March 15, 2026 Essay: The Overflowing Cup

One of Saint Ignatius’s spiritual exercises imagines “three kinds of people” who are all burdened with the same problem. Each has a sum of money and wishes to be free “of the burden arising from the attachment to it.” Easy, you might say; give it away! But Ignatius wants us to see that the issue is attachment to money, not the money itself. So before working out what to do with it, which might be—who knows?—to give it away, keep it, or some other decision—they have to be free to do God’s will. And they can’t do that if they have already organized their lives and hearts to hold on to what they have.

This is about our freedom to be a disciple. The problem is not the things we possess, but the way they can possess us, robbing us of our freedom to live full lives of loving service. We want to be open, generous, free—and be ready to serve the Kingdom of God where we can. But in practice, a spirit in us stops us: a fear of losing what we have struggled to possess, a reluctance to admit we don’t have it all sewn up. Pope Francis called it “spirit of sufficiency.” It is the spirit of our age.

St John tells of a man blind from birth whose cure by Jesus destabilizes the community. There are three kinds of responses. The first is that of the doctors of the law, who try desperately to shut it down. They are threatened by the miracle—it is fruitful to ponder why—so try and force a different narrative. The second response, that of the man’s family and neighbors, is the saddest. They can see what has happened but can’t share in the joy of it. For fear of the Pharisees and the crowd, they won’t admit it publicly, so they deflect, keeping their heads down. The third response is the greatest, yet the loneliest: that of the now-seeing man himself, who knows something truly marvelous has happened to him, and struggles to understand it. He stands up to the jeering and bullying and boldly embraces the truth he comes to see: that God’s action has given him new life. For this he is cast out. But Jesus meets him there and makes him a disciple of the Kingdom.

In St Ignatius’s exercise the first and second persons want to follow God’s will, but they do nothing about it, and in practice bend God’s will to their own desire. This is the way of the world, the way of sufficiency. But in the third case, the person takes the key step: he makes himself insufficient. To be open to God’s will he gives up his attachment in his heart and so frees himself to follow Christ. Just as, in John’s Gospel, we learn no more about the next chapter in the seeing man’s life, so St Ignatius leaves it to us to take the story on from there—and make it our own story.

Here’s the spoiler. In both cases what lies ahead is openness to God’s action in our lives. And the sign of that action is what the psalmist calls the “overflowing cup.” Jesus’s presence is full of such signs: nets full of fish, multiplying loaves, dirty water becoming vintage wine. Why an overflow? Because it is the very life of God being poured out into us at such moments, as it will be, most fully and dramatically, in the Resurrection of Jesus.

“Such overflows of love happen, above all, at the crossroads of life, at moments of openness, fragility and humility,” Francis wrote in our book Let Us Dream, “when the ocean of His love bursts the dams of our self-sufficiency, and so allows for a new imagination of the possible.” Happy Laetare Sunday.

— Austen Ivereigh

March 8, 2026 Essay: A Brother’s Grief

 We are not born whole cloth. The fabric of who we are, of who we aspire to be, and who we become is woven over the course of our lives. What may appear to be seamless is stitched together through relationships, most especially with the threads of love shared from birth between a sister and a brother – lifetime companions on a journey of exploration, from youthful whimsy to the challenges of aging. It is a bond that can never be broken. Whether in life or after the passing of one, the threads of mutual affection are so tightly stitched into who they have become that even death cannot unravel the tapestries of their individual lives.

On Thursday of this past week, I presided at the Funeral Mass of my sister, Betty Ann, in the same church where both she and I were baptized sixteen months apart. After three weeks in the hospital, knowing that her heart was irreparably failing and she was dying, she wanted to go home, to die in the house she had lived in most of her life, first with our parents, and then with her two daughters. My sister quite clearly and repeatedly told us that she wanted to leave the hospital and go home. A woman of extraordinary religious faith, given the circumstances of her life, I believe she was telling us that she wanted to go to the one place where she would be at peace. It was so fitting that her Funeral Mass was celebrated in the same church of her baptism where her faith life began. It was her spiritual home that foreshadowed the home she so longed for at the end of her life.

