3400 SE 43rd Avenue * Portland, OR 97206 * 503-777-1491 * www.sipdx.org

M a r c h 1 2 , 2 0 1 7

ST IGNATIUS CATHOLIC CHURCH

Listen to Him

Dear Parishioners:

With the smudge of repentance still fresh on your forehead from Ash Wednesday, I hope the annual parish retreat of Lent challenges and consoles you. Lent’s challenge is to join the catechumens of the RCIA as they walk the road of the scrutinies. Lent’s consolation is to experience the story of Jesus in the Triduum, and the triumph of the empty tomb on Easter morning.

Lent is a season of self-examination, repentance and practices of self-control and self-denial – whether one is preparing for baptism, confirmation and Eucharist, or already a full member of the Catholic Church. But is our aim to make ourselves the focus of Lent? Lent is pre-eminently the time to enter into the suffering and death of Jesus.

The gospel for the second Sunday of Lent is always an account of the Transfiguration. Last week Satan tested the son-ship of Jesus immediately after his baptism. The transfiguration is a heavenly reaffirmation of that filial iden-tity. The same three who will accompany Jesus to Gethsemane – Peter, James, and John – accompany him now as he ascends a high mountain and is transfigured.

Throughout scripture, mountains are special locations of revelation, places where God and humans meet. Si-nai is the prime example (Exodus 3). God reveals the precepts of the Law to Moses.

There are five significant mountains in the Gospel of Matthew. The third temptation of Jesus occurs on a mountain (4:8). Jesus ascends a mountain to be transfigured (today’s passage). Jesus preaches a great sermon from a mountain (6:1). Jesus undergoes his final testing on the Mount of Olives (26:30). And on a mountain God commis-sions the disciples to bring the good news to all nations (28:16).

The transfiguration is God’s revelation to three of the key disci-ples of who Jesus is. A voice from heaven, which according to Mat-thew only Jesus heard at his baptism, now others hear. The voice reas-serts the baptismal son-ship of Jesus. The disciples’ response is appro-priate to the presence of the divine. It seems they felt no such awe in the presence of Moses and Elijah when those prophets first appeared.

The appearance of Moses and Elijah in the story follows Mat-thew’s consistent references in Scripture to God’s plans and how Jesus fulfills them. Here the disciples witness the scene connecting the minis-try of Jesus with Israel’s longing for God’s Anointed to deliver them. The disciples next learn of the forthcoming Passion and are commanded to silence.

There is a tremendous irony here. This amazing revelation does not guarantee the disciples’ commitment to Jesus. Their awe apparently wears off and their fear returns. Peter will deny Jesus. And all of them will desert him. Disciples themselves are the greatest liability in the proclamation of the good news. They are intimates of Jesus at one time, traitors at another.

The call that Abraham and Sarah heard in the first reading – to leave their home and go where God would lead them – is our call to pilgrimage during this Lent.

This year’s Novena theme was “Belonging to a Love so Wide and Deep.” It was explained on Ash Wednesday that our journey as a parish culminates for all of us in the renewal of our baptismal vows at Easter. With the RCIA catechumens preparing to enter the church at the Easter vigil, we walk the road of conversion and renewal. Our focus is how God’s Spirit seeks to journey with us through our Lenten obser-vances of fasting, almsgiving, and prayer.

Today’s Readings:

Genesis 12:1-4a

2 Timothy 1:8b-10

Matthew 17:1-9

Next Sunday’s Readings:

Exodus 17:3-7

Romans 5:1-2, 5-8

John 4:5-15, 19b-26, 39a, 40-42

Preaching Next Sunday:

Fr. John Ridgway, SJ

Mass Schedule

Saturday Vigil: 5:00 PM

Sunday: 8:00 AM & 10:30 AM

Sunday Contemplative: 7:30 PM

Daily: Monday - Friday 8:00 AM

Centering Prayer: Fr idays 7:00 AM

Anointing Mass: First Fr idays 8:00 AM

First Saturday Mass: 8:00 AM

Communion Service: Saturdays 8:00 AM

Reconciliation: Saturday 3:30-4:30 PM

or by appointment with a priest Continued next page >>>

*** www.sipdx.org *** March 12, 2017

Mass Intentions

Monday Mar. 13 Scott Gustafson

Tuesday Mar. 14 † Veronica Broeth

Wednesday Mar. 15 Jim Emig

Thursday Mar. 16 † Maria Campanilla

Friday Mar. 17 † Patricia Obradovich

Lenten Resources

Collection boxes are available in the Family Alcove for those wanting to donate to the Transition Supper Project—a long-time (25 years) outreach project of the school and parish. For more ideas for reflections and prayerful actions this Lent, pick up a “Care for Creation” Lenten calendar from the Catholic Climate Covenant and/or a Family Lenten Calendar from Loyola Press. These calendars can be found in the vestibule or the Family Alcove.

Mom’s Group will be meeting weekly during Lent as a small faith sharing group. Please join us for this sea-son if you would like! We meet 9:15-10:15AM Sundays in the Parish Office Dining Room.

A warm

welcome welcome welcome welcome to a l l our gues ts .

We are so happy you are here

to celebrate with us!

