June 3, 2012

Reflection Question: How can you build community in your family, our parish and community that resembles the relationship of the Holy Trinity; Father, Son and Holy Spirit, One?

Over the past few weeks, we have reflected upon several ways we can belong more deeply to Jesus and to His Church. We looked at ways to take a step in our prayer lives and in our participation and celebration in the life of church.  We acknowledge that we are accountable for all that we have been given. Our journey and self examination is intended to lead us to take action.

Commitment Weekend challenges us to do just that - commit to action. We are individually called by God to participate in the tangible mission of Jesus. We declare in writing our intention to take a step on our faith journey. Now it is your turn to respond to your Baptismal calling in building our Church by volunteering in one of the many ministries St. Ignatius has to offer. Please fill out the card you will find in your row at Mass. Through our commitment and sacrifice, we belong more deeply to Jesus and to His church!

Thank Yous :This past Sunday truly showed us what it means to live as the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) when we share our time and talents together in honoring our Lord and His Mother, Mary. Though we come from different backgrounds and cultures, we were one in expressing our Faith in our prayer, our ministries and our sacraments.

*A very special thank you to Koreen Cassiero for her hard work in organizing our Ministries Fair last weekend. Though it rained for the first hour, the show still went on in our Gymnasium.

Thank you also to all of our parishioners from our different Ministries and Groups who helped make this a wonderful event for our Parish

*A special thank you also goes out to our St. Ann’s Mother’s Prayer Group who organized the beautiful day in honoring the Blessed Mother with a crown of flowers. Thank you also to our choirs and first holy communicants and the Knights of Columbus for participating in this special day.

*Thank you to Deacon George Mais and his Confirmation team in preparing our new parishioners for the Sacrament of Confirmation.

*Thank you to our Golf Outing Committee for the fantastic job you did in giving us a wonderful day at the Town of Oyster Bay Golf Course. It was a tie between Msgr. Thom Costa and myself in the putting contest. Now I know a little bit of what Phil Mickelson feels like with many people watching. Look for pictures to come!

May 27, 2012

May 20, 2012

Seventh Sunday of Easter
Acts1:15-26, 1Jn 4:11-17, Jn17:11-19

Religious Liberty: The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty recently wrote a document entitled “Our First, Most Cherished Liberty- A Statement on Religious Liberty.” It was in the Long Island Catholic April 18, 2012 issue. You can find it at licath.org.  We plan on putting the document on our parish website soon.

The Bishops are encouraging each Diocese and parish to speak out for the protection of our religious liberty. For our part, you will see 7 articles promoting religious freedom. The first article was published last week. The second one follows in this week’s bulletin. On the dates between June 14th and July 4th we hope to provide something more substantial in helping us all become more aware of the threats to our freedom by our government.

Please read carefully, pray, reflect and speak out for truth and justice. This is not just a Catholic or Christian matter. This is a Religious matter affecting all Religions. “If our obligations and duties to God are impeded, or even worse, contradicted by the government, then we can no longer claim to be a land of the free, and a beacon of the hope for the world.”-Excerpt from “Our First, Most Cherished Liberty-A Statement on Religious Liberty” USCCB

PS-Join us for our Annual Golf Outing next Tuesday May 29th! I am practicing my putting.

Please note the many events happening at St Ignatius Loyola next Sunday, May 27, 2012 Confirmation: Next Sunday, May 27, 2012 the parish will be confirming Catholics at the 11AM Mass who are baptized and have received the Eucharist. Confirmation makes one a full member of the Church where one is re-strengthened by the Holy Spirit to serve as a witness for Christ Jesus and His Church.

Crowning of the Blessed Mother: Since May is dedicated to the Blessed Mother, we will crown her as Queen of Heaven and Earth at the conclusion of the 12:30PM Mass next Sunday, May 27th in our Stations of the Cross Garden. Please join our First Holy Communicants for this special event.

Ministry Fair-Sunday, May 27, 2012: Join us for our Ministry Fair next Sunday after the 9:30AM, 11:00AM and 12:30PM Masses. Perhaps you might be interested in serving Jesus by joining a ministry that fits your gifts and talents.