I acknowledge the fact that every brother can be effusive in his comments about his sister in significant moments, such as death. With all due respect to all siblings, my sister was the real thing. She loved her family, and she loved me more than I deserved. She regularly wrote to me about how proud she was of me because of my accomplishments and that she loved me as her brother. I regret now that I failed to return the sentiments on an equally regular basis. A woman who shied away from public speaking, she was eloquent beyond words in the way in which she lived her life, cared for her family and friends, and prayed with a devotion that was inspirational. On occasions too numerous to count, she would call or text me to request prayers for someone who she believed needed them. She had an elegantly beautiful heart that shone brightly in everything she said and did. Her heart was full of goodness for so many, family, friends, and strangers. In the end, she surrendered her heart to the one who she knew would greet her warmly at the moment of her death and welcome her home.

At my sister’s Funeral Mass, I chose the gospel passage about the visit of Jesus to the home of Martha and Mary—Martha, the hard worker, and Mary, the sister who sat at the foot of Jesus. Both were attentive to Jesus, but in different ways. My sister combined both these qualities. However, unlike the story in the gospel, my sister never complained about being a diligent worker, and for that matter, never, ever, said an unkind word about anyone.

As I write this essay, I am reminded of another gospel story of Martha and Mary. It is the account of the raising of their brother, Lazarus, from his death. When Jesus asked Martha whether she believed that that he was “the resurrection and the life” and that her brother lives, Martha answered, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.” At the end of her life, my sister revealed how much she was like Martha. She believed that her death was the beginning of a new life. Her resurrection was assured because of her deep and abiding love for Jesus and his Blessed Mother. It is that reality that we celebrated at her funeral.

As we continue our Lenten journey, we are guided by our belief that Jesus lives. He truly is the resurrection and the life. And for those of us who have or have had a sibling, let us give thanks to God for the one person who assuredly walks as a companion with us, whether in life or in death, and who one day, and in God’s time, will accompany us home.

— Fr. Dennis J. Yesalonia, S.J., Pastor

March 1, 2026 Essay: An Issue We Cannot Ignore

Addressing our nation’s response to the immigrants among us, our Catholic Church has been clear in holding to two truths. A nation has the right to secure its borders in the furtherance of the common good. At the same time, every person who has entered this country has an inherent dignity that must be respected and protected. These are the twin truths that must guide our response to the current crisis of immigration enforcement.

Targeted apprehension of those who have violated the welcome they have received, through the commission of violent crimes, is necessary and appropriate. Affording them proper due process, such individuals are appropriate subjects for deportation. What is happening currently, however, is a policy of apprehension and detention of any and all persons who are not currently United States citizens. These apprehensions and detentions are being fueled by arbitrary quotas which, in turn, have led to aggressive tactics by federal agents whose use of force has been highly criticized. The aim is the mass deportation of millions of people without regard to the contribution they have made to our society. Pope Leo and the United States bishops have forcefully denounced efforts at indiscriminate mass deportations.

The detention of all who have been apprehended is part of this policy. In the past, individuals apprehended for being in the United States without status would often result in persons being released on bond while their case was adjudicated so long as there was no history of criminal activity. Detaining all those who have been apprehended is intended to force persons to choose self-deportation over the uncertainty of detention for an indeterminate period. The result has been the rapid opening of detention centers whose conditions have been routinely criticized for failing to provide adequate food, appropriate medical care, and failing to protect the safety of those detained. At least 30 people died in detention last year—the highest number in two decades. There have been at least four deaths so far in 2026. A Cuban immigrant’s death in an El Paso detention center in January was ruled a homicide by the county medical examiner.

We need to put a human face on what our government is doing in our name.

Alberto Castaneda Mondragon was pulled from a friend’s car in Minneapolis in January. He was a roofer without legal status in this country. He was taken to a local hospital after federal agents alleged that he “purposefully ran headfirst into a brick wall.” He had suffered eight fractures in his skull that the medical team determined were not consistent with running into a brick wall. At least one ICE officer later told staff at the medical center that Mondragon “got his (expletive) rocked.” Released from custody, he continues to suffer the consequences of a traumatic brain injury.

