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“Do you want the good news or the bad news first?” In my experience, most people prefer the bad news first, so I’ll start there. Unfortunately, and after only two years with us, the Provincial of the Jesuits West Province has missioned Fr. Jerry Hayes to be the full time Minister of the Loyola House Jesuit Community. That means that this coming week is Fr. Jerry’s last among us at St. Ignatius Parish. His responsibilities as Minister include all the temporal needs of the community, such as overseeing the kitchen and housekeeping services, as well as the maintenance of our cars and the house. He works with the Rector on the budget, and he serves as the Prefect of Health, caring for us when we get sick, among other duties. Fr. Jerry has been serving as Minister while working as part time Associate Pastor these two years; he now moves into that job full time.

In Romans 12:13: it states “Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” This is the spirit of the Neighbor2Neighbor Program at St. Ignatius Parish. We have parishioners who have recently had a new baby, or perhaps a surgery. We have others who have lost a loved one or who are a caretaker for a family member. So many scenarios that we all experience in life. When the Neighbor2Neighbor program was re-introduced after COVID this was an opportunity for us, as parishioners, to answer the call of our fellow parishioners and show them hospitality.

The Feast Day of St. Ignatius Loyola, S.J. is July 31. Our church is blessed with two altars dedicated to St. Ignatius. We invite you to come to either or both of them, here in St. Ignatius Church, on this day, this month, or any time. The first chapel emphasizes Ignatius in his role as both a Christian mystic and as the Founder of the Society of Jesus - the religious order that founded the University of San Francisco, St. Ignatius College Preparatory School, and this parish. This first chapel, with its power and simplicity, reflects Saint Ignatius’s profound transformation.

St. Mary Magdalene was a faithful disciple, a courageous witness, who loved Christ deeply and followed him without fear. The memorial of Saint Mary Magdalene was elevated to a Feast on June 3, 2016 by Pope Francis during the Jubilee of Mercy. Here is part of the decree: “The decision is situated in the current ecclesial context, which calls upon us to reflect more deeply on the dignity of women, the new evangelisation and the greatness of the mystery of divine mercy.”

Summer has arrived! And the ARC (Anti-Racism Committee) joyously invites the entire parish community to join us in reading Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass (2020). Summer invites us to slow down, notice the beauty of Creation, and become more aware of our relationship with the natural world.

Older, Wiser, Livelier Seniors (OWLS) is a thriving ministry as seniors (50+) gather to enjoy each other’s company and participate in a variety of activities that reflect the interests of senior members of our parish. The group generally meets once a month, on the second Friday of the month, in Fromm Hall.

We have some exciting news to share with you! We’ve upgraded our generosity tools through a new giving partner, Pushpay. These upgrades will make your giving experience more intuitive, secure, and flexible. Starting today, you can leverage three new channels to give online.

On the weekend of July 17 – 19 , we celebrate “Good Trouble”, a concept introduced to us by the late Representative John Lewis. Standing at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama in 2020, Lewis called on us to “get in good trouble, necessary trouble and redeem the soul of America”. He wanted us to act, reach out to help, make a difference. He would have known all about that. Born in Troy, Alabama, his father was a sharecropper. Growing up, John Lewis attended racially segregated schools, suffered harassment and was the recipient of racial epithets. But as a young man, he was inspired by the teachings of Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. According to John Lewis, it was Rosa Parks who, in his words, wanted “to find a way, to get in the way, to get in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble.” He went on to say, “And for people if you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, do something. We cannot afford to be quiet.” John Lewis knew when to speak out and when to act out.

Archbishop Cordileone has announced that the Archdiocese of San Francisco reached a $395 million settlement agreement associated with its Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The settlement seeks to resolve all lawsuits related to child sexual abuse brought against the Archdiocese under California Assembly Bill 218. This settlement partially redresses the grave injuries inflicted on children by some clergy, meriting compassion, accountability and prayers. You can find Archbishop Cordileone’s letter to the faithful of the archdiocese here.