Thank you, Thank You, Thank you –First Holy Communions: Thank you to all who gave us such beautiful First Holy Communions these past 3 weeks. We thank most especially our Religious Ed, St. Ignatius Parish School and Music Ministries! The liturgies were beautiful and inspiring. Children, please remember to ask your parents to bring you to church on Sundays or Saturday nights!

Diocese of Rockville Centre Catholic Ministries Appeal 2012 - Parish Totals: Thank you to all who gave to the Catholic Ministries Appeal 2012. When we reach our goal of $80,000, St. Ignatius receives a significant share from the Appeal. As of: 5/15/2012 Pledges $54,586.00 No of Donors 298 Percentage of Goal 68%

Where Oh Where is Fr. McCabe??? : Fr. Joe McCabe is traveling through the Western Caribbean to the islands off the coast of Venezuela. He is on a Mission Trip. Please pray for his success!

May God bless you and Mary keep you and your families. St. Ignatius, pray for us!

Fr. Jim,
Pastor

May 13, 2012

Sixth Sunday of Easter
Acts 10:25-26,34-48; 1Jn4:7-10; Jn 15:9-17
Mother’s Day

Awareness Weekend
The freshness of spring and the new life of Easter aid us in renewing our commitment to a Christ–centered way of life. This weekend we begin our annual stewardship renewal with Awareness Weekend. Awareness Weekend calls us to be aware – conscious – that all that we are and all that we have has been given to us by God. Each one of us has been, and continues to be, gifted by God. When we realize that all has been given as a gift, our natural response is gratitude. We cannot help but say “thank you” for what we have received. One important way we can thank God is through prayer. Prayer is our grateful response to God’s gifts and a natural way to continue to belong more deeply.

First Holy Communion: Congratulations to all of our children who received their First Holy Communion on April 28th, May 5th & May 12th. May God continue to bless them and their parents as they strive to remain close to Him by bringing their children to Mass on Saturday Night or Sunday.

Please continue to pray for our children and their parents who have yet to receive their First Holy Communion Saturday, May 26th.

May 6, 2012

Fifth Sunday of Easter
Jn 15:1-8

First Holy Communion: Congratulations to all of our children, who received their First Holy Communion on April 28th , and their parents. May God continue to bless you and help you remain close to Him by bringing your children to Mass on Saturday Night or Sunday. Please continue to pray for our children and their parents who have yet to receive their First Holy Communion May 5th, 12th and 26th.

Golf Outing Tuesday May 29th Town of Oyster Bay Golf Club: Let’s make this a real St. Ignatius Communal Event. Fr. Thom Costa, Pastor of Our Lady of Mercy and I will have a putting contest at the conclusion of the outing. This day is a combined effort with Our Lady of Mercy Parish. We have 36 participants from SIL. Let’s make it 50! Come and support the parish! More details to follow in future bulletins.

Sunday May 27th Pentecost Ministry Fair Day: In order for many of our ministries( parish organizations) to be Ministries Fair Day before and after all the Masses. Please stop by and see where the Lord may be calling you to serve the parish.

What’s Happening Around our Facilities: A big thank you to all of those who have responded to the request in cleaning and varnishing our benches. Stay tuned for more information. We are still working on the back entrance way of the rectory. Thank you to Randy, our maintenance man, and Bruce Wimbiscus.  Progress is coming.

School Play: Thank you to all in our parish school for doing such a wonderful job with the school play on Friday April 27th. All of our children did just a beautiful job. Thanks especially to Sr. MaryAnn Noonan, Sr. Mary O’Donnell, Mrs. Allison Nurick and all who had a part in the production of the play to make it a success! God bless you.

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I want to welcome two seminarians Jeff Yildirmaz and Christopher Mirabal, from the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington, who will be speaking to us about vocations  in relationship to their own vocation to the ordained priesthood. We ask God to bless them and all of our seminarians who are listening and answering the call of Jesus to “come and follow Me.” Pray for more vocations to the ordained priesthood and religious life.

We welcome back Fr. Francis Arackal OP (Dominican), teaching in Rome, who will be serving here at St. Ignatius until June 29th. Many of you know Fr. Francis from being here in the past. Fr. Francis will be celebrating Mass, meeting with people and visiting the sick while here. Please give him a warm St. Ignatius greeting and welcome.

May God bless you and Mary keep you and your families. St. Ignatius pray for us!

