Issue # 06142016                                                            June 14, 2016

Thousands hold candles during a candlelight vigil at downtown Orlando's Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center on Monday night, June 13, 2016 to mourn the victims of the worst mass shooting in U.S. history.  

Carissimi,
 
On Monday I was moved by reading Frank Bruni's NY Times column on the slaughter in Orlando early Sunday. Here are a few excerpts to ponder:
 
This was no more an attack just on L.G.B.T. people than the bloodshed at the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris was an attack solely on satirists. Both were attacks on freedom itself. Both took aim at societies that, at their best, integrate and celebrate diverse points of view, diverse systems of belief, diverse ways to love...
 
All Americans are under attack. And not exclusively because of whom we drink, dance, or sleep with, but because of our bedrock belief that we should not be subservient to any one ideology or any one religion. That offends and inflames the zealots of the world...
 
President Obama, speaking about the victims on Sunday afternoon said: "The place where they were attacked is more than a nightclub. It is a place of solidarity and empowerment where people have come together to raise awareness, to speak their minds and to advocate for their civil rights. So this is a sobering reminder that attacks on any American, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation, are an attack on all of us and on the fundamental values of equality and dignity that define us as a country."
 
And this was Eric Garcetti, the Los Angeles mayor, at a news conference: "Today we know that we are targeted as Americans because this is a society where we love broadly and openly, because we have Jews and Christians and Muslims and atheists and Buddhists marching together, because we are white, black, brown, Native American. The whole spectrum and every hue and every culture is here."
 
It was a perfect description of the country I love. And it was an equally perfect description of what the Orlando gunman couldn't bear.
 
Thank you, Mr. Bruni.
 
To all of our fathers at St. Ignatius... 
Imwatchingyou
Video: I'm Watching You 
A Special Look at a Father and a Son...
Father and Son Take the Same Picture Every Year for Nearly 3 Decades 
When does a son turn into his father? Poignant family portraits of pair who have posed for the same black and white photo every year for THREE DECADES

A beautiful series of photographs have shown the unbreakable bond between a father and son in China. F
ather Tian Jun, 56, and son Tian Li, 29, have posed for the same photograph every since Li was born in 1986.

 

  • The black and white portraits quickly spread online after Li posted them on Chinese social media in July
  • The incredible pictures capture how the young film director has grown over the years from baby to adult
  • 2014 was the only year that they did not complete the family tradition because Li was in America
  • There was a lovely surprise in the photograph taken this year, with the appearance of Li's own son, Timothy
To see how Li, who is now a film director, has grown over the years from baby to adult, click here
What are the origins of Father's Day?

The History of Father's Day
 
On July 19, 1910, the governor of the U.S. state of Washington proclaimed the nation's first "Father's Day." However, it was not until 1972, 58 years after President Woodrow Wilson made Mother's Day official, that the day became a nationwide holiday in the United States.

Mother's Day: Inspiration for Father's Day

The "Mother's Day" we celebrate today has its origins in the peace-and-reconciliation campaigns of the post-Civil War era. During the 1860s, at the urging of activist Ann Reeves Jarvis, one divided West Virginia town celebrated "Mother's Work Days" that brought together the mothers of Confederate and Union soldiers. In 1870, the activist Julia Ward Howe issued a "Mother's Day Proclamation" calling on a "general congress of women" to "promote the alliance of the different nationalities, the amicable settlement of international questions, [and] the great and general interests of peace." Read More
Worship with Offerings, Liturgy, and Prayer for Others


POOR BOX
Each weekend St. Ignatius specifies a Poor Box collection for a needful cause. This week's support goes to
Vulnerable Families in Crisis 


MASS MUSIC
Here is the listing for the
music selections at next Sunday's 10:30 Mass.



PERSECUTED CHRISTIAN REPORT
Weekly updates on Christian persecution around the globe. Keep a prayerful watch on what is happening with your brothers and sisters!

Two Collections....
 
For Our Homeless Friends

Those who are served by our Loaves & Fishes weekend food outreach frequently ask our volunteers if they have any socks or underwear. Can you help? Just bring new socks and underwear and deliver them to the narthex or Reeves Gallery over the next few weekends.





Medical Supplies for Peru

Again this year several parishioners are going to Chulucanas, Peru to provide medical care to the poor through Global Health Volunteers. We are asking for donations of over-the-counter medicines [acetaminophen, ibuprofen (adult, children's and infants), vitamins (children's and adults(, antacids, band-aids, etc.], as well as toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, soap and other toiletries. Crutches and canes are also welcome. All goes directly to the people of this impoverished area of Peru. Please bring your items to either the narthex or Reeves Gallery the weekend of June 25/26. They will be shipped to Peru the first week of July. 
Special Event...
Thursday, June 16 - 7PM 
- Young Adult Movie Night 
 
The Young Adults will be showing the film Pope Joan on Thursday, June 16 at 7:00 PM in Ignatian Hall.

