The Rosary and Families During a long road trip in the car with my family when we were all getting a little cabin fever and feeling a bit antsy, I suggested praying the Rosary. Though there were grumbles from everyone, I got started, and soon everyone joined along. By the end of the Rosary, the tone of the car had shifted. We were calmer and felt peaceful. We looked out the windows and were amazed by the beauty of the landscape around us. My younger sister in high school said, “Wow, I’m amazed at how peaceful I feel after the Rosary.” Soon after, we arrived at our destination — peaceful, excited, and ready to embrace the joy God had in store for us as a family! The Rosary is a powerful tool for families to deepen their faith, connect with one another, and seek guidance from Mary and Jesus. It can be a simple and accessible prayer for all ages, uniting families in the rhythms of Christian experience. By meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary, families can reflect on the events of Jesus' life and Mary's role, fostering a deeper understanding of their faith. And praying the Rosary is not only about the work of believers, but also about the work of God. Mary promises special protection and graces to those who pray the Rosary faithfully. Finally, the Rosary connects families with Catholics around the world and through time back to the early Church. If you would like to learn more and practice the Rosary as a family, join Children's Faith Formation for a family picnic and learn how to pray the Rosary on Sunday, May 25th after the 10 am Mass on the USF Lawn! Enjoy light refreshments and the company of your family and others as you and your children learn this ancient meditative practice. Bring a rosary and a blanket if you have them! Rosie Costa, Children’s Faith Formation Coordinator

On behalf of St. Ignatius Parish, Fr. Greg recently attended the California Preservation Awards, a statewide hallmark, showcasing the best in historic preservation. The 2025 winners were celebrated at the California Museum in Sacramento on May 9th. St. Ignatius Parish's project was celebrated and honored as one of the best historic preservation projects in California this year. Recipients were selected by a jury of top professionals in the fields of architecture, engineering, planning, and history, as well as renowned architecture critics and journalists.

Born in Norwalk, CA, in 1926, to immigrant parents, Asawa’s life was marked by early adversity. During World War II, she and her family—like approximately 120,000 other Japanese Americans (including US-born citizens)—were unjustly forced into US internment camps. Yet even in hardship, Asawa was able to discover beauty. Like St. Ignatius, who found God in all things—even suffering—she ultimately transformed trauma into something sacred. Asawa is most well-known for her groundbreaking wire sculptures: floating, transparent forms inspired by nature and basket weaving she observed during an artists’ tour of Latin America. These sculptures remind us to view the world contemplatively—to find grace in the ordinary, and the divine in the overlooked.

The Spiritual Exercises are at the very core of St. Ignatius’ spiritual journey. He spent 30 plus days in a cave examining his life, looking at ways that he can engage with Christ more fully and had a Spiritual Director that he would go see two or three times in those 30 days. In Catalonia, Spain, we walked down from Montserrat, where the spiritual director was, across the valley and along the river, and we came up to the cave.

The newly revived Neighbor2Neighbor ministry continues to flourish throughout this Easter Season. Grateful recipients of assistance have expressed their appreciation for the work of the N2N volunteers. The daughter of a woman receiving Holy Communion at home wrote to thank the ministry: “It is wonderful to feel the care and love of our neighborly and spiritual community. It meant so much to my mother to meet your volunteer, pray with her, and receive the Sacrament. She felt touched and uplifted. The neighbor to neighbor ministry is a blessing for both of us!”

Thursday night, 26 young people from our parish received the Sacrament of Confirmation. Special congratulations to all of you! You have been preparing for this for two years, deepening your relationship with Jesus, and learning more about the Church and your place in it. We are grateful for your generous response to God’s love for you, and we look forward to seeing how you become more active members of our faith community, sharing with us the abundant gifts that God has given you!

As you know already, Holy Week and Easter were glorious at St. Ignatius Church! We prayed beautifully, the ancient rituals given new life and profound meaning, speaking to our hearts and enlivening our souls. We did indeed pull out all the stops! We have so very many people to be grateful to for the glory of the week. Scores of people gave long hours and shared graciously their talents, so that our liturgies were magnificent. We owe a great debt of gratitude to our choir, under the leadership of our new Director of Music, Patrick Hagen; to our many liturgical ministers who lectored, served at the altar, distributed Communion, welcomed people at the doors to the church, and ushered; to the Liturgical Environment Committee, who transitioned from Lent, to Palm Sunday, to Holy Thursday, to Good Friday, to Easter in less than a week; to members of Neighbor to Neighbor who fed our volunteers throughout the week; to those who set up and donated for Easter Sunday hospitality; to the Miloslavich family and Confirmation students who set up the Easter candy “hunt;” to the Easter Bunny who took time out of his rounds to join us; and to the St. Ignatius Parish staff whose dedication and hard work are always an inspiration to me. I also want to extend my thanks to those who donated towels for the poor on Holy Thursday and to all of you who donated to our Holy Week and Easter collections.