An 18-month-old baby, Amalia, was held with her parents at a south Texas detention facility. Amalia became sick and her condition rapidly deteriorated. Taken to a San Antonio hospital, she was treated for pneumonia, COVID-19, RSV, and severe respiratory distress. Despite warnings from medical experts that the toddler remained medically vulnerable and at risk of reinfection, immigration officers returned Amalia and her mother to the detention center. There she was denied prescribed medication and nutrition supplements doctors provided. Aggressive efforts by Elora Mukherjee of Columbia Law School’s Immigrants Rights Clinic eventually secured the families’ release from detention.

“Solving our immigration problems will have to include controlling our borders and deporting undocumented individuals who have committed violent crimes. But solutions rooted in the order of grace cannot countenance the vilification of the undocumented or the indiscriminate deportation of millions of undocumented men and women…who have lived productively and peacefully in our land for decades and who contribute to our society so many of the values that we are desperately in need of.” Cardinal Robert McElroy, Archbishop of Washington, D.C.

— Fr. Mark Hallinan, S.J., Associate Pastor

February 22, 2026 Essay: Hearing God’s Call

[On this First Sunday of Lent, our parish celebrates two Rites for 31 adults: the Rite of Sending for our catechumens (preparing for baptism) and the Call to Continuing Conversion (for our already baptized candidates). This afternoon at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Archbishop Ronald Hicks welcomes the catechumens, accepting their desire to be baptized into the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil. This essay is written by Jennifer Gunsberger, who was baptized and received into the Church in 2025.]

Becoming Catholic was not a sudden decision but rather a fifty-year journey. God was always a presence in my life. My mother is Catholic, my father is Protestant. We all attended Catholic Church as I grew up. In our community, our friends were Catholic or Jewish, so these were the religions that most influenced me. I was born in California in the 1970s and my parents encouraged me to choose my own religious path if I felt drawn to one.

From a young age, I maintained a private relationship with God. After my mother put me to bed, I would kneel and pray, “Dear God, if I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take, Amen.” Then I would speak with God about my troubles.  I continued to feel God’s presence, though I knew little about Catholic faith. I remember feeling embarrassed attending church with my parents: I did not know the Our Father, though both my parents did. I longed to learn this prayer and be part of that experience.

As I matured, I explored other religions, including Buddhism and Judaism; none of these paths resonated deeply with me. Despite these explorations, I continued maintaining a quiet conversation with God.

It was not until after I married, and faced a challenging five-year fertility journey that my faith deepened. I entrusted God with my hope for a child, praying day and night. I chose Saint Elizabeth as my Baptismal Name because I identified with her story—struggling with infertility later in life. After suffering through seven miscarriages, our eighth pregnancy brought us our son Charlie. The pregnancy was difficult, and each day I prayed that God would safely bring our child into the world.

On December 31, 2018, our miracle baby was born. From the moment I met my son, I felt there was something special about him. Even as a young child, he showed deep empathy for others, comforting friends who were upset and bringing smiles to strangers. His kindness and warmth seemed to draw people in wherever we went.

My journey with faith continued; ultimately, it was our son who led me closer to God. My husband and I began exploring faith-based schools because we were concerned about the environment in public schools. Although my husband is Jewish and I did not identify with any particular faith, we looked into Catholic schools. In April 2024, our son was accepted into Saint Ignatius Loyola School for kindergarten. As we considered his acceptance and what would be best for our family, a Catholic friend pointed out that this was a clear sign of God calling me to the Catholic Church. I realized she was right—God had been calling me for a long time, but now, through my son, I was brought to His doorstep.

I joined the OCIA process, studied the Bible, attended church, and learned about Christ  as my son began his own religious education. Since becoming Catholic, I’ve experienced many blessings. Now, as members of Saint Ignatius Loyola in NYC and St. Patrick’s in Bedford, we attend church together, pray, and support each other. When my son faces challenges, I encourage him to consider Jesus’s example. I trust God has an important plan for him, and I am grateful to raise him in the Catholic faith. After fifty years, I have finally made my choice.

