January 7, 2020
Carissimi:
Our Annual Remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is two weeks away. In these days of national discord, I share this interfaith prayer for our nation:

We the people are many voices, faiths, races, ethnicities, genders, sexualities, ages, abilities, and visions. When white nationalists attack one of us, they threaten all of us. We will replace their hate with love, their fear with solidarity. We rise as one.

Listen, America.
Out of many voices,
We rise as one.
We mourn with one voice those lost.
We grieve the white nationalism that threatens us all.
We the people of many faiths shall join together;
With prayer anchored to action and linked to the hope of a country
Rising out of the many to become ONE.
We have been created so that we may know one another.
Let us be healers of the wound that history has formed 
Truth tellers of our nation’s sins.
Let us be healers of the wound our present is forming 
Truth tellers of the unholy alliance of 
Hate and power 
Married to pain and alienation.
Let us be healers of the wound our future cannot afford 
Truth tellers of tragedy, but never prophets of despair.
We pray.     We kneel.   We bow.     We dance.
And, By God we rise
As One.
The New Year's Eve Video!
If you had other plans on New Year's Eve, we still thought you might be interested in seeing the 27th Annual New Year's Eve Interfaith Prayer Celebration . C'était vraiment magnifique!
Events over the Next Couple Weeks
“We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with THE FIERCE URGENCY OF NOW. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late. This is no time for apathy or complacency. This is the time for vigorous and positive action.” – MLK

Loyola University Maryland cordially invites you to the Martin Luther King, Jr., Convocation and pre-event community reception. The MLK Convocation, featuring Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, is an occasion for Loyola and the Baltimore community to launch the spring semester and the New Year by coming together for shared inquiry into legacies of race and racial justice in America.

Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020
Andrew White Student Center, McGuire Hall West
7 PM Convocation in Reitz Arena
 
Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II , pastor and social justice advocate, will discuss current event issues related to social and racial justice during his lecture, “The Fierce Urgency of Now.”

Since 1993, Barber has served as a pastor of the Greenleaf Christian Church in Goldsboro, N.C., where he focuses on interfaith and multiracial issues. His advocacy for voting rights, healthcare, immigrant rights, public education, and LGBTQ rights has led to rallies in Raleigh, N.C., as well as thousands of nonviolent acts of civil disobedience across the south.

In 2013, Barber founded Repairers of Breach , an organization that strives to build and expand a national movement in moral analysis, articulation, and action.

Additional information about the event can be found at www.loyola.edu/mlk .
Worship with Offerings, Liturgy and Prayers for Others
POOR BOX 
This weekend's Poor Box support goes to help support
Vulnerable Families in Crisis.
MASS MUSIC   
Attached is the listing for the music selections at next Sunday's 10:30 Mass.
DAILY EXAMEN
Reflections for your
spiritual growth.
Upcoming Events


Thursday, January 9 (6:30 PM)
Justice & Peace Committee
Click here for complete information
Sunday, January 12 (1-3 PM)
Voter Registration Training Event
See box above for complete information
Tuesday, January 14 (6:30 PM)
St. Ignatius Reading and Discussion Group
For complete information, click here .
Friday, January 17 (7:30 PM)
Film Showing: "Selma"
See box above for complete information

Saturday, January 18 (9AM - 3PM)
Day Retreat: "Non-violence - The Weapon that Heals"
See box above for complete information
Monday, January 21 (Noon)
Prayer Walk with Bishop Madden for Peace in the City
For complete information, click here .


Monday, January 21 (7PM)
The Fierce Urgency of Now
See box above for complete information


Tuesday, January 22 (6:45 PM)
Women of the New Testament
For complete information, click here .
In the Media
What the Stories That Shaped 2019 Tell Us About 2020
Climate activist Greta Thunberg meets Pope Francis during the weekly audience at Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican, April 17, 2019. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERS
by  Sandi Villarreal

Before we run head first into 2020 and all of the stressors of the coming election season, we wanted first to reflect on last year — to take a look at the top 10 stories that shaped our coverage, the commentary that spurred conversations, and the reflections that stirred the soul — and how the work will continue in the new year.

Let’s start at the end: As we closed out the year, a single editorial from the outgoing editor-in-chief of Christianity Today shook the Christian world — and the world of politics — in ways that could be a harbinger of things to come in this new year. While many in the media had largely written off white evangelicals for their allegiance to President Donald Trump, Mark Galli called for his removal from the presidency — in the publication of record for many evangelicals.


And speaking of faith engagement in public life, Jim Wallis has had the opportunity to interview some of the presidential candidates in his ongoing podcast, The Soul of the Nation. For Julian Castro, Pete Buttigieg, and Cory Booker, Christian faith fuels the thought behind their policies. 2. Listen to this season’s episodes , and stay tuned for more in the new year . READ MORE
Gov. Hogan considering if Maryland will continue accepting refugees; state and counties must decide by Jan. 21
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan is one of about a dozen GOP governors who have yet to decide whether to accept new refugees through a U.S. State Department program. Hogan is shown in this Dec. 5, 2019, photo at the State House in Annapolis. Hogan is shown in this Dec. 11, 2019, at a news conference in downtown Baltimore. (Karl Merton Ferron / Baltimore Sun)

by Talia Richmond
December 30, 2019

If Maryland wants to continue accepting refugees, Gov. Larry Hogan has less than a month to tell the Trump administration.

An executive order in September from Republican President Donald Trump dictates that states and local governments must, for the first time, issue written consent allowing refugees to resettle within their jurisdictions.

So far, more than 30 governors representing both parties have signaled their intent to continue welcoming new refugees,  according to the Baltimore-based World Relief organization.   They include the governors of neighboring Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.

In Maryland, which has accepted roughly 10,000 refugees since 2016, the Republican governor has not yet taken a public stance. READ MORE