The premier New York City viewing of the film, The Letter, was shown in Wallace Hall on Sunday, November 13th. It was sponsored by Metro New York Catholic Climate Movement, hosted by St. Ignatius Loyola, and was an inspiring event for those who attended. Rev. Brian McWeeney—Director of the Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the Archdiocese of New York—offered the Invocation, and Rev. Mark Hallinan, S.J., Associate Pastor at St. Ignatius Loyola, offered the closing prayer.
In 2015, Pope Francis wrote about the environmental crisis to every single person in the world. Many people still have not “heard” about Care of Our Common Home, yet four voices that had gone unheard in global conversations were invited by letter to an unprecedented dialogue with the Pope. Hailing from Senegal, the Amazon, India, and Hawaii, they bring perspective and solutions from the poor, the indigenous, the youth, and wildlife into a conversation with Pope Francis himself and now to our wider global society.
After the film, participants dispersed into smaller round table discussions facilitated by Erin Lothes, Ph.D., an associate professor of theology at Saint Elizabeth University and senior manager with the Laudato Si Movement. Participants at each table discussed what was meaningful in the movie and what next steps we, as Catholics, can take to care for our common home.
If you missed our screening, you can view this film at home on YouTube by clicking here.
— Jean Santopatre, Pastoral Associate
November 6, 2022 Essay: One Family in One GodAny religious intolerance or prejudice is contrary to Christian belief. How tragic it is that we have to state what should be an obvious truth, but a rising tide of anti-Jewish rhetoric and incidents in the United States, along with continued animosity toward Muslims, requires that all Christians be reminded that religious prejudice is antithetical to their faith.
The Anti-Defamation League reports that antisemitic incidents reached an all-time high in the United States in 2021, with a total of 2,717 incidents of assault, harassment and vandalism reported to them. This ought not to surprise us given the traffic in antisemitic tropes on social media sites and the willingness of certain politicians and public figures to use such tropes in social media and public events. In addition, we have seen a number of demonstrations in different parts of the country where persons have carried Nazi flags. All of these incidents must be considered in the context of the murder of 11 Jewish persons in the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh on October 27, 2018. Antisemitism is a reality in the United States. All persons of faith must be unequivocal in rejecting any form of antisemitic, anti-Jewish, rhetoric or action, and never downplay its significance. To remain silent is to be complicit. This is the lasting lesson we learned from the Holocaust.
All of our recent Popes, drawing upon the work of the Second Vatican Council, have encouraged inter-religious dialogue and affirmed the importance of the freedom of religious belief. In his encyclical Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis writes: “One fundamental human right must not be forgotten in the journey toward fraternity and peace. It is religious freedom for believers of all religions. That freedom proclaims that we can ‘build harmony and understanding between different cultures and religions. It also testifies to the fact that, since the important things we share are so many, it is possible to find a means of serene, ordered, and peaceful coexistence, accepting our differences and rejoicing that, as children of one God, we are all brothers and sisters.’” [279]
Pope Francis has also addressed the need for continuing dialogue between Jews and Christians. “In our turbulent times, it is critical that Jews and Christians encounter one another more frequently and work together in an effort to counter certain negative trends found in our western societies: idolatry of self and money, extreme individualism and the culture of indifference…We are called to bear witness together to the God of mercy and justice, who loves and cares for all persons. We can do this by drawing upon the spiritual patrimony that we in part share…”
While Pope Francis has generated controversy for his willingness to sign interfaith statements with Muslim leaders, we should not forget the words of St. John Paul II, speaking to young Muslims in Morocco in 1985: “I believe that we, Christians and Muslims, must recognize with joy the religious values that we have in common, and give thanks to God for them. Both of us believe in one God, the only God, who is all justice and all mercy; we believe in the importance of prayer, of fasting, of almsgiving, of repentance and pardon; we believe that God will be a merciful judge to us all at the end of time…”
All of us need to prayerfully reflect on our attitudes toward Jews, Muslims, and all persons whose path to God is different from our own. Have we been open to them in love as our faith demands of us? Have we stood in solidarity with our Jewish and Muslim brothers and sisters when they have been the object of hateful rhetoric or violent action? The only path to peace is through mutual respect and dialogue between all peoples. Let us all follow that path faithfully.