Fr. Jim
Pastor

April 22, 2012

Throughout these 50 days of Easter, concluding Pentecost Sunday (May 27th), we will hear and read of different experiences of the Risen Lord Jesus. Who is Risen Jesus, what did He look like after the Resurrection? We know two things, He definitely was not a ghost (like Casper). This Sunday’s Gospel tells us that He asked his disciples for something to eat and they give Him a piece of cooked fish, which He ate right in front of them. We also know that He was not a resuscitated corpse for the disciples, including Mary Magdalene, did not recognize Him at first, until He called them by name or spoke to them on what happened and why He had to suffer and die. We also know that the disciples on the road to Emmaus, the passage before this present Gospel, recognized Him in the “breaking of the bread.”

This Risen Jesus has what we call a glorified body— something that we one day will attain, after our death, because of our Baptism. No one knows exactly what that looks like until they are one with the Lord. It is a state in which many of our loved one’s now share, and one that we all look forward to one day. This is the hope that carries us through each day of our lives.

In the meantime, we can recognize the Risen Lord as did the disciples through words. We can come to know Him through the Scriptures, the Word of God we read at home and what we hear at Mass each week. We can come to know Him through the words of the priest/deacon, in his homily and in the prayers where he leads us. We come to recognize the Lord, most especially, through the breaking of the consecrated (blessed) bread at the Eucharist, where the priest speaks the words “this is My Body, this is My Blood.” We come to recognize Jesus through the words we share with one another. Jesus said “where two or three gather in My name there am I in their midst.” Jesus is here, He is risen. May we take time to pay attention and not miss Him in the words spoken and written in our midst.

First Holy Communions - Please pray for all of our children who are preparing to receive their First Holy Communion April 28th, May 5th, 12th, and 26th.

Golf Outing Tuesday, May 29th Town of Oyster Bay Golf Club Lets make this a real St. Ignatius Communal Event. Even though I do not golf, I’ll be there for the last hole. This event will help St. Ignatius!!

What’s Happening Around our Facilities

Work is now being done on the floor next to the south entrance of the church, near the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. Our parking lot is being reviewed to see what we can do with a sink hole in the back and other pot holes along the way. The window on the white house will soon be replaced, as will the ceiling in the rectory near the back entrance way. Since Good Friday, we noticed that some of our emergency lights have been broken around the church. Also, one of the underground sprinklers was damaged in front of the upper school. Though there is no hard proof, it looks like vandalism. A sign of the times. If you are driving by St. Ignatius, just take a peek to see that no one is damaging our property. Four, Six, or even Eight eyes are better than two. St. Ignatius is a house to all of us.

Catholic Ministries Appeal Right now we are at 63% of our goal! We encourage you to keep up the great work. Your contributions, big or small, will help St. Ignatius.

Fr. Jim,
Pastor

April 15, 2012

Reflection Question: When do you find forgiving easy? When is it difficult?

Throughout Lent, and particularly the days of the Sacred Triduum, so many of you have shared your time and talents in order to make our celebrations here at St. Ignatius Loyola meaningful and beautiful, and so on behalf of our priests, sisters and parish staff, we offer our thanks to our many liturgical ministers and staff, including our wonderful adult and children's choirs, altar servers, lectors, extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist, ushers, church sacristan, our Martha's Guild, and our maintenance who worked diligently to make the liturgies so meaningful. In serving together, you have helped Jesus come alive here in Hicksville! This is what the Resurrection is all about. He comes through each of us as He does through the Scriptures and the Sacraments. When we serve our parish, we allow the Lord to open our hearts to see Him and spend time with Him and live out His word. Then we, like St. Thomas the Apostle, can say "My Lord and My God."

Most especially, a sincere word of thanks to so many of you who faithfully joined us to worship and pray - you filled our church and made the effort of so many more than worthwhile.

We pray that the Easter Season, from the Day of th e Resurrection to the day of Pentecost, may renew within us our resolve to live as God's people. May the message of Easter offer us hope in God's power to transform any darkness in our lives into life and light.

April 8, 2012

Easter 2012—Cycle ABC

Back in 2003, you may remember we had a major blackout all up and down the East Coast into Canada. I remember it well. I just began the Lord’s work in my previous parish and was testing the lights in the Church to see what switch belonged to a particular light. That is when the power went down. At first, I thought I did it. But, it was greater than me. The night was so dark you could barely see your hand in front of your face. But what was so striking was the light from the stars and the camp fires in different back yards. The dark seemed no longer severe anymore.

