May 5, 2013

Sixth Sunday of Easter

April 21, 2013

April 14, 2013

April 7, 2013

THANK YOU AND HAPPY EASTER - CHRIST IS RISEN, ALLELUIA!

I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who had a part in working on the beauty of the liturgy and the church during the Easter Triduum. You all did a wonderful job in showing your love for the Risen Lord whether it was through the music, the choir, serving, decorations, sacristy ,distributing Holy Communion, ushering and/or participating. May God bless you for your work and your service!

When something happens in a family that is special, we want to do our best in celebrating the event.  In the Catholic Church, Easter is the central focus of our faith. The Church has set aside 50 days to mark the event of the Lord’s Resurrection! Please read the reflection below, taken from a liturgical source, on the 50 Days of Easter.

Easter is not just on Easter Sunday alone! Every Sunday is considered a “little” Easter.  We pray that we will continue to spread the joy of the Risen Lord during this special season of the year.

DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY

Today is called Divine Mercy Sunday as promulgated by Blessed Pope John Paul II. He created this day based on the diary of Sr. Faustina Kowalska in Poland. In the 1930’, Sr. Faustina was told by the Lord to spread His message of Mercy. There are certain prayers that one can say on this day and every day called the Divine Chaplet. This is a private devotion and anyone is invited to pray.

Most importantly we are to remember that since the Lord was merciful to his disciples after the resurrection, we too are to practice mercy with one another. We sure need it in the world today!

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

Fr. Jim ,
Pastor

March 31, 2013

I recently, I had the opportunity to see the movie “The Impossible”. This is a true story about a family (Maria, Henry and their three sons) who went on a Christmas vacation to Thailand back in 2004. If you recall, on the morning of December 26, 2004 a major natural catastrophe occurred from an earthquake and a tsunami that destroyed many countries along the Asian Pacific rim and took countless numbers of lives with it.

Maria, Henry and their family were separated by walls of water coming up from the ocean and the mayhem of tens of thousands of strangers clamoring for help and looking for their lost, mostly dead loved ones. It was only through a miracle of God that the family is re-united again. When it seemed that all was lost, hope and
new life sprout up for them again. It truly was “The Impossible.”

It seemed that for the women at the tomb along with Peter, Beloved Disciple (Most say who is John) and the rest of the disciples, that all was lost. Their Lord, Master, Teacher and Friend was taken from them, tried as a criminal and left on a cross to die. All that Jesus did and taught seemed to go up in smoke.

However, The Impossible happened— when they discovered that the body of Jesus was no longer in the tomb. When the women in the Gospel of Lk (24:1-12) came to do their usual business of placing spices in the tomb of Jesus, they were greeted by Angels who said “why do you seek the living one among the dead. He is not here! He has been raised.” Mary Magdalene , Peter and the beloved disciple, John see a tomb that is empty. The body of Jesus is no longer there. The truth is the impossible did happen. Human beings could never overcome the great evil of death on their own. But God can and God did in and through His beloved son Jesus.

Jesus lived, died and rose so that we might live, die, and rise to eternal live with Him. It is because of our relationship through baptism to Jesus Christ that we can now overcome death too. It is because Christ Risen, that resurrection can happen in our lives here and now. It may be Good Friday in our life, but Jesus’ Resurrection means Easter is coming!

If we really believe that Jesus was raised from the dead, then we need to start living like it. Easter summons us to spend the rest of our lives walking away from the empty tombs of death, despair, anxiety, and fear toward the hope and possibility of new life. One way of doing this is by our faith, trusting that the Risen Christ is with us and in us continuing to call us out of our graves. It is our faith that helps us to have an open heart to receive the power of the Risen Christ and see Him in our midst. Benedict XVI, Pope Emeritus, wrote “the Risen One must be seen, must also be perceived by the heart, in a way that God may take up his abode within us. The
Lord does not appear as a thing. He desires to enter our lives….., which presupposes an open heart. Only in this way, do we see the Risen One.”