Johanna Wokalek, John Goodman, and David Wenham star in director S�nke Wortmann's adaptation of author Donna Woolfolk Cross' novel about a woman who dared to live like no other woman in history, and found herself at the center of a treacherous political conspiracy. The daughter of a 9th Century European priest, Johanna (Wokalek) defies dogmatic doctrine by learning to read and write. Later, after Johanna's secret gets out, she receives special permission to parochial school in Dorstadt. The only female in the school, she is placed in the care of Gerold (David Wenham), a brave knight with whom she falls deeply in love. But their romance is shattered when the Normans attack, prompting Johanna to assume the persona of a man and take flight to a Fulda monastery. Ordained in the practice of healing, Johanna later becomes the private doctor of Pope Sergius (Goodman) in Rome. Her fate takes an extraordinary turn, however, when Bishop Anastasius poisons Pope Sergius in an attempt to claim his title, and Johanna ascends to the throne instead. Though at first no one suspects that the new pope is in fact a female, Johanna's secret soon threatens to become known.

There is no charge for this event. To view trailer, click here
Upcoming Events

Tuesday, June 14 - 6:30 PM 
The Inigo Book Group will meet on Tuesday, June 14 in the Parish Offices at 110 E. Madison Street to discuss The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell with Bill Moyers. The meeting begins with social time at 6:30 - 7:00 which is followed by the discussion until 8:30. Any questions? Please contact Catherine Young at [email protected].
 

Thursday, June 16 - 7 PM
Young Adult Movie NightThe Young Adults will be showing the film Pope Joan on Thursday, June 16 at 7:00 PM in Ignatian Hall.
For more information click here
 

Friday, June 17 - 6 PM
Young Family Ministry - Please join the Young Family Ministry for an evening at the free concert series in Belvedere Square on Friday, June 17. Music begins at 6 PM and there are plenty of opportunities to buy food and drink both before and during the concert. There is also lots of room for kids to run around and a children's activity area as well. We will find a table to meet up so we can sit and enjoy the evening together. For more info: http://belvederesquare.com/events/ Please email Laura Paulin ([email protected]) to RSVP so we can have an idea of who to look out for. Hope to see you soon!!


Monday, June 20 - 2 PM
The Cultural Arts Committee will meet on Monday, June 20 at 2:00 PM at the Parish Offices: 110 E. Madison Street. If you are interested in participating in this committee which plans musical events as well as art gallery showings, poetry readings and dramatic presentations, you are welcome!


Wednesday, June 22 - 7:30 PM
Prayer Service for Peace in the Middle East - On the 22nd of every month somewhere in the Baltimore area, people of all faiths gather in a church, mosque or synagogue to pray for peace in the world, particularly in the most troubled areas including the Middle East. On June 22, the interfaith prayer service will take place in the Chapel of Grace at St. Ignatius Church at 7:30 PM. Yara Cheikh will be the main speaker, updating us on the situation in Syria. Mark your calendars now and plan to come and pray for peace in our world!



Sunday, June 26 - 9:30 AM
Respect Life Ministry - promotes church teaching on the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death both in the parish and in the community. You are welcome to join us to see all that St. Ignatius does to impact both our church and the surrounding geographic area. The meeting will be held in Gonzaga Hall. For more information contact Jerry Lawler at [email protected].


Monday, June 27
The Young Adults Summer Book Club will start the week of June 27th! This summer, we'll be reading My Badass Book of Saints: Courageous Women who Showed Me How to Live by Maria Morera Johnson. This spiritual memoir weaves in her life experiences with the lives of 24 inspirational and faithful women. If you want to join our book club, which will meet weekly for 6 weeks, fill out this survey!


Tuesday, June 28 -  7 PM
Embracing God's Gifts - You are invited to join members of our gay and lesbian community at 7:00 PM on the 4th Tuesday of each month. This month's meeting will be held in Ignatian Hall as we welcome Tom Bonderenko of Moveable Feast who will share his unique story and discuss ways we can become involved with this extraordinary ministry. This group is open to anyone interested in fostering support, maintaining communications, and encouraging social activities among diverse members of our parish. For more information, contact Gordon Creamer at  [email protected]. To learn more about the Embracing God's Gifts Ministry click here.
   