— Fr. Mark Hallinan, S.J., Associate Pastor
Greeting Migrants Arrivals With Team TLC NYCPicture this, if you will. You are part of a team of four volunteers, ready to welcome new migrants to NYC. You stand near a doorway in Port Authority, all set to offer hand sanitizers to new migrants who have just finished a 3-day bus trip from Texas. Another volunteer has a bag of small stuffed animals ready to give to the children. The last two volunteers have bottles of water for the weary, thirsty travelers. The first migrants walk through the door. We applaud them, cry out “Bienvenidos”, and smile. They look surprised, glad to feel welcomed, and smile at us.
On Tuesday, Nicole Niedringhaus, Christine Meyer, Rob & Katherine Huntington, and I did exactly that. We had signed up with Team TLC NYC, which joins the Mayor’s Office on Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) for the early morning greeting shift at Port Authority. On arrival, we sorted bags and bags of clothes and shoes into piles the migrants could look through and take. However, before we had finished sorting, MOIA called us back to the main area to welcome the new arrivals. We were honored to witness people, who desperately want to live with dignity, begin another leg in their long journey.
When they were all off the bus, we offered them donuts while MOIA had them fill out forms. There is nothing like sugar when you’re tired. Then the fun and the serious work began. MOIA called one family at a time over to the clothes. The families were wearing summer clothes, many with flip-flops. We had warm clothes and shoes. The children enjoyed the clothes and had a little fun. One little boy was so happy that he hugged me. After an hour, Rob saw that we were running out of men’s clothing and went home to get some.
When the 53 people had one or two items of warm clothes, MOIA moved them along. They waved goodbye to us, and we wished them well. There was time for the next shift of volunteers to prepare for the next busload of people. There weren’t a lot of clothes for the next three buses expected that day.
If you would like to donate clothing to Team TLC NYC, please visit https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-2v9l6JFhd81Yd1VkEnEB6g7AeyXI77oOAtjTS_7Nt0/edit.
If you would like to volunteer, please contact Laura de Boisblanc at [email protected].
— Laura de Boisblanc
ISJ Essay: ISJ-LSA College Essay Mentoring ProgramIn mid-September, the ISJ-LSA College Essay Mentoring Program held its first quarterly meeting. Melina Gonzalez, Little Sisters of the Assumption (LSA) Community Engagement Manager, kicked off the meeting on an upbeat note. She plans a celebration in late May 2023 once the students have been accepted to college!
The students and parents expressed gratitude to LSA and ISJ for helping them with the college process. It is daunting. The mentors spoke about how much they enjoyed working with the students. In addition to college guidance, some mentors took their students to the Whitney, the Met, and the Guggenheim. Laura Silvius, mentor, took her student and her family to a performance of Macbeth. Another mentor, Christine Meyer, bought her student an SAT review book and always tells her not to stress out. One mom mentioned that her daughter was lukewarm about going to college, but now that she’s been working with Dolores Troy-Quinn and Terry Quinn, the student is looking forward to it. Nick Naccari and Fran Magenheimer’s student said that they helped her grow. Nick admires her for her perseverance, her joy for learning, taking the initiative, planning ahead, and reviewing what she has done. He also loved meeting her family.
Melina focused the students on their college timeline and gave them a list of tasks due within the week. After telling the students to ask their teachers for recommendations now, ISJ mentor and college professor, Terry Quinn emphasized making it easy for the teacher. Ask them early and write a draft of your assets. It’s always good to get specific direction from a teacher!
Melina advised parents about finances. File their 2022 taxes in January, allowing them to enter tax information into FASFA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) as early as possible. Melina also warned them that colleges increase tuition each year. To get an idea of the actual cost of college, ask them for the tuition cost for each of the last four years and interpolate. Laura de Boisblanc told students to prepare a portfolio of their accomplishments. If the college’s financial aid package isn’t where they want it to be, use their performance to negotiate with the college. This is good practice for when they are in the work world.
Because this is a new program, we discussed how it is going. Everyone is happy with the direction we are taking. There are a few areas to tweak. Communication with students is sometimes an issue. Over the summer, the number of mentor/student sessions varied from 2 times for one pair to 16 times for another. The student who could only meet twice has significant family and academic responsibilities. She even skipped a class at Hunter to come to this meeting. Bobbi and Herb Gestalder and Melina are working together to provide the extra support that this student needs.
At the end of the meeting, Melina gave each student a backpack and an Amazon gift card for school supplies.
Questions or comments, contact Laura de Boisblanc [email protected].
September 24, 2022 Essay: The Mystical ExperienceWhat is mysticism? What constitutes a mystic or a mystical experience? I have been trying to understand this better as I prepare for the Ignatian Interfaith event on October 6th. I certainly am no expert—so I have “Googled it”, read a little, and even asked a few friends and family. My husband, Kevin, says we need look no further than our mysteriously overcrowded bedroom closet for a perfect example, because “we literally don’t know what’s really in there!”