Another way is to share the Good News with others that Jesus has risen for them too. If you have not been in our Church building for a while, take the time to come back again next Sunday and the Sunday after that.  You will see the Risen Jesus come every week through the Eucharist! Invite others to enter and share this joy each Sunday. A third way of walking away from the empty tombs of death is by getting involved in our parish.  Spreading the Gospel that Jesus is ALIVE cannot be done by the priests, sisters or me alone. It needs to be accomplished by you too. We can all work together. This is how we can proclaim that Jesus is alive in us, both you and me! Then we too, like Jesus, and with God’s help, can accomplish the impossible.

On behalf of Frs. Saul, Jerome, Msgr. Bennett, Srs. Mary, Cathy, Karen , Joan and the entire parish staff, may I wish you, your family and friends a Happy and Blessed Easter. May the Risen Christ dwell in your hearts forever!

Christus surrexit,sicut dixit,alleluia! Christ is risen as he said! Alleluia!

If you are wondering about the gold and white bunting on the front of our church, it is to welcome and announce our new Holy Father, Pope Francis! May God bless him throughout his pontificate.

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

Fr. Jim,
Pastor

March 24, 2013

PALM SUNDAY
HOLY WEEK

It is difficult to believe that we are concluding our Lenten Season as we now journey into Holy Week.  My hope is that this Lenten season has been fulfilling and grace filled in helping you come closer to God.  If you feel these past few weeks have not been as successful as you planned do not fret, you still have this final week, Holy Week. This is the week that changed and saved the world.

We begin this Holiest of weeks with Palm Sunday where the journey of Jesus toward His passion starts with His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. We join with Jesus as he prepares for the final walk to the Cross. In today’s Gospel of Luke, the people name Jesus as King and Messiah. They shout “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord” (Lk 19:38). The irony is that this same crowd who lauded Jesus as a King on Sunday killed him on Friday. The Passion Narrative continues with Jesus instituting the Eucharist at the Last Supper, being betrayed by one of his own, captured, put on trial as a criminal and nailed to a cross left to die. Finally, the body of Jesus is buried and His mother and the disciples go away sad and discouraged. This story seems to end in failure and tragedy. However, we know the rest of the story. This is not the final end because Jesus’ death is triumphed by the power of His Resurrection. We are forgiven of sin and given a special share in God’s new life which lasts forever. Jesus died for us because he loved us to death. His example shows us that love is stronger than death. 

This period of Holy Week is a time for us to weep and to be grateful for the pain and suffering that Jesus endured for us. It is also a time for us to weep where Jesus continues to be nailed to a cross in us.  Even though Jesus died once and for all, He continues to suffer in us whenever we are seriously ill, have experienced a tragedy, a loss of a loved one, unemployment, hospitalization, being homebound and when we distance ourselves from Him through our hurtful words and actions. Jesus’ journey to Calvary is as much our journey as it is His. Any crosses that we carry in our lives, are helped by the fact that we do not carry them alone. Jesus is right there alongside us. We can shift its weight to Him because we are intimately united with Him through the Paschal Mystery (suffering death and resurrection). Since he overcame the cross, we realize that we too can face any obstacles that life places on our path.

Toward the end of Holy Week we will be entering into the Triduum (the 3 Days) where we can best express our thanksgiving to Jesus for his ultimate sacrifice of giving his life for us. We invite you to participate in the Mass on Holy Thursday at 7:30pm, the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday, await the Resurrection at the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday (7:30pm) and rise with Him on Easter Sunday at Mass during the day. With Jesus, our Calvary becomes the pathway to personal transformation that opens us to the fullness of the resurrection in God forever.

HABEMUS PAPAM- WE HAVE A POPE
We give thanks to Almighty God for the gift of Pope Francis I, the 266th Successor of St. Peter, the Vicar of Christ on earth. Pope Francis I, formerly Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, is the first non-European and Hispanic to receive this holiest of offices. What is exciting for our parish, is that he is a Jesuit, whose teaching and philosophy is based on our patron, St. Ignatius Loyola. We join the Church in prayer for our new Holy Father as he begins his new ministry. I truly feel that as a Jesuit Father and with a name like Francis, he will bring reforms that will help our Church heal, simplify it from the complexities of life, and continue to build God’s Kingdom here on earth.