It was then that I realized that even the smallest amount of light can shatter the greatest amount of darkness. Today we see in the Gospel that it was still dark outside the first Easter morning and the disciples were quite afraid. This darkness represented their doubts and fears. Jesus, their Lord and Teacher, was taken from them. Imagine their surprise when the body of Jesus was no longer in the tomb.

First they think His body was taken. How could this happen.? But then from the first witness of the Beloved Disciple, who did not even have to enter the tomb, to Peter to Mary Magdalene, they slowly realized that Jesus’ body was not taken. He had risen from the dead. Jesus had become that light for them and for the world that shattered the darkness of sin and death.

It is because of Jesus’ resurrection that we are here today. In fact, every Sunday we celebrate Jesus’ Resurrection. Only this Sunday makes up the central part of our faith and who we are as Christians. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, our faith would be a sham. St. Paul tells us that if Christ had not risen from the dead, our preaching is empty, our faith is worthless- we would be the most pitied of people.

As we see with the disciples, Jesus is the light that gets brighter in the lives of His Apostles and in our lives. When He greets them, He does not chastise them for leaving him, but only says “Peace be with You.” When we read about the empty tomb, we notice that the stone has been removed, the clothing of the dead body was put in its place - meaning that nothing can keep Jesus down or away from us or the world. More important than the empty tomb, are His appearances to His disciples. This shows us that Jesus has conquered death and the good news of eternal life has flooded into our world and our lives.

What is our response? Our response is to live a Life that shows we are Christian. We are to live our Baptism where we began to share in the risen life of Jesus. We need to celebrate His risen presence at weekly Sunday Mass, practice forgiving others and seeking forgiveness, and cleaning out our inner closets that represent darkness and death like greed, pettiness, jealousy, and excessive pride, say yes to truth and no to falsehood and deception.

What’s Happening Around our Facility

On Saturday March 24th, the police were at our rectory door around 9:30pm. We learned that three men had attempted to break into the white house. Thanks to alert people, the men were caught and taken out of the building. No one was hurt. However, one of the windows was broken by a large brick that had been thrown into it. This is a sign that lighting needs to go up around this building. We will be putting up flood lights and other security measures. Security is very important especially here in the downtown area of Hicksville.

On behalf of our staff, our sisters and priests of the parish : Fr. José, Fr. McCabe, Msgr. Bennett and myself , we wish you a very happy and blessed Easter. May the Risen Christ permeate your lives and be with you always so that you can live in His love forever! May God bless you and Mary Keep you and your families. St. Ignatius, pray for us!

Fr. Jim,
Pastor

March 25, 2012

Fourth Sunday of Lent
John 3:14-21

Third Sunday of Lent
John 2:13-25

Reflection Question:  When is it appropriate to express justified anger? How do you think believers should express love and respect for God’s house?

Lenten Mission As a sign in living our faith seriously, may we all take time to participate in our Lenten Mission coming up March 19-21 at 7:30pm given by Deacon Frank Bice entitled “Your Cross is Your Gift.” This is where we can take time out of our busy lives and let the Lord in to shape our hearts so that we may follow Him more closely. Please read the bulletin for more details.

What’s Happening Around our Facility—Work is now completed in the sacristy to repair the damaged tiles from water leaks. We are have a new drop-ceiling which will help make the sacristy look more presentable. We are also working on the inside of the rectory in the back hallway which has been facing water damage from a leaking pipe. Little by little the plant is improving.

Second Sunday of Lent
Genesis 22:1-2, 9a,10-18; Mark 9:2-10

Obedience, is not an easy attitude to cultivate in one’s life unless one surrenders and listens to the one who asks of it. As children, we know how important obedience is to our spiritual and physical growth in life. Many of our parents wanted the best for us and wanted us to grow with moral values and a deep faith. As we grow in life, we develop independent spirits that want to follow our own desires or at least what everyone else is doing. Sometimes that collided with the obedience we should show our parents. If you did not listen to your mother or father or you did something you were not supposed to do, you were often punished in some way. Hopefully, the punishment came not out of revenge but out of love to show us a better way of life. Even though we may not have liked the punishment, we learned something that for a family to live well together, rules needed to be followed.

