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In late September, my wife and I traveled to North Carolina for my sister-in-law’s wedding. What began as a joyful occasion quickly turned into a harrowing experience as Hurricane Helene swept through. We spent hours in airports, delayed by stormy weather, finally arriving in Greensboro after a full day of travel. From my in-laws’ house, we watched the storm worsen, with news of storm damage, fallen trees, rockslides, and washed-out roads and highways. Then, something previously unimaginable happened—the storm turned directly toward Asheville, where my sister-in-law and her partner were staying in a cabin they had built for respite and retreat.

Las Vecinas is a “sister parish” organization that was initiated in 2001 through the goodwill and foresight of the parishioners of St. Ignatius Parish and of San Antonio Parish in Soyapango, El Salvador. Since its inception, Las Vecinas has arranged visits between the two parishes. Delegations from San Antonio Parish have regularly visited St. Ignatius, and delegations of our parishioners and priests have visited San Antonio Parish. I first visited Soyapango in 2016 with Fr. Greg, Fr. John Coleman, and parishioner Maria Boden. At that time, Soyapango was described in international news rep

Sometime in late 2005, at a parish ministry fair, Maria Boden charmed me into joining the Las Vecinas ministry. My husband, Miles Handley, and I were interested in taking our teenage son on a delegation to El Salvador in June 2006, but the timing didn’t work out for us. Miles and I began helping with ministry activities, and we were finally able to join a delegation in 2010. The bonds of friendship forged with the members of the Las Vecinas ministry at Parroquia San Antonio during that trip have remained strong, reinforced by their almost-annual visits to St. Ignatius. Other parishioners and priests have visited our sister parish before us and after us, always returning with stories of their faith, hard work, and warm hearts.

On behalf of the St. Ignatius Parish Anti-Racism Committee (ARC), we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to each of you who participated in our November 8 Multilingual Immigrant Storytellers' Circle. This event not only highlighted the voices of members of our sanctuary families—Cesar, Danihella, Cristian, Marjorie, and Manuel—but was also the signature event, and Part III of, the ARC’s 2024 Spiritual Exercises on Race and Migration, "Bringing All to God's Table."

November 16 marked the 35th anniversary of the deaths of six Jesuits who stood up for the poor in El Salvador. They died lying face down in the grass, assassinated because they lived what Father Ignacio Ellacuria once exhorted in his writing: “Do everything so that liberty is victorious over oppression, justice over injustice and love over hate.” They lived to lift up those who were vulnerable and those who had been victimized. That was their only "crime."

This is the time of year when we celebrate our special friendship with the people of El Salvador, and especially with the community served by our sister parish, Parroquia San Antonio. This week, we will commemorate the love and sacrifice of the Jesuit Martyrs of El Salvador at our liturgies on November 16th and 17th. This year marks the 35th anniversary of their murders on November 16, 1989. We will also have a visitor from Parroquia San Antonio, Paty Lazo, this weekend, who will come to the Masses and to Hospitality on Sunday morning.

If you celebrate Halloween, the St. Ignatius Parish Laudato Si Circle reminds us all to make it fun not just for kids, but for animals and the Earth, and to help other people. Use the money you save with these tips to help the most vulnerable, a great lesson for children and a great opportunity for us all. Here are some eco-friendly, creative ways to celebrate.

I love being an altar server at St. Ignatius because of our community and how it helps me deepen my engagement with Mass. I started serving when I was 9 years old in Malaysia. Especially because I was so young, it drew me as a very special way to help contribute to a meaningful weekly event that my entire community looked forward to. The kind way of how adults and the Pastors would recognize me, made me feel like my gifts and time were a part of something bigger. Almost 30 years later, I still find myself learning and helping out in any way I can as an altar server. I've learned more about our beautiful Christian traditions when we ask why is liturgy structured a particular way. It stirs respect for the incredible men and women who have served over the past 2000 years in shaping our weekly gatherings of praise and worship. I've found myself gaining a deeper appreciation for the different roles that friends at church have during weekly Mass. As a server, I've gained a perspective for how I can get involved with other ministries at St. Ignatius. You really get to know a lot of people! At the end of the day, as a server, I've found myself growing spiritually closer in my faith to God. That feeling alone is worth everything. Spending Mass serving in the sanctuary and singing the hymns in unity with the choir is an incredible experience I invite you to try once. All ages are welcome. I feel grateful for how wonderfully diverse our server community is. No prior experience needed. We serve together as you learn the ropes. Matthew Lee, Altar Server at St. Ignatius Parish

