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Issue # 07052016 July 5, 2016
Carissimi,
As promised, I write this week to update you about the results of the parish survey which 207 of you were kind enough to fill out before Christmas. We are now asked to reflect on the data and submit an assessment of the parish's "mission readiness" to the Archdiocesan Planning office by the end of September. The Pastoral and Finance Councils, as well as the parish staff have assisted me in writing a draft of our response.
I invite anyone who wishes to go to this link, where you will find a summary of the survey results, the question we are asked to answer in our assessment of the parish's "mission readiness", and our draft response.
This draft is available on the table in the gallery and upstairs from the ushers. Paper copies of the other documents are available in the parish office for those without internet access.
Please email or snail mail any thoughts or suggestions you have to me at jimcasciotti@st-ignatius.net or at the parish office before 31 July.
MEANWHILE, the Archdiocese will soon assign St. Ignatius to a group of parishes we will work with going forward.
Here are a few survey highlights:
- The majority of respondents are white, over the age of 50, and very intentional about belonging to the parish and the wider Church (though not without questioning some theological and pastoral approaches being taken by church authorities).
- Nearly all feel connected to our liturgy and community life, are proud of our ministries, and support them financially-especially our service and outreach to surrounding communities.
- Our parish is growing in terms of racial and ethnic diversity and in an increasing number of younger adult members.
- The typical respondent is serious about spiritual growth, prayer, and service. More opportunities for prayer, spiritual direction, and Bible study are mentioned frequently.
We are a vibrant and generous community. I welcome your input, and look forward to receiving your comments.
By your side, in His service,
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On Growing Up Before Growing Old
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Recently, I've discovered the song "Lost Boys" by Ruth B.: I've been obsessed with the song; Ruth B's voice is beautiful; and the song can be hauntingly sad. Some sadness comes from a re-thinking of the Peter Pan story - what does it mean to be a "lost boy"? What does it mean to run far from reality, to find solace in a place called Neverland?
This past year, my main ministry has been pastoral counseling for men and women struggling with addiction and homelessness. So many of these conversations dance around the subject of hope and reality, whether discussing holding onto hope or even wrestling with the apparent hopelessness of situations. In some of the hardest of those discussions for me, the people with whom I was speaking held a hope that was not based in reality: "It'll all be better if/when... As soon as I move here everything will be fixed... As soon as this person changes, I'll be OK..." Read More
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What Does Jesus Mean, 'The Poor Will Always Be With You'?
A closer look at Jesus' teaching about the poor.
Can poverty ever be overcome? Apparently Jesus thought so.
It's a problem that simply can't be solved. After all, Jesus said, "The poor you will always have with you."
It's right there in Scripture. John 12:8.
So don't get too worried about tackling poverty and injustice-it's a losing battle. Tone down your revolutionary rhetoric and give up the fight. Right?
Perhaps like me, you have experienced that metaphorical pat on the head. This verse is often used as an attempt to take the wind out of all the rest of Jesus' commands to work for justice and to love mercy.
I think Jesus actually meant the opposite of what we usually take him to mean here. It seems to me that Jesus was actually advocating generosity and action to eradicate poverty, rather than hands-up-in-the-air, shoulder-shrugging apathy. Read More
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Here's a couple of videos we thought you'd enjoy this week.The first is just a couple of guys raising their voices to God in worship. They're known as the "Singing Contractors." Yeah, they really have a contracting company, and then on the weekends they give concerts. They have a Facebook page too! Here's their simple and beautiful rendition of "Great Is Thy Faithfulness." |
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Video: The Construction Guys - "Great Is Thy Faithfulness"
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The second video is quite profound - and you can make your own personal applications. It has to do with self imposed limitations. And yet, Paul said: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." - Philippians 4:13. |
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Video: LIMITS exist only in the MIND
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Worship with Offerings, Liturgy, and Prayer for Others
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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.
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MASS MUSIC
Here is the listing for the
music selections at next Sunday's 10:30 Mass.
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PERSECUTED CHRISTIAN REPORT
Weekly updates on Christian persecution around the globe. Keep a prayerful watch on what is happening with your brothers and sisters!
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All Church Parish Picnic Tickets To Go On Sale
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Plans are underway for the parish's annual picnic on the weekend of August 5, 6 and 7, 2016 at Blue Ridge Summit, PA. The picnic will be held Saturday, August 6, and will include tasty grilled items, side salads and dishes and desserts. Come away for a time of hiking, nature walking and swimming. A wonderful time of fun and fellowship awaits you. This is a perfect way for those who don't yet know many people at St. Ignatius to begin new friendships...and for those who do to deepen your already existing relationships.
Tickets will go on sale the weekend of July 16 & 17 and will be sold in the narthex and Reeves Gallery. Here is the price breakdown: $20 for individual; $25 for couples; and $30 for family (two adults and children from ages 5 years to 18 years). 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.
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Now THIS is Interesting...
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Cura Urbi which means Care for the City is a summer, service-learning immersion experience for rising seniors at Cristo Rey Jesuit and Loyola Blakefield. The program was created by Justin White, theology teacher at CRJ (and a St. Ignatius parishioner), and Vinny Marchionni, a Jesuit scholastic who just completed his regency teaching History at CRJ. The catalyst for its creation was the unrest that happened in April 2015 and the call of Jesuit education to form our students to be "men and women, for and with others."