While this lack of knowledge is certainly true, entering our closet is most definitely NOT a mystical experience. It seems there are two sorts of mysticism: one that appears to be esoteric and shrouded in mystery. Looking at mysticism from this lens, there is a good deal of emphasis on “secret knowledge” that supposedly can be uncovered through things like astrology, crystals, and tarot cards. I have never been drawn to this world—it seems too close to the Biblical exhortation against “divination.” On the other hand, mysticism also can be interpreted as the search for and experience of union with the Divine. Christianity, Judaism and Islam, in fact all major world religions, have their mystical practitioners. Some Catholic mystics have had ecstatic experiences and while others’ are quieter. This experience is a gift and cannot be created or conjured. It is also beyond knowing—a bit like a miracle—hard to explain but you know it when you have had one. It is not something you can prove or easily explain, but once you try to describe it, odds are that others will smile and share their own inexplicable experience. These incidents, however, give you a sense that you know, beyond all knowing that God is here, and you are deeply loved by God. It is a little glimpse into the joy of being united with God—a sort of view of Heaven on earth.
Fr. Yesalonia’s September 11th bulletin essay, Merely a Puddle or Something More?, touched on this as he watched a child’s joy at a puddle. These glimpses come in grand moments—like when we hear our fabulous Choir of St. Ignatius Loyola sing at the Solemn Mass, or the joy of singing gospel music with the Wallace Hall Choir. But it can also be in quiet moments—watching a sunset or going to sacred spaces, like the Western Wall in Jerusalem, the timeless peace of Assisi at dusk or the crisp air and beautiful foliage on a Fall New England day.
The mystical can also breakthrough in the presence of others—that family gathering where there is so much joy at being together or maybe even a smile or word or two from a stranger on the subway. Something just “clicks”, and you think—wait, what just happened here? I like to think of these mystical experiences as being mini miracles. Since God is the God of All, we are not alone in experiencing them as Catholic Christians. I hope you will join me in learning more about the mystics in our Catholic and the Muslim faith traditions on Thursday, October 6th in Wallace Hall. We will be welcoming Fr. Boniface Endorf, OP, Pastor of St. Joseph’s Parish, and Dr. Zuleyha Colak, Lecturer and the Coordinator of the Turkish program at Columbia University to help us demystify the mystics. Please RSVP to [email protected]. In the meantime, be on the lookout for the mystical experiences in your own life!
— Simone McKeever, Chair, Ignatian Interfaith Ministry
September 18, 2022: From the Pastor’s DeskDear Parishioners,
We live in a very exciting time as the universal Church prepares for the convening in Rome of the “Synod on Synodality: Communion, Participation, Mission” in October 2023. The bishops of the world, along with lay colleagues, will meet to discuss the nature of the church as a collaborative body and how we walk together – bishops, priests, religious, and laypeople – united in our desire to care for the Catholic Church and those whom the church serves. More than an issue of governance in the church, the invitation of Pope Francis is to discern who we are as a church and how best we can accomplish the mission entrusted to us by Jesus Christ in the context of today’s world.
The discernment process in preparation for the Synod was begun on the diocesan level. Each diocese was invited to submit to the Vatican a report of what it learned through listening to the voices of those who participated in the process. Those reports will become the foci of deliberations in next year’s General Assembly in Rome.
While not a constitutive part of the discernment process for the Synod, we undertook a similar journey in 2019 that resulted in the drafting of a Vision Statement that was published and distributed to all parishioners in February of this year. Similar to what was happening at the diocesan level, listening sessions were held in the Spring, providing everyone the opportunity to offer their reflections on the Vision Statement. Following those sessions, I was delighted to report that a significant majority of parishioners endorsed the Vision Statement and its corresponding recommendations for its implementation.
At the beginning of the summer, I wrote in a letter published in the parish bulletin and e-newsletter asking for your prayers as we continue our planning process and that you consider participating in one of four working groups to draft action plans that would set the course for the implementation of the Vision Statement. To refresh your memory, the four strategic elements of the Vision Statement are: 1. We Welcome All. 2. We Worship With Joy. 3. We Walk Together With Those In Need. 4. We Reverence God In The Wonder of Creation. For the full text of the Vision Statement and its corresponding recommendations, refer to the parish website ignatius.nyc/vision-statement.