What the Resurrection of Jesus promises is that things can always be new again. It is never too late to begin anew. No sin is unforgiven. No betrayal is final. Grief, anger and bitterness can give way to surprise, good humor and delight. Every form of death can be overcome. Norbertine priest and poet Francis Dorff captures what resurrection might mean for us today in his poem Everything Becomes A Door:

All are welcome to journey to find God in all things through the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. St Agnes and St Ignatius Parishes offer the Exercises through the 19th Annotation, known as “a retreat in daily life.” The 19th Annotation Retreat is a way of making a retreat during the course of ordinary living without having to forgo, for a time, one's commitments to work, family and friends. Important in the discernment process is the completion of a questionnaire https://form.jotform.com/StIgnatius/SEEL-application-2025

Joseph Frank Bonfiglio went home to God on April 2, 2025, with his beloved wife Kathryn and his children at his side. He was nine days short of his 95th birthday. Joe was born to Vincent and Marie (Messina) Bonfiglio on April 11, 1930 in Omaha, Nebraska. When Joe was six, Vincent went to California to seek better employment. When he found it, he wired Marie: “Sell the house, and bring Joseph.” Joe, his mother, another family of four, a dog, and all their belongings made the trip in a 1930 Ford sedan to San Jose, which Joe called home for the rest of his life.

The St. Ignatius Parish Girls' Basketball season is off to a fantastic start, and we’d love your support! Both our 7th and 8th grade teams are undefeated so far, and they’re showing incredible teamwork and determination. Despite not having a dedicated gym, our 8th-grade team is holding its own in the top CYO division—an impressive feat! Both our 7th and 8th-grade teams are on fire, remaining undefeated!

Easter is a very joyous time and a robust hospitality hour following the Sunday 10 Mass is a tradition for St. Ignatius Parish. The parish needs a strong representation from all of us. You can help!

On March 8th, our Year 2 8th-grade Confirmation students participated in a full-day retreat, a journey of reflection and deepening their connection with God and each other. The day began with a communal morning prayer and the Liturgy of the Hours—an ancient Christian practice prayed worldwide, primarily by religious communities. Despite some initial uncertainty, the students were drawn in as they experienced the slow work of God.

April is Arab-American Heritage Month—a time to celebrate the rich history, culture, and contributions of Arab Americans to our society. From scientists such as Nobel Prize winner Elias J. Corey, to business leaders such as Steve Jobs, and to writers as diverse as Kahlil Gibran, Edward Said, and Raymond Khoury, Arab Americans have woven their talents into the fabric of our nation. Arab communities in the US are incredibly diverse, with roots in over 20 countries, including Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Palestine, Iraq, and Morocco. They also bring a variety of faith traditions—Christian (Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant), Muslim, and others—all of which add to the beauty of our shared human story.

Holy Week Schedule: Palm Sunday April 13: Saturday 5 pm Vigil Mass: Sunday: 8 am, 10 am (with Solemn Procession), 5 pm, 7 pm USF Student Mass

In the past many weeks, visitors and guests whom I’ve met have commented on how much is going on in our parish. They have been touched by your welcome, and they are inspired by all the ministry opportunities they see in the bulletin. It’s good to have some outside perspective! Of course, a welcoming and vibrant faith community is possible only when parishioners generously share the various talents that God gave them. And there are so many of you! I’d like here to acknowledge some of those groups of people and the ministries that they provide.

Once again we enter into the great season of Lent. It’s that season in our liturgical life when our hearts and minds prayerfully review in a special way God’s goodness to us and our often inadequate and sometimes sinful response.

My name is Dan Sullivan, and I have been a member of the Mercy & Justice Commission the past two years and a member of St. Ignatius parish for a little over five years. When I decided to move back to the Bay Area in 2019, the first thing I decided was that no matter where I ended up living (turned out to be Santa Rosa), St. Ignatius would be my parish. I deeply believe that Catholic social teaching around corporal works of mercy must be a core component of a Catholic community, rather than some ancillary or optional part. As Archbishop Gomez of Los Angeles (then President of the USCCB) put it, without this core component it is “pseudo-religion.” I was engaged with Ignatian spirituality, and knew that Saint Ignatius would be a welcoming home for me.

Did you know that the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco played an influential role in the life of the American journalist, Catholic social activist, and founder of the Catholic Worker Movement, Dorothy Day? Dorothy Day was born on November 8, 1897, in Brooklyn, New York. Her father, a sportswriter, took a position with the San Francisco Chronicle and the family moved to Oakland, California. In the aftermath of the earthquake, nine-year-old Dorothy witnessed the outpouring of support and self-sacrifice by the community. Young Dorothy drew a lesson about individual action and the Christian community, two guiding principles that would inform her entire life.