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Saint Ignatius Loyola
Hicksville, New York
Est. 1859

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December 29, 2013

Christmas
Feast of the Holy Family

THE CHRISTMAS SEASON
Merry Christmas everyone! Yes, we can say Merry Christmas according to our Church calendar through Sunday, January 12, 2014 when we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. This is our opportunity as Catholic Christians to be counter cultural by leaving our trees, lights and Christmas decorations at least until
Jan 12th, even though our culture gets rid of Christmas on December 26th. I urge us to even play our Christmas music. During this Christmas Season, we will focus on a few feasts of our Lord. They are the Feasts of the Holy Family, Epiphany and the Baptism of Jesus. Each one unfolds for us the mystery of Christ and how it is lived out in our daily lives.

FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY
This Sunday, our focus is on the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. When we think of the Holy Family, we often think they are out of touch with our daily lives. We can be rest assured that even Jesus, Mary and Joseph experienced problems and challenges along the way. Even though Jesus and Mary were sinless, it did not mean that they did not experience hardship. Even so, they had a joy that not even the hardest of hearts could take away.

Today’s Gospel is an example of such hardship. Here Jesus, Mary and Joseph witnessed great awe from the Shepherds and Three Wise Men only to be awakened in the middle of the night by Joseph’s dream to flee to Egypt! What a dream! Or was it a nightmare? Just imagine them being commanded to take flight like refugees, have a newborn baby and no time to pack or plan. This must have been frightening. Scripture tells us however, that Joseph was no stranger to dreams. He had already been told in a dream to take Mary as his wife , even though she was already with child. And now God is asking him to change course again.

Though we may not have dreams like Joseph, we share with him the challenge of reconciling our plans with the hard facts of reality, especially when it comes to family. Life does not always work out the way we plan. We may have experienced joys, hardships, dreams, hopes and losses with our loved ones. When things do not go our way, we can respond like the Holy Family, recognizing an opportunity to deepen our faith in God’s providence. Their faith in God was like a spiritual compass that kept them oriented in the most unfamiliar circumstances. We need to remember that there is nothing we cannot bear in life if we have faith in God. This is what brings us a joy as witnessed by the Holy Family.

As a parish, we congratulate Pope Francis on being named Time Magazine’s Person of the Year 2013. This is exciting for us as Catholics because he has become a beacon in opening people’s hearts to Christ and his Church. I believe he has enthralled the world by helping to make our faith more concrete. Recently, the Pope gave a homily on Family Life. He tells us:
“Dear families, you know very well that the true joy which we experience in the family is not superficial; it does not come from material objects, from the fact that everything seems to be going well. True joy comes from a profound harmony between persons, something which we all feel in our hearts and which makes us experience the beauty of togetherness, of mutual support along life’s journey. But the basis of this feeling of deep joy is the presence of God in the family and his love, which is welcoming, merciful, and respectful towards all. God alone knows how to create harmony from differences. But if God’s love is lacking,, the family loses its harmony, selfcenteredness prevails and joy fades. But the family which experiences the joy of faith communicates it naturally. That family is the salt of the earth and the light of the world, it is the leaven of society. Dear families, always live in faith and simplicity, like the Holy Family of Nazareth! The joy and peace of the Lord be always with you!” Pope Francis, Given on Oct. 27, 2013 World Family Day

Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year! May God bless you and Mary keep your families always!

St. Ignatius Loyola, pray for us!

Fr. Jim
Pastor

December 22, 2013

“And the Word Became Flesh and Dwelt Among Us.” (John 1:14)

During this Christmas 2013 while we will sing our carols, open our presents, share stories with families and remember Christmases long past, may we remember the reason why we are here celebrating Christmas in the first place. Christmas Day tells us that we have an awesome God who kept his Word (kept his promise) to His people in and through His Son Jesus Christ. From the time God spoke to Adam & Eve, Abraham , Jacob , Isaac, Moses, King David and the prophets; He said that despite your sinfulness and your ignorance I will never forget you, for you and your “house-descendents” will live forever. That promise has been kept through Jesus.

We now celebrate because God has made his dwelling with us and God is here to stay. God is here for us in his Son Jesus when we are joyful or sad, frustrated or delighted, courageous or afraid. May we recognize that God became human through the Incarnation so that we can share in the Divine. As St. Irenaeus once wrote,” God became man so that man can become God”. What better way to celebrate this image than to see God first in our children.

Two weeks ago, our Family Life Committee celebrated its first Night With St. Nicholas with our St. Ignatius families. As you can see in the picture above, our children brought God to us through their love and their innocence. They remind us that God came as a vulnerable baby willing to let us love Him and be loved by Him. Christmas reminds us of the innocence we are all called to return to despite the rough edges along the way.

May this Christmas season remind us that even though we are fragmented by the challenges of life, we are still God’s children and nothing, not even our sins nor even the death of a loved one, can ever rob us of God’s love and presence for us.

On behalf of Fr. Saul, Msgr. Bennett, Fr. Ben, Fr. Emmanuel (Guest); our Sisters Mary, Cathy, Karen and Joan; and our staff, may I take this royal opportunity to wish you and your families a very Merry and Blessed Christmas. My prayer is that the Divine Word that created us and enlightened us may now dwell powerfully within us. May it always speak and make itself known in our lives forever until we
are with our God in Heaven.

God Bless you and Mary Keep you. St Ignatius Pray for us.

Fr. Jim
Pastor

December 15, 2013

3rd Sunday of Advent
Mt. 11:2-11

During this Third Sunday of Advent we light the third candle; the Rose colored candle of the Advent wreath. Rose symbolizes joy because this Sunday is “Gaudete” Sunday - emphasizing our joyful expectation of the Lord’s coming. Although for many of us it is difficult to find joy when we lose a loved one to death or we or one of our family members are struggling with illness or making ends meet; this day reminds us that no matter what is happening in our lives, Christ is near to us always.
This past Tuesday the world witnessed one of the largest attended funerals (80,0000) for the former President of South Africa, Nelson Mandella. Even though Mandella passed away, you could see joy and celebration on the faces of the people. Why so many people? Why all the celebration? It was Nelson Mandella’s courageous actions that changed his country from one of prison and oppression for the black people to one of freedom. Even though Mandella was imprisoned for 27 years on Robbens Island off the coast of Cape Town, he did not seek revenge or hate toward any of the minority whites who lived in his country. This was because he lived out the virtues found in his faith. When Mandella came into power, he used it for unity and healing.
Nelson Mandella’s actions symbolize what we hear from Jesus in today’s Gospel. John the Baptist sends some of his disciples asking Jesus if he is the real Messiah. Jesus tells them to just look around. Jesus’ actions speak for themselves that God is present. Jesus is the face of God allowing the blind to see the Father through him, the deaf to hear God’s saving word, the lame can now walk with Jesus carrying his cross and the lepers are untouchable no more as Jesus reaches out to them. Jesus is the Good News who shows us what Heaven is like and all about. This Advent, may we reflect on how our actions reflect our faith. While it is important to worship and pray, we need to go out and live our prayer. St. James says, “faith without works is dead”(Ja 2:17). Who are the people in my life whose deeds are examples of God’s Kingdom? Do my actions reflect the life of God’s Kingdom. If yes, how? If not, why?

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR CHILDREN RECEIVING THEIR FIRST RECONCILIAITON
Congratulations to all of our young people who just received their first Reconciliation this past Saturday. What a wonderful time to be free from sin and alive for Jesus as we prepare for His coming into our hearts. Thanks to our Religious Ed department in coordinating this special day. May our young people remind us that we are all in need of Confession. Pope Francis goes at least twice a month.

THANK YOU TO THE FAMILY LIFE MINISTRY & THE ST. ANNE’S MOTHER’S PRAYER GROUP
Recently, St. Ignatius Loyola has created a Family Life Ministry to help connect children and their parents more to the Church. The past Saturday evening, we hosted a night with St. Nicholas, the original Santa Claus..
A wonderful time was had by all. Thank you to our Family Life committee members who worked so hard and so quickly in organizing this event.
Thank you also to our St. Anne’s Mother’s Prayer Group for organizing our Night Prayer for Life this past Monday evening on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. We also had a great response from many parishioners.  Currently, we do not have an organized Respect Life Committee. If any of you are interested, please contact me here at the rectory.

WHAT IS HAPPENING AROUND OUR FACILITIES
You may notice that we have fresh new cloths for our altar and credence tables. Thanks to all of you who have given to our “Penny Sunday” collection, we were able to buy new liturgical cloths and linens such as purificators and corporals. Purificators are used to wipe the inside of the chalice and corporals go on the altar before the bread and chalice are placed upon it. The corporal is used to collect any crumbs that may come from our Lord’s sacred body once the bread is transformed into the real presence of Jesus.
Unfortunately, the water leaks have come back both in our sacristy and our convent. Luckily, both roofs are under warranty. However, more work needs to be done.
The Engineering Division and the Traffic Safety Office recommended the adoption to repeal all parking restrictions on E. Nicholai St. and E. Cherry St. relative to the operation of the school building, which has ceased operation.  Signs will be removed as soon as their work schedule permits.

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

Fr. Jim
Pastor

December 8, 2013

2nd Sunday of Advent

Recently I came across a column written by Fr. Donald Wester , Pastor of All Saints parish St. Peter’s MO.  In it, he asks a question this Season of Advent; can we still hope? He answers it by writing that yes, during this new season we can hope. Advent invites us to renew and commit ourselves to the virtue of hope. It is that virtue that allows us to live fully, not wishing to escape this world, but to be committed to the transformation of this world so that it looks more like the Kingdom of God than it did when we were first born.
The Scriptures of Advent give us hope, particularly the prophets. They remind us of God’s original promise for us that we shall one day get back to the garden that we lost through the actions of our sinfulness represented by Adam and Eve. We delight in the dream God has for all of creation and in the fulfillment of that dream through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. In our readings on this Second Sunday of Advent, Isaiah paints God’s dream that one day the world will be at peace! Even though the family line of King David has been cut down to a mere stump of a tree, Isaiah sees this stump blossoming again because of his trust in God’s faithfulness. There will be a faithful remnant who will restore the Israelites back to the glory they once had. We know that glory will be restored through the sprout of Jesus Christ. It is amazing however , to think that most of the people who lived with Jesus missed his importance and giftedness. But, don’t many of us miss the fulfillment of God’s promise in our lives? We often think that our blessings and abundance comes from our hard work and how much we deserve to be blessed. We think that coincidence and chance can make things happen,. We forget that all is connected and that all good comes from God.
Enemies of hope often lie in our heart. Something to watch out for this Season is our cynicism. Did you ever notice yourself picking something apart over and over again? Each time you are with a person who is hopeful, do you have the inner temptation to destroy his or her innocence? Do you get some delight in shooting down someone’s dream? Do you find yourself talking out of hope just so you are not disappointed?
This Advent may each of us take the time to restore within ourselves and within our society to re-establish the dream of God. Following the words of Isaiah and John the Baptist where we are filling in the valleys, bringing the mountains low, straightening the crooked roads , removing the barriers on the roads of our hearts and experiencing the favor and love of God. How can you do that within yourself and with others? Such a great way to prepare for the coming of Jesus in our lives!
This year we are going to focus a bit deeper on the meaning of Advent in our lives. Often, this season gets lost with the oncoming celebration of Christmas. Our department stores had Christmas decorations up around Halloween. Thanksgiving was almost lost to people crowding the department stores to get that gift. Our consumeristic culture pushes us into such a frenzy that we forget just what this celebration is all about; the Birth of Christ. As a parish, we will hold off on any tree lighting and crčche blessing until the December 14, 2013 the Third Sunday of Advent following the 5pm Mass, known as a time to rejoice. You are all invited to come for the blessings!
In the meantime, may we take the time to prepare our hearts to make them a home for Jesus. I encourage each of us to get an advent wreath, place it our homes and light a candle increasing with each week to remind us of the coming of Jesus, who’s light pierces all darkness in our lives and in our hearts.

