October 2, 2018
Carissimi,
You will find the annual report to the parish of our financial condition by clicking on the link above. Those numbers on a page say two things: You are generous, and our finances are sound.

This is good news for all of us. Obviously, you may have further questions, which I will be happy to answer. Simply shoot me an email!

At present the Historic Trust is able to fund the never-ending repairs our nine buildings need. Our operating budget, however, is supported by your gifts to the offertory. Funding for our ministries continues through your generosity to the poor box and to the Annual Appeal.

Our existing ministries benefit from your continued funding. New ones require these funds too, as well as volunteer and staff support to grow them.

I am continually humbled by your steady sharing of time, treasure, and talent in strengthening our parish as a place of worship, of caring for one another, of welcome and support, and of companionship and practical aid to those on the margins.

My gratitude and love.
We wanted to share with you...
Editor's Note: Sunday evening St. Ignatius Catholic Community hosted Rev. James Martin, SJ as he spoke on the topic "Building A Bridge." What a moving and informative gathering! And what a necessary focus for this time in the life of the Catholic Church. If you were unable to attend, we wanted to make it available for you to view. May God richly bless you!
A Big Week With Big Events!
Thursday, October 4
Feast of St. Francis of Assisi
Feast of St. Francis 2018: Who Is My Neighbor In A Climate-Threatened World?

Every October 4th, the Feast of St. Francis celebrates the saint who saw all created beings as his brother or sister. Inspired by this example, Catholic Climate Covenant produces a free educational program to help our faith community explore how it can better care for creation and the poor.

This year’s program, "Who Is My Neighbor In A Climate - Threatened World?" focuses on the interconnections between immigration, refugees, and climate change. We will celebrate the Feast of St. Francis at morning Mass this Thursday and will pray petitions for God's earth and the environment at the weekend Masses. Please consider the importance of St. Francis and his love for the Earth in your prayers this week.

To receive the 90-minute educational program that focuses on the interconnections between immigration, refugees, and climate change, click here .
Thursday, October 4, 7:30 PM
Angry disputes between anti-evolutionary creationists and neo-Darwinian atheists persist, but this year’s Hesburgh Lecture will show how Catholicism avoids the pitfalls of both by exploring Catholic teaching about God and creation in relationship to the natural sciences’ investigation of the natural world.
This year’s lecture will be given by Dr. Brad S. Gregory who is Professor of History and Director, Institute for Advanced Study, University of Notre Dame.

Dr. Gregory joined the University of Notre Dame Department of History in 2003 after seven years at Stanford University, where he received early tenure in 2001. He has received teaching awards at both Stanford and Notre Dame, and both of his books,  Salvation at Stake: Christian Martyrdom in Early Modern Europe and  The Unintended Reformation: How a Religious Revolution Secularized Society , received book prizes. A former junior fellow in the Harvard Society of Fellows, Gregory teaches courses on early modern Europe. In 2013 he was named the Director of the Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study. He is also a Fellow of the Nanovic Institute for European Studies at Notre Dame.

  • Lecture will be held in the Chapel of Grace
  • A reception will follow the lecture
  • There is no cost for this event 
Saturday, October 6 and Sunday, October 7
YOU’RE INVITED!
‘SOUL FOOD’ RECEPTION
Faith, Food and Fellowship

Want to get to know your St. Ignatius Justice & Peace Committee? What better way than by sharing an evening of Faith, Food and Fellowship – prayer followed by food and fellowship about justice and peace issues.

RSVP a must…you need to choose your date by tomorrow.

Click here to reserve your spot
Sunday, October 7, 1:30 PM
Presented by Voices From the Holy Land and
St. Ignatius Catholic Community

About The Film

Film director Leila Sansour returns to Bethlehem to make a film about her home town, soon to be encircled by a wall. She left the city as a teenager thinking that Bethlehem was too small and provincial. She never wanted to return but this time she is making an exception. She intends her film to be a tribute to her late father, founder of Bethlehem University, and a man regarded as a hero by his town’s folk. As Bethlehem approaches, her decision to flee this sleepy town, taken much to her father’s regret, comes to haunt her.

Armed with her camera and a dilapidated family car that keeps breaking down, Leila plans to make an epic film about a legendary town in crisis but just a few months into filming, her life and the film take an unexpected turn when cousin Carol, Leila’s last relative in town, persuades her to stay to start a campaign to save the city.

As the pair launch OPEN BETHLEHEM, Leila finds herself trapped behind a wall in the very place she so much wanted to leave. The face of Bethlehem is changing rapidly with potentially detrimental consequences. Reports predict that if trends continue the Christian community of Bethlehem, a city that provides a model for a multi-faith Middle East, may be unsustainable within one generation. Leila’s plan to stay a year stretches to seven, and is only resolved when she realizes that, sometimes, the biggest dreams take flight from the smallest places.