Jennifer Gunsberger, St. Ignatius Loyola Parishioner

February 15, 2026 Essay: Living the Gospel Beyond the Classroom

Faith and Love in Action
Psalm 119:33-34 Teach me, O Lord, the way of your decrees, and I will follow it to the end. Give me understanding, and I will observe your law and obey it with all my heart.

Each week from September through May, the Interparish Religious Education Program, affectionately known as IREP, gathers to teach and guide approximately 225 students, ages 3 to 18, deeper into their faith lives and prepare them for the sacraments. Our dedicated catechists work to help young people grow in knowledge and love of Christ, building an understanding of our faith to help sustain them throughout their lives.

But our mission extends far beyond the classroom walls. We remind our students that a faithful Christian life requires both heartfelt participation in the sacramental life of the Church and active, compassionate service in the world around us. Christ’s incarnation, God’s profound participation in our humanness, serves as our springboard, inspiring us to see Christ in all people and to care especially for those who are struggling, marginalized, or in need.

Living Out Our Faith Through Service
Throughout the year, IREP students engage in numerous service projects that transform their growing faith into tangible acts of love and charity. Our Youth Group students, grades 8-12, join us monthly for both service and fellowship.

Fall and Winter: We partner with the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul (SVdP) for the Thanksgiving food drive, supporting Ascension Food Pantry. This past Thanksgiving, student donations combined with parish contributions helped feed 250 families a Thanksgiving dinner, a powerful testament to what we can accomplish together. Our students also collect gifts for the Christmas gift drive, which benefits another New York City parish, ensuring that children across our city experience the joy of Christmas morning. Our eighth graders write letters to veterans on Veterans Day, expressing gratitude for their service and sacrifice.

Year-Round Commitment: Students support the SVdP blood drive twice annually, learning that even a simple donation can save lives in our community. IREP students and our Youth Group write heartfelt Christmas cards for all residents at Vista on Fifth, bringing warmth, connection, and the reminder that they are remembered and loved during the holiday season. Our eighth-grade teachers sponsor the annual Pasta Bowl during Super Bowl season for the 8th grade classes, the students donate and personally delivering pasta to the New York Common Pantry, where they witness firsthand the impact of their generosity.

Lenten Season: Parish-wide, we’ve begun our Lenten food drive, with IREP students once again stepping up alongside the Saint Vincent de Paul Society to help feed our neighbors during this sacred season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Additionally, our Change for Change Lenten Change drive invites students and families to collect spare change throughout Lent, with all proceeds going towards making birthday boxes for Ascension Food Pantry, turning small sacrifices into celebrations of joy for families in need.

Coming in March: Our Youth Group will assemble birthday cake boxes for Ascension Food Pantry. These self-contained boxes include cake mix, Sprite (which mixes together without eggs or oil), a cake tin, frosting, and candles; everything needed to celebrate a birthday with dignity and joy. For families struggling to make ends meet, these boxes offer more than dessert; they offer the gift of celebration.

Confirmation Send Off: After our Confirmation ceremony, newly confirmed students will conclude their IREP journey by hearing from inspiring speakers who share how they continue to live lives of Christian service beyond their religious education years. During this final gathering, students will make sandwiches for the New York Common Pantry, reminding them that their newly received gifts of the Holy Spirit are now the inspiration and strength for their impact on the world around them.

A Heartfelt Thank You
None of this would be possible without the unwavering support of our IREP parents. Throughout the school year, you have encouraged your children to participate, helped with service projects, and modeled what it means to live a life of faith in action. Thank you for walking this journey with your family and with us.

As Psalm 119 reminds us, understanding God’s law means living it with all our hearts. Through IREP, our young people are discovering that faith and love are inseparable, and that both call us to serve our neighbors with joy, compassion, and an open heart.

— Kate Noonan, Pastoral Associate/Director of IREP and Youth Group

Vision Statement Implementation Project: 3rd Update

February 4, 2026

Dear Fellow Parishioners,

This letter marks the Parish Council’s third update to you regarding the Church of Saint Ignatius Loyola’s Vision Statement Implementation Project. As you recall, the Vision Statement and its initiatives are rooted in the Parish’s Mission Statement, whose inspiring words are the very foundation upon which our Parish’s future is being built.