On a personal note, my family and I faced darkness last week with the death of my nephew, Malachi Patrick McGuire. It has truly been a difficult time. But, I believe that with your prayers, faith and our belief in God, the light of Christ will lead us back to Hope. I thank you for your prayers and ask that you continue to keep my family (especially Malachi’s parents and grandparents) in your prayers. I believe that with faith there is no burden in life that can ever overcome us.

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

Fr. Jim,
Pastor

November 24, 2013

Solemnity of Christ the King
Thanksgiving Day

HAPPY THANKSGIVING
Thanksgiving Day is the one holiday that all Americans can take part - no matter their race, color or creed. It is a day that teaches us that we are to be thankful everyday of our lives from sunrise to sunset and not just one day a year. We are to give thanks most especially to our God who made us unto Himself and carries us until we are back in our Heavenly home. What can we say to God who has loved us into life and has given His life so that we may live a life free from sin and death. Meister Eckhart, a German Theologian, once said that if we just say “thank you” to God each day, that is sufficient in itself to be a prayer. On behalf of Fr. Saul, Fr. Benjamin, Msgr. Bennett, Fr. Reid, Fr. Emmanuel , Fr. José; our Dominican Sisters, Sr. Mary, Sr. Kathy, Sr. Karen, Sr. Joan; and our entire staff of St. Ignatius Loyola, we wish you and your families a Blessed and Happy Thanksgiving Day. Our prayer for you comes from St. Paul who writes “I give thanks to my God at every remembrance of you, praying always with joy in my every prayer for all of
you” (Phil 1:3).

PROCLAMATION OF THANKSGIVING
The following is a proclamation of Thanksgiving Day I will share each year given by President Abraham Lincoln. Though written in the 19th century, it is very applicable to today’s world and culture.
The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign states to invite and provoke their aggressions, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere, except in the theater of military conflict; while that theater has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.
Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defense have not arrested the plow, the shuttle, or the ship; the ax has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege, and the battlefield, and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.
No human counsel hath devised, nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American people. I do, therefore, invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a Day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.
And I recommend to them that, while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty hand to heal the wounds of the nation, and to restore it, as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility, and union. Done at the city of Washington, this third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the United States the eightyeighth.
~President Abraham Lincoln


May God bless you and your families always.

St. Ignatius Loyola, pray for us!

Fr. Jim
Pastor

November 17, 2013

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lk 21:5-19

Last year many people were caught up in the false prophecy of the Mayan calendar - the end of the world. People who were obsessed by this prophecy, went to great lengths to make sure they were prepared for the end of time. Well, we are still here! The early Christians were caught up in the end of time after the Ascension of Jesus into heaven. They thought that the second coming of the Lord was near. We call this the Parousia. Since Christ was coming soon, they felt that they just could sit around and not work. They probably said to themselves “why waste our energy”? St. Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians however, scolds them by stating they are going about this the wrong way by being lazy and gossiping about others. Paul tells them that a lazy way of life does not build community but only weakens it. We do not know the time or the hour of the Lord or even our own death. The best way to prepare for the coming of Jesus is by service, love and justice. Mother Theresa teaches us that we need to be persistent, unafraid and faithful. God will supply the rest. No matter what happens, we will always know that God was with us because we have been with Him all along in our life. May these words of Mother Theresa help us ,most especially when we worry about the future. “Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.” May we begin each day in Jesus’ name.

CONFIRMATION & ROBE SUNDAY
May we pray in a special way this week for all of our candidates for Confirmation. Approximately 80 young people will be receiving their robes this Sunday. November 17th at 9:30 am Mass.  Our candidates will be confirmed this upcoming Saturday, November 23rd by Bishop Robert Brennan at 11am and 2pm. Confirmation is one of the three Sacraments of Initiation that helps us to be full members of our Catholic faith. It completes what we have received at Baptism and Eucharist. Once confirmed, the Confirmandi will be witnesses of Christ Jesus to the world. When they were baptized, their parents and godparents said yes to Jesus in raising them in the faith. Now, they are saying yes to Jesus. In a society that focuses on the Burger King mentality of “have it your way”, our Confirmandi are saying we will have it “God’s way” by praying, living and serving God and others. May we keep our candidates, their sponsors and families in our prayers this week. May they see the Sacrament of Confirmation as not an end to learning about the faith, but as a beginning of building their faith with Christ and others through our Church.

THE PHILLIPINES
May we continue to pray for all of the people in the Phillipines struck by Typhoon Haiyan. We have many Phillipinos in our parish who have family members living in that country. If you know anyone who needs our prayers, please contact us here at the parish office. Bishop Murphy has authorized a second collection the weekend of December 8th for the Phillipines. Please be as generous as you can. Thank you.

ALL SOULS ENVELOPE
I encourage everyone to take an All Souls envelope from the church, if you do not already have one, and make a donation to our All Souls Novena of Masses. These masses are said for all of our loved ones to help them enter into our Home of Heaven. As we journey through November, may we use death and heaven as the lens by which we live “not for ourselves alone” but for God and others.

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


Fr. Jim

November 10, 2013

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lk 19:1-10

Sometimes when a spouse remarries after their first spouse dies, it creates a problem for the children because they think that their mom or dad is betraying the marriage they first had with the spouse that passed away. According to today’s Gospel, however, this idea is further from the truth. For Jess, marriage is an event that only takes place on earth. It does not exist in Heaven because it is a new mode
of living. The future age of eternal life is very unlike our present time. In the new life to come, there is no marriage nor is their death. While there is a relationship with other loved ones in Heaven, the main thing there is full union with God, whom we all long for. The Sadducees just want to trick Jesus. They are the Temple priests who have no belief in the resurrection - not in eternal life. Jesus, however, fools them by telling them that they do not really know their tradition. When God invoked Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to Moses at the burning bush, he was saying that their spirits are alive in a new way. The same is for us. When we die, and if we believe in Jesus, we will be with God forever in the new age to come. We can have hope because death is not the final event, nor is life exhausted by this present age.

PLEASE WELCOME OUR VISITING PRIESTS
During the months of November, December and a brief part of January, visiting priests will be here to help us with our Masses and services while Fr. Saul is away in Columbia. Fr. Emmanuel, Hospital Chaplain of NUMC, will be here to help with Masses Thursdays thru Saturdays. He will be on call here on Fridays. Fr. Emmanuel is originally from Ghana. Fr. Reid will also help us with Masses, in addition to his regular Sunday Mass schedule. Fr. Jim Carmody will be here from December 5th thru the 15th to serve our parish. Fr. Joseph McCabe will be here during the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons.  I want to personally thank each of them for their help and service they are providing for the priests and parishioners of St. Ignatius Loyola. Fr. Saul will return to us on January 8, 2014.

CLEANLINESS OF OUR HOUSE
Continuing from last week’s column, I ask that each of us take responsibility to take care of our Church. On Monday mornings, our maintenance people find it very unclean and untidy. Please do not leave water bottles, coffee cups or papers in the church before you leave. Actually coffee, soda and other soft drinks should not be brought into the church. Water is ok, especially if there is an emergency. However, the water bottles and cups need to go home with you as you leave the church. Just like we would take care of our own houses, please do the same with our home, St. Ignatius Loyola Church. Thank you for your understanding and your cooperation. As my mother always told me, a clean house leads to a happy home!

ALL SOULS ENVELOPES
During this month of November, we are reminded that our life here on earth is only temporary.  Eternal life with our God awaits each and every one of us. We have just celebrated our Communion with the Saints on November 1st and we have prayed for all the souls in purgatory on All Souls Day, Nov 2nd.  This whole month is dedicated in a special way for us to pray for all those who have died. You will see a Book of the Dead in our church marking all those who have died from our parish. You may even include other names of your loved ones that you would like us to pray for.  I encourage everyone to take an All Souls envelope from the church, if you do not already have one, and make a donation to our All Souls Novena of Masses. These Masses are said for all of our loved ones to help them enter into our Home of Heaven. As we journey through November, may we use death and heaven as the lens by which we live “not for ourselves alone” but for God and others.

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

Fr. Jim
Pastor

November 3, 2013

31st Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lk 18:9-14

Recently we were all scandalized by the business tycoon Bernie Madoff who ran a Ponzi scheme that cheated many people out of billions of dollars. In today’s Gospel, we have a person by the name of Zacchaeus who was like a Madoff during the time of Jesus. In being the chief tax collector, Zacchaeus would take money from his own people and then give it over to the foreign Roman government. It was also alleged that Zacchaeus would take some money for himself. You can imagine how Zacchaeus was despised by his own people. 
Jesus comes along, sees Zacchaeus in a tree and asks him to come down. Then Jesus invites himself into Zacchaeus’ house. Why? Jesus sees beyond Zacchaues’ sinfulness. He sees him as someone who is looking to be saved. Zacchaeus is a single minded seeker. He recognizes the wrong in his heart and discerns to depths beyond his own physical sight that something is missing in his life. The only one who can give him true fulfillment is Jesus.
Zacchaeus responds to Jesus by stating that he will make restitution not only for one day but throughout the rest of his life by giving to the poor and give back to anyone he has defrauded. Jesus’ invitation to Zacchaeus helps to fulfill His mission to seek out and save the lost just like we heard in Luke’s parable of the Prodigal Son.
Jesus comes to us as well and invites Himself into our lives each and every day. Even though we are sinful, we are also to be saved! Look at the saints. They are sinners who never give up. Nor should we.
Are we willing to accept His invitation? Are our lives so busy that we just put him on hold? Do we allow our guilt to keep Jesus away? As a Church, whom do we invite into the reign of God? Who are the outsiders?

CLEANLINESS OF OUR HOUSE
I ask that each of us take responsibility to take care of our Church. On Monday mornings, our maintenance people find it very unclean and untidy. Please do not leave water bottles, coffee cups or papers in the church before you leave. They should not be there in the first place, unless one needs water for themselves or their children. Just like we would take care of our own houses, please do the same with our home , St. Ignatius Loyola Church.

FR. SAUL LONDONO
Fr. Saul will be away for two months. His religious order has called him back home to Columbia for a retreat and to celebrate his 25th anniversary as an ordained priest. Please pray for Fr. Saul as he marks this momentous occasion. We plan on having an event for him upon his return on January 8th. In the meantime, we will have a variety of priests helping us during this busy time of season.

ALL SOULS ENVELOPES
During this month of November, we are reminded that our life here on earth is only temporary.  Eternal life with our God awaits each and every one of us. We have just celebrated our communion with the Saints on November 1st, and we have prayed for all the souls in purgatory on All Souls Day, November 2nd. This whole month is dedicated in a special way for us to pray for all those who have died. You
will see a Book of the Dead in our church marking all those who have died from our parish. You may even include other names of your loved ones that you would like us to pray for.
I encourage everyone to take an All Souls envelope from the church, if you do not already have one, and make a donation to our All Souls Novena of Masses. These masses are said for all of our loved ones to help them enter into our Home of Heaven. As we journey through November, may we use death and heaven as the lens by which we live “not for ourselves alone” but for God and others.

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

October 27, 2013

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lk 18:9-14

ST AGNES MEDAL
This Sunday, October 27th nearly every pastor will gather at the Cathedral of St. Agnes with Bishop Murphy to celebrate the gifts and talents of outstanding parishioners who are the finest examples of Stewards to be found in our local parishes. It is a celebration like no other that brings people from all over Long Island to celebrate the gifts that make our Church shine.

Our St. Ignatius Loyola recipients for this prestigious honor are Pamela and John Flanagan. Pam & John have been serving St. Ignatius Loyola for many years and on many levels. Pam helped to institute the Ministry of Consolation to help families plan their loved ones funerals. She is an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion. She had also served as a volunteer in Human Services and she helps count the Sunday collection. Pam has been very helpful in reaching out to bereaved families so that we can make the funerals for their loved ones as meaningful as possible.

John has served on our Finance Council for many years and continues to serve in this capacity. He is a faithful usher at our 5pm Mass. He serves as an adult altar server at funerals during the week. John also works for the Manna Program where he delivers bread once a week to Human Services.

We are grateful for this wonderful couple who perform their ministry not for their own glory, but for as St. Ignatius Loyola says “for the greater glory of God.” In fact, they would rather take this medal in a most humble way and not in front of others. Congratulations to Pam and John. May God continue to bless them and their family on this most auspicious occasion.

