St. Ignatius Loyola Parish - Jesuits from the California

Parish Profile
St. Ignatius Loyola Parish
Sacramento, California
By Samantha Bronson
W
hen John and Theresa Hancock decided to return to
John’s hometown of Sacramento, John knew he’d also
like to return to the church he grew up in, St. Ignatius
Loyola. He could easily envision the couple’s three
children attending the same parish school he attended, receiving the
same Jesuit education he had, both at the school and at church.
“I think having an active connection with God is really critical,”
Hancock said. “The teachers in the school and the parish
reemphasize that every day.”
Hancock is now part of three generations active at St. Ignatius
Loyola Parish. His mother, Mary, was among the original parishioners,
and is still active today. Two of his three children attend the parish
school; the eldest has graduated and now is in high school.
“When I came here, I couldn’t believe the loyalty to both the
parish and the parish school,” said Fr. Mike Moynahan, S.J., pastor
of St. Ignatius Loyola Parish since 2010. “You have generations
of people who’ve gone through St. Ignatius Parish School and
been part of Loyola Parish.”
That generation-spanning dedication is part of what sets
apart St. Ignatius Loyola Parish. Yet the parish, which celebrates
its 60th anniversary in 2014, not only has some of its original
parishioners and their families, but also a good mix of families
22 MISSION Summer 2013
new to the parish and the school. This blend provides a strength
to the parish, which aims to be a welcoming, hospitable place
for all to nurture and express their faith, according to Fr. Moynahan.
Founded by Jesuits in 1954, St. Ignatius Loyola Parish held
its first services in a rented barn, giving rise to the name “barn
families,” an affectionate term still used today to describe the
original parishioners. Services continued in the barn even after
the first buildings were constructed on the parish site; those
buildings later were designated for the parish school. The
current church was completed in 1959.
When the parish began, the areas surrounding it naturally
reflected suburban America of the 1950s. Today, as the area has
become more multi-ethnic, so too has the parish’s population. While
most of the 2,166 registered families are Caucasian, the parish
has a large Filipino population as well as a number of parishioners
of other Asian heritages, including Vietnamese, Chinese, and
Japanese. The parish’s small Latino population is Englishspeaking, said Fr. Moynahan. All services are offered in English.
As the only Jesuit parish in the Sacramento Diocese, St. Ignatius
Loyola tends to attract people from across the greater Sacramento
region who have attended Jesuit schools or who were members
of Jesuit parishes in other areas, Fr. Moynahan said.
Parish Profile
Together in faith (Clockwise from far left): Fr. Mike Moynahan, S.J.,
offers First Holy Communion, the liturgical team prepares for Mass,
St. Ignatius Loyola School children showing off some of their favorite saints.
“That might attract them,” he said. “What keeps them going is
what they experience going on here.”
What Fr. Moynahan says they experience is the parish’s ethos of
uniting hearts and minds in the spirit of Jesus Christ and the sense
that the parish’s many ministries are all working for one Lord.
The parish’s largest ministry is St. Ignatius Loyola Parish School,
just next door to the church. The school, which serves nearly 400
students from preschool through eighth grade, is a vital part of parish life. There is constant contact between the four Jesuits on staff
at the parish and the school community, said Fr. Moynahan, who
is joined at the parish by Fr. Art Wehr, S.J., full-time assistant, Fr.
Jerry Hayes, S.J., part-time assistant, and Fr. Tom Piquado, S.J.,
senior priest in residence. Almost every morning, for example,
some of the students can be found at the 8 a.m. Mass. About 85
percent of the school’s families are members of the parish.
St. Ignatius Loyola Parish also has an
extensive array of outreach ministries.
One of its longest running is Sharing
God’s Bounty, which provides hot meals
on the fourth Wednesday of the month
to anyone in need.
“It really is life-giving and renewing to the parish to have these
young families come and be part of it,” Fr. Moynahan said.
Most families, he said, initially find their way to the school
through word of mouth, attracted not only by its well-rounded
Jesuit approach to education, but also by its record of excellent
academics. For the last six years, St. Ignatius Loyola School has
won the academic decathlon from among all Catholic schools in
the diocese. In 2010, it won the competition statewide.