Obedience can even be freeing because that means that you put aside your personal interests to follow a greater good. That is what our Father in Faith Abraham did in the book of Genesis. The word obedience comes from the Latin ob audire which means to hear or to listen. Not knowing the future, Abraham believed in God’s promise and listened to God’s word when he moved to the new land of Cana at age 90 or so and when he nearly sacrificed his own son Isaac for the glory of God. This brought Abraham and his descendents abundant blessings in which he became the Father of many Nations.

Jesus, who is the fulfillment of the covenant given to Abraham, manifests a glimpse of His resurrection to the disciples on the mountain in the Transfiguration. While this is occurring, a voice is heard by the disciples  “this is my beloved Son, listen to Him” (Mk 9:7). The disciples were given the sign that they needed to listen to Jesus and focus on His words so that they would follow Him the rest of their lives, even through the cross of suffering and death. The Transfiguration occurred to strengthen them in the midst of the cross and remind them that only way they can have eternal life is to listen and be obedient to Jesus. The whole mission of Jesus was based on His obedience to the Father. He said in the garden “not My will but Yours be done” (Lk 22:42). This brought a freedom to Jesus, where he was not a slave to fear or the negative voices of His time, where he gave His life up so that we are given life eternal. In the end, the apostles chose to be obedient to Jesus’ command in taking up their cross which gave us a vibrant Church. The same can be said for us. There are many competing voices our world that will try to distract us from our mission in following Jesus through His Church. They can be voices of insecurity, selfishness, ingratitude, greed, bullying, and they never listen to the Church because it is behind the times.

Thank You-Activities Committee—Thank you to our Activities Committee in sponsoring our Mardi Gras/Lenten fundraiser at Friendly’s this past Tuesday. It was a great success! It was wonderful to see many of you and to get to know your names. This was an important night to build community and have fun doing it. Look ahead for more events planned for the Fall of 2012.

Catholic Ministries Appeal—Next weekend we will have a speaker from Catholic Charities who will speak on the Catholic Ministries Appeal at all the Masses. As I wrote in my column a few weeks ago, our pledge goal was reduced to $80,000 from $112,000.

What’s Happening Around our Facility—The work on our brick above the sacristy is completed. Hopefully no more leaks. Work will now be done on the inside of the sacristy to repair the ceiling from leaks.

Fr. Jim
Pastor

February 26, 2012

First Sunday of Lent
Mark 1:12-15

Reflection Question: In what ways do you want Lent to be a new beginning in your life as a Christian? What will you do to work toward these goals?

PLEASE JOIN US

Join us at Friendly’s for a family/parish night fundraiser this Tuesday February 28th from 5 to 8pm. You can come at any time! It will be an opportunity to meet your priests, have fun with other parishionesr and help the parish financially all at the same time. Thank you to our Activities Committee for making this event happen!

WELCOME іBienvenidos! Padre Roberto Olortegui

A warm welcome to Fr. Roberto Olortegui, who is visiting us from Peru. Fr. Roberto was the former rector of Fr. Jose in Peru. He will be with us till mid March.

God bless you and Mary keep you and your families. St. Ignatius Pray for Us!

February 19, 2012

7th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Mark 2:1-12

The Pope writes that God asks us all to be “guardians of our brothers and sisters (Gen 4:9), to establish relationships based on mutual consideration and attentiveness to the well-being, the integral well being of others. Responsibility towards others thus means desiring and working for the good of others, in the hope that they too will become receptive to “goodness and its demands”. The Pope warns that indifference in our society today can result in a “spiritual amnesia” that numbs us to the suffering of others.

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Mark 1:40-45

Reflection Question: Who are the Lepers of today? How do we react toward them; with compassion or ignorance?

Propagation of the Faith-Fr. Joseph McCabe our priest in residence, will be speaking to us at all the Masses next weekend Feb. 18/19 for the Society of the Propagation of the Faith. Through the offering of Catholics worldwide, the Propagation of the Faith provides ongoing support for the pastoral and evangelizing programs of the Catholic Church in Africa, Asia, the islands of the Pacific and remote regions of Latin America. Please be generous as your means will allow.