The initiatives are structured across four pillars, namely: (1) We Welcome All; (2) We Worship with Joy; (3) We Walk Together with Those in Need; and (4) We Reverence God in the Wonder of Creation.

The Parish Council can happily report that substantial activity has occurred across the initiatives since my last correspondence in June 2025. As a direct result of parishioners’ time and talents, much has been accomplished over the past six months. The dedication to the Implementation Project’s initiatives has been inspiring. The Council extends our deepest gratitude to the individuals who advanced these important programs by virtue of their time, generosity, and skilled efforts. Unquestionably, they have shone a great light.

I wish to highlight that the Implementation Project is, by design, a work-in-progress. At its heart, the Project is an open invitation to you and for you to co-build your Parish and to live out our Mission Statement. I strongly encourage you to learn more about and, to participate in, these varied opportunities to serve others, to expand our community, and to enrich the vibrancy of our Catholic faith and Jesuit heritage.

To learn more about how you can participate, please send an email to [email protected]

We Welcome All:

1. Community-Themed Holiday Gatherings:
   1. Numerous successful events were held in Fall 2025, including the annual Snowball Dance.
   2. Coordination has started for several exciting Winter and Spring 2026 programs.
   3. Scheduled events include a Celtic Night Party and an Easter Egg Coloring Social for Adults.

2. FaithQuest: Journeying into Catholic Identity
   1. Tours of Parish
      2025. Over two hundred individuals enjoyed the Parish tours in the Fall 2025.
      2026. There are currently six volunteer tour guides conducting the monthly tours.

1. Video Testimonials: “What inspires you to worship at our Saint Ignatius Loyola Church?”
   1. Nine video testimonials have been recorded.
   2. These beautiful video testimonials are available for viewing on the Parish website.

3. Buddy System for our Senior Community:
   1. The Council continues to seek one or more volunteers to advance this important program designed to assist seniors in need of companionship and assistance.

We Worship with Joy:

4. Festival Masses: two Festival Masses were held in 2025.
5. A joint 11:00 am Mass was held which brought together the congregations of the Solemn and Wallace Hall Family Masses
6. Monthly Jazz Mass – last Sunday of every month at 7:30 pm.
7. The attending parishioners have shared positive feedback.

We Walk Together with Those in Need:

7. Outreach to the Homeless:
8. Monthly outreach to the unhoused continues, in partnership with City Relief.
9. Lenten Service:
10. Building off last year’s tremendous success, this year, from February 18 through March 1, the Parish is offering numerous opportunities for parishioners to engage in services that show the love that God has for all of us.
11. The services will provide much needed relief to the vulnerable, hungry, and unhoused., as well as providing opportunities to learn about social justice issues.
12. Programs include Lenten food drive, homeless awareness for kids, meal packing, and court accompaniment training.
13. Family Accompaniment Program:
    1. Four families have joined the Family Accompaniment group.
    2. The Program hosted a Fall 2025 clothing drive and a 2025 Christmas Party.

We Reverence God in the Wonder of Creation:

10. Partnership with Organizations
    1. The Laudato Si’ Care of Creation Ministry continued active environmental service through partnerships with the Environmental Justice Alliance (EJA), New York Restoration Project (NYRP), Central Park Conservancy, and Scouting America.
    2. East Harlem Park and Carl Schurz Park Service Days
       1. Parishioners, youth participants, and Fr. Mark Hallinan took part in conservation efforts focused on removing invasive plant species and planting native species.
       2. These projects support biodiversity, improve local ecosystems, and advance environmental justice in underserved communities.
    3. Central Park Educational Walk and Talk
       1. George Rudenauer of the Central Park Conservancy led parishioners on a guided ecological and historical walk through Central Park. Highlights included The Dairy (near the 65th Street underpass), The Mall, Bethesda Fountain, The Lake, Bow Bridge, Cherry Hill, Mineral Springs, Sheep Meadow, the Carousel, Kinderberg, and the Dairy.
       2. This program deepened participants’ understanding of land restoration, urban ecology, and the spiritual connection between faith and care for creation.