It’s been such an honor to serve as a liturgical minister for the past year and a half! I answered the call to serve for two reasons. I was ready to give back to a loving community that enriched my spiritual and personal wellbeing, and I wanted to practice public speaking. Serving is very easy and worked wonderfully with my schedule. I attended a brief training session that helped me to understand the process and I also learned a valuable skill — read a lot slower than you would think! There is an online system where I specified the dates and times I was available. On average, I was selected to read once a month and I have the option to swap with someone or request a sub if something last minute comes up. To prepare, I spend about 10 minutes on the day of Mass to look over the reading, connect with its meaning, and practice reading a couple of times out loud. I encourage you to consider being a liturgical minister and sign up! Not only was I able to fulfill my goals, but I soon recognized that this was an amazing opportunity to connect on a personal level to the Word, connect with the community in reading the Word, and connect with my fellow ministers! Thank you! Ermine Teves, Lector at St. Ignatius Parish

When I moved to San Francisco in 2018, the stars aligned just so that I landed a block away from a church quite similar to the one I had grown up in. I was recruited for the choir within my first weeks in town and that small, tight-knit community supported me with familiarity and comfort. But, a pandemic and a move across the city left me searching for a new church to call my home. It was just about then that my dear friend Sofia said something to the extent of “You must come to St. Ignatius with me, it is truly special.” And at this point, I may be biased, but who couldn’t agree with that statement? Each homily beautifully proclaimed, the sweet hospitality offered each week, a gorgeous physical space, affable parishioners; but my favorite part of all - the music; and the amiable musicians whom I am so grateful to sing with each week. Singing in the choir at St. Ignatius feeds me in a way that is different from any other church choir I’ve been a part of. The warmth of the community feels familiar; all are welcome and encouraged and uplifted, whether this is your first time singing in a choir or the umteenth time. What stands out is the wide, varied, and carefully selected repertoire, the elegant instrumentation, and high level of musicianship to which our beloved conductor, Maggie, holds us accountable to. Music here at St. Ignatius is such a beautiful, intentional, and integral part of worship; it feels really meaningful to be a part of. In life, it seems as though there are always barriers to making a commitment and trying the new thing. We are tired, we are busy, we are so, very busy. But I’m here to tell you that this ministry is a flexible one. So if you’ve been noticing even a whisper of curiosity about getting involved as a music minister at St. Ignatius, I urge you, please come check it out! Talk to Maggie, come to the open house, join us for a rehearsal, you won’t regret it, and we will be so happy to have you. Andrea Donahoe, Music Minister at St. Ignatius Parish

On behalf of the Community Commision, I invite you to consider serving as a greeter. A number of years ago there was an invitation to become more involved in our parish, and I became a greeter because it is important to me to make our parish community a welcoming one. I appreciate receiving a welcome as I enter the church. As a greeter, there is an opportunity to meet parishioners and offer a welcoming experience for all people, celebrating the parish community that makes up the living body of Christ. It is a small but important commitment. I have gained so much more than I have put into it. This is our parish, and we are called to serve. Please consider being a greeter.Sign up on the website, today! Michelle Tapia, Greeter at St. Ignatius Parish

In my homily last weekend, I shared one of the primary lessons my extended family taught me at the dinner table when I was a child. Whether it was around my Sicilian grandmother’s dining room table, or at the kids’ table when we gathered with the aunts, uncles and cousins on my mother’s side of the family, it was important – essential, actually – to regularly get everyone together as a family. It was monthly with Nana and Grandpa and more or less quarterly with the Sparrys. And all those dinners were command performances! It was around those tables we learned what it is to be family and that, while we were bound by blood and a common ancestry, those alone would not make us family in a deep way. It was while eating THE BEST Italian food in the world that I watched family members with different deeply held convictions forcefully argue with one another, not change their minds, and move onto other topics where their respect and affection for one another were evident. It was there that I learned that I could peacefully live with the frustration of a cousin who always tried to cheat at card games, because he was so dear to me. These lessons were only possible because of the time we spent together at those tables. And those dinners were magical, in a way. The smell of good food permeated the houses. The warmth of laughter and shared stories filled the rooms. As a kid, I know my parents heard me say too often, “Do I hafta go?” But as the years went by, like my siblings and cousins, I came to treasure those dinners. Nana was not a theologian, but she knew intuitively why Jesus asked his disciples to remember him with a meal. And the Sparrys didn’t have theology degrees, but they understood the importance of gathering the whole family together – to be a more tightly woven family, to be a family rooted in love, a family that belonged to one another. Last weekend, I recalled an experience I had while presiding at a special Mass on Pentecost Sunday five years ago. Because we had a special celebration that day, many people who usually attended other Masses came to the 10 am. The church was packed, and the singing filled both the great space above us and our hearts. Joy and the Holy Spirit were palpable. Then we adjourned to a great feast out on USF’s Gleason Library plaza. That experience helped me to understand at a “felt” level why the women in my family required those dinners so long ago. That was the inspiration for St. Ignatius Parish’s Home4Dinner events. That Pentecost Sunday was extraordinary. I also believe deeply that God enjoyed being with us in that special way that day, and enjoyed that we were together in that special way. In order that the experience would not be a one-off, I extended Nana’s “warm obligation” to all parishioners to come Home4Dinner once a month for four months in the fall and winter of 2019-20. Those Masses and “dinners” provided God the opportunity to bind us more deeply into a parish faith community. I believe that God wants to do the same with us now. Though we are bound by our common baptism and our faith in Jesus, just as my relatives needed time together to become family, so we need to spend time together to become the Body of Christ in the world. I am asking all St. Ignatius parishioners to join us for Home4Dinner four times this year. The first one is next week. There will be only one Mass that weekend, at 10 am, followed by “dinner” in McLaren Hall on the USF campus. Please plan to join us. In order that we have enough food, please sign up using the QR code or find the link on the website and in our email newsletter.. The event is free, but if you would like, you may make a donation to offset the costs of the meal. Also, we need your help to make Home4Dinner happen, so please sign up to help this week or on the day itself. And bring a friend! I look forward to seeing you there. In the meantime, oremus pro invicem.