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

Fr. Jim
Pastor

March 17, 2013

Fifth Sunday of Lent
Is 43:16-21; Phil3:8-14; Jn 8:1-11

SECOND CHANCES

How often have we failed because of our own sinfulness and wanted a second and even a third chance to start all over again? Many times however, we may feel shame which prevents us from starting all over again and causes us to go into an unending destructive cycle. This is experienced by people who have addictions whether to alcohol, gambling, drugs, sex, pornography or anything that makes us less than who are to be. They feel so alone that there is no hope. Their shame has created a prison wall right around their hearts. So they return back to the action they think may help them, only to add more harm to their lives. We must not despair however, because there is hope for us.

For the past three weeks, our Gospel readings have focused on repentance that brings forth the mercy of Christ that leads to a new life. In John’s Gospel today, we come to a climax on repentance where God gives us second chances despite our sinfulness. While Jesus is teaching, a woman caught in the act of adultery (not Mary Magdalene), is thrown right in front of Him. The punishment for adultery is the death penalty which is stoning. This penalty still exists today in many communities across Africa and the Middle East. It is part of the Muslim Sharia Law which we have heard or read about in the news.

We see that there are two trials here, one against Jesus, to see what he was going to do, and the other against the adulterous woman. The scribes and Pharisees want to see if Jesus will approve the death penalty prescribed by the Law of Moses (Det 22:21; Ezek 16:38-40) so that they could perhaps brand him a law breaker . When the accusers ask Jesus what should be done with the woman, He does not respond, but simply bends down and writes in the sand. He then gets up and says “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” Slowly, one by one, the woman’s accusers, beginning with the elders, throw their stones down and walk away. Only Jesus and the woman are left. St. Augustine writes about this scene well with the caption “there are but two left, affliction and mercy.” Jesus asks the woman a question and then tells her that he does not condemn her and that she is not to sin anymore. His compassion toward the woman liberates her and helps her to turn her life toward a God of love. She is now on a completely different path, because in mercy, God gave her a second chance helping her to change.

Jesus gives us second chances too, despite our sinful acts. He wants us to look at our sins, be sorry but stop beating ourselves up, stop the sin and give it to God. Then we are given the grace to seek a new path of life. What better way to express our sorrow than through the Sacrament of Reconciliation? This is our way through the Church to experience Jesus’ compassion through the priest and come back to God and the community. This is the Lord’s way of removing what Bishop Emil Wcela called the “barbed wire” that keeps us away from God’s presence.

It is so easy to condemn a person. But who are we to condemn, since we all are sinners alike. We cannot judge what is happening in a person’s heart because we do not know. Only God knows. We can only surrender that grievance to God for healing. We need to look past the act and try to see that God is a part of every person. Then we can put down our big stones and reach out and help lift away the junk that burdens a person’s soul so that they too can see what God sees in them. When we give others a second chance, they have mercy and so do we.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP DURING MSGR. TARRANT’S FUNERAL
Thank you to all who worked so hard in making sure that Msgr. Tarrant had a beautiful send off at his funeral on March 4th & 5th, most especially to the Knights of Columbus 2520, Columbiettes and the Activities Committee.

HOLY WEEK & POPE ???
Please join us for Holy Week Masses and Services. The Church is open all day Good Friday. 

Pope??? Hopefully by the time you read this column, we will have a new Holy Father. In the mean time, continue to pray for the Church that she listens well to the Holy Spirit!

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

Fr. Jim
Pastor

March 10, 2013

Last Wednesday, I had the opportunity to visit with Msgr. Ed Tarrant, the Ninth Pastor of St. Ignatius Loyola, at the St. Pius X Residence for retired priests in Amityville. Even though he was in pain, he could not have been more gracious and thankful of my visit. We spoke briefly, then he informed me of his funeral arrangements. He was very organized and ready to greet the Lord and to make sure that we were prepared as well. He had everything planned down to a T. He wanted to be buried from St. Ignatius!  The next day, Msgr. Tarrant died at 12 noon, ironically about 2 hours before then Pope Benedict XVI retired from his papal office. Before Msgr. died, he instructed me with these profound words “continue to love your people.”

