Faith Life
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.
Sarah TintleAttending 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.
Lectures at St. Ignatius 2025: Pilgrims of Hope
The Risk of Hope
Wallace Hall
Presenter:
Fr. Sam Sawyer, S.J.
Editor in Chief, America Magazine
Hope calls us to more than just optimism about things turning out well. When we take hope seriously, we are also called to take responsibility for what we hope for.
A Long Way From Home: Homeless LGBTQ Youth, Parental Rejection and God’s Merciful Love
Wallace Hall
Presenter: Mr. Carl Siciliano, Founder of the Ali Forney Center, the nation’s largest and most comprehensive housing program for homeless LGBTQ youth
Surely one of the cruelest disparities faced by LGBTQ people is the unequal access too many have teens have to their parents' love and support. Carl will discuss the frequent tethering of parental rejection of LGBTQ youths with religious belief and how that contributes to a child welfare crisis in which an LGBTQ youth is far more likely to suffer from homelessness than a straight youth. He will examine this in light of Jesus’s revelation of God’s all-merciful love in the Gospels, and explore how religious communities might intentionally witness to God’s love for vulnerable LGBTQ youths.
The Long Pilgrimage of Dorothy Day
Wallace Hall
Presenter: Mr. Robert Ellsberg, Publisher, Orbis Books.
Robert Ellsberg will reflect on Day's long life "on pilgrimage," and the way her faith was tested by daily life and the challenges of history.
Creating a Shared Planetary Future
Wallace Hall
Presenters: Profs. Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Allen Grim, Co-Founders and Co-Directors of the Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology, Yale University
Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical, Laudato Si, is an invitation to respond to the “Cry of the Earth and the Cry of the Poor”. It has been called the most important document of the 21st century by the leading environmentalist, Bill McKibben. This talk will discuss why this message of ecological conversion is so essential to our times.
Doctor, Will You Pray for Me?
Wallace Hall
Presenter: Prof. Robert Klitzman, M.D., Director of the Masters of Bioethics Program, Columbia University.
Patients and families often struggle with religious, spiritual and existential quandaries, especially when confronting the end of life. This lecture will explore how these individuals seek and find sources hope, meaning, purpose and connection, and how hospital chaplains often help.
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
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
A Spirituality of Dignity and Decorum
We briefly explore 10 biblically rooted principles that might lead us collectively toward being a more dignified, decent, decorous people.
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.
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.