Today, we celebrate the feast day of Saint Phoebe the Deacon. Saint Paul entrusted Phoebe with the Letter to the Romans, which she successfully delivered to the people of Rome. Phoebe’s delivery was unlikely to resemble a USPS drop–off. Phoebe most likely stayed with the Romans and helped explain the concepts in the letter. Have you ever been in a situation in which a woman, perhaps your mother, dear wife, or daughter, or even a talented presenter, shed light on a previously confusing or challenging topic and you experienced an epiphany of realization? Perhaps your eyes started seeing clarity and your ears began having understanding. It happens all the time when our Priests present homilies on the Word of God, and some women of faith also serve God by helping us understand concepts.

In 2020, as our parish was coming to better recognize and reckon with anti-Black racism in the wake of George Floyd’s killing, anti-Asian hate during the global COVID pandemic, and historical issues of racial injustice and violence in society and the Catholic Church, a diverse and committed group of community members formed St. Ignatius’ Antiracism Committee. The Committee's established purpose was to form St. Ignatius into a community rooted in racial justice and inclusion, guided by the principles of prayerful discernment and action. This year–approximately four years since George Floyd was killed on May 25, 2020– we seek to re-introduce ourselves to our fellow parishioners as your “ARC”.

The name “deacon” comes from the Greek work “diakonia”—one who waits at table—and may have existed as a secular activity before it was made an office in the Church. Yet, this was the term the Apostles chose when they wished to appoint delegates to carry out the practical duties which they did not have time to do. The first deacons, appointed in Acts of the Apostles, all represent Jews of the diaspora (i.e., “Greeks”) whose widows were not being treated fairly in the distribution of goods. But, while ministry to the poor has always been a crucial element of the diaconate, these administrators were also appointed to proclaim the gospel, to stand in the place of the Apostles, and, often, to give their lives in witness of Christ. Indeed, the first martyr identified in Scripture is the deacon Stephen, who is stoned to death for his witness to Christ and whose feast is celebrated the day after Christmas every year.

Step into a transformative journey of self-discovery and societal reflection with a September-November program inspired by the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. You are invited to profoundly and prayerfully consider how race and xenophobia co-exist, especially to help our parish strengthen our commitments to racial justice and sanctuary. No previous involvement, knowledge, or training is required. You just need an open heart and a courageous spirit!

In honor of her grandmother, Nadya Williams, the granddaughter of Willemina Ogterop, recently visited the Parish offices. Nadya Williams is a life-long peace activist deeply inspired by the peace activism, creativity and passion of her grandmother. As testament to this aspect of her grandmother's life, it is noteworthy, and recently learned, that she donated three works of art to India, two of which can be found on public display

Welcome back to USF! St. Ignatius Parish is excited to invite you to get involved with our vibrant community. We are looking for volunteer students to help out around the church in a variety of ways. We have roles such as serving as a catechist, helping with the youth group, and assisting as acolytes, lectors, and sacristans. This is a wonderful opportunity to make a meaningful impact and grow within our parish community. Whether you have a passion for teaching, guiding youth, or participating in our liturgical services, there is a place for you here at St. Ignatius Parish. For more information, reach out to Tom Fregoso at the Youth Ministry to discuss the various volunteer roles and how you can get involved. This is a great chance to meet fellow parishioners and classmates as well as finding the perfect fit for your interests and talents.

Though there are weeks left in the summer, the calendar page has turned to August, which has us looking to the year that lies ahead. I am very excited about all that God has in store for us. Tom Fregoso, our Director of Youth Ministry, is beginning his second year, and with the groundwork he has laid in creating relationships with our youth and their families, I am very eager to see all that will come about with and for our youth. Maggie Warner starts her new role as Director of Pastoral Ministries. I am enthusiastic about working and dreaming with her and the lay leadership of the parish, especially as we lean into Pope Francis’s synodal model of Church, listening more deeply to discover/discern how the Spirit is moving in the hearts and lives of the members of our faith community. Please join me in my prayers for St. Ignatius Parish as we embark on the new year, expectant of all that God will give!