Now it is time to get to work and bring our strategic planning process to fruition so we may begin to live what we profess to be, as members of this parish. Please contact me by email, [email protected], or telephone at 212-288-3588 to discuss with me your willingness to serve on one of the four implementation committees.
May the Holy Spirit continue to guide us as we work together as a parish to build the kingdom of God in our corner of the world, and may all that we do now and in the future redound to the greater glory of God.
Sincerely in the Lord,
Fr. Yesalonia
September 18, 2022 Essay: “Do whatever he tells you”: Reflections on Meeting Christ in PrayerUpon entering the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola, we see a stained-glass depiction of St. Ignatius. He holds a book with the inscription Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam, “For the Greater Glory of God.” This is Ignatius’ bedrock advice on how we should live our lives as Christians. But how do we grasp the mission that God intends for each of us individually? How do we figure out our unique personal skills to accomplish our mission?
Recently, I came across a Brazilian devotion to Our Lady of Cana. In John’s Gospel, Jesus begins his public ministry at the wedding at Cana (John 2:1–11). Knowing that her son can resolve the dilemma of not having wine for the guests, Mary turns to the servants and says, “Do whatever he tells you.” The servants listen and follow Jesus’s instructions, sharing with all the guests a plentiful quantity of wine that is miraculously drawn from the water jugs. Reflecting on Mary’s place in the story, she is the one who recognizes the nature of Jesus most profoundly. Indeed, she nurtured him and brought him to maturity as one fully human. To hear her command is to realize that in Jesus we encounter a loving God who understands our humanity. We can trust God to reveal a plan for our lives. The challenge for disciples in today’s world is to find the voice of Jesus as it speaks to each one of us.
In Ignatius, we have a mystical instructor who teaches us to hear God’s voice. He shows us a Jesus who is at once a relatable human person and a loving God always available to us. Ignatius gives us a roadmap for this task in his Spiritual Exercises. Meeting Christ in Prayer is an abbreviated form of the Exercises for contemporary Christians living out their lives in the world and confronting its challenges. It aims to foster an encounter with God through scriptural contemplation and prayer.
The discernment that the Exercises facilitate—the quest to hear God’s voice speaking to each one individually—relies on Ignatian spiritual techniques. Using the Church’s ancient prayer method of Lectio Divina, holy reading, we read a scriptural passage and then pause and reflect. What is this reading saying on its face? We read again and pause and reflect. What is God saying to me personally in this reading? A third time. What do I want to say to God?
Ignatius was a promoter of imaginative prayer, picturing ourselves in a scriptural scene. If I quietly reflect on the wedding at Cana, which character in the story would I be? Would I be an observer or play an active role? What would I say or do? Would I speak directly to Jesus, and would he address me? Do I feel the Holy Spirit guiding me in the way this imagining unfolds? Do I hear God’s voice in this?
A prayer unique to Ignatian spirituality is the Examen. Similar to the reflections before confession, we ask ourselves at the end of the day, what did I do today that was good? Did I hear God? How might I have failed to listen to God? Did I find God in other people? Did I advance God’s glory?
Meeting Christ in Prayer meets as a small, trusting group and participants share experiences and inspirations with each other. Many times, I have been profoundly moved by the reflections of others, hearing spiritual insights that I would never have uncovered alone. I recall the passage, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:20). I believe I have heard the Holy Spirit speaking to me through other retreatants.
If you are interested in participating in Meeting Christ in Prayer, consider tasting the wine of God’s abundant banquet.
For further information and to register for the retreat starting September 28th, please email [email protected].
— Andy Richards, Parishioner & Meeting Christ in Prayer Participant
September 11, 2022 | From the Pastor’s DeskDear Parishioners,
Now that the Labor Day weekend is behind us, the pulse of parish life is beginning to pick up. We will be at full throttle in no time.
It is wonderful to experience once again the enthusiasm, vitality, and commitment that each of us brings to the parish as we worship and pray together, care for one another and those who are less advantaged, and work side by side to make a difference in our community and the world so that the glory of God is made manifest by living what we profess in faith. To everyone who had the opportunity to leave the City for the summer months, welcome back! To those who remained to enjoy all that the City offers on both sultry and more temperate days, I hope you found time for revelry and relaxation. And to our Saint Ignatius Loyola School students, we look forward to your return to classes and the exuberance and energy that you bring with you.