When many of you heard the news of Msgr.’s death, you had enlightened me with the beautiful stories and qualities of this man and this priest who had been a wise and humble servant at St. Ignatius Loyola. Even though Monsignor’s body was buried this past Tuesday in Holy Rood Cemetery, many treasures remain reminding us of his work and love for the Church and our parish. The first is you, who were baptized, married, had family members and friends who were buried and participated in Mass led by Msgr. Tarrant. Msgr. Tarrant had a wonderful way of helping people to feel that they were a part of the parish community. Perhaps it is because of him that you are here today. The second is the altar and sanctuary area that were renovated under his care. He and all the communion of saints surround us at the altar every time Mass is celebrated. The third is the Adopt-a-Garden that has now become Jane’s Garden, named after Jane Schreiber who came to Msgr. Tarrant with the idea to take care of the landscaping around the parish. When spring arrives and the flowers and trees bloom, it will remind us that Msgr. Tarrant
has also bloomed into the fullness of eternal life being now with God. A fourth reminder is the gym in our school that was named after him - Msgr. Edward L. Tarrant Parish Center. Every time we gather for a meeting , see or play a sporting game, celebrate Mass, share a meal or just have fun, Msgr. Tarrant is there. He loved life to the fullest and he wants us to do the same in the spirit of Jesus Christ and his Mother, Mary.

If there is one description that can best describe Msgr. Ed Tarrant, it is from Fr. Jerry Gordon’s funeral homily that spoke of him as a parish priest. As Pope John XXIII said, being a parish priest is the greatest gift of all. Msgr. Tarrant, for being that hardworking and good parish priest, may you hear the words of scripture which says “well done my good and faithful servant, enter now into the kingdom of
paradise, that kingdom that has been prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Mt. 25:31).

LENTEN SPIRITUAL EVENTS : Please join us for our annual Lenten Mission. This year, it will be conducted by Bishop Emil Wclea, retired Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre.  Bishop Wcela is a scripture scholar and an excellent speaker. His topic is “Imagining the Unimaginable.” He will be speaking at all the Masses this weekend and on Mon thru Wed. March 11th-13th after the 9am Mass and at 7:30pm. This is a great way to enter into a deeper relationship with Jesus as we prepare to walk with him to Calvary.

GOOD FRIDAY SCHEDULE: You may have noticed a change in the Good Friday Schedule concerning the Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion and Death. Instead of the traditional 3pm, I have decided, for pastoral reasons, to make the service at 5pm. This will give more opportunity for those of us who are working on Good Friday to participate in the service. Unfortunately, not everyone gets a holiday on this most holy of days. We also want our Hispanic brothers and sisters to have an opportunity to worship in their own language in the evening. Thank you for your understanding and support in this matter.

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

Fr. Jim,
Pastor

March 3, 2013

Third Sunday of Lent
Ex 3:1-8;Cor 10:1-12; Luke 13:1-9

PARISH STAFF CHANGE
Rosemary Cassese, our Pastoral Assistant, has been with us for at least 10 years here at St. Ignatius Loyola.  Many times we do not realize what people do behind the scenes in any form of business or organization, most especially a parish. Rosemary, like our other Parish Staff members, has performed many tasks and much more to make sure that our office and our parish runs smoothly. Many of you know Rosemary’s work by your constant contact with the parish. On a personal note, Rosemary has helped me to navigate my way through St. Ignatius Loyola being that I am relatively new and that this parish is my first pastorate. For that and many things, I am most grateful to her for her work.

This past week, Rosemary announced that she is taking a leave of absence for at least 3 months for her family.  She and her husband, Bob, have decided to take care of her mother-in-law, Helen, who is coming out of rehabilitation.  As many of you know, there comes a time when our parents and grandparents can no longer take care of themselves.  It is up to us, children and grandchildren, to do the best we can to take care of them as a gift to how much they have done for us. My mom and dad took care of my grandmother for at least 20 years. She lived with us for at
least 15 of those 20 years. I believe that it is because of their care, that she lived to the “young age” of 103.

