This weekend we celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Why? Because one of our guiding principles at St. Ignatius is:
We believe that diversity shared with love and respect enriches all of us and makes us more compassionate and creative. We seek to walk with others and to invite them to walk with us.
Now, a little parish history: When the church opened in 1856, Black Catholics were not permitted to enter. A year later, they were invited to worship in the basement Chapel of Blessed Peter Claver, a Jesuit who served victims of the slave trade in Cartagena, Colombia for 35 years, beginning in 1616. He called himself “a slave of the slaves.”
Three Jesuits served them. Mother Lange, Founder of the Oblate Sisters of Providence and St. Frances Academy, worshiped here. The community grew. In 1863 the Jesuits established the parish of St. Francis Xavier with the help of the Josephite Fathers.
Eventually the lower church was renamed the Chapel of Grace. Meanwhile, St. Peter Claver was canonized in 1888 and become the Patron of the African Missions and Interracial Justice.
This Sunday at the 10:30 Mass, we will bless a new image of Peter Claver and restore his name to our chapel. We take this step to
own
and
atone for
the grave sin of racism
woven into
much of the history of our parish. We deepen our commitment, under the patronage of St. Peter Claver, to work for interracial justice in Baltimore.
The life’s work of Fr. Watters and the dedication and generosity of our many lay partners and benefactors testify to that commitment.
All
of us are members of “The Society of
Jesus
.”
Some
of us are ordained. We are all companions of the Lord.
That dedication and generosity has borne fruit in the St. Ignatius Loyola Academy, Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, the Loyola Early Learning Center, and—soon to come—The Loyola School.
May we continue to walk with others and to invite them to walk with us.
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Catholic Center | 320 Cathedral Street | Baltimore, MD 21201
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For Immediate Release
Sunday, January 12, 2020
Archbishop Invites Prayers for Peace in Middle East
BALTIMORE, MD, January 20 – Echoing a statement issued earlier today by Archbishop José Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles and President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop William E. Lori, Archbishop of Baltimore, invited the clergy, religious and lay faithful of the Archdiocese of Baltimore to pray for a peaceful end to escalating tensions between the United States and Iran.
“I join our Holy Father, Pope Francis, and Archbishop Gomez, President of our Bishops Conference, in urging the Catholic faithful of the Archdiocese to pray for a peaceful resolution to the present conflict between our two nations,” Archbishop Lori said. “Let us also pray for the brave men and women in our Armed Forces who go to work each day prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice for our safety and freedom.”
Archbishop Gomez’s statement:
“The U.S. bishops’ conference has spoken out regularly to encourage the pursuit of peace in the Middle East. We urge once again that all parties, in these critical days, embrace peace rather than violence. Peace has been all too elusive – in recent memory alone, war has caused hundreds of thousands of lives to be lost, as well as untold suffering and endemic instability. We have particularly witnessed and
addressed
growing acts of violence in recent weeks, most recently with the attack on the United States Embassy in Iraq, the killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani last Friday, and the missile attacks on Iraqi bases yesterday. We have called for necessary diplomacy, courageous dialogue, and tireless efforts toward peace to resolve such global conflicts. We do so now, and we will do so always.
“May the Lord help all parties in this time of growing belligerence to peer through one another’s transgressions and appreciate the legitimate fears that lie behind them. All must discover islands of trust in a sea of distrust, do the hard work of reasoning together, acknowledge the futility of further violence and military action, and humbly pursue the common good together. Let us reflect on Pope Francis’ World Day of Peace
message
for 2020 and pray ‘to overcome evil with good and respond to hatred with love.’
“We join in the hope expressed today that the people of Iran share in the promise of a great future, and that the United States is ready to embrace peace with all who seek it. In this spirit, we fervently believe, hope, work for, and indeed anticipate, days of peace ahead. We have just celebrated the birth of our Lord with Christmas. Jesus, as the Prince of Peace, calls us to the renewal of the heavens and earth. Let us bear witness to this truth, beginning with each of us.”
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Walking the Walk: Parishioners Leading by Example
By Len Heckwolf
Environmental Justice Subcommittee Chair, St. Ignatius Justice & Peace Committee
Member, Pastoral Council
Periodically, the St. Ignatius Justice and Peace Environmental Justice Subcommittee will feature parishioners inspiring others with their commitment to our common home. This week we feature parishioner Kate Haser.
Each weekday morning, Kate walks more than two and a half miles from her home in Wyman Park to Mass at St. Ignatius. Kate has attended morning Mass every day since her youth. For Kate, “I go to Mass like I breathe”. Kate has been a parishioner at St. Ignatius since 2001.