RECEPTIONIST POSITION FILLED
Thank you to all candidates who applied for the position of Office Receptionist. We appreciate your efforts. Since we have hired a candidate, we will keep your resumes on file for at least one year.

A big thank you to Terry Meyers from Meyers Farms for the beautiful fall decorations that grace our altar and her ongoing generosity to our parish. May God bless her in abundance.

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

Fr. Jim,
Pastor

October 20, 2013

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lk 18:1-8

In today’s Gospel passage Jesus speaks to us about the importance of persistence in prayer. Prayer is simply having a conversation with God. This is where we can build our relationship with God and discover God’s plan for us. Most of us are familiar with the expression of vocal prayer. In fact, we may talk too much in prayer and rarely listen. In order to find out more about God (Jesus) and ourselves, we need to listen too. One expression of prayer that can help us listen better is mediation/contemplation. A form of mediation/contemplation in our Catholic Tradition is called Lectio Divina or praying with the Bible. You may choose to build your prayer life with these simple steps:
1)Find a quiet place-at home or in our church
2) Take at least 5 to 10 minutes to pray
3) Recall the presence of God and the purpose of prayer which is to see God’s plan for you
4) Mediation-read a passage from the Bible-it can be from this past Sunday’s
readings.
Focus on a word or phrase. Think about its meaning. You may read a commentary on the passage such as The Word Among Us, Magnificat or Daily Bread. 4) Contemplation-Put the Bible aside and simply focus on Jesus. Sit back and listen to what Jesus has to say
5) You may want to write something down in a journal or notebook of something you thought about or felt Jesus said to you during your time of prayer. Go back over your reflection in a month or years time.
Try this form of prayer. It will make a difference in your life and open you to the wonders of God’s revelation.

WHAT’S HAPPENING AROUND OUR FACILITIES
You may see some new faces this week in our office and around our parish grounds. I would like to welcome Leonard Schmitt who is our new part-time maintenance/cleaner for the parish. Lenny comes to us from Mineola. He will be here M-F from 4pm to 9:30pm. We also welcome Patricia Schrader, a Hicksville native. Pat will be with us as a part-time receptionist in our rectory office Tuesday and Wednesday evenings and on Saturdays. We are happy that they have joined the St. Ignatius Loyola family.

All Ministry( Group) leaders will be receiving a letter from me in the near future. I ask that each Ministry send to my Administrative Secretary, Joan Della Ratta, and updated list of all of your members.  Included on the list should be three items 1)The Head Leader of the Group 2)A Head Security Person and 3) A Head Cleaning Person. Once we compile this list, a mandatory meeting will be held with all of our Ministry leaders to review the parish policy of the use of the buildings and to ensure the safety and cleanliness of our facilities. St. Ignatius Loyola is our home and we are all responsible together.

Bishop James J. Daly, D.D. 1921-2013

This past week, we learned that one of our former Auxiliary Bishops, Bishop James J. Daly, D.D., passed away. Bishop Daly lived till the young age of 92. He was ordained in 1948. He served in many parishes and Diocesan offices. He was ordained as an Auxiliary Bishop of Rockville Centre in 1977. He was a humble and gracious man who never sought to bring attention to himself. Msgr. James McNamara recently wrote a column about Bishop Daly in the LI Catholic. He closes with these words: “ May he rest in peace and, as the sun sets on this day, may his soul wing its way into the heart of God. Heaven is a better place for having this noble man of God among its citizens.” In regards to this good and faithful
priest, may we all concur with that.

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

Fr. Jim,
Pastor

October 13, 2013

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lk 17 11-19

During the time of Jesus, to have a skin disease such as leprosy, meant you were afflicted with two pains in your life. First, you had the pain of your appearance from the disease. Leprosy was not the same as Hansen’s disease is today. In the Bible, it was more of a repulsive, flaky scaly condition that would “pollute” a person’s skin.  The second pain was isolation. When a person with leprosy walked through a town or along a road, they would have to stay so many feet away from others so that the other people would not catch it or become unclean themselves. The leper would have to yell “unclean, unclean” so that others would hear you and get out of your way.

One can imagine the pain that these 10 lepers were going through when they came upon Jesus. After Jesus told the lepers to go to the temple and show themselves to the priest, they were all healed. But, only one came back to express his gratitude. Why only one? Did the other 9 take Jesus for granted? Were they so excited about being healed that they just simply forgot to thank Jesus? I just read a commentary that stated that in the ancient Middle East, to say “thank you” is to end a relationship. A popular modern saying affirms, “Don’t thank me; you will repay me [with a favor when I am in need].” So the other 9 lepers thought they could see Jesus anytime but not right away.

The Samaritan however, recognized it would be impossible to repay his Galilean benefactor or approach Him again if the problem returned because the Judeans and the Galileans were prejudiced against Samaritans. The Samaritan knew he was in the “wrong” place at the “right” time, and such an opportunity might never occur again for him. The Samaritan’s repulsive skin condition is healed; Jesus welcomes him into the community. Other Judeans and Galileans would not be so accepting. Will we, the modern followers of Jesus, imitate our Master or his compatriots? Do we recognize that all we have in our life comes from God or do we take it all for granted? Do we have to be involved in tragic circumstances to recognize God’s presence is with us? Take time to remember the words of a German Theologian Meister Eckhart who wrote “if the only prayer you say in your entire life is “thank you,” it in itself is enough.”

CATHOLIC MINSITRIES APPEAL
Every year, the Catholic Ministries Appeal provides the means to continue the mission that Christ has entrusted to us: to serve by serving others. The ministries and programs that benefit from this effort allow us to fulfill that mission given to us as Catholics. We are counting on you—members of our Parish family to participate in this important campaign that serves more than 600,000 people each year, many in our own communities.

Ethel Simmons will be our guest speaker this weekend to speak on behalf of the Catholic Ministries Appeal at all the Masses. Cards and envelopes will also be available in the back of the Church for you to make your gift.

To all of you who have already given—I am so grateful for your generosity. It is truly a blessing.

HOLY HOUR FOR VOCATIONS
The Diocesan Holy Hour for vocations takes place at St. Ignatius Loyola this Friday October 18, 2013 at 7:30pm. Bishop Nelson Perez will be our guest speaker! He is a very dynamic priest. I am sure your youth (6th grade and up) would be interested in hearing him. I am asking each ministry of our parish to take an evening to volunteer as a group. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact the rectory office (931-0056) and let them know you are interested.

OFFICE HOURS CHANGE-PLEASE NOTE
Beginning this week, we will have a change in rectory office hours. As of Monday, October 14th the new office hours are Mon & Fri. 9-12 & 1-5pm, Tues, Wed; Thurs. 9-12 & 1-8pm; Sat 9-1pm; Sun. 9-2pm. The office will be opened by appointment only on Monday and Friday evenings. Please make a note of this.

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


Fr. Jim
Pastor

October 6, 2013

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lk 17:5-12

In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus speaks about the parable of the Mustard Seed. A parable is a story with an unexpected ending that teaches a truth. It is meant to arrest the ears of the hearer catching one by surprise. Jesus surprises us by comparing faith to the size of a mustard seed. The mustard seed or the black seed as it is known in the Holy Land today, is one of the smallest seeds on earth. When it is planted and taken care of properly however, it grows into a plant that is 9 feet tall. What Jesus is trying to say is even with a little bit of faith, great things can happen in our lives.

The disciples are overwhelmed by what is required to be one of Jesus’ disciples. He demands correctness, repentance and forgiveness even in the most aggravating of circumstances. While on their way with Jesus up to Jerusalem, the disciples ask Him to increase their faith. Jesus responds, through the parable of the mustard seed, that it only takes a little faith to follow Him and build God’s Kingdom here on earth. Even if we have a little bit of faith in our hearts, we can do extraordinary things in life such as forgiveness, generosity, patience, mercy and kindness. Recently, I read a statement by Bishop Joseph Bambera of Scranton, PA, my home Diocese, that sums up the importance of faith. He said “there is nothing in life we cannot bear if we have faith.”

Last Saturday on September 28, 2013, I witnessed such extraordinary faith in at the Shrine of the National Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C. during our Diocesan pilgrimage led by Bishop Murphy. There were approximately 3, 300 people present at the Basilica to pray, listen and participate in devotions and mass for the Year of Faith. Catholics from all over Long Island were present to bring their intentions to Jesus at the House of Mary.

One of the speakers for the pilgrimage was Mr. John Garvey, the President of the Catholic University of America. Mr. Garvey spoke about a renewal of faith that can only happen if we renew our hearts in Jesus.  He said that there are distractions in the world, even good ones, that try to take us away from the main thing in life; Jesus Christ. We need to take all of those distractions and give them over to Jesus so that we can be vessels of his love, mercy, patience and forgiveness to others. When we practice these virtues in faith, then we are exactly like Jesus was to His people 2,000 years ago.

I want to thank my classmate Fr. Douglas Arcoleo for helping to lead our two parishes, St. Ignatius Loyola and Our Holy Redeemer to Washington D.C. Fr. Arcoleo reinforced for us the importance of living out our faith in a secular world. Thank you also to Mrs. Diane Ryan Wimbiscus and Mrs. Joan Chwalisz for working hard to organize the journey for our two parishes. Overall, we had 42 souls on the bus representing Hicksville and Freeport.

Thank you also to Barbara Cheslock who organized a parish fundraiser trip to the Sands Casino in Bethlehem, PA this past Monday. The parish benefited $1153. A good time was had by all even though some of us left a few donations at the casino.

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Are You Thinking of Participating in A Church Ministry?
During the year, you will see this ad. The Lord calls you to make a difference in our parish. I need your help.
Please complete the following and place in collection basket or return to the Rectory Office.
___Altar Server, ____Usher,___ Lector, ____Eucharistic Minister, ____RCIA, ____Consolation Minister, __Family Life, ____ Pre-Cana ____Activities Committee, ____Hospitality ___Plumber, ____Electrician, _____Painter


Name _____________________________ Phone___________________
Email____________________________
May God bless you and Mary keep you and your families. St. Ignatius Loyola, pray for us!
Fr. Jim
Pastor

September 22, 2013

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lk 16:1-3

Catechetical Sunday & Our Catechists
This past Sunday, September 15, 2013 was Catechetical Sunday. In celebration of this day, our catechists were blessed at the 9:30am Mass. Catechetical Sunday celebrates the gifts of all of our catechists who have been designated to teach the Catholic faith to our children and their families. The theme for this year is “Open the Door of Faith”.

Our Religious Education program begins this Wednesday, September 25th and on Saturday, September 28th for our younger grades. Parents, if you have not registered your children, please do so yesterday.  In other words, now!

Catechetical Sunday is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the role that each person in our parish plays, by virtue of Baptism, in handing on the faith and being a witness to the Gospel. This is an opportunity for all of us to rededicate ourselves to this mission as a community of faith.

I want to take this time to personally extend my gratitude to Mrs. Colleen Tuzzolo, her Office Staff and our Catechists for all the work they have done and will continue to do. Please pray for them and for our children that this will be a successful and grace-filled year. Thank you to all of our parents who take their role as the first teachers of the faith seriously. Without you, our children would not know Jesus and the life they are called to live. Thank you to Deacon George Mais for your hard work and all of our Catechists in the programs of Infant Baptism, Pre-Cana, Youth, RCIA, Adult Education and Scripture. You help us to recognize that our Catholic education should not stop at 8th grade. May we all use this new catechetical season to rediscover our faith in an in-depth way. We are all disciples (students) of the Lord until we see him face to face.

Attention all children!
Please join us for a backpack blessing as we begin our new year for Religious Education next Sunday, September 29th at the 9:30am Mass.  Please remember to bring your parents, your brothers, and sisters and don’t forget your backpacks! Don’t’ worry, we will bless you too!

