Sharing and Living God’s Message

By Lorraine Freeland

My husband and I joined St. Ignatius Parish in 2003, drawn by the Jesuit approach and community. Throughout this time, we were able to create a spiritual foundation through the significant rites and sacraments tied to building our family, from marriage preparation to the baptism, first communion, and confirmation for each of our four daughters. As much as I felt part of the church community, it wasn’t until Covid hit that I realized how deep our connections with St. Ignatius ran. Not being able to gather in person and discuss spiritual life regularly felt like a huge loss. Ironically, right as we began to celebrate mass in person safely, our whole family contracted Covid and we were not able to participate in the first Christmas pageant. It was another blow, underlining the highlight of our faith: sharing and living God’s message with others.

When I was asked to join the Faith Formation Commission in 2022, the answer was obvious—and what better way to share and live the message than getting involved in the various ministries. Coming out of Covid brought challenges and new opportunities facing many of our Leadership Commissions. Part of my focus while on Faith Formation has been to support and plan for youth programming, including putting in place a youth ministry director to create more opportunities for school-aged parishioners, and addressing the transitional years within catechism that have gaps (i.e. the years that have the most attendance are often around the First Communion and Confirmation sacraments). Other parts of the Commission’s work include adult programming, restorative justice activities, and overlapping community outreach (i.e. family-focused clothing drives, high school parishioners helping with need-based services). Through our regular meetings and presence at parish events, there has been the chance to get to know fellow parishioners and learn how the various ministries make our church such an amazing, spiritually nourishing community.

Being part of one of the parish’s Leadership Commissions has allowed for a deeper understanding of all St. Ignatius has to offer, from discovering the gifts of fellow Commission members to applying the Ignatian model of contemplation and discernment to issues at hand. At times, serving on a Commission can incorporate discussion of challenges facing the Catholic church, from efforts being made in Rome to what is happening within San Francisco’s Archdiocese. There is an intrinsic tie to the liturgical timeframe when we meet, but there are always links to what is happening geopolitically; sometimes we arrive demoralized, beat down by a tough week or by the tough realities in which we live. As our goal is to build and support, bringing our faith to a shared table, we focus on things we can reshape. This makes for a fertile, intellectual base with which to plan for the parish’s ministries, and many of us feel regenerated and optimistic when we part.

Life gets busy day-to-day, and we can’t always make the array of events or lectures the church offers— but the time commitment required to serve on a Leadership Commission is not overwhelming and often takes place on a Sunday afternoon or an early weekday evening. The quarterly, in-person meetings are selected in advance, as are collaborative deep-dives. As I wrap up my final year on the Faith Formation Commission, I only hope I can return and serve another Commission down the road. It has been such a blessing to be part of an inviting environment through which our various lenses bring shared, spiritual visions to keep moving forward.

Lorraine Freeland, Faith Formation Commission, Parish Council

Nomination Season

New members are needed for every commission. Nominations are due by Sunday, March 9. Self-nominations are welcome. Nomination forms may be submitted here: stignatiussf.org/lay-leadership.

Image: Holy Spirit. I-stock / borzywoj