11. Awareness Campaign – Adopt a Simpler, More Sustainable Lifestyle
    1. The Ministry has invited Parishioners to eat at least one vegan meal a day, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions, conserves water, and decreases deforestation associated with animal agriculture.
    2. Jean Santopatre invited parishioners to participate in environmental learning opportunities, including an event through The Environmental Forum and a Beyond Plastics training in Fall 2025.
    3. Additional educational events are in the works for Spring 2026.
12. Upcoming Faith and Ecology Formation – March 26, 2026
    1. Field Trip: Sisters of St. Joseph, Brentwood
       1. Participants will learn from the Sisters’ long-standing commitment to sustainability and land stewardship.
    2. Meetings of the Laudato Si’ Care of Creation Ministry
       1. Meetings have been held to expand awareness and increase participation in the ministry’s mission.
       2. The ministry continues to welcome new members from across the parish community.
       3. To receive meeting links and join the ministry, please contact Jean Santopatre at [email protected]

We hope that you will join with your fellow parishioners and participate in upcoming initiatives!

Sincerely,

Kenn Kern, on behalf of the Parish Council

Week of Service: Organization Details

The gift of your time is precious, and St. Ignatius parishioners have always answered the call. We encourage you to consider giving your time to one or more of the following activities and make a difference!

Start the week at the LENTEN CROSS (located in the Narthex) – Affix a ribbon to the cross symbolizing your commitment to perform a service during Lent.

Learn more about the organizations involved in our Lenten Week of Service:

• NSC JERICHO WALK – New Sanctuary Coalition (“NSC”) (https://www.newsanctuarynsc.org/) hosts “Jericho Walks” where participants walk in silence and pray outside 26 Federal Plaza in solidarity with individuals and families who are affected by our immigration system. Meet at 26 Federal Plaza. Thursday, Feb 19 and Thursday, Feb 26, 11:00-12:15 pm.*
• LAUDATO SI’ CALENDAR OF ACTIONS – Laudato Si/Care of Creation Ministry created a weekly Lenten calendar for you to show your reverence for creation. (https://ignatius.nyc/lent-2026-weekly-laudato-si-actions-for-lent/)
• SAGE ADVOCACY –advocates and provides services for LGBTQ elders. Help provide meals on Friday 2/20, 4-6pm.*
• TEMPLE EMANU-EL’S TIKKUN OLAM –Prepare food packages for seniors for Purim on Friday 2/20, 4-5:30pm.*
• GRASSROOTS GROCERY PRODUCE PARTY – A family-friendly morning of sorting vegetables and giving back in the Bronx. Saturday 2/21, 9-11am. Sign up here: https://grassrootsgrocery.org/ignatius*
• NSC COURT ACCOMPANIMENT TRAINING – Learn how to accompany someone to immigration court through NSC and see events inside the courthouse. The training is required for people who want to go to court with NSC or just generally want to stay more informed. Sat 2/21, 10-11:30am in the Parish Lounge or Mon 2/23, 7-8:30pm on Zoom*
• TEMPLE EMANU-EL: SANDWICH PREP – Join our neighbors from Temple Emanu-el at 1 East 65^th Street to prepare sandwiches for those in need. Sunday 2/22, 10-12pm and Sunday 3/1, 10-12pm.*
• DOROTHY DAY PILGRIMAGE – Walk in the steps of Dorothy Day. The tour begins at Union Square, the birthplace of the Catholic Worker movement. Learn about Dorothy Day’s radical devotion to Christ’s teaching. A Dorothy Day Guild member leads the tour. An ISJ member will host the team. Sunday 2/22 2-3:30pm.*
• GOD’S LOVE WE DELIVER – join a group of parish volunteers to cook and package medically tailored meals (17,000 meals are delivered each day!). 166 Ave of Americas, Monday 2/23 4-7pm*
• XAVIER MISSION – St. Ignatius parishioners will sort gently used clothes with other volunteers at 55 West 16^th Street, Tuesday 2/24, 4-6PM*
• NEW YORK COMMON PANTRY (NYCP) – NYCP works to reduce hunger and food insecurity by distributing fresh food pantry packages. ISJ reserved spaces for you to pack groceries in East Harlem. Shifts are 9-1 and 12-4 on Wednesday 2/25.*
• SVdP LENTEN FOOD DRIVE – SVdP collects non -perishable food for the Church of the Ascension. Parish House.
• ENCORE COMMUNITY SERVICES MEAL PACKING. Volunteers package meals for homebound seniors at: (I) Encore Aging Through The Arts Center (Fri 2/27 11-1:00 pm) or (II) Encore West Lifelong Learning Center (Fri 2/27 10-12pm) https://www.catholiccharitiesnyvolunteer.org/opportunity/a0CPe00008JmlPnMAJ/2026-encore-community-services-meal-packing
• DON’T WALK BY/SALVATION ARMY – Don’t Walk By outreach is a meaningful way for you to become aware of the needs of our city and to share God’s love with the most unseen New Yorkers. 120 West 14^th St, All day, Saturday 2/28. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dont-walk-by-2026-tickets-1820310771519*
• HOMELESSNESS AWARENESS FOR CHILDREN – City Relief will give a short presentation on what it means to be homeless, then the children will pack hygiene bags and include a short handwritten note. The event is organized by ISJ, Girl Scouts and Family Ministry. Sunday 3/1 12-1pm Wallace Hall Stage. Please consider donating toiletries for this event (even if you can’t come!) – Lenten Week of Service: Toiletries List – Church of St. Ignatius Loyola, NYC
• SVdP BLOOD DRIVE – Last year the St. Ignatius Loyola community donated 130 pints of blood and saved 390 lives! Please join us and continue to save lives on Sunday 3/1,  9-3pm in McKinnon Hall. https://donate.nybc.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/330659