Diocesan Holy Hour
This past Friday, the Diocese held its first Holy Hour/Dodgeball for Vocations here at St. Ignatius Loyola for the new season. It was such a blessing to see so many young people from all over Long Island at prayer before our Lord. I invite all of our Young adults, parents, middle aged and retirees to help us as a volunteer! The Holy Hour/Dodgeball takes place on the 3rd Friday of the month. It only demands a few hours of your time. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact the rectory office (931-0056) and let us know that you are interested. Leave your name, phone number and email so that Charles Mailloux from the Vocations office can contact you. This is a big event that attracts at least 500 youth. The next Holy Hour is on Friday October 18th at 7:30pm. The youth are not only the future of our Catholic Church, they are the present Catholic Church. May we give them our support!

FYI: Beginning next week, with the start of Religious Education, my day off switches back to Fridays. Fr. Saul is usually off on Mondays.

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

Fr. Jim,
Pastor

September 15, 2013

Thank you to all who organized our 14th Annual Parish Picnic this past Saturday, September 7th. Most especially, thank you to our Activities Committee who worked very hard to ensure that we all enjoyed the evening. It is a time, no matter our culture or language, that we can all be united as one in the Lord.

You may be thinking of volunteering for a ministry this year. The Activities Committee can use your assistance. It is not too demanding, but very rewarding.
We are also looking for volunteers for the Holy Hour for Vocations and Youth beginning on Friday, Sept 20th at 7:30pm. Help us to be more present at this event. Many parishes will be participating. Jesus is calling you. If you are interested in either ministry, please contact the rectory at 516-931-0056.

As we marked the 12th year of September 11, 2001, please keep Syria and our nation in your prayers for peace. Thank you.

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

September 8, 2013

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lk 12:13-21

Greetings to you all! I pray that the rest of the summer was somewhat relaxing and enjoyable for you and your families. If it was a difficult time, I pray that the new season to come will bring you hope.  May we pray for all of our children who have begun school this week; may they find God more in their lives through their education and their relationships.
It is hard to believe that the “unofficial” Summer has concluded. What a better way to conclude our Summer than with our annual parish picnic. This will be our 14th year since it was begun by our Pastor Emeritus Msgr. Bennett. Please join us Sat., September 7th at 5pm with Mass followed by our picnic.  Our theme is DISNEY. Come as your favorite Disney character or wear a shirt or “ Mickey Mouse” ears that reflects the joy of Disney.
Vacations can be very enjoyable, adventurous and even unpredictable. This past August, my family and I drove up to Macinac Island, MI. While traveling on I-80 in western PA, we hit a re-tread from a truck. Luckily, the rented car, held its own on the road after the impact. After the accident, we found a rest stop a few miles up the road. We were fortunate to find it because once we arrived, the car died due to
damage to its radiator. Three men just happened to be on the scene and they helped push our car into a parking spot. We only had to wait 3 hours at the rest area because the rent- a-car company brought us another one. Even though we were a bit shaken up, I do believe that God was with us. First in my brother John, who suggested that we rent a car, second in helping me negotiate the car upon impact, third in bringing us the men who pushed our car into a parking spot and fourth in the person who brought us another vehicle. You never know what is going to happen when you take a journey. Isn’t that just like life.  However, with God we always find hope. Sunday’s Gospel teaches us to place God above all things in life. Since life is a journey, remember not to forget God. He’s always there and He never forgets us.

HOLY HOUR FOR VOCATIONS
The Diocesan Holy Hour for vocations will kick off its annual season of prayer and dodgeball here at St. Ignatius on Friday, September 20th at 7:30pm. The Vocations office is looking for volunteers.  I think it would be a great sign to our youth and our Diocese if we take the time to help in this special event, since it is taking place in our Church and in our parish buildings. Young adults, parents, retirees, we need your help! The Holy Hour/Dodgeball takes place on the 3rd Friday of the month. It only demands a few hours of your time.
If you are interested in volunteering, please contact the rectory office (931-0056) and let them know you are interested. Leave your name, phone number and email so that Charlie Mailloux can contact you. This is a big event that attracts at least 500 teenagers.

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS INSTALLATION OF OFFICERS
This past Tuesday, I had the pleasure of participating in the Installation of Officers for our parish Knights of Columbus, Joseph Barry Council. I am grateful to Grand Knight Douglas Quinn who invited me to be installed as the Knight’s Chaplain. I am also grateful to Deacon George Mais, who has been an Auxiliary Chaplain to the Knights of Columbus for many years. The Knights do so much good work in keeping our community and our parish active and spiritually-focused. We offer our congratulations and prayerful best wishes to the officers who have been installed.

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

Fr. Jim
Pastor

August 4, 2013

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lk 12:13-21

As we reflect on the readings this weekend, I could not help but think of the novella “The Pearl” written by the American novelist, John Steinbeck. In the story, a poor couple Kino and Juana struggle to take care of their child who was bitten by a scorpion. They go out to an estuary to go diving for pearls in order to sell them for medicine for their son. Kino finds this rather large pearl which they think is the answer to their prayers. He becomes obsessed by the pearl and its richness, thinking it will not only help their child but also bring them success. The pearl brings the family hardship and tragedy where they lose their only child to death. In the end, Kino and Juana are at the edge of a cliff where he flings the pearl back into the sea. As the Book of Ecclesiastes states, all things in this world is vanity!

In the parable today, Jesus warns us about the power of things and wealth. He is preaching against money, the “love of money.” This is something we all need to contend with on a daily basis. The question for us is how do we measure true wealth for our lives. Is it by the pearls like money, possessions, clothing, power and authority which one day will wither? Or is it based by our life with a loving God that becomes everlasting life!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU
Thanks to our Grand Knight, Doug Quinn and the Knights of Columbus for letting us have a table at the annual Hicksville Festival on July 21, 2013. Thank you to all who volunteered and helped us put this together so quickly. It seemed to be a success!
Thank you also to all who helped with the mailing for the “Friends of St. Ignatius” Raffle and those who helped pray the novena to St. Ann last week. May God bless you and reward you for your generosity.

WHAT’S HAPPENING AROUND OUR FACITLITIES?
Thank you to Robert Renner
The next time you walk into Msgr. Edward Tarrant Hall (gym), take a look at the inner windows above each of the doors. You will see a wooden covering with a cross in the front over each of the window panes. These coverings were made to protect each of the window panes during basketball and dodge ball games. We have had trouble in the past. The coverings were designed and created by Robert Renner.
A big thank you goes out to Robert for helping to protect our building and save us from unnecessary expenses.  These coverings are removable so that more light can come through the hall.

Most of the cameras are in. Donations are still coming in as well. Thank you to all who have given to this needed fund. If you still have not made a donation, please prayerfully consider to do so.

I will be away for the next few weeks, so you will not see this column for a little while. Please enjoy reading other materials that will supplement its place.

We welcome Fr. Carmody who will be back next weekend to join us again until early September.

Please have a safe and healthy August! Do not forget about the parish picnic to be held Saturday, September 7th beginning with the 5pm Mass. Stay tune for the theme!

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

Fr. Jim
Pastor

July 28, 2013

17th Sunday in Ordinary time
Luke 11:1-13

This Sunday we hear in the Gospel of Luke a very familiar prayer, The Lord’s Prayer or better known as “The Our Father.” This is a prayer that we say all the time at Mass, in prayer services, gatherings, at home, in hospitals and nursing homes. Sometimes we take it for granted because it is said so commonly. Actually, it a very special prayer that gives us access to our God as Father or Abba (Daddy) as Jesus called the Father. When you pray this prayer, say it slowly and thoughtfully knowing that we have a God who truly cares, forgives, watches over us, protects us from the evil one, gives us strength in temptation and allows us to have a share in His Divine Life.

ST. IGNATIUS LOYOLA FEAST DAY (JULY 30th-31st)
Please join us on Tuesday evening July 30th at 7:30pm for a bi-lingual Mass in honor of St. Ignatius Loyola. You are also invited to participate in Mass on the Feast Day of St. Ignatius Loyola, Wednesday July 31, 2013 at the 7AM or 9AM Masses. Say a special prayer wherever you are to our patron in whose name we are given to spread the message of Jesus Christ to the people of Hicksville. In honor of
St. Ignatius Loyola, may the Lord receive all that we have and all that we are.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
A special thanks goes out to all in our Activities Committee who did such a splendid job in preparing a nice reception for Fr. Jerome Ackah. Though it was hot in Msgr. Tarrant Hall, the punch and the hors d’oeuvres cooled us off nicely. Fr. Jerome wrote to me and wanted me to express to you his gratitude to all who shared in his celebration by coming to the Mass and/or the reception. Thank you for all your gifts too. He will be leaving Long Island on August 31, 2013.

PRAYER FOR WORLD YOUTH DAY 2013 (RIO DE JANERO, BRAZIL)
This weekend please keep our Holy Father, Pope Francis and all the pilgrims both young and old who are in Brazil for World Youth Day 2013 in your prayers.. Please especially keep in your prayers the youth of our parish and our Diocese who have traveled to Brazil and are there to learn more about our Catholic Faith and pray with our Holy Father, Pope Francis. I encourage each of us to pray the official World Youth Day Prayer this weekend.

-Oh, Father, You sent Your Eternal Son to save the world and chose men and women, through Him, with Him and in Him, to proclaim the Good News to all nations. Grant us the graces necessary so that joy may shine in the faces of all young people, the joy of being, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the evangelists the Church needs in the Third Millennium.
-Oh Christ, Redeemer of humanity, the image of Your open arms on the top of Corcovado welcomes all people. In Your paschal offering, You brought us by the Holy Spirit to an encounter of sonship with the Father. Young people, who are fed by Eucharist, hear You in Your Word and meet You as their brother, need your infinite mercy to run the paths of the world missionary-disciples of the New Evangelization.
-Oh Holy Spirit, Love of the Father and the Son, with the splendor of Your Truth and the fire of Your Love, send Your Light to all young people so that, driven by their experience of World Youth Day, they may bring to the four corners of the world faith, hope and charity, becoming great builders of a culture of life and peace and catalysts of a new world. Amen !

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

Fr. Jim
Pastor

July 21, 2013

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lk 10:38-42

In Luke’s Gospel this Sunday, we encounter the classic tension of being a Christian in the figures of Martha and Mary. Both mean well and both can teach us a lesson on living the Christian life. If we had all Marthas, there would be no time for reflection and prayer. If we had all Marys, then work would not be done and we would starve. Prayer and Service go together. Anyone who says my “work is my prayer” will burn out very quickly. If we do not live what we pray, then we fall into hypocrisy - the very thing Jesus criticized the Pharisees.

In terms of prayer and service, next week you will see a survey in our bulletin that we will place for a few weeks. This will help us understand that we all have a share in building the vision for our parish of St. Ignatius Loyola. Last week, I had the opportunity to participate in a conference entitled The Pastor’s Toolbox. No, I did not receive any hammers, paintbrushes nails or screwdrivers. The conference was on giving new pastors and relatively new pastors tools with which they can use to build their parishes and create a vision with the people. One thing I learned is that we need to ask the question “are we a Church of Maintenance or Mission. My hope is that we build St. Ignatius Loyola through Mission. Will you join us? Please look at and fill out the survey.

NAME OF ST. JOSEPH IN THE EUCHARISTIC PRAYERS
You may have noticed a slight addition in the second half of the Eucharistic Prayer at Mass. On May 1, 2013 the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments issued a decree by the authority of Pope Frances that the name of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, should be inserted into Eucharistic Prayers II, III, IV. After the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God is invoked, the words “with blessed Joseph, her Spouse” are now a part of the prayer. The decree tells us that St. Joseph “stands as an exemplary model of the kindness and humility that the Christian faith raises to a great destiny, and demonstrates the ordinary and simple virtues necessary for men to be good and genuine followers of Christ”.

FEAST OF ST IGNATIUS LOYOLA: BI-LINGUAL MASS
On July 31, 2013, we will be celebrating the Feast of our Patron Saint Ignatius of Loyola. Since, this is the day of our parish trip for the summer, we will mark the feast on Tuesday July 30th at 7:30pm with a Bi-Lingual (English & Spanish) Mass in the Church. This is a time when all of us can gather, no matter our background or our culture, to worship the Lord. Please join us for this special Mass. Alll are invited to attend. Recall the words of St. Paul the Apostle who wrote “though we are many, we are one body in Christ (1 Cor 12:12).

