You, I hope, have seen the notice in the bulletin, website, and e-zine about the Information Night at Loyola’s Chapel on Thursday 20 June for those who want to learn more about Ignatian Spirituality and/or praying the Spiritual Exercises this coming Fall.
Parishioner Kathleen Wegner has given me permission to share with you an email she sent me about her experience of the Exercises at Loyola University Maryland last year. It speaks for itself. - Jim, S.J.
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"I can’t tell you how amazing it was to do the Exercises but you’re a Jesuit you know it 1
st
hand! [They] interweave with your life and your hurts and joys and experiences in a different way and God is so inexpressibly amazing—it is like if you open that door just a tiny bit just to peak in—and He sticks his foot in there and will not let it close. And if you ask just for a tiny bit of grace, just a little clarity, just a little of His love—He dumps bucket loads into your lap.
"I am sad it took until I was in my 50s to find Him, and I know I still do not really see, I am still “in the way”, but I guess He moves when his time is right but, oh, what a marvelous thing if everyone in Baltimore did it—could you imagine?! Could you imagine the difference in this messed up city, in this messed up world if everyone met Christ and fell in love with Him? I can hardly fit that in my head!
"I know there are other ways to open that door a crack, not just the Exercises, but since this was the way that worked a miracle in my life, I hope maybe it can do it for others."
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SPIRITUAL EXERCISES INFORMATIONAL MEETING
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by Steve Werlin
The term Pentecost comes from the Greek term meaning “fiftieth,” in reference to the fiftieth day after the start of the Passover festival in early spring. In Hebrew, Pentecost is known as Shavuot, or the Festival of Weeks. Shavuot is a biblically mandated festival marking the conclusion of the springtime grain harvest. For this reason, it is also referred to as the Festival of the Harvest (Exod 23:16) and the Day of the First Fruits (Num 28:26).
In the first century C.E., Shavuot, along with Passover (Pesach) and the Feast of Tabernacles (Succoth), was primarily an agricultural festival, culminating in a pilgrimage to the Jerusalem temple. Loaves of bread would be made from the harvested wheat and offered at the temple. In early rabbinic texts, Shavuot took a backseat to Passover and Succoth. It is unclear how much of the Jewish population would have attended the festivities in Jerusalem during the Second Temple period, since frequent travel would have been difficult, especially for those in the more remote areas of Galilee, the Golan, and the Diaspora. The writings of Flavius Josephus suggest that Shavuot was the least well-attended of the three pilgrimage festivals. Nevertheless, according to Josephus, the mass gathering in Jerusalem during Shavuot in 4 B.C.E. occasioned a riot against the local Roman procurator, resulting in considerable loss of life (Jewish Antiquities 17.221-268; Jewish War 2.42-44).
There is evidence, however, suggesting that for some Jews during the Second Temple period Shavuot was the most important and holiest of the three pilgrimage festivals. In the book of
Jubilees
, Shavuot is celebrated as the annual renewal of the covenant between God, on the one hand, and Noah, the patriarchs, and Moses on the other. Shavuot may have had special significance for the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls, as well.
The theme of an annually renewed covenant carried over into early Christian interpretations, associated with Acts 2:1-11. Over the centuries, Christians have celebrated Pentecost fifty days after Easter, to commemorate the receiving of the Holy Spirit by followers of Jesus.
Among Jews, rabbinic traditions have associated the holiday with the revelation on Mount Sinai and the giving of the Torah by God to Moses. Today, the holiday is known alternatively as
hag matan torateinu
, the Festival of the Giving of Our Torah. Jewish tradition has also associated the holiday with the birth and death of King David.
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Painting: Holy Spirit Come
He Qi (born circa 1950) is a Chinese-born artist now living in Minnesota. Coming of age during the Chinese Cultural Revolution of the 1960s, He Qi was sent as a teenager to a communal farm to erase the effects of his parent’s intellectualism. He Qi’s Christian faith was forced underground during this time. To hone his artistic skills, he openly painted portraits of Chairman Mao while secretly painting images of the Madonna at night. In this work, three followers of Jesus are seen on the day of Pentecost as they are suddenly filled with the Holy Spirit. The trident-shaped flames rising from their heads symbolize a spiritual encounter with God. He Qi uses vibrant color blocks and geometric shapes to create a compelling composition. The artist is certainly influenced by the avant-garde cubism art movement pioneered by Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso. To learn more about He Qi, visit his
website
.
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This week our Poor Box collection goes to
The Sandra Lee Centre
The Sandra Lee Centre in Mbabane, the capital city of Swaziland, is an orphanage for abandoned children, many of whom are victims of HIV/AIDS. The Centre currently provides a loving and stable family environment for 31 children, but has the potential to house many more.
The children are all in need of sponsorship for their food, clothing and school fees, and many also require funding for medical treatment as a result of malnutrition, abuse and HIV infection.
Donna E. Chinonye is a former member of St. Ignatius and the Peace & Justice Committee. She has recently relocated to Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) in Southern Africa to work at the US Embassy as a Public Health Specialist with the CDC. In her spare time there. She is a volunteer at the Sandra Lee Center, an orphanage for abandoned children affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. They’re currently seeking to raise about $2000 for 8 computers for the children who are advancing into middle and high school, and are in need of them for computer literacy programming and completing school assignments. Donna is asking the St. Ignatius Community to contribute to this effort.