Thursday, June 30 - 7 PM
Young Adult Movie Night - The Young Adults will be showing the film The House I Live In on Thursday, June 30th at 7:00 PM in Ignatian Hall. For the past 40 years, the war on drugs has resulted in more than 45 million arrests, $1 trillion dollars in government spending, and America's role as the world's largest jailer. Yet for all that, drugs are cheaper, purer, and more available than ever. Filmed in more than twenty states, The House I Live In captures heart-wrenching stories of those on the front lines - from the dealer to the grieving mother, the narcotics officer to the senator, the inmate to the federal judge - and offers a penetrating look at the profound human rights implications of America's longest war. For more information, click here.

Thursday, July 14 - 7 PM
Pride Prayer Service - As part of the Baltimore's Faith Community and the 2016 Week of Pride, Embracing God's Gifts, St. Ignatius' Gay & Lesbian ministry, is inviting you to join us on Thursday, July 14th at 7 PM in the Chapel of Grace. We will give thanks to God for the gift of our LGBTQ sisters and brothers 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. For a listing of other faith events during Baltimore Pride Week,  click here.
In the Media
 
People grieve outside a Hampton Inn & Suites hotel, which turned into a hub for families and friends waiting to hear about loved ones because of its proximity to the Orlando Regional Medical Center, in the wake of a mass shooting in Orlando, Fla., on Sunday, June 12, 2016. (Loren Elliott/Tampa Bay Times via AP)  
Neither Catholic nor Islamic teaching in any way justifies violence against a group of people. However, Orlando is a reminder that believers of all sorts are called to be vigilant in assuring that the edicts of our traditions are never hijacked as apologia for nefarious ends.

As I was getting ready to preside at Mass on Sunday, news about the horrific Orlando massacre began to circulate.  I knew that I had to readjust the tone of the liturgy and my homily to be in accord with the confusion and despair that parishioners were feeling as they lumbered through the doors of the church.

The gospel from Luke was of that of the woman sinner who is shown compassion and mercy by Jesus in juxtaposition to the judgment and indignation exhibited by Simon the Pharisee.  I began my homily by referencing the inchoate news filtering in about the tragedy at the gay club in Orlando. Read More
 


The Jesuit Volunteer Corps Experience


The Jesuit Volunteer Corps is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year.  It is one of a number of denomination- and church-related service organizations that gives young college graduates a chance to change their lives by living simply in community with one another and by serving those in need. Correspondent Deborah Potter reports on one JVC group in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where the volunteers describe how their experience of life together and work with those who are poor, sick, or hungry has affected them. "I see the presence of God in all of my clients so profoundly," says one volunteer. "You're told that you have Christ inside us, but I never actually saw it until I came here."

The Jesuit Volunteer Corps Experience 
Video: The Jesuit Volunteer Corps Experience


Crux

America Magazine: 
New U.S. Nuncio Calls for Church To Embrace 'Discipleship of Christ' - Letting actions speak for words and ultimately for truth seems to be the intention of the new apostolic nuncio to the United States, Archbishop Christophe Pierre, as he begins his latest North American appointment. Read More

The AIDS Epidemic at 35 -  On June 5, 1981, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released its "Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report." The report described five cases in which young, previously healthy gay men were diagnosed with a rare lung infection-a report that would eventually become the first official publication on the H.I.V./AIDS epidemic in the United States. Read More 
   





Sojourners Magazine   
8 Anne Frank Quotes to Remember a Young Woman Who Wrestled With Suffering - Anne Frank wanted nothing more than to
be a writer. "Will I ever be able to write something great?" she wrote a year before her death. "Will I ever become a journalist or a writer?" More than 70 years after she died, her diary is one of the most read books in the world. Read More 
 
A Prayer: For Those of Us With Souls Still Under Construction
"O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of ... what? Sloth, yes. Sloth, lust,something, and idle talk, something, something and idle talk."

I am driving down Western Avenue in Chicago trying to remember a prayer by heart. I drive this way most days. It's a speedy through-route to points of interest south of me. Northbound, however, is a nightmare, ever since they decided to take out the bridge that crossed Belmont. Read More 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Catholic News Agency
Social Media, WYD, and a 'Tweetable' Pope - Evangelizing in a Digital Era - As thousands of young people prepare to hit Krakow in July for World Youth Day, the race to spread the word about the event is well underway, with organizers turning to social media as a primary platform in conveying the message of a very "sharable" Pope Francis. Read More 


The Jesuit Post
A Prayer for Orlando In the face of grief and uncertainty, we do well to pray for light and Christian hope.  When our own words fail, and our hearts are heavy, Saint Francis' Prayer for Peace rises in our hearts: Read More

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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.

 - This e-zine was compiled by John C. Odean