WHAT’S HAPPENING AROUND OUR FACILITIES Most of the cameras in
the Church and School have been installed. Thank you to all who have given generously from their heart to help the parish defray the costs. As of Wednesday July 17, 2013 we have collected approximately $4,000. May the Lord bless you for your generosity in ensuring parish safety for all.

It was brought to my attention by our Facilities Manager, Tony that the rug in the north transcept of the church was stained by soda or coffee during Mass. It is important to remember that our beautiful church has been entrusted to our care. We are to take care of it even better than our own homes. Please refrain from bringing soda, coffee, tea or any form of liquid other than water into the church. Cleaning a rug can be very expensive and burdensome to the parish. Also, try to make sure that before you leave the church that your area is clean for the next parishioners to pray and worship without any hassles at Mass. Please be considerate of our maintenance crew and others in the church.

The wall and the ceiling tiles in the back sacristy have been fully repaired. Please pray that these new materials can withstand any future storms or heavy rains. Hope you can enjoy this “hot” summer! Stay cool! Drink plenty of fluids.

Usually one day a week, the priests have one day free from Parish ministry just like many of us who are fortunate to take a day off. Just to let you know, that during the summer months July and August I will be out on Wednesdays.

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

Fr. Jim,
Pastor

 

July 14 2013

WELCOME FR. BENJAMIN UZEGBUNAM!
I want to take this time to introduce the newest clergy member of our parish and  our house, Fr. Benjamin Uzegbunam (pronounced-UZU-EH-BUNAM). You don’t have to worry about pronouncing Father’s last name, because he likes to go by Fr. Ben or Fr. Benjie or Fr. B! Just don’t call him late for dinner.
Fr. Ben comes to us from the parish of Sacred Heart Church in Mt. Vernon., NY where he was assigned there since 2005. Fr. Ben originally comes to us from the Diocese of Nnewi, Nigeria (SE Nigeria). Fr. Ben will be living in residence here while his main assignment will be at North Shore/LIJ Plainview as their new Chaplain. One advantage for us is that we have someone who will be there for us at the hospital should the need arise for any of our parishioners. Please do not hesitate to say hello or let Father know you are a parishioner of St. Ignatius Loyola if you or your loved ones are in LIJ/NS Plainview. This helps the priest to know who from our parish is hospitalized. We are happy to have Fr. Ben with us and hope he can stay for a while and enjoy his new home here at St. Ignatius Loyola.

THE HOMEBOUND
In writing about the hospital, it is equally important that your priests know if you or a loved one in your family, friends or neighbors is homebound and in need of Holy Communion and/or Anointing of the Sick. We have Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion who go weekly or monthly to visit the homebound to make sure they are connected to the parish. That was the original purpose of the tabernacle, to house the Eucharist from Sunday Mass for the sick. The priest will come when requested through the Eucharistic
Minister.
If your loved one(s) or you have not had a visit yet, please contact the rectory. The priest will come first with Holy Communion and Anointing of the Sick and is ready to hear confessions as well. So often we hear of families who are burying their loved ones unaware of the Sacraments of Healing-Anointing of the Sick and Reconciliation. The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is for anyone who is seriously or chronically ill to bring them healing and strength. It is not just for those waiting to die. However, if your loved one is near death, please contact the rectory as soon as possible so that they can be anointed and receive viaticum (Holy Communion-Food for the soul before death) to help prepare the soul for God.

THE BLESSED SACRAMENT CHAPEL
Every day the Blessed Sacrament Chapel is open at St. Ignatius Loyola Church from 7am till approximately 3pm (weekday and 5pm Sat./Sun.). This gives us the opportunity for prayer and adoration of Jesus present in the Holy Eucharist. During this period, we have Exposition of the Eucharist (Host in a monstrance) which takes place after the 9am Mass unless there are funerals. Exposition occurs after the funerals, since Christ is made present on the main altar of the church during the Mass. The Church prefers that at least 2 people are present during hours of exposition. However, as long as one person is present at all times, we are meeting minimum requirements. There have been a few occasions where I would come into the chapel and find no one present.
I write to encourage each of us to do our best to make time to be in the chapel. May we take advantage this summer to worship and pray to the Lord Jesus. This is a real treasure we have here at St. Ignatius Loyola begun by Msgr. Bennett. The Eucharist shows us that Christ loves us without limit, - can we at least give Jesus a few minutes of prayer and adoration in return? You certainly will not regret it!

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

Fr. Jim,
Pastor

July 7, 2013

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

This week please read the following article from the National Catholic Register to help us discern the importance of Marriage in light of the decision this past week from the US Supreme Court regarding Same Sex Marriage.

12 things you need to know about the Court’s homosexual “marriage” decisions by Jimmy Akin Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Here ere are 12 things you need to know about the homosexual "marriage" decisions just issued by the U.S. Supreme Court.  The U.S. Supreme Court has just dealt a pair of blows to the fight to defend the reality of marriage as being between
a man and a woman.

Here are 12 things you need to know:

1. What just happened at the U.S. Supreme Court?
The court issued two decisions regarding homosexual “marriage.” The first involved the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).  The second involved California’s Prop 8.

2. What is DOMA?
The Defense of Marriage Act is a law passed in 1996 by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by Bill Clinton.  Among other things, DOMA prevented the federal government from awarding benefits to homosexual couples who were married under state law.  This was at issue in the first case that the Court ruled on.

3. What was the DOMA case about?
A woman who was legally married to another woman in New York state was required to pay a large sum in federal estate taxes because the marriage was not recognized under federal law because of DOMA.

4. What did the Court hold in this case?
The Court held that part of DOMA (not all of it) was unconstitutional and in violation of the U.S. Constitution’s Fifth Amendment (specifically, the equal protection provision incorporated into it by the Fourteenth Amendment).  As a result, if a homosexual couple is legally married in terms of state law, the federal government will now have to give them the same benefits as a heterosexual couple.

5. Does this mean that homosexual marriage is now legal everywhere?
No. In a dissenting opinion that he filed on this case, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote:
The Court does not have before it, and the logic of its opinion does not decide, the distinct question whether the States, in the exercise of their “historic and essential authority to define the marital relation,” ante, at 18, may continue to utilize the traditional definition of marriage.

6. How did the justices vote on this case?
Justice Kennedy wrote the opinion of the court and was joined by Justices Ginsburgh, Breyer, Sotomayer, and Kagan. Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Scalia, Thomas, and Alito filed a combination of dissenting opinions..

7. What is Prop 8?
Proposition 8 is a ballot initiative that amended the California state constitution to define marriage as being between a man and a woman. It was passed by the voters of California in 2008.

8. What was the Prop 8 case about?
After Prop 8 was passed, advocates of homosexual marriage filed suit against it and succeeded in getting it overturned. The California state officials who ordinarily would defend such a law refused to do so, and a group of private individuals attempted to do so.

9. What did the Court hold in this case?
The U.S. Supreme Court held that the private individuals attempting to defend Prop 8 did not have the standing needed to defend it before them. It consequently vacated and remanded the lower court’s decision. Specifically, the opinion of the court holds:  Because petitioners have not satisfied their burden to demonstrate standing to appeal the judgment of the District Court, the Ninth Circuit was without jurisdiction to consider the appeal. The judgment of the Ninth Circuit is vacated, and the case is remanded with instructions to dismiss the appeal for lack of jurisdiction.

10. What does this mean?
It means that, unless another way can be found to defend Prop 8, it is effectively dead and homosexual marriage will be legal in California.

11. How did the justices vote on this case?
The opinion of the court was written by Chief Justice John Roberts, who was joined by Justices Scalia, Ginsburgh, Breyer, and Kagan. Justice Kennedy filed a dissenting opinion, and he was joined in it by Justices Thomas, Alito, and Sotomayer.

12. What did the dissenters say in this case?
The dissenting opinion filed in this case stated, in part: In the end, what the Court fails to grasp or accept is the basic premise of the initiative process. And it is this. The essence of democracy is that the right to make law rests in the people and flows to the government, not the other way around. Freedom resides first in the people without need of a grant from government. The California initiative process embodies these principles and has done so for over a century. . . .

In California and the 26 other States that permit initiatives and popular referendums, the people have exercised theirown inherent sovereign right to govern themselves. The Court today frustrates that choice by nullifying, for failure to comply with the Restatement of Agency, a State Supreme Court decision holding that state law authorizes an enacted initiative’s proponents to defend the law if and when the State’s usual legal advocates decline to do so. The Court’s opinion fails to abide by precedent and misapplies basic principles of justiciability.

June 30, 2013

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

PARISH STAFF CHANGE -
A few months ago, I announced that Rosemary Cassese was taking leave of absence to take care of her mother-in-law, Helen. After further reflection, Rosemary has decided to resign from her work as Pastoral Assistant here at St. Ignatius Loyola to continue to take care of Helen. Recently, however, Helen
has had a few set-backs, so please keep her in your prayers.
Rosemary has been with us for approximately 10 years 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 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. May God continue to bless Rosemary, Bob and their family and all families who have made the sacrifice to take care of their parents
and grandparents in their twilight years of life.
Joan Della Ratta, whom many of you know as one our receptionists on Mondays and Tuesdays, has so graciously accepted the position as main Parish Secretary. I am most grateful to Joan for her acceptance of this assignment. Joan has done much over the last 3 months while Rosemary was away on her family leave. She will carry on with the work Rosemary has done in the past as well as her usual receptionist duties. Thank you Joan! I also want to take this time to thank Jeanne Calhoun and Olga Jordan for also helping me to continue the work of the parish in Rosemary’s absence. All of you have done an outstanding job and I am happy that you are on our team here at St. Ignatius Loyola.

CONGRATULATIONS ONCE AGAIN TO FR .BRANDON O’BRIEN -
This past week was filled with great enthusiasm and fervor as our parish has had the opportunity to celebrate the ordination and First Mass for Fr. Brandon O’Brien. Fr. O’Brien and his team of seminarians did an excellent job at the First Mass held last Sunday, June 23rd. Fr. O’Brien reminded all of us of the importance of the ordained priesthood and its essential importance in the life of the Church. St. John Marie Vianny( The Cure of Ars) once said that “the priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus. When you see a priest, think of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Fr. Brandon, thank you for bringing Jesus to our parish in your words and your example. Fr. O’Brien has been assigned to the Church of St. Christopher in Baldwin. I am sure he would be happy if you were in the area and you stopped by to say hello.

FAREWELL TO FR. JEROM ACKAH—It was only one year ago that Fr. Jerome Ackah came to our parish as a resident in order to serve at North Shore-LIJ in Plainview. Now, he has to leave again. Fr. Jerome has been a delight to our parish. I want to thank him on behalf of you for his service here at St. Ignatius Loyola. He not only did what he had to do, but went beyond the call of duty. Fr. Jerome will be leaving our parish on June 30th. However, he will not head back to Ghana until August 30th. Since his announcement of departure came so soon, we will have a farewell Mass and reception for him on Saturday July 20th at the 5pm Mass. MARK YOUR CALENDAR

THANK YOU KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS AND COLUMBIETTES—
Recently, both the Joseph Barry Council of the Knights of Columbus and Columbiettes have been very generous to our parish. We just received a generous check from both groups. I want to take this time to personally thank them for all their work and their donations to St. Ignatius Loyola. You have been a great source of support for our parish. As St. Paul writes, “ may God continue the good work he has begun in you”.

WHAT’S HAPPENING AROUND OUR FACILITIES -
The roof above the sacristy was fixed. So far, after all the rain, no further leaks. Work is being done now on the tiles and the wall in the sacristy. Also, work was done on the mortar of the convent to prevent further leakage as well. Progress!

A BLESSED FOURTH OF JULY TO ALL
Please pray for our nation as we celebrate our 237th birthday of independence. Prayer flyers are in the pews for us to say a prayer for Religious Liberty which will be said at the end of Mass till 7/4. Please join me at St. James parish in Seaford Monday July 1st at 7:30pm for a Holy Hour of Eucharistic Adoration for Religious
Liberty, Life and Marriage. Happy Fourth of July!