Here is the
website
to learn more about the organization which was started by an American couple who have been running this program for the past 17 years.
To contribute, the Poor Boxes are located in the Chapel of Grace and in the narthex of the church at the bottom of the choir loft stairs. – Thank you for your kind generosity.
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Embracing God's Gifts Ministry to March in the PRIDE Parade on Saturday, June 15
Our Embracing God’s Gifts ministry would love to have you walk with us in Baltimore's Annual LGBTQ+ Pride Parade which will start in Charles Village (corner of Charles and 33rd Streets) at 1PM and end at the corner of Charles and 22nd Streets. If you are interested in walking with us in faith and support, please contact Gordon Creamer at
themissionbridge@yahoo.com
.
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Ministry in Focus: "Embracing God's Gifts"
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From the Environmental Justice Subcommittee
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June 18, 2019, marks the fourth anniversary of the release of Pope Francis’ encyclical,
Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home.
During the past four years, parishes, schools, colleges and universities, healthcare facilities, and religious communities have responded with faith, passion, and enormous creativity to the Pope’s call to care for creation and care for the poor.
In addition, over 200 Catholic leaders will
meet at Creighton University for a conference
in late June to map out the path to further and more fully integrate Pope Francis's encyclical
Laudato Si'
and a response to the climate crisis into the life and ministry of the U.S. Catholic Church.
Want to learn more?
Join us for the upcoming webinar
where we will share the good news of what has happened as well as what lies just ahead so, together, we can build on these efforts.
Tuesday, June 11, 2019
3 PM (eastern)
Laudato Si’ at Four: Momentum Is Building in the U.S. Catholic Church!
Note: All who register will receive a link to the webinar recording
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Presenters:
- Sr. Sheila Kinsey, a member of the Franciscan Sisters Daughters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (FCJM) and executive co-secretary for the International Union Superiors General’s Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Commission. Sr. Sheila has led the Sowing Hope for the Planet campaign that has gathered the stories of how congregations have responded to the encyclical in a variety of inspiring ways within their communities and missions.
- Brian Roewe, staff writer for National Catholic Reporter and lead reporter for its "Our Common Home" series on faith and climate change.
- Jose Aguto, Associate Director, Catholic Climate Covenant
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From the Economic Justice Subcommittee
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The Realities of Poverty in Baltimore
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It has been half a century since legal barriers for economic advancement for minorities have been lifted, yet the correlation between race and poverty remains undeniable. People of color are more than twice as likely as white people to meet the federal definition of poverty. Given substantial progress in civil rights and antidiscrimination policies — as well as the increased ethnic diversity of the nation — why is poverty still so colored? Why have racial differences in poverty persisted for so long — and what can we do to confront them?
Read More
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Thursday, June 6 - 7 PM
Pride Prayer Service
See box above for complete information.
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Tuesday, June 11 - 6:30 PM
St. Ignatius Reading and Discussion Group
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Thursday, June 13 - 6:30 PM
Justice & Peace Committee Meeting
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Sunday, June 16 - 11:45 AM
Marian House Presentation
See box below for complete information.
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Tuesday, June 18 - 6:45 PM
Women of the New Testament
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Thursday, June 20 - 7 PM
Spiritual Exercises Information Session
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Saturday, June 22 - 7:30 PM
Interfaith Prayer Service For Peace in the Middle East
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Sunday, June 23 - 9:45 AM
Respect for Life
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Thursday, June 227 - 5:30 PM
Bishop Madden's Prayer Walk for Peace in the City
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Marian House representative to share on Sunday, June 16
On Sunday, June 16 after the 10:30 Mass we will have the opportunity to hear from a representative from Marian House, an organization founded by the Sisters of Mercy and the School Sisters of Notre Dame that provides a safe, loving environment for homeless women and their children. Marian House provides transitional and permanent housing and robust supportive services such as educational tutoring and GED preparation, a job readiness program, rehabilitative counseling, substance abuse treatment, and referrals to medical care. Since their founding, they have served over
2,300 women and 700 children, helping them move from dependence to independence
. They are steadfast in their commitment to serve this vulnerable population and address the systemic barriers that hinder the healing, recovery, and success of the women they serve. We look forward to hearing about this wonderful organization!
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Worship with Offerings, Liturgy and Prayers for Others
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POOR BOX
This week's Poor Box support goes to support
The Sandra Lee Centre
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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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PRAYERS OF PETITION
Attached are the Prayers of
Petition for this week.
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Bishop Barron on Barack Obama's "The Audacity of Hope"
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These Millennials Got New Roommates. They’re Nuns.
A project called Nuns and Nones moved religion-free millennials into a convent.
May 31, 2019
BURLINGAME, Calif. — Sarah Jane Bradley was an unmarried, a “spiritual but not religious” professional in her early 30s, with a rowdy group of friends and a start-up when she moved out of her communal house and into a convent.
A bunch of friends went with her.
They called the project Nuns and Nones, and they were the “nones” — progressive millennials, none of whom were practicing Catholics. Intended to be a pilot project, the unusual roommate situation with the Sisters of Mercy would last for six months.
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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