OPEN BETHLEHEM is a story of a homecoming to the world’s most famous little town. The film spans seven momentous years in the life of Bethlehem, revealing a city of astonishing beauty and political strife under occupation. The film draws from 700 hours of original footage and some rare archive material. In fact the making of this film has led to the creation of the largest visual archive of Bethlehem in the world and plans are currently being discussed with University College London (UCL) to turn the collection into a museum.

While telling a personal story, the film charts the creation of a campaign to compel international action to bring peace to the Middle East. As the credits roll, there is snow over Bethlehem. Leila has stayed long enough to realize that she is home for good and her battered little family car takes to the sky. Sometimes, if you want to fight for a better world, you may have to work miracles!

There is no charge for this event - To be shown in church.

  • To learn more about Voices From the Holy Land, visit their website by clicking here.
  • To download the flyer for Voices From the Holy Land 2018 series, click here.
Upcoming Events and Meetings

Hesburgh Lecture: "Science vs. Religion"
Thursday, October 4 - 7:30 PM
See box above for complete information

First Saturday Retreat in Ignatian Spirituality
Saturday, October 6 - 9 AM
Click here for complete information
"Soul Food" Reception
Saturday, October 6 and Sunday, October 7
See box above for complete information

Film Showing: "Open Bethlehem"
Sunday, October 7 - 1:30 PM
See box above for complete information
Iñigo Book Group 
Tuesday, October 9 - 6:30 PM
Click here for complete information
Young Adults Fall Social and Cider Tasting
Wednesday, October 10 - 7 PM
Click here for complete information

Justice & Peace Committee
Thursday, October 11 - 6:30 PM
Click here for complete information

Women of the New Testament
Tuesday, October 16 - 6:45 PM
Click here for complete information
Come to the Cabaret
Saturday, October 20 - 7:30 PM
See box below for complete information

Embracing God's Gifts
Tuesday, October 23 - 7 PM
Click here for complete information


Young Adults Ministry Sponsoring Film: "G-Dog"
Thursday, October 25 - 7 PM
Click here for complete information
Get Your Tickets Now
A Cabaret Evening of Light Opera and Standards will be presented by the Saint Ignatius Musicians on Saturday, October 20, starting at 7:30 PM in Ignatian Hall. The musicians of St. Ignatius Church will treat us to a night of light opera, Italian tunes, and some greats from Broadway.

  • Jim Li will treat us to a duet with Rebecca and romantic ballads by the Neapolitan composer Francesco Paulo Tosti, and Leonard Bernstein.

  • Rebecca Rosselló will render a lovely aria from Puccini’s Rondine, a treat from Once Upon a Mattress, as well as a duet with Kyle.

  • You will enjoy the song stylings of Julie Kurzava in amusing tunes by Styne, Comden & Green, Rogers & Hammerstein and Jake Heggie.

  • Paul Teie will offer the jazz tune Devil May Care by Bob Dorough of "Schoolhouse Rock" fame and, with Jim, will sing O Mimi tu piu non torni, the opening duet of La Boheme’s fourth act.

  • Kyle Engler will deliver everything from the beloved Mexican bolero Besame Mucho and a Verdi aria to a quirky duet with Paul, originally sung by Tom Waits and Bette Midler.

  • And the entire company of singers will swing a capella jazz arrangements of standards by Duke Ellington, Cole Porter, and Jerome Kern.

  • Ably providing piano artistry will be Mathew Lane and Tim Murphy.

  • The evening will conclude with Nella Fantasia by the great film composer Ennio Morricone, a song that has become a popular part of the Saint Ignatius New Year's Eve Interfaith Service.

We hope you will join us for this delightful evening of song.
While you're enjoying the concert, you can sit back, relax, and enjoy some wine, cheese, crackers and dessert. Tickets are $25.00, and are on sale at all Masses. For those who would like to purchase tickets outside of Mass times contact:

Simone Thompson 443-629-8343
Renee Coshin Coolbaugh 215-205-0858
In the Media
This week, the FBI is investigating Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, who has been accused of sexual misconduct by several women. One of the common refrains among his conservative supporters—including many Christian leaders—is that they do not believe the women.

Even after Dr. Blasey Ford gave a stirring testimony before Congress, describing how Kavanaugh violently sexually assaulted her while they were high school classmates, many have taken his side.

But, as author and prominent Jesuit priest, Father James Martin noted on Twitter, male Christian leaders have a sad history of dismissing the testimonies of credible women, dating back to the disciples.

He tweeted,

After Mary Magdalene; Joanna; Mary, the mother of James; and the “other women with them” encounter the Risen Christ on Easter morning, the women’s testimony is dismissed by the apostles as “nonsense” (ως ληρος: hōs lēros). “And they did not believe them” (Luke 24:11). READ MORE
Worship with Offerings, Liturgy and Prayers for Others
POOR BOX 
Each weekend St. Ignatius specifies a Poor Box collection for a needful cause. This week's support goes to support the
Voices From the Holy Land

MASS MUSIC   
Attached 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!