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

Fr. Jim,
Pastor

June 9, 2013

10th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lk7:11-17

I believe that there is nothing worse in life than for a parent to lose a child. Time and time again, we as priests come across these tragic scenes where parents have lost their children to death - whether it be from an accident, cancer, suicide or an addiction to drugs or alcohol. When parents lose their children, it is like losing a future.
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we have a woman who has lost her future to everything. Luke makes a point to tell us not only has she lost her son, but her husband as well. She has lost all the men in her life. In both the Old and New Testaments, women had to depend on men for a social status in the community because they did not have any. Because the men were gone, the widow had lost everything . She was
relegated to the margins of society, belonging to the anawim, the poorest of the poor. Her life, as we know it, was eventually over too. She might as well have been dead herself.
However, we see that Jesus comes upon the scene. What is rare here is that normally people first go to Jesus. But, here Jesus recognizes the pain of the widow and immediately goes to her . He tells the mother not to weep. Then he touches the coffin (brier) and says “Young Man I tell you to arise!” When life was brought back to the man, life also was restored to the woman. She herself was brought back into the community. Her life and future was restored in Christ.
The one who had compassion, will himself face death soon. However, as the human face of God on earth, Jesus will defeat death overall. We, by our baptism, share in this victory by the power of His resurrection. Jesus has the same compassion for us when we face struggle, pain or even death itself. He is the One who can comfort us and give us the hope of the new life to come. In Baptism, we were raised to life in Christ, and became prophets in His name. Like Jesus, we too can bring the comfort of God to those who have lost loved ones, especially children. If you know of parents who have lost children, you need not say much. Just be present and caring letting them know they are in your prayers. It is by this action that we can let others know that God has indeed visited His people.

ANNIVERSARIES
At this time of year, priests usually celebrate an anniversary to the Ordained priesthood.

Congratulations to
Fr. Jim Carmody—50 years—June 2nd—Golden Jubilee
Msgr. Bennett-46 years-May 27th
Fr. Saul-25 Years-Silver Anniversary-December
Fr. Jerome-21 years July 18th
Fr. Jim-15 years-June 13th
Pray for your priests!


CORPUS CHIRSTI PROCESSION - THANK YOU
Thank you to all who participated in our Corpus Christi procession last Sunday following the 12:30pm Mass. Your presence revealed the body of Christ not only in the Eucharist, but also in us -God’s people. A special thanks goes out to Jennifer Toohey , Jennifer Barsamian and the choir. Your gift of music and song helped raise our hearts and minds to God.

VACATIONS-WELCOME FR. CARMODY
Also at this time of year, we have the privilege of going away during the summer. So, Fr. Carmody will be here assisting us until July 17th. I will be away next week for my niece’s graduation in CA. So you won’t see this column for a little while. Welcome home Fr. Jim Carmody!
May God bless you and Mary keep you, St. Ignatius, pray for us!

Fr. Jim,
Pastor

June 2, 2013

The Most Holy Body & Blood of Christ
Corpus Christi

This weekend, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, also known as Corpus Christi.
This is a great time to reflect on the importance of the Sacrament of the Eucharist because it serves as the primary sacrament to which all things flow and from which all things should originate. Even though many of us receive the Eucharist in the form of Holy Communion, we may take the sacrament for granted and forget about how it can transform our lives. We may also become careless as to the form of reception and respect and honor that is to be given to the Eucharist. There are a number of Catholics who do not fully believe or have a difficult time believing that the bread and wine that we receive at Mass is truly and really the body and blood of Christ. Many think the Church teaches that the Eucharist is just a symbol of the real presence of Christ. We also know there are a great number of Catholics where Sunday( Sat. Evening) Mass is just not a part of their lives.
The Catholic church teaches that in the consecration of the Eucharist, the bread and wine really become the body and blood of Jesus Christ. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, “In the most blessed sacrament of the Eucharist ‘the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained.” This is a key doctrine of the faith and a teaching that sets Catholics apart from most other Christians. We call this transubstantiation.
Sometimes, it is very difficult to grasp. However, it is a mystery of our faith where God acts in our lives. All we need to do is have faith. If God can create the world with one word and a single breath, how much more can God do through Jesus Christ with simple bread and wine?
When the Church speaks of the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, she is speaking of the resurrected glorified Christ who is present for us in this sacrament.  In other words, we are not hurting Jesus when we consume the host as was once thought in the past.
We also believe that both the fullness of the body and blood of Christ both reside in the bread and wine. Recently I have had people give me a look when they receive a tiny piece. Quantity does not matter - whether we receive the whole host or a tiny piece of host. It is the same Christ, yesterday, today or forever, whom we receive. When receiving the body and blood of Christ, the Church asks us to remember a few items:

1)Examine our Conscience. If we are with Mortal Sin or we have not been to church for a while, it is important to first go to Confession.
2)We should abstain from any food for at least 1 hour.  We can drink liquids (water). This does not include the necessity for someone to eat because of a medical
condition.
3)When we approach to receive Holy Communion, the Church wants us to make a slight bow. It is not a profound bow for all to see, just a little one.
4)We can receive in two ways: in the hand or on the tongue. When receiving in the hand, remember to put the hand you eat with on the bottom and the other one on top. The hand on top should be open but curved, making it a throne for our Lord. Make sure your hands are raised up for the clergy or minister to see. Once you receive, you step off to the right or left and immediately consume the host.  If you choose to receive on the tongue, make sure that your tongue is out. The Church does not ask us to reach out for the host. We are to receive the host.
5)After receiving ,we are to say AMEN and not thank you or any other phrase. The word AMEN means I believe.
6)After receiving, the Church asks us to keep singing at Mass. Our song is a prayer and is part of the Church’s prayer. Once the song is over, then we can pray silently until the closing prayer.

May this day always remind us that the Eucharist is essential to our living. During the year 304 when the Diocletian was emperor of the Roman Empire, he forbade Christians from gathering for Mass on Sundays under the pain of death. One day 49 Christians were taken by surprise for their celebration of the Eucharist. They were arrested and interrogated. When asked by the procurator why on earth they had disobeyed the Emperor’s severe orders, they responded “Sine dominico non possumus.” “Without Sunday we cannot live!” May that be the same for us. May we share this with those who are not in our church building.  Christ is our nourishment not only for our journey here on earth, but ultimately for our path to heaven.

FR. JEROME ACKAH LEAVING

It is with deep regret that I received word from the Diocese that Fr. Jerome is leaving our parish. Fr. Jerome has to go back to his home Diocese in Ghana. He will be leaving here on June 30, 2013. He will remain on Long Island till August 29, 2013. Please keep Fr. Jerome in your prayers. More information is forthcoming in the future. May God bless you and Mary keep you and your families! St. Ignatius, pray for us!

Fr. Jim,
Pastor

May 26, 2013

Solemnity of the
Most Holy Trinity

Last week, this week and next week, the Church helps us to focus on important doctrines of our faith. Last Sunday we focused on the conclusion of the Easter Season and the Pascal Mystery when Jesus sent the Holy Spirit at Pentecost upon the disciples. The Spirit moved them to go out and to proclaim the Good News without fear. Next week, the Church will focus on the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist during the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ which is the Primary Sacrament of our lives.
This Sunday, the Church helps us to reflect on the central doctrine of our faith, the Holy Trinity. This is one doctrine that we can shy away because it is not easily grasped. As Catholic Christians, we believe that God is One in three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. When we speak of God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we are not saying that they are three Gods like some non-Christians think.  We believe that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit all share the same substance or essence. Yet, they are not just three ways of describing how God works because they are distinct from one another.
This may all sound confusing. It is because for 2,000 years great minds of our Church like St. Augustine, have been trying to figure this out. Ultimately it is a mystery. So, we are not alone. To understand the Trinity requires FAITH.
What the Trinity comes down to is this: God is not solitary. God’s love does not fall in on itself. God exists in a communion of persons who perfectly communicate to one another and support one another. The Church teaches that the one God as Father pours out the fullness of Himself, He holds nothing of His divinity back. He eternally Fathers the Son. The Father is a life-giving lover. The Son is His perfect image. The Son pours out the life He’s received from the Father and He gives that life back to the Father, which is a perfect expression of thanksgiving and love. Within that life and love, the Son receives from the Father and returns to the Father the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is then implanted in our hearts. This means that God is relationship.
Since we were created in God’s image, we are invited to live in relationship with one another just as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are in relationship to one another. We are made of community. Striving to be in a relationship with one another is not just a “nice thing to do,” it is something we must do and be engaged in every day if we are to truly become the image of God we were created to be.
How can I build community in my family, parish and community that resembles the relationship of the Holy Trinity; Father, Son and Holy Spirit, One? What can I do to show that I truly believe!

ANOINTING OF THE SICK-
If you or someone you know is preparing to enter the hospital, getting ready for surgery or is quite ill, join us Sunday, June 9th at the 12:30pm Mass for the Anointing of the Sick. Please contact Human Services to make a reservation at 935-
8846.
If you live with or know someone who is homebound and is not on our communion list, contact the parish office. You may have someone who needs anointing and cannot be at church. The anointing of the sick is very important, most especially in preparing the soul for Heaven.

WHAT’S HAPPENING AROUND OUR FACILITIES:
As we all know, we are living in an era where security if more vital than ever. Since St. Ignatius Loyola is right in the middle of the “hustle and bustle” of Hicksville right down from the train station, many people pass through our grounds. It is essential as Pastor, that I assure everyone’s safety. Recently, we had a young man who proved to be a risk to our security.  Luckily, the police came on the scene immediately.
In order to keep our people, our buildings and our grounds safe, we are in the process of installing 8 cameras around the Church grounds. Some will be inside the Church, while others around the school buildings. The cameras ,of course, are costly but in the long run will prove necessary for everyone’s safety.
I need your help in covering the costs of the cameras.  Currently a set of 4 cameras is priced a little over $5,000. The other 4 will most likely be the same price.  If you are willing and able, I ask for your generosity.  With your treasure, you will help ensure the safety of all who pass through our beautiful Church and grounds. Donation envelopes will soon be placed in the Church.  Thank you and God bless you!

SAVE THE DATE - FEAST OF ST IGNATIUS
(7/31/13) - A trip up the Hudson River on the Rip Van Winkle. More information to come.

May God bless you and your families! St. Ignatius Loyola, pray for us!
Fr. Jim,
Pastor

May 19, 2013

Pentecost—The Birthday of the Church
The Sunday that Concludes the Easter Season

PENTECOST-HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Happy Birthday everyone! Today is the birthday of the Church where we believe is one instance, the Church had its beginning. Pentecost originally was a Jewish feast marking a time when the people would give gratitude to God for the first fruits of the harvest. Then it became a celebration when the law (the Torah-1st 5 books of the Bible) was handed over to Moses by God 50 days after the Passover. The old covenant was sealed by God. It was at this time when Jerusalem was filled with people for this major celebration. Today it is a celebration where Jesus completes the Paschal Mystery (His Passion, Death, Resurrection, Ascension, Pentecost) for all the Church to behold and to participate.
The disciples were still frightened after the Resurrection of Jesus. They did not know what to do. In the Acts of the Apostles, the Holy Spirit suddenly rushes upon them transforming them into people of courage in proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ to people from different lands and cultures.
The Holy Spirit in the Gospel of John is the Paraclete, the Consoler, the Helper whose job is to help remind the disciples of Jesus’ teaching and His message. His Holy Spirit is the ongoing presence of Jesus. The Holy Spirit, as one person once said, is God’s inspiration. It is that same Spirit, brothers and sisters, that came upon us at Baptism and Confirmation. It is that same Spirit that is called upon the bread and wine transforming them into the Body and Blood of Christ. It is the same Spirit that comes upon us at Mass transforming us to becoming ever more
into the Body and Blood of Christ on earth.
Often we forget to pray to the Holy Spirit. The Spirit can do so much within us if we let the Spirit do his work. St. Cyril of Alexandria writes that with the Holy Spirit “it is quite natural for people who had been absorbed by the things of this world to become entirely other worldly in outlook, and for cowards to become people of great courage” Let this day be a beginning where we can call on the Spirit to come upon us to help us and change us to be that presence of Christ in our parish, our community and our world. Together, with the whole Church, we pray: Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love

V. Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created.
R. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
Let us pray. O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

CONFIRMATIONS - In light of this day of Pentecost, Bishop Murphy has given all Pastors in the Diocese, and to whom he delegates, the power to Confirm those member of our parish 18 and over who are Catholic and have not yet been confirmed. Confirmation will occur at the 11:00am and 7:00pm Masses. Please keep all of our Confimandi in your prayers.

