News - June 2024

When they gathered during those steamy summer days in Philadelphia, there was no certainty of the result. Although the war had been going on for over a year, there was still a sense, among a number of delegates, that they were simply English citizens, demanding their rights according to the traditions and customs of their nation. The King and Parliament had sought to deprive them of this identity, but surely a proper resolution would emerge. But, on 7 June 1776, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia rose to offer a resolution: “That these united colonies are and of right ought to be free and independent states.” Though six of the thirteen colonies opposed an immediate declaration, still a committee was appointed to draft a document for the Congress to debate. Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania was the old man of the committee, which included John Adams of Massachusetts, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, Robert Livingston of New York, and Thomas Jefferson of Virginia. Young Jefferson—a writer of great skill and energy, educated in the philosophy of the Enlightenment—was given the task of drafting the document, and returned with a treatise that others felt needed only minor revision. And when it was read to the whole Congress, it was passed unanimously, affirming an principle greater than the men who approved it, a vision of society in which “all men are created equal” and possessed of “unalienable rights” to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” rights that no power on earth—neither king nor Parliament, political majority nor religious zealot—could justly deny or extinguish. Through Revolution and Civil War; through the marches of Suffragettes and the riots at Stonewall; through the blood of Martin Luther King and the fasting of Cesar Chavez; through waves of immigrants from Ireland and Poland, Italy and Eastern Europe, Vietnam and Korea, our nation has strained to live into this principle, to uncover what it means for all people to be created equal, for all to possess not just civil or procedural rights, but “unalienable” rights: i.e., rights derived not from the actions of the state but by the hand and will of the Creator. 

Ignatian Spirituality has the simplest of premises: seek to find God in all things. But the language associated with it can seem daunting if you don’t know what it means. So in plain English, here is a guide to understanding the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius. Saint Ignatius designed a retreat to help people deepen their relationship with Jesus Christ and grow in the inner freedom they need to discern where God is truly calling them. The freedom sought in this retreat is a freedom from anything that disrupts our ability to experience what our heart most deeply desires. The retreat is known as the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius because it includes a series of contemplations (meditations or visualizations), reflections and prayers - quite literally “spiritual exercises” - to use in daily spiritual practice. Ignatius structured it in four “weeks” because he envisioned that his exercises would be undertaken during a thirty-day silent retreat and directed by an experienced companion on the journey, a spiritual director. These are not literally seven-day weeks, but "movements" or “stages”. The four movements include: 1) God’s love and mercy and the reality of our sinfulness, in all its complexity, 2) Jesus’ life, from the moment of his incarnation and throughout his public ministry, 3) Jesus' last days, from his arrest to his passion, crucifixion and death; and finally, 4) Jesus’ Resurrection, his Ascension, and the coming of his Holy Spirit, and his ongoing mission which we live out.

St. Ignatius Parish youth and families, get ready for an exclusive basketball experience this summer, a reward for all the girls who played in our inaugural season and for all the boys who hope to play in our upcoming CYO season. The sixth annual California Classic Summer, held at Chase Center on July 6 will feature games between the Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Lakers, and Miami Heat. This basketball showcase features 2024 NBA Draft picks, second-year pros and more players competing to land their spot on an NBA roster for the 2024-25 season.

As many of you know, my father has been in and out of the hospital since his mild stroke on Holy Thursday. During his last stint at Good Samaritan in San Jose, I was in the room when one of the medical professionals asked him if he preferred to be called Joseph or Joe. I was shocked to learn – after knowing him for 65 years – that he prefers Joseph. What?! Who knew? My grandmother called him Joseph, and my mother calls him that when she wants his attention or he's in trouble.

The St. Ignatius Parish ARC (Anti Racism Committee) and the Joint (St. Ignatius and St. Agnes) Solidarity Network invite all parishioners to participate in a Summer Book Read of Javier Zamora’s Solito. We will have two discussions, one in person and one virtual, after hospitality on July 14 and August 4, and via Zoom on Thursday, July 18 and August 8. The reading project is a ramp up to a larger retreat on immigration the two ministries are sponsoring, starting in September and running through the fall. Copies of Javier Zamora’s memoir are available in the In All Things Bookstore, as well in local bookstores, the Public Library and online. Javier Zamora took a three-thousand-mile journey when he was just nine years old from his small town in El Salvador, through Guatemala and Mexico, and across the US border. His memoir provides an immediate and intimate account not only of a treacherous and near-impossible journey, but also of the miraculous kindness and love delivered at the most unexpected moments. Solito is Javier Zamora’s story, but it’s also the story of millions of others who had no choice but to leave home.

Friday, May 31, marked the 10th anniversary of Deacon Eddy Gutierrez’s ordination. We congratulate you, Deacon Eddy, and we count our blessings that you continue to be missioned to St. Ignatius Parish by the Archbishop of San Francisco. Your presence among us has been a great gift to our community these ten years. We are grateful to you for the ways you break open the Word in your preaching on Sundays, as you share with us your experiences of the Lord, especially in the ways that s/he is revealed through your beautiful family. You have also been a wonderful gift to the women and men who have come into the Church through the RCIA program. And you have had a significant impact on those at whose weddings you have presided and whose children you have baptized. We are all so grateful. We pray that God continue to abundantly bless you in your ministry – and that your ministry continues to be among us at St. Ignatius.