2nd Sunday of Advent

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Msgr. Edward L. Tarrant

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

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

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 ½ 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

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

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

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.