PARISH OUTING -Last Saturday, the parish sponsored an outing to see the Long Island Ducks. The evening certainly lived up to the team’s name. It was a night for ducks with all the rain we had during the day. However, they played and few of our hearty parishioners showed up for an evening of fun and fellowship. A big thank you to Mary Sullivan who helped put this evening together.

BISHOP BRENNAN’S VISITATION- We were elated to have Bishop Robert Brennan with us at the 7:00pm Spanish Mass on Sunday May 5, 2013. Bishop Brennan certainly brought a wonderful spirit to the Mass and to the parish. He helped raise all of our hearts and minds to God in prayer with impeccable Spanish. Thank you Bishop Brennan!

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

Fr. Jim,
Pastor

May 12, 2013

Seventh Sunday of Easter

THANK YOU DEACON BRANDON O’BRIEN
On behalf of St. Ignatius Loyola parish, I want to personally thank Deacon Brandon O’Brien for his service to our parish and to the Church over these past 9months. I am grateful to Bishop Murphy and St. Joseph’s seminary in choosing St. Ignatius Loyola to allow Deacon O’Brien to serve and to preach as a transitional Deacon. Deacon O’Brien served as a witness for each of us, most especially us priests. He has shown his faithfulness and love of the Christ and the Church through his inspirational homilies and his dedicated service. On behalf of the parish, I also thank Deacon O’Brien’s parents for their beautiful gift to our Church in sending us Deacon O’Brien.
Deacon O’Brien has now entered into the final stages of his priestly faith formation. He is currently studying for his exams, preparing to embark on a priesthood retreat and then practice for the Ordination ceremony. Deacon O’Brien’s ordination will be held on Saturday June 23, 2013 at 11am at St. Agnes Cathedral.  His first Mass will be held here at St. Ignatius Loyola on Sunday, June 23rd at 2:30pm. A reception will follow in Msgr. Tarrant Hall. Please join me in prayer to the Holy Spirit for Deacon Brandon and his classmates as they journey toward the ordained priesthood.

WHAT’S HAPPENING AROUND OUR FACILITIES
Work is slowly being done in the sacristy of the Church. We are still investigating the source of our leaks on the South side of the sacristy. I ask that anyone who enters into the rectory to do business to come in through the front door. There is a part of the rectory that is reserved for the priests only because that is our home. It is difficult when your home is literally “over the store”. However, to make an effort
to respect the privacy of the priests, I ask everyone to enter through the front and not the back. Any parish member who is a collection counter, on the Finance Committee or Parish Council may enter from the back door only to head downstairs into the meeting room. Thank you for your cooperation and your understanding.

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY TO ALL MOTHERS, GRANDMOTHERS, GREAT
GRANDMOTHERS, GODMOTHERS AND GUARDIANS!
Mother Theresa once said “That special power of loving that belongs to a woman is seen most clearly when she becomes a mother”. No matter how important, powerful, humble, or little we might be, we all came from a mother.  Thanks Mom for all you have done, are doing and will do for us your children! God bless you!

The St. Ignatius Loyola Youth Group SHJ (Sacred Heart of Jesus), extends an invitation to the “WHOLE” St. Ignatius Parish Community to attend the Big Dinner-Dance, honoring both Mothers and Fathers!  Come with your family to enjoy an evening with Mom and Dad, food, drinks, raffles and lots of entertainment, and surprises!
Date, Time and Location: Saturday, June 1, 2013, from 5-11 p.m. at the St. Ignatius Loyola Old School.
Donation: $10.00, all inclusive.
For your ticket purchase you may contact Carlos Campos at 631-671-4508 or email: klocampos@gmail.com. All proceeds are to help our 6 youths go to Brazil to
meet our new Pope, Francis I, at the World Youth Day this summer!

May God bless you and Mary keep you and your families always! May we keep striving to build the Kingdom together!

St. Ignatius Loyola, pray for us!

Fr. Jim,
Pastor

May 5, 2013

Sixth Sunday of Easter

FIRST HOLY COMMUNION

Starting this Saturday, May 4th, we will enter into the “First Communion Season”! What better way to conclude these last three weeks of Easter. This Saturday, next Saturday May 11 and May 18th will be celebrating our Saturday First Communion Masses. What a wonderful time in the life of a parish as the community of faith welcomes those baptized as infants to now share in the fellowship of the heavenly banquet at the Eucharistic table.  What a wonderful time for the children and their families, as these children now deepen their intimacy and union with the Lord Jesus by partaking of the gift of His Body and Blood!

This is also a time for each of us to deeply reflect and appreciate just who it is and what it is we are receiving each and every Sunday; Jesus, the Lord. In his encyclical on the Eucharist “Ecclesia De Eucharistia, Blessed Pope John Paul II wrote “incorporation into Christ, which is brought about by our Baptism, is constantly renewed and consolidated by sharing in the Eucharistic Sacrifice, especially by that full sharing which takes place in sacramental communion. We can say not only that each of us receives Christ, but also that Christ receives each of us.

He enters into friendship with us: “You are My friends” (Jn 15:14). We congratulate and pray for all our First Communicants and their families during these joy-filled resurrection days of Easter Time!

WHAT’S HAPPENING AROUND OUR FACILITIES
We are slowly making steady progress on the damage caused by “Superstorm Sandy”. A new fence just went up around the convent. Work still needs to be done on the exterior of the Church over the sacristy. We are still unsure as to the source of the leak. The convent also needs pointing and some exterior work. This will be
a bit expensive, but it must be done at some point. Any help with donations is greatly appreciated!

THANK YOU TO OUR YOUTH MINISTRY
A big thank you goes out to all those involved with our growing Youth Ministry Program who helped work on the International Festival of Hispanic Heritage. I recently received a wonderful note which applauded your work. The woman who sent the note, felt that this event helped bring the parish together. She also suggested more events like this. Keep up the good work! Felicitaciones! Congratulations!

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

SAVE THE DATE -
In celebration of the Year of Faith, the Diocese of Rockville Centre offers this Pilgrimage to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception Washington, D.C.  Please save the date and join us, together with faithful from all across our diocese, on Saturday, September 28, 2013 for a day-long experience filled with opportunities for prayer, reflection, reconciliation and fellowship. More
information will be coming soon from the Office of the Bishop and the Office of Worship. Please watch your bulletin and the diocesan website, www.drvc.org, for details!


Fr. Jim,
Pastor

April 21, 2013

Fourth Sunday of Easter
World Day of Prayer for Vocations
Acts 13:14,43-53;Rev 7:9-17;Jn 10:27-30

Dear Parishioner in Christ,

In this bulletin, you will find an insert stating the Financial and Spiritual Report for the fiscal/pastoral year that ended August 31, 2012. The report was submitted to the Diocese of Rockville Centre in October, 2012.

My hope is that this report will help all of us appreciate the efforts of our people, the strengths of our parish and the challenges, both new and continuing, that lie ahead. It is your support and love of our parish, St. Ignatius Loyola that has helped us build God’s Kingdom for all of our parishioners and families.  It has been quite a year for all of us--both filled with joy and sorrow. The closing of our beautiful Catholic School has impacted all of us in some way. It will be a challenge to use and maintain the space of both school buildings in helping our parish to thrive.

Since my arrival back in June, 2011, I have been moved by a core group of families and people who support the parish with their time and their treasure. You recognize that all you have and are comes from Almighty God. What God has given you, you return by your thoughtful giving to the parish. However, there are also many of us who need to do more.

In 2012, we were fortunate to experience a surplus of $52 thousand due to significant one-time grant, bequests and a mild winter. We are anticipating a surplus in 2013. However, this is mainly due to $150 thousand of savings from our receiving a one year exemption from paying an assessment equivalent to 15% of our collections to support Diocesan Catholic schools on Long Island.

Although our parish has beautiful and unique buildings, we are frequently reminded of their age. Last year we replaced our convent roof because it was in dire need of repair. We secured a loan from the Diocese to help us with the costs, but that must be paid this year. We also continue to struggle to make progress in reducing the burden of our long term debt which accrues interest of $60,000 per year. Given a lack of available reserves, our great concern is the ability to meet the needs for preventative maintenance and necessary structural repairs for the aging buildings.

The parish has been receiving some rental income from ACDS for the use of the school.. However, the costs of insuring and maintaining the underutilized school buildings are a significant challenge. The parish has been working with Diocesan professionals to help in seeking and assessing potential tenants.  This is where we can all come together and help our parish. Christ, as the Good Shepherd, calls each of us to listen to His voice and follow Him. One way to follow Him is through our financial giving to the parish.  Perhaps, this year each of us, including me, could give just $2.00 more in the collection than we did last year. Every little bit counts and makes a difference.

We have been very blessed with wonderful parishioners, guided by a committed parish staff , sisters and priests here at St. Ignatius Loyola. May we continue this tradition and be a community that strives to follow the goal of our patron, St. Ignatius Loyola who said “teach us to give and not count the cost.” We are to do all things for the greater glory of God.

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

Sincerely yours in Christ,
Fr. Jim
Pastor

April 14, 2013

Third Sunday of Easter

TO ALL EXTRAORDINARY MINISTERS OF HOLY COMMUNION (Formerly known as EM’s)

As you look at the altar, you may have noticed that there is a small glass door on the right that contains certain oils. This is known as the Ambry. The Ambry holds the oils that are used for Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation and the Sacrament of the Sick.) The oils in the Ambry are Chrism, Oil of the Sick and Oil of Initiation.  Currently, there are Purell bottles that were placed there for the convenience of EM’s to use before the distribution of Holy Communion. All EM’s are asked to make sure that their hands are clean and purified. The Purell bottles will be moved to an area behind the tabernacle so as not to crowd the sanctuary and to place proper respect to the Ambry. Please make a note of this.

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR MINISTRY FUNCTIONS

Next weekend, Sat/Sun. April 20th-21st, two of our ministries will be hosting fundraising events.
On Saturday April 20th, The Catholic Daughters will be hosting their annual “Pot Luck” Supper from 6pm in the New School Cafeteria.
On Sunday April 21st, Our Youth Ministry will be hosting an “ International Festival” to help defray the costs of their pilgrimage to Brazil for World Youth Day to see our new Holy Father, Pope Francis. The event will be held in the Old School -Msgr. Tarrant Hall during the day. Please come and support these ministries so that they can share in the Gospel message of Jesus Christ and spread His word to all generations both young and old.

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

Fr. Jim,
Pastor

April 7, 2013

Second Sunday of Easter
Divine Mercy Sunday
Acts 5:12-16; Rev.1:9-19; Jn 20:19-31

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

EASTER SUNDAY
Acts 10:34-3; Col 3:1-4 or Cor 5:6-8; Lk 24 1-12;Jn 20:1-9

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

Msgr. Edward L. Tarrant

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!

Fr. Jim
Pastor

February 24, 2013

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

First Sunday of Lent

It is hard to believe that even though we have just finished Christmas, here we are right in the season of Lent. Every year, we always think about “what am I going to give up?” Fasting is more than just saying I’ll give up chocolate, candy, cakes and soda. It is about renewing our relationship with Christ Jesus and one another.

Perhaps we can focus on the words of our Holy Father, Pope Benedict who announced this past week of his resignation from the Holy See of St. Peter. Even though many of us are surprised and saddened by the Pope’s decision, he is a witness to the world and a reminder to us what leadership in the Church is all about: humble, courageous, and selfless service to the People of God. The Pope has taken this dramatic decision, as he said, in “full freedom” the freedom that comes with humility and the loving concern of a true Pastor. He is a true model of what it means to give something up and surrender to the presence of the Lord.