* = Registration required via email at [email protected]. Unless otherwise noted – no registration required, just walk in!

February 8th Essay: Walking Together: An Eyewitness Account of Pope Francis’s Legacy of Synodality and the Renewal and Reform of the Church

I am convinced that synodality is Pope Francis’s abiding gift to the church. His energetic mission to school the church in the art and practice of synodality in the final few years of his life fittingly defines his pontificate, even though the ensuing synodal process did not receive universal approval.

Synodality presents opportunities for the renewal and reform of the church, beginning with creating a shared space for listening, dialogue, and discernment. This synodal process is considered threatening by some critics and doubters, in part because of a fear of loss of authority by some priests and bishops. Synodality calls us to convert and reform a clericalist obsession with and exercise of power and authority in the church. The effort to heal this distorted form of authority in the church stands as a bold and enduring manifestation of Pope Francis’s synodal vision.

Synodality is Francis’s way to foster participation in mission by welcoming the gifts, talents, and wisdom that the Spirit generously bestows on the entire community, through the grace of baptism. In the synodal vision of Pope Francis, participation in mission is an expression of our faith in God.

Francis demonstrated by his words, deeds, and gestures that in a synodal church, people who disagree do not have to become enemies, because it isn’t a zero-sum game of winners and losers. Differences, disagreements, and competing visions of synodality exist and are part of the synodal tradition. As such, synodality isn’t easy. We make the way by walking in a transparent, inclusive, and sustained process of discernment in common. We do not determine the answers ahead of the process, nor exclude anyone from the ‘way’.

Discernment is a mark of the church that Pope Francis encouraged us to co-create, so that, as a church, we can build our capacity to listen with openness and honesty and to speak with courage and charity. This process calls for co-responsibility in governance and the inclusion of lay people in consequential decisions. In a synodal church, lay women and lay men have a right to be listened to and that right is warranted by our shared baptismal grace as equal members of the body of Christ. (See Final Document, no. 60).

Synodality is not a task to be completed but a spirit to be incarnated and lived, a habitual way of life. The process is as important as its outcome. As such, it offers a chance for ecclesial renewal and conversion. Beyond the diatribes, controversies, and divisions, the fundamental question remains how to synod (verb); how do we walk well together as the People of God?

The gift of synodality to the church can be further thought of as a catalyst for renewal and reform of the church, first, because it reconfigures the mission-framework of the church, so that every baptized Christian carries the duty and responsibility of mission and, second, it helps the church become constitutively synodal, that is, a church which makes a preferential option to continuously engage in inclusive listening, dialogue, and discernment, as expressions of its ordinary ways of living, working, teaching, and ministering.