Rosemary’s story serves as an example for all of us that, during the season of Lent, there are some things we may need to cut out of our lives so we are free to help others. Jesus said we “come to serve but not to be served”. Perhaps during this Third week of Lent, we can think about how we are living out that 4th Commandment of honor thy Father and Mother. The 4th Commandment is not just for children, when they are young, but for all of us who mature and grow up. We never stop being our parents’ children no matter what happens in life. Is there someone that I need to care for and give up some of my personal time? This is one way we can prune our life of sin and weakness and bear fruit as the Gospel tells us this Sunday. All of us are the fruits of our parents for better or worse. May God continue to bless Rosemary, Bob and their family and on all families who have made the sacrifice to take care of their parents and grandparents in their twilight years of life.

BENEDICT XVI, POPE EMERITUS
Many of us have been asking now that Pope Benedict has renounced the papacy (resigned) what do we call him?  After he resigns, the Holy Father will be known as “His Holiness, Benedict XVI, Pope Emeritus (retired) or Roman Pontiff Emeritus. The Holy Father will dress in a simple white cassock without the mozzetta, the elbow length cape worn by pope. Benedict XVI, Pope Emeritus has chosen to wear simple brown shoes which were given to him during his Apostolic visit to Leon, Mexico, last year, and will not wear the traditional red shoes. He will not longer use the Fisherman’s Ring, and instead, will use an Episcopal ring being that he is still a Bishop (retired). The ring and the lead seal of Benedict XVI’s seal will be destroyed by the Cardinal Camerlengo, temporary administrator, and his assistants.

God bless your holy servant Benedict XVI who has given his life for the Church as the vicar of Christ for 8 years.

LENT
Please join us in these enriched spiritual activities:

Christian Simplicity Workshop God’s Creation and our Response -Rooms E& F Old School Bldg. Mondays, March 4th, 18th and 25th at 7:30pm. We have had a great response!!!

Lenten Mission: March 11th-13th 9:30am and 7pm - Bishop Emil Wcela

Stations of the Cross on Fridays during Lent except March 15th

Youth Holy Hour for Vocations 3rd Friday of the Month! Youth from 8th grade up are invited.

Lenten Soup Supper-Food for the Soul Friday, March 22nd at 6pm -Msgr. Tarrant Hall

Choral Way of the Cross –Friday, March 22nd

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

Second Sunday of Lent
Gen. 15:5-18; Phil 3:17:1-4:1;Lk.9:28-36

On the second Sunday of Lent, we are given the opportunity to listen to the story of the Transfiguration of Jesus. This story, while focusing on Jesus, also says something about His disciples and us. Jesus was on the way to His crucifixion to Jerusalem and Calvary. While traveling, he knew that his disciples would face suffering, trial and tribulation. While on Mountain (many say Mt. Tabor and some Mt. Hermon) and in prayer, His clothes became dazzling white. He experienced a total change of form and substance.  Moses, representing the law and Elijah, representing the prophets, were also present. Then a voice came from God the Father which said “This is my Beloved Son, listen to Him.” Jesus’ transfiguration happened to show a glimpse of His resurrection and the glory of God to come for Him, for His disciples and for us.

Though the disciples had competing voices of the Pharisees and of the suffering to come, they do not need to fear. They too will share in glory not only in the future, but also in the present. God is with them. The same can be said for us.

There are times in our lives where we experience the “God-given” moments that bring us hope and we are not alone. Resurrection happens for us now and will be complete once we depart from this earth. Despite the challenges and the competing voices of our society, may we take this second week of Lent to pay more attention to how God makes His presence known to us.

One moment of glory that I experienced this past week was at our first session on the Lent 4.5 Christian Simplicity workshop. I was very excited to have 32 participants. This was a great showing of our desire to move closer to God, closer to one another and simplify those things in life that keep us from focusing on God’s voice in our lives. We meet every Monday (except March 11th) in the Old School, rooms E&F at 7:30pm.

Please join us. We invite you to a whole slew of Lenten activities here at St. Ignatius Loyola that will bring us some of God’s glory. Please make every opportunity to take advantage of them with your families and your friends.

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

Fr. Jim
Pastor

February 17, 2013

February 10, 2013

February 3, 2013

January 27, 2013

January 13, 2013

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord
Is 42 1-7; Acts 10:34-38 ; Lk 3:15-22

January 6, 2013