Parish Celebration of Mardi Gras/Lent at Friendly’s -Join us at Friendly’s (Declo Plaza-285 S. Broadway Hicksville) on Tuesday February 28th at anytime between 5pm and 8pm for a parish Family Night at Friendly’s. A percentage of all sales will go to our parish of St. Ignatius Loyola. Tickets will be available for raffles and cash raffles. Look for the flyer in the bulletin which must be presented at the time of food purchase.

Spanish Choir to Sing at St. Patrick’s Cathedral-Our Hispanic Choir from the 7:15pm Spanish Mass will be singing at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, New York City, this Sunday Feb. 12, 2012 at 3:45pm for the Feast of Our Lady the Virgin of Suyapa , the Patroness of Honduras. Congratulations/Felicitaciones!

May God bless you and Mary keep you and your families! St. Ignatius pray for us!

Fr. Jim
Pastor

February 5, 2012

Fifth Sunday In Ordinary Time
Gospel Mark 1:29-39

Dear Parishioners: On January 20, 2012 President Obama's Health and Human Services Department announced that all health care plans must cover the procedures of sterilization, abortifacets and contraception. The rule is set to take place on August 1, 2012 . All religious organizations must comply to the rule by August 13, 2013. Under this new ruling, virtually all Catholic ministries-schools, hospitals, colleges and nursing homes will have to comply because we serve people of all faiths. In effect, this rule is forcing us to break our own rules and fall into sin. It is also a violation of conscience. We as Catholics can no longer be the silent majority or we shall end up being the silent minority.

Please read a summary of the article that follows taken from Catholic World News. After reading this article, I ask you go to the New York State Catholic Conference website www.nyscatholic.org and read Bishop Murphy's column in last week’s Long Island Catholic dated January 25, 2012 for more information. Please e-mail and/or write a letter to Senator's Schumer and Gillibrand protesting this horrific action. Senator Schumer www.schumer.senate.gov. Senator Gillibrand www.gillibrand.senate.gov.

Obama Administration Denies' Conscience Clause' Exemption on Contraceptive Coverage Brushing aside concerns about religious liberty and respect for individual consciences, the Obama Administration has announced that Church-related institutions will be required to provide contraceptive coverage for employees in their health-care plans.

Calling the administration's decision "literally unconscionable," Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan, the President of the US Bishops' Conference, said that the ruling "has now drawn an unprecedented line in the sand.” He promised that the US Bishops would fight against implementation of the administration's plan. "In effect, the president is saying we have a year to figure out how to violate our consciences," he charged.

In a token response to the conscience-clause appeals, Secretary Sebelius announced that religious institutions would be given a one-year reprieve from the rule. While all other institutions will be required to carry contraceptive coverage by August 1st of this year, church-related institutions that apply for an extension will have until August 1, 2013 to comply. However, those institutions will be asked to refer their employees to other sources of contraceptive coverage Secretary Sebelius announced.

January 22, 2012

This week beginning from Sunday, January 29th thru Sunday,  February 5th is Catholic Schools Week across this great land of the United States. The theme for Catholic Schools Week 2012 is “Catholic Schools: Faith, Academics, Service.”

The theme focuses on three priorities that Catholic schools establish that make them stand out from other educational institutions. Children are taught faith – not just the basics of Christianity, but how to have a relationship with God. Academics- which in Catholic schools are held to very high standards, help each child reach his or her potential. Service- the giving of one’s time and effort to help others, is taught both as an expression of faith and good character.

For us here at St. Ignatius Loyola, these are bittersweet moments for our students, their families, faculty, and staff as we are prepare to close our school at the end of the academic year in June. This will be the last time that St. Ignatius Loyola School will celebrate this special week. While we need to grieve this loss, we also need to celebrate the 104 years of fine Catholic Education established here in the center of Hicksville since September, 1907 under Pastor Fr. Lawrence Fuchs and the education of the Sisters of St. Dominic. Since that time, our faculty and staff have taught generations of children with dedication, commitment and faith. They have fostered an environment that has enabled children and parents alike to witness Christ’s message of peace, love and hope. While St. Ignatius Loyola School closes, she will always remain alive in the hearts of her students. No one or thing can ever rob our students of the foundation of education that has been built for them.