In the Pope’s Own Words -“After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry. I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only with words and deeds, but no less with prayer and suffering.  However, in today’s world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the bark of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me.  For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter …” As we pray for Pope Benedict and the Church in this period of transition, trusting in the Holy Spirit, we recall the words of Jesus at the Last Supper: “So when He had washed their feet and put his garments back on and reclined at the table again, he said to them, “Do you realize what I have done for you? You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’ and rightly so, for indeed I am. If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.” John 13: 12-16.

May each of us, especially those who are in any form of leadership, follow our Pope’s example of leadership as humble, selfless service of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Catholic Ministries Appeal :
As a parish, we would like each of us to deeply consider giving to the Catholic Ministries Appeal as an act of sacrifice for the season of Lent. The Catholic Ministries Appeal (CMA) helps about 600,000 people per year. This past year, through the great work of Catholic Charities, it aided hundreds of people whose lives were turned up-side-down by Hurricane Sandy. Every year we have a goal. If each of us gives at least $100 this year (only $10 for 10 months) then we can make a difference and make it easier to make our goal.  Please read the column in this bulletin about the CMA for further details.

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

Fr. Jim.
Pastor

February 10, 2013

How many times have you thought, life should not be so complicated? This Lenten Season, be part of the Christian Simplicity movement. Abstain from those daily choices and habits that can harm God’s beautiful creation for us or from taking more than your fair share of that great gift.

JOIN US!
6 Monday evenings - 7:30pm - Rooms E& F in the Old School for:
God’s Creation and Our Responsibility

February 18th -Christian Simplicity/The Spirituality of Compassionate Living
February 25th –The Spirituality of Buying and Consumption
March 4th -The Precious Gift of Water: Conserving and Protecting God’s Creation
March 18th: -Energy: Choosing Efficient and Clean/Transportation: Getting Around
March 25th Holy Week -Gratitude & Generosity: Putting the Gospel to Work

***Free will offerings accepted toward the materials for these sessions***

Unable to participate on these dates at St. Ignatius? You would be most welcome to attend any of the following sessions, beginning the week of February 18th :
7 Mondays, 1:00 p.m. - Parkway Community Church (938-1233)
7 Tuesdays, 10:00 a.m. - Our Lady of Mercy Church (931-4351)
7 Thursdays, 7:30 p.m. - St. Stephens Lutheran Church (931-0710)

Any questions? Please contact Fr. Jim here at the rectory (516) 931-0056.
SIMPLIFY your Lent - Make it real and be involved!
God bless you and Mary keep you. St. Ignatius Loyola, pray for us!

Fr. Jim.
Pastor

February 3, 2013

4th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Jer. 1:4-5,17-19; 1Cor12:31-13:13; Lk 4:21-20

It is hard to imagine that the season of Lent is just 1 ˝ weeks away beginning with Ash Wednesday, February 13, 2013. Our parish of St. Ignatius Loyola will be offering a variety of opportunities for us to enter into this holy season to help us deepen our relationship with the Lord and one another through His Church.

One opportunity to help make Lent more meaningful is to participate in a Lenten series entitled Lent 4.5 Christian Simplicity. This program will be shared by some of the other Catholic parishes and Christian churches here in the Hicksville area to help bring all Christians closer together. As St. Paul wrote last week “we are all one body in Christ.”

When we think of Lent, we usually think about what we are to give up; desserts, soda or candy such as a chocolate bar. Lent is more than giving something up. Its ultimate goal is to change our lives by a change of heart. This leads us into a deeper baptismal commitment to walk in the footsteps of Jesus by living in harmony with God, creation, and the entire human family.

Join us for only 6 Monday evenings at 7:30pm Rms E& F in the Old School for Lent 4.5 Christian Simplicity.
Each evening has a unique Lenten focus:
February 18th -Christian Simplicity/Compassionate Living (Ash Wed preparation)
February 25th -Food: Buying and Eating are Moral Acts  &-Consumption: Buying Less, Wasting Less
March 4th -Water: Conserving and Protecting

March 11th-13th-Parish Lenten Mission-Bishop Emil Wcela –9:30am and 7:30pm-Church
March 18th: Energy: Choosing Efficient and clean/Transportation: Getting Around
March 25th Holy Week -Gratitude & Generosity: Becoming Involved

If you are unable to participate at St. Ignatius on Monday evenings, then you are invited to join the Parkway Community Church on Monday at 1pm, Our Lady of Mercy on Tuesdays at 10 am or St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church on Thursdays beginning at 7pm. More details to follow.

Please fill out the form below and drop it in the collection basket or bring it to the rectory office. We are also looking for people to help lead the discussion. Trainings provided. Discussions will be set in groups of 8 to 12 people. If you have any questions, please contact me here at the rectory (516) 931-0056. Don’t let Lent come and go. Make it real and be involved!

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

Fr. Jim
Pastor

January 27, 2013

3rd Sunday In Ordinary Time
January 27, 2013
Neh 8:2-4,5-6,8-10;Cor 12:12-30; Lk 1:1-4,4:14-21

This past week, we saw, witnessed and heard the pageantry of inauguration of the 44th President of the United States, President Barak Obama. It is a time when the country can put aside differences and come together. One of the highlights of the inauguration is the President’s speech. It lays out his plan and vision for the country for the next four years.

In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus gives an inaugural address of His own in the synagogue laying out his vision for the people as the Messiah and Son of God. He reads from the passage of Isaiah Chs. 4:18-19 & 61:1-2a. As He reads the passage Jesus, creates a feeling of hope and expectation. Jesus’ mission is not about Himself or just the Jewish people. His role is to focus on taking care of others including the Gentiles, the non-Jews. Jesus wants to establish the Kingdom of God to the ends of the earth. All who clam a relationship to Jesus must follow this path. Jesus established a new way of life for all of us where we come not to be served, but to serve most especially the poor, the outcast and the vulnerable.

In his speech, the President spoke about our responsibility to take care of all, especially the poor children of our country. What he left out however, are the vulnerable unborn children who are victims of abortion. Since the passage of Roe Vs. Wade in 1973, our country has killed 54,559,615 unborn children.  How can we speak about freedom, peace and getting rid of gun violence, if we as a country cannot speak up about the unborn, who have no voice? What are we saying to mothers by allowing violence to happen to their bodies. Mother Theresa once said "Any country that accepts abortion, is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what it wants."

This past Friday I joined many of our parishioners on the March for Life in Washington D.C. It is a time where Catholics from all over the country speak out to change the law of abortion and provide alternatives for both mother and child alike. It is an event which the press rarely reports on because of its fear of doing away with what they call “reproductive rights.” If we are serious in listening to Jesus’ own inaugural speech, then we must be serious about a stand as Catholics for the dignity of human life from womb to tomb. If we do not take care of life, most especially at its beginning, then how can we protect it overall in this world.

JOIN US FOR MARDI GRAS
Our activities committee is working on putting a Mardi Gras together for all parishioners and families. It will be held on Saturday February 9, 2013 beginning at 6:15pm following the 5pm Mass. If you are interested in helping out, please contact Michele DiSanto at (516) 695-6835. We need your help. A celebration like this cannot take off with just a few people. Thank You.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU
Thank you to all the ladies who helped to decorate the rectory at Christmas. It was a delight to have your help. God bless you!

WHAT’S HAPPENING AROUND OUR FACILTIES
The sidewalk in front of the convent has finally been done. The fence will be taken down. Work needs to be done on the Church roof once again.

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

Fr. Jim
Pastor

January 13, 2013

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

Welcome Bishop Dunne
This weekend we welcome Auxiliary Bishop John C. Dunne who is making a parish visitation.  Bishop Dunne will be speaking to us and listening to us about the state of our parish since the beginning of my tenure here in June of 2011. Usually one is done every 5 years.

We celebrate today the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. During the time of Jesus, people were baptized by John the Baptist as a sign of cleansing and repentance.

If Jesus was sinless and born as the Son of God, why was He baptized by John? The Gospel of Matthew tells us that Jesus wanted to be baptized to show obedience to His Father’s will. Jesus is first of all a servant who, as the prophet Isaiah tells us, is willing to give up His life on behalf of the people to lead them out of the darkness of slavery into the freedom of light.

Jesus was baptized to express His oneness with all the people who confessed their sinfulness by seeking John’s baptism. He was saying by His baptism that he was one of them, and one with us, sinners all. This humility so pleased His Father that
a voice was heard from heaven: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (Mark 1:11). And it has also saved us by making us sons and daughters of God in Jesus, the Son of God.

Baptism is a central sacrament in our lives.  Without Baptism, we would be unable to form a special relationship with Christ. Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia, in a homily during evening prayer for our new Bishops said “the most important event in our lives as a priest is our baptism even before our ordination.” It is at Baptism where our life begins.

The sacrament of Baptism gives us a special share in the life of Christ where we unite ourselves with Him in his death and resurrection. Baptism is not just a naming ceremony or an excuse to have a party, it is an ongoing commitment that we make each day to live as sons and daughters of God in faith, word and deed until we reach our eternal home in Heaven.

What’s Happening Around Our Facilities

At this time of the year we are often invited to people’s homes. We would be respectful by being neat and clean. However, at a movie theater, we may feel different because there is no connection to any host. It is a commercial space. That is why many leave popcorn and soda on the floor.

In our Church, we are all guests of the home where the host is Jesus. We need to treat our Church as we would any friend’s or relative’shome.

Recently, however, the Church has been treated more like a movie theater than a home. As we begin this new year, may each of us take the time to pick up anything from where we are worshipping, put the hymnals back in their proper place, make
sure there are no tissues or papers on the seat or floor and that there is no gum on or underneath our pew or chair. It is very hard on our limited maintenance staff to make sure the Church is clean the rest of the week.

Parish Facebook Page

I am interested in starting a Parish Facebook page to help spread the message of the Gospel here at St. Ignatius. If there are any stay-at-home moms or dads who are interested in building and maintaining this site, please contact me here at the
rectory.

Thank you ….Thank you….Thank you

A great thank you to all of you who have been so generous in your gifts and cards to us priests at Christmas. You have been a true gift to us. May God bless you for your kindness!

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

Fr. Jim,
Pastor

January 6, 2013

The Epiphany of the Lord
A Gift for the Wise Men

A rather liberal priest was teasing one of the women of the parish, asking, “How do we know the Wise Men weren’t Wise Women?” She answered, “If they were, they’d have brought bottles, diapers, and a bassinet, instead of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” Maybe they were wise enough to know that Mary could have bought a lot of diapers with the gold.

The gifts, of course, are symbols of who Jesus is: a king who is both God and human. And I wonder what our gifts to the Lord say about our faith in Him. Remember the song about the little drummer boy, who had no gift to bring but his ability to play the drum? Or the parable of the woman who brought two small coins to donate at the temple (Mark 12:42)? They both remind us that a person who gives all they have, no matter how little it seems, is the most generous.

So what do we bring to the newborn king? I can give my time by coming to church
for the feast of Epiphany and actually paying attention. How often do I sit in the pews, answer the prayers by heart, and suddenly realize that I can’t remember what the first reading was, or what the homily was about? Just making the effort to listen to the words of scripture, to hear what God may be trying to tell me, could be a great gift. Or I could bring someone in our family, or a friend, who doesn’t go to church very much.

Now let’s not forget the meaning of “Epiphany.” In ancient times, it meant the appearance or manifestation of a divine being. In the early church, the feast included the baptism of Christ (with the voice of the Father and the Spirit as a dove) and the miracle at Cana, as well as the visit of the Magi. So what we celebrate is not so much our gifts or those of the Wise Men, as it is a gift from God, manifest in Jesus. Maybe a way to celebrate the Epiphany is to reflect on how God has been made known to me. Simple things, like a hug from a friend or an answered prayer, or major events like a wedding, the birth of a child, or a funeral, can all be ways to experience the Lord. The Wise Men received the gift of an epiphany by following a star. May the light of Christ lead you to Him also.

 

date last changed: 02/09/2014
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