Faith Life

“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”

C.S. Lewis

We have the privilege at St. Ignatius to welcome many guests who may be thinking about becoming Catholic, and the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is the ordinary way the Church reaches out to adults who inquire into the Catholic faith. Since the beginning of the Church itself, adults have been welcomed to it through Baptism after a period of instruction, prayer, and reflection. We at St. Ignatius are continuing this tradition.

If you feel drawn to the Catholic faith, we invite you to join us! Participants inquire into the Catholic faith, come to know Jesus through the Gospels, pray and prepare for the Easter Sacraments. This process is also open to Catholic adults who have not received the Sacraments of First Communion or Confirmation.

The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults includes formation, prayer and liturgical rites and is a vital part of the parish and the universal Church. There are several stages in the process and each phase recognizes that every Christian life is, in fact, a journey. Although the conversion journey begins formally when the RCIA inquirers and parish team first begin meeting, the real conversion journey begins earlier from the heart. God calls us by name. The appeal of Christ’s fundamental message is ongoing and is experienced by a diverse group.

To explore this path further, please email [email protected] or call the Parish House at 212-288-3588.

Attending RCIA at St Ignatius Loyola allowed me to delve more deeply into the teachings of the Catholic Church, increased my exposure to the variety of ministries and programs that St Ignatius offers, and expanded my community. These experiences deepened my faith and opened doors for me to actively engage in meaningful relationships through committees such as Family Ministry and the Ignatian Social Justice network.

Sarah Tintle

Reflections with Jean Santopatre: Cheyenne River Reservation

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Jean Santopatre, Pastoral Associate and award-winning photojournalist, shares her Reflections feature each month, selecting an image or short video from her extensive personal photo archive and gathering reading excerpts from theologians, spiritual authors, monks, priests, poets, songwriters, and Pope Francis that speak to themes ranging from gratitude, grace, resilience, encouragement, hope, care of creation, and social justice.

View Past Reflections

2023 Lectures at St. Ignatius Series

January – May 2023

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9). What Jesus calls good, and whom Jesus calls blessed, is striking because his values seem to be upside down from our own. Many affirm this blessing with their lips, but in tumultuous times, we have tended toward the pragmatism of the fight.

Take Jesus’ words seriously. If a peacemaker is to be called a child of God, we should want to be one. To be one, however, will take some work. The beauty of this compound word is that it mashes up the word peace with the word for doing or practicing. It is active.

The Lectures at St. Ignatius for 2023 will bring five peacemakers to our parish to educate, inspire, and challenge us.

Please join us.

Monday, January 30, 2023

When the Wave Knows It’s the Ocean: Apostolic Wholeness and the Kinship of God

Speaker: Father Greg Boyle, S.J.

Father Boyle is the founder and director of Homeboy Industries, the world’s largest gang intervention and rehabilitation program. His latest book is Barking to the Choir: The Power of Radical Kinship.

Fr. Greg will explore the marks of authentic discipleship: flourishing, joy, and fearlessness.

Monday, February 27, 2023

Peacebuilding as Cornerstone of Pope Francis’ Vision for the Church

Speaker: Bishop John Stowe, OFM Conv.

Bishop John Stowe is a Conventual Franciscan Friar and the third bishop of the Diocese of Lexington since 2015. He is currently the Bishop-President of Pax Christi USA.

Pope Francis brings both Ignatian and Franciscan sources to his vision for the church, strengthening it as a force for peace and reconciliation in the world.

Monday, March 27, 2023

A Better Kind of Politics: Advancing the Common Good in Challenging Times

Speaker: Professor Kim Daniels

Kim Daniels is the director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life and an adjunct professor in Georgetown’s Department of Theology and Religious Studies. Kim is a member of the Vatican Dicastery for Communication and a consultor to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee for Religious Liberty.

Faced with a public life dominated by hostility and division, U.S. Catholics can advance the common good and peacemaking efforts by looking to Pope Francis and Catholic social thought. This will be the annual Laetare Lecture.

Monday, April 24, 2023

How to Go ‘All In’ for Peace: No More Velleities!

Speaker: Ms. Frida Berrigan

Frida Berrigan is a community activist and urban gardener living in New London, CT, with her husband, three kids, and four chickens. She is the author of It Runs In The Family: On Being Raised By Radicals and Growing Into Rebellious Motherhood. The book recounts her upbringing at Jonah House, the Christian resistance community founded by her parents Phil Berrigan and Liz McAlister.

Peacemaking is sidelined, disparaged, and mocked as naive. Or worse, it is worshiped as a saintly ideal. Even so, in a war-steeped nation, we must be “All In” as peacemakers. How?

Monday, May 22, 2023

Quiet Prophecy – Another Kind of Protest for Social and Religious Transformation

Speaker: Father Ronald Rolheiser, OMI

Scripture tells us that, as he grew, John the Baptist “grew strong in spirit.” What if you are the type of person who is “accommodating in spirit”? What if you are not the type of person who can openly protest things and openly challenge others? What are your prophetic gifts? How can your quiet gifts challenge the world and the church to be more just, loving, and faith-filled? Is there another kind of “protest” that is powerfully prophetic?

Father Rolheiser is President Emeritus of the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas, and a Professor of Spirituality there. He is a community-builder, lecturer, and writer. His books are popular throughout the English-speaking world and have now been translated into many languages. His weekly column is carried by more than 80 newspapers worldwide.

Women’s Voices: Lenten Reflection Series 2023

Women’s Voices: Advent Reflection Series 2022

Women’s Voices: Lenten Reflection Series 2022

Women’s Voices: Advent Reflection Series 2021

"A Short Word" Podcast

A regular podcast exploring our individual spirituality and faith lives in turbulent times, hosted by Pastoral Associate Brian Pinter

Joseph, Symbol of Discernment

Joseph role-models for us what it means to listen for the guidance of God and act on it; he teaches us that the loudest, most demanding, aggressive voices are not always voices of truth.

Reflections on Purgatory

Purgatory is not a place of punishment, but a stage of loving; a time and space where we do the work of forgiving, reconciling, letting go.

Tending Our Mental Health as Spiritual Practice

Much like our physical health, our mental health needs care and tending. We explore a few avenues of mental health self-care and how this work promotes spiritual vitality.

Conversations on Faith | Joseph A. Califano, Jr.

In this wide-ranging discussion, Fr. Hilbert sits down with parishioner Joseph A. Califano, Jr., former Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare and author of Our Damaged Democracy: We the People Must Act, to explore Mr. Califano’s Catholic roots, his time in the Johnson and Carter Administrations, and his work in addiction and recovery.

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FORMED: The Catholic Faith, on demand

FORMED is often called “The Catholic Netflix” because it offers high-quality, Catholic-friendly content—on demand— from more than 60 organizations to help parishes, families and individuals explore their faith anywhere. Register for FORMED and gain free access to thousands of movies, children’s programs, e-books, audio, parish programs and studies direct to your browser, mobile or connected device.

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