Coming to St. Ignatius of Loyola has been a renewal for me. I discovered what makes a vibrant parish that is turned outward, to those who have not yet encountered Christ. It might be expected that the ordained and some principal collaborators at the parish are missional, but to have parishioners actively engaged in sharing the faith with others blew me away.
In my 14 years of ministry, I have never seen this multiplying fruit where those who encounter the risen Jesus are utterly transformed to the point of wanting others to live an encounter. It is so inspiring that I have felt my own personal transformation in January 2024— which Fr. Mike calls the conversion to Mission—where I now envision my pastoral ministry with this model that I have thankfully experienced at St. Ignatius of Loyola.
Being an intern here has given me the tools to preach in a missional style, to organize a leadership team to support the pastor in his ministry, to structure parishioner engagement in a pipeline model so that the servant-leaders take on more responsibility and develop their God-given qualities and talents.
I don’t feel so alone in the ministry as I had felt for years, and I am brimming with hope for the future.