Now let me bring you up to date with news of what occurred at the parish during the summer months. For the most part it was a beehive of activity involving renovations, repairs, transitions of parish staff, and planning for our upcoming calendar of events for the remainder of the calendar year and the first six months of 2023. Also, I would be remiss if I failed to mention the very hard-working priests of the parish who throughout the summer presided at weekday and weekend Masses, weddings, baptisms, and funerals, heard confessions, and attended to the pastoral care of parishioners. We owe them a great debt of gratitude for their good deeds done, dedication, and commitment to their priestly ministry.
At long last we were able to get the appropriate scaffolding inside the church to restore power to one of the two amplifiers and to change the flickering high intensity light bulbs that illuminate the pilasters of the upper section of the nave. At the Parish House, the receptionist’s office on the ground floor was gutted and remodeled. In the next several weeks an awning will be constructed over the front door, and the front door itself will be replaced, bringing more natural lighting into the interior entryway.
In Wallace Hall, an additional amplifier was installed that will fill in the “dead spaces.” Also, there are now acoustical fixtures suspended from the ceiling that will ameliorate the echo effect that was problematic during the livestreaming of events. The new livestreaming system is now fully operational and is complemented by two large portable screens that will project clearer and larger images.
At the Upper Campus of the grammar school, a handicap access ramp was constructed at the entrance to the school. At the Lower Campus, there was an extensive upgrade to the kitchen that for the first time in the history of the use of that building will allow for the preparation of meals on-site. There were also IT upgrades at both campuses.
In regard to the grammar school, a feasibility study will be conducted during the Fall to review both the cost and the financing options, including a limited fundraising campaign, for the replacement of the elevator at the Lower Campus and the refurbishment or replacement of building’s roof of the Upper Campus. This study will be reviewed with the Parish Finance Committee to determine the course of action to be taken.
Finally, there were several transitions during the summer. After 30 years’ at the parish, most recently as principal Cantor, Philip Anderson retired. Also after 30 years of service, most recently as Director of the Children’s Choir, Maureen Haley retired. Replacing her as Director of the Children’s Choir is Elizabeth van Os. We are delighted to welcome Elizabeth to the team. After one year of ministry at the parish, Father Danny Gustafson left us in July to return to graduate studies at Boston College. We are grateful for the short time he was with us and wish him well. Last month we welcomed Father Jim Casciotti, S.J. who will be in residence at the Parish House. You will periodically be seeing him as a presider at Mass. Closer to home in the Pastor’s office, after 17 years as Assistant to the Pastor, Diane Boyle retired. She had the stamina and patience to work with 3 Pastors and 1 Acting Pastor. All of us owe her a great debt of gratitude for helping to keep the trains running on time and in an orderly fashion. Diane will be greatly missed. Replacing her as Assistant to the Pastor is Rebecca Brucas whom you may know from her former responsibilities as the Parish Receptionist. That role is now in the very capable and gracious hands of Pat Reeves. As an aside to these transitions, I was appointed to another 6-year term as Pastor that became effective on June 1st.
Please stay tuned for next week’s bulletin. A letter from me will be published that will explain the next and final step of the planning process that began in 2019. We are on the threshold of a new chapter in the history of the parish. Working together we will build upon the strong foundation of this parish and honor the legacy of those who preceded us in their love and commitment to the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola. May all that we do be for the greater glory of God!
Welcome back! Welcome home!
Sincerely in the Lord,
Fr. Yesalonia
Recently, I was walking along Park Avenue, as is my wont on sunny afternoons in the summer. The dark sky of the early morning transformed itself into azure blue with billowing white clouds dancing in irregular cadence far above the hectic pace of the streets below. The earlier rain of that day proved to be the harbinger of a precious gift that is longed for after an extended succession of sultry days. The freshness of the air was intoxicating. As I walked, it became evident to me that I was not the only one walking at a slower than usual pace in order to relish the lavishness of refreshing breezes. What I also noticed were the evaporating footprints of the earlier rain, puddles.
Have you ever noticed how young children are drawn like magnets to puddles of water and the elation they exhibit when they either stomp their feet into them or jump smack dab into the puddles’ centers? In our busy lives, as we hurriedly walk from place to place on city streets, do we even notice puddles, or take the time to look closely at them? After all, aren’t puddles traps, idly waiting to soak the shoes and socks of unsuspecting pedestrians? And if we do notice them, how we maneuver through them as though they were an obstacle course.
On this particular day as I was approaching the intersection of Park and 79th Street, a mother and her young daughter caught my attention. They were walking hand in hand, the girl being no older than a preschooler. As they got nearer to the corner, before we passed by one another, the young girl stopped and letting go of her mother’s hand, looked down into a puddle that was at her feet. She did not walk into it, jump into it, or stomp her foot into it. Rather she approached the puddle from several vantage points and simply looked into it. Her mother bemused, smiled at her daughter, as I did when I walked past them. What did this young girl see that captivated her?