New to St. Ignatius Parish? Register by dropping a

“Welcome” card in the offering basket with your information, or

visit us online at http://www.sipdx.org/registration

Interfai th Movement for Immigrant Just ice In the next 6 months a team of St. Ignatius parishioners will attend a monthly training with the Interfaith Movement for Immigrant Justice (IMIrJ) and 23 other faith communities across Portland. In the coming weeks there will be more information for how you can get involved in St. Ignatius' efforts. In the meantime, if you'd like further infor-mation about how you can support the dignity and rights of immigrants, visit http://pdxlifejusticepeace.org/act-now and http://imirj.org/, and email Jess Ingman (jingman@sipdx.org) if you'd like to be added to the parish's immigra-tion listserv.

Lent ends at the beginning of the Holy Thursday service at 7:00 PM on April 13th. That is also the moment when the Easter Triduum begins. Triduum means “three days” of celebrating the single event of Christ’s dying and rising – the Paschal Mystery. It is called the “pasch” because it commemorates how the angel of death “passed over” the Hebrew homes in Egypt at the start of their exodus to freedom. The Lord is our paschal lamb whose death gives us life.

The first moment of the Triduum is Holy Thursday evening when we celebrate Christ washing his disciples’ feet and inaugurating the Eucharist at the Last Supper.

The second moment is Good Friday, when the Lord’s passion is proclaimed and we venerate the cross. RCIA members will assist the community in venerating the cross.

The third moment is the Vigil of Easter on Holy Saturday when we light the new fire to create a fresh Pas-chal Candle, listen to the story of salvation history, and initiate our newcomers through baptism and confirmation and Eucharist.

To celebrate the Easter Vigil is the most important community worship of the whole year. Why? Because the Easter Vigil completes our Lenten observance when we renew our vows of baptism. This renewal of baptism brings to completion the invitation of Ash Wednesday: “Turn away from sin, and believe the Good News.” This is why Easter observance – especially at the Vigil on Holy Saturday night – is the high point of our community’s wor-ship for the whole year.

On Saturday, April 15, the only place to be at 8:30 PM is at St. Ignatius Church.

Craig Boly, S.J.

Eco-Tip of the Week

Plastic water bottles use 3 Liters of water to deliver 1 L of water that you actually drink. It takes 17 million barrels of oil to supply the United States’ yearly bottled water demand, and the bottles take over 1000 years to biode-grade. You can do your part to reduce these

effects by using a reusable water bottle!

Growing Together Nursery

Childcare is available for children ages 6 months to 5 years for the 8:00AM and 10:30AM Masses and up to age 12 for other events. Please RSVP to Debbie Noonan at nurse-ry@sipdx.org no later than 48 hours before the event.

Lenten Reflect ion and Faith Sharing

How do we live as Good News in our broken world?

Gatherings will be held March 12 - April 12. Find locations, dates, and sign-ups in the church vestibule, online (http://sipdx.org/lent), or by calling the parish office (503) 777-1491.

Dear St. Ignatius Parishioners,

St. Ignatius students and staff attended Mass on Ash Wednes-day to begin the Lenten season. Eighth graders distributed ash-es to their school family groups.

Our Kindergarteners are learning a song about Lent and are also learning about prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Their teacher, Christy Everett, guided the students in a discussion about their own personal Len-ten Journey. The students made portraits of what they looked like on Ash Wednesday, and completed a writing piece on what they plan to do personally for their Lenten Journey. The portraits and writings are on the Kindergarten bulletin board outside their classroom.

We are currently accepting applica-tions for new students for the 2017 - 2018 school year. Please contact the school office at 503.774.5533 if you would like a tour or to sched-ule an appointment for your child to visit St. Ignatius.

Wishing you a good weekend.

Monica O’Callaghan

Principal

Parish Off ice

503 -777 -1491

off ice@sipdx.org

Fr Craig Boly, SJ—Pastor

cboly@sipdx.org ext. 231

Fr John Ridgway, SJ—

Parochial Vicar

jridgway@sipdx.org ext. 229

Pastoral Counci l

Co-Chair- Joyce Keane

keanejm@earthlink.net

Co-Chair—Position Open

A full list of staff & council Members are located on

Our webpage at www.sipdx.org

Reconcil ia t ion Service Monday, March 20th a t 6:00PM

Communion Vis i tors to the Homebound

Our parish community supports those who are no longer able to attend our weekend liturgies. Our Communion Visi-tors bring Communion to those in our parish who are ill, fragile, of advanced age, and homebound. If you have an hour a week, please consider bringing Communion to our parishioners who live near our parish. Training and support is available. Contact Tina Auerbach at tauerbach@sipdx or call 503 777-1491 ext. 227.

Advent Giving Tree Donations

Thank you, St. Ignatius Parish! Together, we donated a total of 49 Welcome Boxes to Embrace Oregon. That means 49 kids from 2-18 years old will receive a box from us while waiting in a DHS office. Your love and care are being felt in the local Foster Care System. We also collected a total donation of $255 for The Green Belt Move-ment, empowering community and environmental protection and restoration in Kenya, across Africa, and around the world. Thank you for your generous support for these great works.

Upcoming Events:

Marriage Enrichment Planning Meeting

March 12, 12:00-1:00 PM, Parish Bradley Room

RSVP to Beth at bschaller@sipdx.org

Water First International Presentation

March 19, 12:00-12:30 PM, Xavier Room

Molly Briscoe, Water First educator

Family Night March 19, 4:30-6:30 PM, Dillon Hall Contact Beth at bschaller@sipdx.org