My gratitude to our principals Sr. Mary Ann Noonan & Sr. Mary O'Donnell and the entire faculty and staff for your love of Catholic Education and your love of our children. You have helped fulfill the mission of the school which is to “Teach as Jesus Did.” Our prayers are with you as you look ahead toward the horizon and new opportunities that await you.

I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for being supportive of our principals, teachers and school community following the announced closing of our school. Your prayers and kind words of trust and shared emotion is an indication of the deep level of faith and trust you have in God and His Church.

Many have asked me, that with the school closing, will we still be able to have religious education, scouting etc? The answer is simply YES, but of course. The two buildings, newer and older, are a part of the parish and shall remain so. They will continue to be primarily used for Religious Education, Parish Ministries and other Faith Formation programs. Our Spanish Community, CYO , Scouts, prayer groups, and other groups will continue to use the buildings as they have done in the past. Just because the school system is shutting down, does not mean that parish programs are going out with it. The parish will continue and with God’s help. We will become stronger and more vibrant in faith as we progress through the years ahead.

During this time period, the School and I will focus on the process of closing and celebrating the best of St. Ignatius. The Finance Committee and Pastoral Council and I will focus on future plans with the hope of the use of our buildings for rent by other organizations . In fact, some propositions are already being reviewed. Any future organization that uses our facilities must fit in with certain guidelines and regulations of the Catholic Church. They also need to be approved by the Diocese of Rockville Centre.

May we continue to pray for all involved in this difficult process. May we also entrust our school and her families to the Blessed Mother so that they are brought closer to Jesus for comfort, strength and wisdom. May God bless you and Mary keep you and your families. St. Ignatius, pray for us.

Fr. Jim
Pastor

January 22, 2012

Last Monday, January 16th, the country celebrated the birthday of a remarkable man, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He was known for his bravery and his speeches in creating civil rights for all, most especially black Americans. This Sunday, Jan. 22nd is another special more somber day for our nation. It is the marking of the Supreme Court decision of Roe v. Wade back in 1973 that made abortion the law of the land. Please note: Because this day is on a Sunday, the Church will observe this anniversary on Monday Jan. 23.

What is interesting is this, Dr. King moved our hearts with his “I Have a Dream” speech which spoke about a nation where black and white would be together and all human beings would be held in respect and dignity. Our goal as Catholic Christians, is to remind our government leaders and our citizens of this great nation that Dr. King’s dream extends to those human persons born in the womb of a mother. Since Roe vs. Wade, there have been over 1 million babies aborted here in America.

In our world today, our culture is more concerned with the plight of an animal than a human being, most especially those in the womb. For example, it is against the law to kill a rattle snake in my home state of PA. Yet, a mother and father can choose to have an abortion any time they want. There is one bumper sticker that I saw one time that says it all:”SAVE THE BABY HUMANS”.

Protecting human life from the beginning of conception is not just a religious matter, it is also verified by science that human life is formed in the womb. The Church reminds us that God recognized each of us before we were born, and called us by name , so too may we recognize the value of each human life and pledge ourselves to continue to defend and nurture God’s greatest gift to us.” (1992 Respect Life Manuel NCCB). If we want to experience God’s kingdom on earth as Jesus brought it to earth, then each of us are called to speak up for the vulnerable babies not yet born in a mother’s womb.

1) For those who have reserved space, you can go on our parish March for Life to Washington which will join thousands of other Catholics around the country in Solidarity. Mass for our group begins at 5AM. If you cannot make the March, join us for Mass.

2) For those unable to go on the March, this is a day of fasting, penance and prayer. We can take time to pray silently in our homes, at work, outside or in Church. Pray not only for the dead but also for mothers who have committed an abortion or are contemplating one at this very moment.

This Monday, the main body of the Church will be available for prayer and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament with the conclusion of the 9AM Mass till 5PM. I invite all to come at any time.

PLEASE NOTE: If there are funerals, then the adoration will begin following the funeral Masses.

On behalf of the parish of St. Ignatius, I want to personally thank each of you who have contributed to our parish this Christmas. Our total Christmas collection to date is $48,667.92. On behalf of Joe Samoldulski, our Human Services Coordinator, I want to thank everyone who bought gift cards for the poor this Christmas. Your generosity is a witness to the words of Jesus who said “what you have done for others you have done for Me” (Mt. 25:40).