Within the two week program, the 10 student participants will receive classroom instruction from a team of teachers selected for the program, will experience the city through service work and field experience, and spend a week researching, more in depth, topics they wish to advocate for when interacting with City Council members. The headquarters for the program will be the Loyola Notre Dame Library. St. Ignatius' Ignatian Hall will be the host of their Orientation Day on July 11th. The goal of the program is for all participants to discover the past, present, and potential future of Baltimore City and discern their roles in caring for our city.
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Monday, July 11- 7 PM
Young Adults Movie Night - The Young Adults Ministry will show
Beasts of No Nation in Ignatian Hall. Beasts of No Nation is a 2015 American war drama film written, shot, and directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, about a young boy who survives as his country goes through a horrific war. Shot in Ghana and starring Idris Elba, Abraham Attah, Ama K. Abebrese, Grace Nortey, David Dontoh, and Opeyemi Fagbohungbe, the film is based on the 2005 novel of the same name by Uzodinma Iweala. It was screened in the main competition section of the 72nd Venice International Film Festival, where it won the Marcello Mastroianni Award.
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Wednesday, July 13 - 6:30 PM
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 focus on hunger and homelessness in Baltimore City; support Immigration advocacy and projects; advocate for economic justice and legislative initiatives, e.g. paid sick leave and affordable housing; and provide an environment that supports and advocates for racial justice, and develops diversity in our community. Read More
Follow us on Twitter: 
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Thursday, July 14 - 7 PM
Pride Prayer Service - As part of 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 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. For a listing of other faith events during Baltimore Pride Week, click here.
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Friday, July 22 - 7:30 PM
Showing of Children of Syria - According to UNICEF, 8.4 million children, more than 80 percent of Syria's child population, have been affected by the conflict, either in Syria or as refugees in neighboring countries.
On July 22nd, please join the Immigration Subcommittee of the St. Ignatius Justice and Peace Committee for a screening of the Frontline documentary, Children of Syria. Click here for more information.
To view trailer, click here.
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How the Declaration of Independence Went Viral
A brief media chronology of America's first big story.
These guys are about to drop some viral content. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)
By Jared Keller
By the time Congress got around to ratifying the Declaration of Independence on August 2nd, 1776, it was already old news.
On that day, an enlarged parchment copy of the document - adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4th - appeared at Independence Hall in Philadelphia for its official signing. Some delegates present that hot afternoon in August refused to sign; several of the 56 congressional delegates who eventually did weren't even present on that historic July day. Their signatures would one day complete the treasured manifesto that now sits in the National Archives, a historic object made whole by their ink.*
Few colonists would have recognized August 2nd as a milestone. By then the Declaration had already been re-printed in 29 major provincial newspapers, a magazine, and on hundreds of broadsides (poster-like announcement sheets) passed from hand to hand and home to home Read More |
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Relevant Magazine
A New Study Finds That Regular Church Attendance Decreases the Risk of Suicide - A new study out of Harvard University found that women who go to church at least once a week have a lower risk of suicide than women who never attend a service.The study looked at more than 89,000 women nurses between the ages of 30 and 55, mostly white and all Catholic or Protestant. Read More
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Catholic News Service
Where Silence Should Reign: Pope Will pray, Not Speak, at Auschwitz - During his trip to Poland for World Youth Day, Pope Francis will go to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi death camp. He said he wants to go alone and say nothing. When Pope Francis speaks, he can delight fans and frustrate critics. He can wax poetic or be bluntly funny about human quirks. But in the face of great suffering and horror, his first and strongest inclinations are silence, a profoundly bowed head and hands clasped tightly in prayer. Read More
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Crux
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America Magazine:
My Life, Unstuffed - I can't stand the stuff in my home. I don't seem to be alone in this evaluation. Most people think that too much stuff is no good for us as a species. We all know the reasons. Stuff prevents us from doing the things we should be doing. Stuff is bad for the environment. Read More
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Sojourners Magazine
5 Inspiring Moments From #summitforchange - They arrived one by one, weaving their way through the buzz of excitement that pulsed through the Kellogg Conference Hotel at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. They had come for The Summit, Sojourners' annual gathering of 300 top leaders from multiple justice movements, to engage in critical conversations that lead to common understanding of critical issues of the day. Read More
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The Jesuit Post
John Oliver and the Year Of Mercy (What do a British comedian and an Argentine pope have in common?)- On the June 5th episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, the host John Oliver, took a closer look at the ugly business of debt collection and debt buying. As with most of his investigations, they bring to light in a well researched and comical way, an issue that can sometimes be absurd. This episode was no exception, but it ended with a twist.
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Archdiocese of San Diego
US activists answer: What is patriotism? - What comes to mind when you think of the word "patriot"? George Washington crossing the Delaware River, a Union soldier tapping on a timpani, or dusty American soldiers huddled in trenches? For most Americans, the word patriot probably does not conjure up images of peace activists throwing blood onto nuclear facilities, black men and women refusing to get up from segregated lunch counters, or journalists exposing classified government documents. But should it? 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
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