Pastoral Letter: Welcome to Fall!

Dear Sisters and Brothers –

Fall has arrived, which means that parish life for this next program year is underway! Children’s Faith
Formation, First Communion, and Confirmation classes have started, and our five Commissions have had their first meetings and are busy with the work of Worship, Community Life, Mercy & Justice, Faith Formation, and Administration. This weekend we host our annual Parish Picnic and Ministry Fair (sign up to help here and to get your tickets here), as well as blessing our pets and other domestic critters to mark the end of the Season of Creation and the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. Next week we begin our six-part speaker series on the Second Vatican Council (find out more and RSVP on the website). Whew!
 
I am very happy that we are bringing back our Ministry Fair. A regular feature of our parish life prior to the pandemic, the Ministry Fair is an opportunity to learn more about the various ministries and events that combine to make St. Ignatius the vibrant parish that we are. It is also a reminder that our vibrancy is rooted in the generous response of many parishioners to our common call to discipleship. As you will see, there are all sorts of opportunities for service, some requiring leadership, others asking for a bit of your time and energy. Especially if you are not yet engaged in a ministry or activity of the parish, I urge you to consider joining something. I assure you that both your life and our parish will be the richer for it.

Our in-pew appeals for our Preservation & Promise Campaign were a huge success. I cannot express well enough my sincere gratitude for the response of so many of you over those two weekends. Your big-hearted response to the structural needs of our beautiful church and to our shared desire that St. Ignatius Parish continue to be a beacon of faith and justice in our city continues to inspire me. More than 90 households made a new pledge or increased their existing support, raising more than $220,000. This puts our total fund raising at nearly $23.2 million toward our total goal of $25 million. We are certainly in the home stretch! If you have yet to participate, you can do so by going to the Preservation & Promise page on our website.

With the end goal in sight, we have hired Plant Construction as our General Contractors for the renovation projects. They are working with Josehart Construction Management, our Owner’s Representative, to deliver an updated budget for the construction, as well as a project timeline, in the next six weeks. Our hope is to put up scaffolding in the winter. Stay tuned for more details and updates.

Not only the seasons are changing. After more than two years, Robert Nolan, our Director of Communications, is leaving us to spend more time caring for his family in Sonoma. As you know, Robert came to us in the early months of the pandemic, so much of what we have become known for, in terms of making our ministries available online, is the result of his expertise and creativity. During his tenure, Robert oversaw the development and launch of a much more user-friendly website, the creation of a style guide, and the design and installation of our own broadcasting equipment in the church. While Robert’s departure is a loss to us, his impact will be felt by the parish for a long time to come. Robert, we wish you and your family well as you move into your future. We will miss you and look forward to future visits. Godspeed.

Before I conclude, I want to strongly encourage you to attend our Vatican II series, which, again, begins on Thursday, October 6 at 6:30 PM. It comes out of our experience of our Parish Synod last winter, where we heard time and again of the weary hope for the Church promised by that watershed event still held carefully in the hearts of so many. (You may find the results of our Synod on our website.) Some people spoke cautiously, at times, about Pope Francis, not sure if they should dare to let that hope surface. Others spoke of disappointment or hurt that the promise of Vatican Council II has not gone far enough or has been stunted. Our prayer for this series is to give that hope some room to breathe and, in some cases, introduce the promise of the Council to younger, yearning Catholics. It is an all-star lineup, and I am confident that our speakers will encourage, teach, raise questions, and inspire. And while we’re offering the series online, I do hope you’ll come in person, in part so that we have a felt sense of one of the greatest contributions of Vatican II – the concept that we are the People of God. Again, you can RSVP on the website. I look forward to seeing you!

A blessed October to all, and

oremus pro invicem.
Fr. Greg