Kate’s five-mile daily walk to attend Mass is a spiritual exercise, but one that also has significant health and environmental benefits - “By 9:00, I’ve gone to Mass and walked five miles!” What’s more, Kate’s walk avoids more than 1,400 pounds of CO
2
pollution a year.
Kate’s spiritual and environmental commitment has also had a positive impact on the neighborhoods through which she walks -- she has developed a network of friendly people along her route. There’s the man who lives in Remington who told her she was his inspiration to start walking every day; a homeless gentleman near Charles and Chase Streets who shouts “hello Miss Lady” to her every morning, and a man who always wears an Oriole hat that Kate affectionately calls Mr. Baltimore. Some mornings she meets Father Jim on his morning walk.
Thank you, Kate, for inspiring us to think about how we can grow in our spiritual lives through continued engagement with our community and environment.
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MLK Events over the next week
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“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.
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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 help
support
Thread.
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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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DAILY EXAMEN
Reflections for your
spiritual growth.
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Tuesday, January 14 (6:30 PM)
St. Ignatius Reading and Discussion Group
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Friday, January 17 (7:30 PM)
Film Showing: "Selma"
See box above for complete information
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Saturday, January 18 (9AM - 3PM)
Day Retreat: "Non-violence - The Weapon that Heals"
See box above for complete information
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Monday, January 20 (Noon)
Prayer Walk with Bishop Madden for Peace in the City
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Tuesday, January 21 (7PM)
The Fierce Urgency of Now
See box above for complete information
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Tuesday, January 21 (6:45 PM)
Women of the New Testament
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Interreligious Dialogue and Exclusive Claims to Truth with Rosann Catalano
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When
Thursday, February 6, 2020 at 11:00 AM EST
-to-
Thursday, February 27, 2020 at 1:00 PM EST
Where
ICJS
956 Dulaney Valley Road
Baltimore, MD 21204
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Join Rosann Catalano for a February mini-course.
Interreligious Dialogue and Exclusive Claims to Truth: Reading John 14:6 in Our Time
"Jesus said . . . I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Since the 2nd century, one particular interpretation of John 14:6 has dominated the way in which the Christian tradition has understood its meaning: as an indisputable affirmation that Jesus is the sole path to God, and, thus, to salvation. In our time, vast numbers of Christians find this interpretation to be untenable. Is it possible for Christians to affirm this traditional reading and recognize other equally valid paths to God? Are other interpretations of John 14:6 possible? Valid?
Thursdays, February 6, 13, 20, and 27
11:00 am -1:00 pm
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Pope encourages a deeply troubled world not to lose hope
But Francis also offers a sober analysis of a number of global problems and challenges in annual address to ambassadors
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by Robert Mickens, Rome
Vatican City
Early in his pontificate
Pope Francis acknowledged
that an essential part of his mission as Bishop of Rome is to confirm his brothers and sisters not only in the faith, but also in love and unity.
And one of the more visible and high profile ways he does this is by making pastoral visits to countries around the world, following in the footsteps of his post-Vatican II predecessors.
But Francis' 32 trips abroad can be distinguished from those of Paul VI (9), John Paul II (104) and Benedict XVI (24) by two words or concepts: dialogue and encounter.
Over the nearly seven years he's been pope, he has continued to meet people where they are – not just geographically, but culturally, spiritually, socially and, in a word, existentially. He spends a lot of time listening to others of all walks of life.
At home and abroad, Francis does this most often in private settings without the prying eyes – or foreknowledge – of the media.
Some of these personal encounters and the topic of their discussions are occasionally made known, usually by the people who meet the pope. But others remain hidden or are merely the subject of speculation.
READ MORE
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For Michael B. Jordan and Bryan Stevenson, ‘Just Mercy’ Is a Call to Action
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by
Tyler Huckabee
For much of his professional career, Bryan Stevenson has been consumed by an idea: “You are more than the worst thing you’ve ever done.” More than just a simple, inspirational mantra, Stevenson believes this truth has real repercussions for people, communities and institutions in which people are, emphatically, treated like they are only as much as the worst thing they’ve ever done and no more.
This idea not only propelled Stevenson to work as an attorney and activist for prison reform, but also to write Just Mercy, the book about his experiences advocating for the abolition of the death penalty and more justice in the prison system. And that book has now been turned into a movie of the same name, starring Jamie Foxx, Brie Larson, Tim Blake Nelson and, starring as Stevenson himself, Michael B. Jordan.
Stevenson is demure about the experience. “If I’d known Michael B. Jordan would be playing me one day, I would have worked out more,” he says, laughing. But then, he gets more serious. “I don’t think I’ve been working for a moment where some of what I do can be in a movie,” he says. “I’ve been working for a time and a day when we can really proclaim more truth, more justice, more fairness and more opportunity for people who’ve been mistreated and abused. There’s where my eyes are and my head is. It’s certainly where my heart is.”
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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