The parish’s commitment to education extends beyond the
school. It has an active adult education program, with classes
by Fr. Wehr that attract people not only from St. Ignatius Parish,
but also other parishes. Education, in fact, is an area Fr. Moynahan
would like to see grow in the parish. He sees an opportunity to
reach more people by delving further into Ignatian spirituality and
making the option of doing the Spiritual Exercises in everyday
life more accessible.
The parish’s liturgical ministries also play a critical role in
educating, with its strong music ministry supporting the liturgy.
“We reach more people on the weekend in our services than in
any other ministry,” Fr. Moynahan said.
He also considers the parish’s consolation ministry, assistance
provided in planning funeral services, among the parish’s most
important in reaching out. “A reason a number of people come
back to the Catholic Church is because of the way they were
touched at a funeral of a loved one,” he said.
St. Ignatius Loyola Parish also has an extensive array of outreach
ministries. One of its longest running is Sharing God’s Bounty, which
provides hot meals on the fourth Wednesday of the month to anyone
in need. The guests, said Jeanne Anderson-West, director of mission
and outreach ministries, are diverse—unemployed, underemployed,
the homeless, families with children, people with disabilities,
and seniors on fixed incomes. All are welcome to have what
Anderson-West likes to call “a night out,” complete with flowers
on the table and volunteers serving dinner.
The ministry provides clothing to guests, as well as personal
hygiene products collected by a nurse who volunteers with the
ministry. Students at St. Ignatius Loyola School put the products in
bags to hand out.
“The ministry provides our students and our parishioners with
catechesis, really living out the Gospel and the Jesuit approach of
a faith that does justice,” said Anderson-West.
As he looks ahead, Fr. Moynahan sees opportunities for
growth at the parish, including more emphasis on outreach to the
elderly and homebound and bringing God’s compassion and love
to them. He envisions greater cooperation with the other Jesuit
ministries in Sacramento as well as more support for divorced
and separated Catholics.
“What I hope people experience through our ministries, our
preaching, our liturgical celebrations, is the hospitality,” said
Fr. Moynahan. “All are welcome here. If we’re doing it right,
all are welcome.”
at a glance
St. Ignatius Loyola Parish
LOCATION 3235 Arden Way, Sacramento
WEBSITE www.stignatiussac.org
TELEPHONE (916) 482-9666
Partial List of Ministries
Catechetical ministries, liturgical ministries, music ministries,
mission and outreach, parish school (preschool to 8th grade)
Registered
Parishioners
2,166
St. Ignatius
Loyola Parish
registered families
MISSION Summer 2013 23
Download the full version of the issue
JESUITS OF THE CALIFORNIA PROVINCE SUMMER 2013
10
REFLECTIONS ON PRAYER
Spiritual directors share their thoughts on finding
a fulfilling prayer life.
16
Without the help of the Kino Border Initiative, deportees from the
United States to Mexico would face a lonely road as they attempt to
readjust to life south of the border. See our story on page 16.
In every issue
2LETTER FROM THE PROVINCIAL
3PROVINCE NEWS
KBI Director Appeals to Congress
A Letter from Pope Francis
Jesuit Named Bishop of Oakland
New Novice Director Tabbed
8 GOOD STEWARD
Sharing Her Gifts the Ignatian Way
9
JESUIT PROFILE
The Path Less Traveled
of Fr. Jim Hanley, S.J.
A DESPERATE PLIGHT
For deportees, the Kino Border Initiative provides
much-needed services and hope while also advocating
for meaningful immigration reform.
24
MEET OUR NEWEST PRIESTS
Five men from the California and Oregon provinces
were ordained on June 8. Across the U.S., 16 men were
ordained as Jesuit priests in June.
26
THE GIFT OF REMEMBRANCE
Perhaps the most important ministry at the Sacred Heart
Jesuit Center goes on every day quietly—praying for the
intentions of the Society of Jesus, its benefactors, and
society at large.
22PARISH PROFILE
Sacramento’s St. Ignatius Loyola Parish
On the cover
A warm meal and a place to stay help to
soften the harsh reality for those who have
been deported from the U.S. to Mexico.
photo courtesy of J.R. Muyo
30 IN REMEMBRANCE
Remembering the intentions of benefactors and friends of the
California Province and society is perhaps the most important work at
the Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos. See our story on page 26.