Carissimi:
The last two weekends have focused on the joy of giving—financial and otherwise—when the motive is gratitude, paying it forward, passing on what has been entrusted to us, making possible for others what others made possible for us.
We are trying to increase our donations to the offertory and the Historic Trust in order to fund all that we do here and all we share with the wider community.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. This parish community is the joy of my life. We worship together. We learn together. We serve together. Together we are making a difference in our city.
I am incredibly grateful that we’re on this journey together to share the joy of the gospel. Wherever it leads. Whatever it takes.
Thank you.
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The Deeper Meaning of How Faith is ‘Like a Mustard Seed’
by Stephen Beale
One of the most beloved verses on faith is Jesus’ simile of the mustard seed.
Most people draw comfort from Jesus point about the power of a faith that is small like the seed. But a larger truth behind this: mustard seeds grow. So Jesus is not only drawing attention to the small size of these seeds.
In order to grasp the full meaning of the phrase, let’s first take a look at it as it appears in Matthew and Luke. In Matthew, the expression comes after the disciples were unable to cast out a demon. They ask Jesus why. He responds,
"Because of your little faith. Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." (Matthew 17:20)
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Justice & Peace Followup...
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From left to right in the group photo: Ouranitsa Abbas (former Esperanza Center Pro Bono Coordinator), Helany Sinkler (former Esperanza Center Family Reunification Program Manager), Daniel Zawodny (Esperanza Center Client Services Representative and member of St. Ignatius ISC), Katherine Phillips (Esperanza Center Health Services Manager), Mikhael Borgonos (Esperanza Center Immigration Legal Services Managing Attorney).
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Written by: Daniel Zawodny
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Nearly forty people packed the seats of Ignatian Hall on Sunday, September 22nd for a documentary screening and panel discussion event hosted by the Immigration Subcommittee of the St. Ignatius Justice and Peace Committee.
The Immigration Subcommittee partnered with the Esperanza Center, a local comprehensive immigrant resource center located in Fells Point, as part of their “Life Across Borders” immigration film series to present the screening of the PBS Frontline documentary “Separated: Children at the Border.”
After the crowd settled into their seats with some pizza and soda, Brendan Cassidy, member of the St. Ignatius Immigration Subcommittee, together with a member of the Esperanza Center staff, welcomed everyone to the event and introduced the film.
“Separated: Children at the Border” is a heart-wrenching, 60-minute exploration of the practice of family separation at the U.S. - Mexico border. PBS Frontline correspondents travel to the southern border and to El Salvador to speak with migrants who were separated from family members upon arrival in the United States. They also sit down with Thomas Homan, acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement between 2017 and 2018.
Upon the film’s completion, Fr. Jim Casciotti S.J led the group in a prayer for peace, understanding, and a stop to the injustices that migrants face at our southern border and around the world.
Following the film was a panel discussion, where attendees were able to engage with Katherine Phillips, manager of Health Services at the Esperanza Center, Helany Sinkler, former manager of Esperanza’s Family Reunification program, and Mikhael Borgonos, Esperanza’s manager with Immigration Legal Services.
The panelists fielded questions and offered their perspectives on some of the realities that were presented in the film, tying them to the greater historical context of U.S. intervention in Central America and push factors that send people fleeing their countries.
The St. Ignatius Immigration Subcommittee hopes to continue the collaboration with Esperanza Center in the future and offer more opportunities for parishioners to learn more about the realities that immigrants face here in our city.
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Mayor Thomas D’Alesandro Funeral Mass
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On Wednesday, October 23, at 11:00 AM there will be a Funeral Mass for former Mayor Thomas D’Alesandro here at St. Ignatius.
D'Alesandro served as the mayor of Baltimore from 1967 to 1971 and his sister, Nancy Pelosi, described him as a "champion of civil rights" and he "worked tirelessly for all who called Baltimore home."
We offer our sympathies to his wife, Marge, of 67 years, his five children and grandchildren, and other family members.
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When Archbishop William E. Lori joins civic and community leaders in breaking ground on Mother Mary Lange Catholic School in Baltimore this Wednesday, the event will mark an important milestone in the history of the Archdiocese of Baltimore and the city.
Continuing a long legacy of equipping young people with a solid academic and spiritual foundation, the first Catholic elementary school to be built in the city in six decades will provide state-of-the-art facilities and a nurturing, Christ-centered environment for learning.
Named in honor of the founder
of the first women's religious community for women of African-American descent, Mother Mary Lange Catholic School will be the new home for current students of Holy Angels Catholic School and Ss. James and John Catholic School.
To open in September 2021, the school is expected to enroll 400 in its inaugural year, drawing students living in 40 zip codes to one 21st-century facility. There will be room to grow to a capacity of 520.
Nearly 50 university, corporate, philanthropic and nonprofit partners are committed to ensuring that students receive a superior education and supportive services.
With the help of numerous supporters, more than $19.5 million has already been raised toward the $23.9 million project. $19 million will go to capital expenses, with $500,000 designated for scholarships. The Archdiocese is also seeking to endow two $2.5 million funds each for operating expenses and tuition grants and aid.
To learn more about Mother Mary Lange Catholic School and how you can support the school, visit
www.mmlcs.or
g
. There you will also find news coverage, photos, videos, radio interviews and much more about the progress of the new school.
Please pray for the success of Mother Lange Catholic School. May it be a blessing to our entire city and Archdiocese!
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Worship with Offerings, Liturgy and Prayers for Others
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POOR BOX
This weekend's Poor Box support goes to the
Vulnerable Families in Crisis
.