This seemingly unremarkable incident became the focus of my thoughts for the remainder of that day and a well-spring for my own imagination and reflection. Did this young girl think that this blue patch was a piece of the sky that had fallen to the ground and was now part of the sidewalk? Did she believe that clouds were actually made of cotton candy or fluffy marshmallow, and she needed a closer look? Was she trying to understand how she could see her own face mirrored at her feet? Was it an opening to another world? Or, was she simply showing early signs of a future career in meteorology? Whatever it might have been, I like to think that she found something beautiful in an unexpected place and held onto it for as long as she could under the loving gaze of her mother.
In this shallow puddle on a city sidewalk, that was undoubtedly unnoticed by countless passersby, I believe she beheld a reflection of something transcendent, something detached from her and, at the same time, part of her reality. She was gazing at a reflection of herself in the ordinariness of a pooling of water. She took a few moments to peer at herself intently and from many angles, and she took delight in what she saw.
It may not be a puddle of water, but we, like this young girl, in the ordinary routine of our lives, have opportunities to look at ourselves. Are they quick glances? Are they the means to reassure ourselves that we look handsome and are defying the aging process? Are we wishing that the reflection we see was of someone else rather than the person looking back at us? Perhaps this little girl can teach us a lesson. She beheld someone beautiful. Under the watchful eye of her mother, she saw a reflection of someone God loves. In fact, she saw a reflection of God. Whether a cotton candy cloud, an azure blue sky, a puddle of water, or her own face, she beheld the face of God in everything God created.
A trivial incident on the grand scale of things as I took my afternoon stroll that day, but I was taught a profound lesson through the innocent inquisitiveness of a young girl walking hand in hand with her mother. Was it an encounter with a puddle on a city sidewalk, or something more? What a moment of grace offered to us each day if we only stop to take a closer look!
— Rev. Dennis J. Yesalonia, S.J., Pastor
Introducing Doug PurcellAs our beloved Philip Anderson begins a new chapter in his life, so we begin one in our parish. This Sunday, June 26, Choir of St. Ignatius member Doug Purcell will sing his first Masses as our principal cantor. His responsibilities will include the 9:30 AM and Solemn Masses, feast days, funerals, and Grammar School and IREP liturgies.
A native of Farmingdale, Long Island, Doug grew up at St. Kilian Parish, where he began singing in the boychoir in second grade. By high school, he was one of the associate organists of the parish. He majored in music education at Westminster Choir College, graduating in 1985.
Doug has enjoyed a long, fulfilling career as a soloist and ensemble singer. His credits include countless performances with the New York Philharmonic, American Symphony Orchestra, Voices of Ascension, Musica Sacra, and here at St. Ignatius, going back to the early days of Sacred Music in a Sacred Space (now Concerts at St. Ignatius, Park Avenue). He was a long-time member of the New York City Opera Chorus and has been in the Metropolitan Opera extra chorus since 2006.
As a liturgical musician, Doug has sung in many church and temple choirs around New York City. For ten years, he served as cantor at Church of the Holy Family, the United Nations Parish. He joined the Choir of St. Ignatius Loyola in September 2011 and has maintained an active presence in our church, also singing regularly with the Parish Community Choir and serving as cantor when needed.
Doug has been a dear friend and colleague to me for over twenty years, and I can attest not just to his great musicianship, but his kindness and warmth of heart. Along with our hospitality team, lectors, altar servers, Eucharistic Ministers, and choirs, our cantors fulfill a vital pastoral function here at St. Ignatius, inviting us into God’s presence and into deeper communion with each other. On hundreds of occasions over the last decade, Doug has stepped comfortably and capably into that role on our behalf, and we look forward to his presence among us as he embraces his new ministry.
Doug’s heart for ministry extends beyond the walls of our church. For the last several years he has volunteered at Mt. Sinai Hospital, playing the piano and singing in the atrium (Click here to view Doug performing Meredith Willson’s Till There Was You), and even taking a small keyboard around to serenade patients in their rooms.
Doug is excited to turn this page and share his musical and pastoral gifts with us, and I know you will enjoy getting to know him in the weeks and months ahead. We are truly blessed to have such a wonderful team.
May God bless you, Doug, as you begin your new work among us!
– K. Scott Warren, Director of Music Ministries