September 7th Letter from the Pastor
7 September 2025
Dear Parishioners,
The unofficial end of summer brings with it the return of parishioners who have been away for the summer months. Welcome home! To those who enjoyed staycations, brace yourselves for the return of more traffic in the City. To those who join us remotely on Sunday for our 11:00 AM Solemn Mass, your numbers increased each week. To everyone, Welcome back!
Allow me to give you a brief account of the last few months. We welcomed two members to the Parish Staff. Father Jonathan Pennacchia, S.J. joins us for one year. Father Pennacchia, along with four other Jesuits, was ordained here at St. Ignatius on June 14th. While he is with us, he will be one of the full-time priests of the parish. Ms. Roxanne De La Torre joins us as a pastoral associate whose responsibilities include Ignatian Spirituality and faith formation. Ms. De La Torre will also be our primary liaison with St. Catherine’s Church, our sister parish in Bethlehem. Father Pennacchia and Ms. De La Torre will introduce themselves in their own words in the parish bulletins of 14 September (Fr. Pennacchia) and 21 September (Ms. De La Torre).
There was a buzz of activity at the parish throughout the summer. Our facilities crew kept busy with seasonal maintenance routines and minor repairs. The sacristans kept the church in good working order. Technicians made needed adjustments to the church’s sound system. Several of the church’s air conditioning units failed on several occasions and required significant repairs. While all the ministries of the parish were active during the summer, I am especially grateful to our Ministers of Hospitality, Lectors, and Eucharistic Ministers for their commitment and service every weekend throughout the summer. Finally, the parish priests continued to labor tirelessly in the vineyard, but also enjoyed time away for their vacations or annual retreats.
Today we resume our full weekend schedule of Masses. The 12:10 PM daily Mass returned on 2 SEPT. Our outdoor coffee hour begins today after the 11:00 AM Masses. Enjoy one another’s company or meet someone new over a cup of coffee and a cookie. On 21 SEPT, we will have our annual Ministries Fair in McKinnon Hall. It will be an opportunity to reacquaint yourselves with the array of ministries at the parish. Please sign up for at least one of them and join the more than 850 parishioners who are actively involved with these ministries.
What a joy it is to be together again! Welcome home!
Sincerely in the Lord,
Fr. Yesalonia