January 15, 2012

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
“Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.” Samuel 3:10

Both roofs, smaller and larger, were replaced by Mr. John Skenello and his crew form JSDN. I am grateful to him and his team as well as to Mr. Anthony Natale from Diocesan buildings department. With anything new comes a price. The parish now needs to pay back at least $80,000 to repay the loan. Luckily this will be interest free for at least one year. A very special thank you goes out to those who have contributed to this fund.

Christian Unity Week—Please join us on Sunday January 22nd for an Ecumenical Prayer Service at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church at 4pm. The church is located on the corner of Jerusalem and Old Country Road. This service marks Christian unity week. We will gather with our Christian brothers and sisters from the other denominations here in Hicksville. A good showing from St. Ignatius will show our spirit in helping to keep Christianity alive and well here in Hicksville.

May God bless you and Mary keep you and your families. St. Ignatius, pray for us!

January 8, 2012

The Epiphany of the Lord
The Little Drummer Boy

Today we reflect on the Three Wise Men who came from the East and brought rich gifts to Jesus. The gifts tell us about the givers. And these special gifts—gold, frankincense, and myrrh—tell us much.

When one king visited or sent an ambassador to another, he would give a gift of gold to show that he acknowledged the kingship of the other. So the first gift of the Wise Men tells us they recognized Jesus as king. The second gift is a type of incense, which was used in Jesus’ time to worship God. This gift shows the Wise Men paying homage to Jesus’ divinity. Oil, the gift of myrrh, is used to anoint the dying. It reminds us of Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross.

What gifts do we have for Jesus? Maybe we can take a hint from the Wise Men. If we acknowledge Jesus as king, maybe a better gift than gold would be pledging our obedience to him. Each day we can promise to live our vocation as best we can, to love those around us, and forgive those who hurt us.

A better way than burning incense to pay homage to Jesus’ divinity is taking time to pray throughout the day. Some people are able to attend daily Mass, others spend time in adoration before the Eucharist, or take even a few minutes of their lunch break to say the rosary.

The song “The Little Drummer Boy” reminds us that the best gift is not necessarily the most expensive one. Instead, it is the simple gift that only we can give. Let Epiphany remind us to offer our lives to Jesus each day.

We have just ushered in a new calendar year 2012 and we have wished 2011 goodbye. As we welcome in this year, I am sure we all hope and pray that this year will be better than last year. Of course we say this every year, and when we say this we are usually thinking about our economic situation, our family situation, our health, and what ever else applies to us in any given year. Hopefully this year will be better for us in all of these areas, and my greatest hope is that this year will be better for our relationship with God. As we celebrated last weekend, The Birth of Jesus and our birth to a new spiritual life, let us also celebrate this new calendar year with that same desire. May we make this year much better than it was last year as we hope to come closer and closer to God.

In making our New Year’s resolution in coming closer to God, who better to follow than Mary; the first tabernacle of Jesus, the Mother of God, Mother of the Church, Mother of us all. In this Sunday’s (New Year’s) Gospel of Luke, we see all the events that are occurring at the birth of Jesus; A bright star appearing, Angels announcing, shepherds coming and worshipping and later the Wise Men bowing before her baby, the God made human. While this was occurring, Luke writes “Mary kept all these things reflecting on them in her heart”.

What does this mean that Mary was reflecting on the events of her life in her heart. Not fully understanding everything about Jesus at the moment, Mary was praying. She was thinking about how God was working in her life through Jesus. While reflecting or praying, Mary was opened to God’s grace which helped her to understand God’s plan of salvation through Jesus and gave her the strength and the faith to face the problems and sufferings of life. Mary continued to reflect over certain events of Jesus such as; finding Him in the temple at age 12 preaching to scholars, Jesus being criticized and ridiculed by the scribes, Pharisees and her own family teaching threatening ideas, and most especially at the Cross where Jesus gave His life before her and gave her to the Church. Mary was able to say yes to God from the moment of Jesus’ conception to her own Assumption because she reflected and believed that what was promised to her and the people of Israel would be fulfilled in and through Jesus her Son.

On behalf of all the priests and staff of St. Ignatius, Happy New Year! May 2012 be filled with God’s grace and promise. May God bless you and Mary keep you and your families. St. Ignatius pray for us!