Dear Friends,
Today is The Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Saint of the Week – St. Ignatius Loyola – Friday, 31st July
How can I not choose St. Ignatius as the saint of the week since he, together with some other friends, founded the Jesuits? Born in 1491 in Loyola, Spain of a noble family, as a young man he was a soldier and was wounded in a battle against the French in Pamplona. During his long convalescence he was bored but the only books in the family castle were about the life of Christ and of the saints. This was a turning point in his life. He resolved to imitate the saints, spent a year in prayer and then went on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. He decided to study and eventually ended up at the University of Paris where he met some other students who, together with Ignatius, would form the new Society of Jesus. Among these flat mates were St. Francis Xavier and St. Pierre Favre. All these friends were ordained priests and, eventually, Pope Paul III sent them on various missions throughout Europe. In 1540, Paul III gave his formal approval of the new Jesuit Order. Ignatius became the first superior-general of the Order and spent the last sixteen years of his life directing the ever-growing missions of the Jesuits in Europe andthe Far East. Ignatius died in Rome in 1556. He was canonized by Pope Gregory XV in 1622.
Friday 31st July is the Feast of St. Ignatius Loyola, Founder of the Jesuits. You are welcome to join the Jesuit community in celebrating this feast at 11.00 Mass on the day. Margaret will lead the singing at the Mass.
Proposed Course in the Autumn
I propose to offer an introductory course on the The Early Years of Christian Theology and Spirituality (33 –1,000 AD ) in the autumn. You do not have to have any prior knowledge of this subject. I would hope to make the talks as accessible as possible. These talks will take place on Saturday mornings from 10.00 am. to 12 noon in the John Sullivan Room. You might give it some thought over the summer. Further details later.
Volunteers to read at Mass and forthe Choir
Margaret (our soloist) and Seamus(our organist) always welcome new members to join the choir. Rehearsals are on a Sunday morningat 10.30am in the John Sullivan Room, before the 11.00am Mass.
Reading Club
We are taking a break for the summermonths and will return on Monday, 28th September.
Fr. Brendan
CHURCH COLLECTIONS
For Church: € 947. Share: € 168
Card reader: €436
IDonate: € 80
Allcontributions are gratefully accepted, and the donors are remembered in ourprayers.
AUTUMN COURSE
Interested in the Early Years of Christian Theology and Spirituality course? Please let us know online (gardinerstchurch.ie/upcoming events), by email (sfx@jesuit.ie) or by phone (8363411).
OUR RECENTLY DECEASED
We remember in prayer those who have died recently:
Philomena Wardell
May her soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace
SUMMER FRONT OFFICE HOURS
From Tuesday 4th to Monday 17th August, the front office will open Monday to Friday, 11 am–1 pm. The front office will be closed on Sat. 8th, Sunday 9t and Monday 10ThAugust
MANRESAJesuit Centre of Spirituality
September2026 Retreat Offerings
Individually Directed Retreat, Mon-Fri,7-11 Sep (4-day) / Tue-Thu, 15-24 Sep (8-day). A directed retreat offers time for personal prayer, silence, and reflection, with daily guidance from a spiritual director – a chance to deepen your relationship with God and discover His personal call to you.
The Reign of God (Residential Retreat). Sun,27 Sep-Wed, 30 Sep. Facilitator: Fr Bernard McGuckian SJ. The concept of kingdom features frequently in both the Old and New Testaments. Come and find out its importance and how its meaning changed over the course of salvation history.
Formore information, check our website at www.manresa.ie or contact us at reception@manresa.ie / 01 5529 448.
POPE LEO XIV’s PRAYER INTENTION FOR JULY
For respect for human life
Let us pray for the respect and protection of human life in all its stages, recognizing it as a gift from God.