Finally, as envisaged by Pope Francis, synodality invites us to recognize the equal dignity of women members of the People of God, their indispensable role and ministry, and the necessity of a continued discernment of women’s diaconate. Listening to women’s voices, honoring their talents, celebrating their competence, and learning from them about being a synodal church in mission ultimately make us a better Church.

Pope Francis’s prophetic vision of a synodal church aimed to promote an understanding and practice characterized by inclusive decision-making, participatory discernment, and co-responsibility in ministry, as habitual ways of fulfilling its mission. Continuing this rich legacy is the task of the church for the rest of the Third Millennium.

— Fr. A. E. Orobator, S.J., Dean of the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University in California

Lent 2026: Weekly Laudato Si’ Actions for Lent

Laudato Si’/Care of Creation Ministry invites all parishioners to be good stewards of God’s Creation. During the six weeks of Lent, let us be intentional together to care for Creation, God’s gift to us.

Weekly Laudato Si’ Actions for Lent

Week One

• Reduce Water Consumption while brushing teeth and washing dishes
• Meatless Monday
• Reduce electricity-turn off lights when not in a room

Week Two

• Make a random act of kindness to a neighbor you know and a neighbor in need
• Meatless Monday
• Support NGO’s that assist the vulnerable and the poor: Bread for the World, Jesuit Refugee Services, Catholic Charities-NYC, New York Common Pantry, City Relief

Week Three

• Buy local, fair trade and sustainably produced food
• Meatless Monday
• Patronize small, local businesses instead of ordering products online

Week Four

• Fast from single-use plastics such as water bottles and buying food in plastic containers
• Meatless Monday
• Drive Less, Walk more, use public transportation-less taxi

Week Five

• Visit a Botanical Garden
• Take a Walk in Central Park and take time to see the local trees, shrubs and flowers
• Visit a Zoo

Week Six

• Read Laudato Si’ concepts
• Pray with these two prayers:

A Prayer for the Earth by Pope Francis

All powerful God,
you are present in the universe
and in the smallest of your creatures.
You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.
Pour out upon us the power of your love,
that we may protect life and beauty.
Fill us with your peace, that we may live
as brothers and sisters, harming no one.

O God of the poor,
help us to rescue the abandoned
and forgotten of this earth,
so precious in your eyes.
Bring healing to our lives,
that we may protect the world and not prey on it,
that we may sow beauty,
not pollution and destruction.

Touch the hearts
of those who look only for gain
at the expense of the poor and the earth.
Teach us to discover the worth of each thing,
to be filled with awe and contemplation,
to recognize that we are profoundly united
with every creature
as we journey towards your infinite light.

We thank you for being with us each day.
Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle,
for justice, love and peace.

 

Canticle of the Sun by St. Francis

Most High, all-powerful, good Lord,
Yours are the praises, the glory, the honor, and all blessings.

To You alone, Most High, do they belong,
and no man is worthy to mention Your name.

Praised be You, my Lord, with all your creatures;
especially Brother Sun, who is the day, and through whom You give us light. And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendor,
and bears a likeness to You, Most High One.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars;
in heaven You formed them clear and precious and beautiful.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Wind,
and through the air, cloudy and serene,
and every kind of weather through which You give sustenance to Your creatures.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Water,
which is very useful and humble and precious and chaste.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Fire,
through whom You light the night;
and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Mother Earth,
who sustains us and governs us and who produces
varied fruits with colored flowers and herbs.

Praised be You, my Lord,
through those who give pardon for Your love,
and bear infirmity and tribulation.

Blessed are those who endure in peace
for by You, Most High, they shall be crowned.

Praised be You, my Lord,
through our Sister Bodily Death,
from whom no living man can escape.

Woe to those who die in mortal sin.
Blessed are those whom death will find in Your most holy will,
for the second death shall do them no harm.

Praise and bless my Lord,
and give Him thanks,
and serve Him with great humility.
Amen.

Lenten Week of Service: Toiletries List

Travel Size Toiletries

travel-size toothpaste

toothbrush

dental floss

travel-size shampoo

travel-size conditioner

travel-size body wash

deodorant

travel-size hand sanitizer