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MASS MUSIC
Attached is the listing for the music selections at next Sunday's 10:30 Mass.
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THE DAILY EXAMEN
Spiritual and Faith opportunities to deepen
your relationship with Christ.
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Sunday, October 27 - 9:30 - 11 AM
Young Family Ministry: Fall Pumpkin Decorating
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Sunday, October 27 - 9:45 AM
Respect For Life
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Tuesday, October 29 - 7 PM
Embracing God's Gifts
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Saturday, November 2 - 9 AM
Saturday Retreat in Ignatian Spirituality
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Sunday, November 3 - 6 PM
Julie & Diane at Germano's
See box below for complete information.
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Thursday, November 7 - 6:30 PM
Interfaith Committee
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Tuesday, November 12 - 6:30 PM
St. Ignatius Reading & Discussion Group
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Thursday, November 14 - 6:30 PM
Justice & Peace Committee
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Tuesday, November 19 - 6:45 PM
Womenn of the New Testament
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Thursday, November 21 - 7:30 PM
Hesburgh Lecture
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Sunday, November 24 - 9:30 AM - 1 PM
International Food, Crafts & Art Fair
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Sunday, November 24 - 9:45 AM
Respect for Life
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A chance for parishioners to hang out together and enjoy the talents of our St. Ignatius musicians in a different venue.
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American Totem
is a thought-provoking documentary offering new ways to think about firearms in modern society. In a time of great political, social, and economic change, the film explores the national narrative that Americans have a “special” relationship with firearms, exposing how that story was constructed. The film highlights gun-oriented organizations and their search for community. It also spotlights the costs of having easy access to firearms on communities (e.g., suicide, homicide) and the American political process. For more info on the film, visit:
www.americantotem.org
.
PANELISTS AND DISCUSSANTS (Q&A following the film screening):
Sue Hilderbrand
: Director/Producer,
American Totem
; Political Science instructor, Cal State University, Chico; host, “The Real Issue” on KZFR radio
Firmin DeBrabander
: Philosophy professor, Maryland Institute College of Art; author of books including
Do Guns Make Us Free?
(Yale, 2015)
Liz Banach
: Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence
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“Preparation for The Incarnation” Retreat
There are still a few spaces left for Loyola University’s Office of Mission Integration “Preparing for The Incarnation” retreat experience of Ignatian prayer. The retreat involves four get-togethers to introduce forms of Ignatian prayer, and the option to share prayer experiences in small groups (
November 5, 12, 19, and December 3).
Participants are also asked to pray each day during the retreat, using materials provided. Materials to continue the prayer experience through Advent will also be provided. The get-togethers will be held from 12-1 pm on the dates listed above at Ignatius House on the Loyola University main campus. For more information or to register, send an email to
jsavard@loyola.edu
.
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Crossroads in Jewish-Christian Dialogue
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The ICJS mini-courses for our 2019-2020 program year include a three-part series focused on the particularities and histories of each of the sides of the Abrahamic dialogue triangle -- Muslim-Christian (September), Jewish-Christian (November), and Jewish-Muslim (March). Our second course, on Jewish-Christian conversations in the past and present will meet on:
November 5th
November 12th
November 19th
Each course will be offered in separate morning (10am to noon) and evening (7 PM to 9 PM) sessions and will cost $30 for three sessions.
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Co-taught by Heather Miller Rubens (Roman-Catholic Scholar) and Ben Sax (Jewish Scholar)
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In this second course in our three-part series, we will examine how the Jewish and Christian intellectual traditions have grown up together arguing, borrowing, and dialoging about shared scripture, history, and geography. The different sessions will examine encounters between Jewish and Christian thinkers in the ancient, early modern, and modern periods and the lessons we can take for Jewish-Christian dialogue today.
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10 AM – 12 PM
7 PM – 9 PM
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As US 'nones' increase, we must start asking different questions
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Kaya Oakes, left, and Ryan Burge, center, listen as Tara Isabella Burton speaks during a symposium on "God, Religion and the 'Nones' " Oct. 15, at Fordham University in New York. (CNS/Fordham University)
BYJAMIE MANSON
The event was primarily concerned with three questions: Have young adult Catholics lost their way? Has the church lost twenty-somethings? And, if so, how do we get them back?
Those inquiries were apparently so urgent that the center had to open up a second auditorium and livestream the program to accommodate the overwhelming number of registrants.
The interest was stimulated by a stark reality: The Catholic Church in the United States was hemorrhaging numbers, with two-thirds of Americans who were raised Catholic no longer attending church.
READ MORE
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‘Porgy and Bess’ and the power of representation
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Image via The Metropolitan Opera
BY
M
EGHAN J. CLARK
Opera is an oft-maligned and misunderstood art form. From the outside, it appears to be a relic of Gilded Age opulence and irrelevant. And yet the high drama and emotion, always a little extra, is also deeply human. At its best, opera provides a window into the past and a mirror into our present. And as the Metropolitan Opera opens its new season with “Porgy and Bess,” opera can be a lens used to confront broader social questions of race, representation and community identity.
Written in the 1930s, George Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess” has always been controversial. It is the story of a poor African-American community on the coast of South Carolina, speaking in the Gullah dialect, and every aspect of this opera has been scrutinized. It is inescapably a story told through the eyes of the three white men and white women who wrote the novel, play, libretto and music. While Sidney Poitier played Porgy, the disabled peddler protagonist, in the 1959 movie, Harry Belafonte famously refused, objecting to the opera’s perpetuating harmful stereotypes.
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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