Pope Leo XIV recently launched his first encyclical, titled Magnifica Humanitas: On the Protection of Human Dignity in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. Speaking from the Synod Hall, the pope personally presented this social encyclical, calling for moral guidance on artificial intelligence, urging a renewed focus on justice, human dignity, and a “new humanism” in the digital age. He situated Magnifica Humanitas in continuity with Catholic social teaching, responding to a growing “culture of power” fueled by emerging technologies. The two biblical images pictured below illustrate a pair of metaphors the Pope used when he spoke, and which introduce his encyclical—artistic illustrations of dehumanization on the one hand and shared responsibility on the other.

As our parish fiscal year comes to a close on June 30, we invite you to consider making a gift to support our ministries and operations. This has been a year of remarkable growth and grace in our community. We have welcomed more than 300 new registered parishioners, celebrated 40 people entering the Church through OCIA, and rejoiced in more than 80 baptisms of infants and children. Every week, new individuals and families continue to find a spiritual home here.

Braiding Sweetgrass is a nonfiction work by botanist and Citizen Potawatomi Nation member Robin Wall Kimmerer. Richard Powers, in The New York Times, calls the author, “a font of endless knowledge, both mental and spiritual." Robin Wall Kimmerer asks questions of nature using the tools of science, and as a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, she asks us to embrace the notion that plants and animals are our oldest teachers.

June 21, is the feast day of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, an Italian Jesuit known for his courage in serving the sick and his dedication to the education of young students. In 1591, a plague swept over Rome. St. Aloysius volunteered to serve at the Jesuit-established hospital, where he and his fellow Jesuits worked directly with the infected. St. Aloysius begged for alms for the victims and also worked one-on-one to feed and clean those affected by the epidemic. He contracted the plague and his health declined quickly. He died in Rome on June 21, 1591, at the age of 23, and we was canonized in 1726 by Pope Benedict XIII.

Greetings, St. Ignatius community. You might know me. I’m Jen and you’ll often find me greeting at the Saturday 5pm Mass at the Parker Avenue door. My other half, Becky, and I have been members of the Parish for about four years. In addition to my greeter duties, I serve on the Worship Commission and Becky is part of the Liturgical Environment Committee. We love being part of this parish and participating in these ways, but we also acknowledge that it’s still quite surprising to us. We never thought we’d be so involved in a church. When we were asked to contribute our thoughts during Pride month, we had to really consider whether or not we had anything to say. June is no different to us than any other month as we’re long past the days of parades and parties. But then we thought about our Parish asking us about Pride Month, and our minds were blown. Our Catholic Parish was asking us to speak about our experience! It was nearly unbelievable.

In the spirit of Catholic Social Teaching, which asserts that we are one family created in God’s image, we are called to extend respect and courtesy to all faith traditions. As Pope Leo recently reminded us, hope calls on us to put our trust in God, just as Moses did and as our Muslim friends do as they celebrate Muharram starting on June 16.

To avoid falling for scams where someone pretends to be Fr. Greg or anyone else, always verify unexpected requests for money, gift cards, phone calls or sensitive information. Contact the pastor or church office directly using a trusted, pre-existing phone number, or use the official phone numbers and email addresses on the website, stignatiussf.org. Never reply to the suspicious message directly.

Pope Leo XIV has decreed that 2026 (January 10, 2026, to January 10, 2027) will be a special Year of Saint Francis “in which every faithful Christian, following the example of the Saint of Assisi, shall become a model of holiness of life and a constant witness of peace.” We are called to be witnesses of peace by boldly proclaiming the dignity of the human person and working for the protection of all human life.

The Feast Day of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, S.J. is June 21 We invite you to come to the Chapel of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, S.J. in St. Ignatius Church, on this day, this month, or any time. Volunteers and staff are currently providing opportunities for reflection and engagement in this chapel. We hope you will visit!

The St. Ignatius Parish Anti-Racism Committee is proud to sponsor this year's St. Ignatius Parish summer read. Join us as we embark on this annual parish tradition! This year our reading will bring us wisdom from our Indigenous Sisters and Brothers that pertains to our natural world. This summer we’ll be reading Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teaching of Plants, and discussing it on Sunday, September 20, following hospitality after the 10 am Mass.

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops is planning to consecrate the United States to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on Thursday, June 11, in Florida, on the eve of the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. See our website and your email newsletter for a link to watch this live. Eucharistic Adoration in preparation for the day is strongly encouraged. St. Mary’s Cathedral offers Eucharistic Adoration every first Friday of the month from 8 am to 5 pm.