will be collecting new blankets for the people served by Viva House, the Catholic Worker Community in Southwest Baltimore. If you would like to participate, please bring one or more new blankets to Ignatian Hall the weekend of January 16-17 so they can be distributed by Viva House on Dr. Martin Luther King Day.
St. Ignatius Movie Night: Sisters of Selma
- Friday, January 15 - 7 PM
 The St. Ignatius Catholic Community Racial Justice Forum is hosting a showing of the documentary: Sisters of Selma: Bearing Witness for Change. After the violence of "Bloody Sunday" in 1965, Catholic sisters from around the country followed their faith to join the voting rights protests in Selma, Alabama. Never before in American history had vowed Catholic women made so public a political statement. Risking personal safety to bring change, the sisters were themselves changed--and they tell us how. Selma's African Americans attest to the importance of Catholic clergy in their lives--and explain why it took another 35 years to become fully enfranchised. For complete information on this event click here.
"Cracking the Codes - the System of Racial Inequity"- Documentary and  Racial Justice Dialogue Event - Saturday, January 16 - 9 AM
The St. Ignatius Catholic Community Racial Justice Forum will present the documentary Cracking the Codes: The System of Racial Inequity as the springboard to a Racial Justice Dialogue Event. Film segments are braided with facilitated dialogue. People leave asking new questions and are inspired to engage in change. While the event is free, reservations are required. For full event information and to reserve your spot, click here.
Sunday Mass
- Sunday, January 17 - 10:30 MassAt the 10:30 Mass and the coffee hour that follows, parishioners will have a chance to meet some of the students our parish is supporting at St. Frances Academy, SS. James and John School, St. Ignatius Loyola Academy, and Cristo Rey Jesuit High School.
Lecture by Congressman Elijah Cummings:
- Sunday, January 17 - 3:00 - 4:15 PM
Homewood Friends Meeting (Quakers) are sponsoring a talk byCongressman Elijah Cummings. He will speak on "One Baltimore,"with the focus being on what concerned citizens can do to make things better in our city. Lecture will include a Question and Answer session. Light refreshments will follow the event, which is free and open to the public.
Location: Homewood Friends Meetinghouse
3107 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21218
For more Information 410-235-4438 or
Bishop Madden's Walk for Peace in the City
 - Monday, January 18
January 18 - 12 Noon - Bishop Madden's Prayer Walk. We will join Bishop Madden on the next Prayer Walk for Peace in the City on Monday, January 18, at St. Bernadine's Catholic Church, 3812 Edmondson Avenue. If you would like to go with other members of the St. Ignatius community, come to our church at 11:30 AM and we can ride over together in the van. Please let us know if you plan to join us by emailing parish@st-ignatius.net by Friday, January 15. ALSO...our Young Adult Ministry is helping set-up and clean-up! If you are part of the Young Adult Ministry and want to participate, they will be arriving at St.Bernadine's Church in Edmonson at 10 AM and leaving around 2 PM. Lunch is included for those who help with this endeavor. Carpooling can be arranged, contact Alli Clayton at alliclayton@st-ignatius.net, to RSVP.
The 23rd Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation - Monday, January 18  The office of academic affairs at Loyola University Maryland invites you to save the date for the 23rd Annual Martin Luther King, Jr., Convocation on Monday, Jan. 18, 2016, at 5 p.m. in McGuire Hall featuring Claudia Rankine, distinguished guest and author. Claudia Rankine is one of the nation's most interesting and powerful voices on race in America today. Her work spans various genres, including visual arts and the essay, and draws on everyday experience, popular culture, and history to create a compelling portrait of what it means to be a member of the American community. An award-winning, Jamaican-born poet, Rankine's fifth book, Citizen: An American Lyric, published last year, received the 2015 Forward Prize for Best Collection and the National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry. A finalist for the National Book Award, Citizen won the NAACP Image Award, the PEN Open Book Award, and the LA Times Book Award for poetry. Citizen is the winner of the Hurston/Wright 2015 Legacy Award, finalist for the T.S. Eliot Poetry Prize, and was selected as an NPR Best Book of 2014.
Rankine has become known for her "American lyrics:" powerful, inventive meditations on everyday racial experience in American life, infused by long legacies of violence up through and beyond Ferguson, Mo. The cover of Citizen is a haunting image of the empty top of a hoodie, reminiscent of the death of Trayvon Martin and American loss. Her talk will help the Loyola community sustain a conversation on race on campus and in Baltimore and the greater community.
This event is free and open to the public; however, tickets are required. Click here for ticket information. Attendees are encouraged to obtain tickets by Monday, Jan. 11.
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IN THE MEDIA
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What's Destroying Some Catholic Marriages? The Answer May Surprise You
Washington D.C., Dec 30, 2015 / 10:04 am ( CNA) Of the countless Catholic couples who have come through Father T.G. Morrow's office in Washington D.C. for marriage counseling, two remain imprinted in the priest's mind even today.
In many ways, these two Catholic couples were the ideal; they were open to life, they formed their children in the faith and they frequented the sacraments.
But both of these marriages fell apart. The culprit? Anger. "Anger is a poison," Fr. Morrow, a moral theologian and author of "Overcoming Sinful Anger" (Sophia Press, 2014) told CNA. "If a husband and a wife are angry with each other a lot, it destroys the relationship. It makes it so painful that people want to get out of that relationship." - READ MORE
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