On Thursday, January 19th the Community of the Ignatian Spiritual Life Center blessed the doors of St. Agnes Church as sanctuary space for our immigrant sisters and brothers. Pray with us...

Dear God,
We ask for your blessing tonight on these holy doors. 
You already call this place a sanctuary, may we live into what that truly means. 
Give us the courage to open these doors and the doors of our hearts to all who knock and seek refuge. 
God, in your Love, through your Son, with your Spirit, 
Bless these doors and the doors of our hearts. 

St. Agnes & the ISLC believe that the human dignity of all people must be respected. In discerning the signs of the times, we are unable to remain silent and believe that, as a community, we are called to continue to learn how to love our neighbors more fully by declaring our community as a sanctuary space for those targeted by hatred. 

We state clearly that there are no illegal people in our community. There are undocumented people and they deserve to be treated with respect and dignity just like any member of our community. 

To read our full Sanctuary Statement: 
Click Here 

For more information about the Sanctuary Movement, check out this resource:
What Does Sanctuary Look Like Today?
(Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity)

Have you seen Martin Scorsese's new film Silence?
The movie is based on the 1966 novel Silence by Shūsaku Endō, the story of a Jesuit missionary (Fr. Rodrigues) sent to 17th centruy Japan. The ISLC's book club read Silence this past Fall!

Whether or not you go to see Silence in theaters check out America Media's interview with Andrew Garfield who plays Fr. Rodrigues and did the Spiritual Exercises before filming for Silence began. On his experience of the Spiritual Exercises, Garfield comments: “What was really easy was falling in love with this person, was falling in love with Jesus Christ. That was the most surprising thing.”

To read America Media's the full interview with Andrew Garflied CLICK HERE.

After all the Masses at St. Agnes Church (Sat 4pm, Sun 8:30am, 10:30am & 6pm) on January 14th & 15th, we'll have a launch party for a new phase of the ISLC. We will be celebrating our new logo and web site, and we will be promoting our vision for the upcoming 2017 year. You'll have the chance to pick up a bit of new swag and to to learn about our new participation opporutnities. The ISLC is excited for our new year! If you have questions, please contact Natalie at Natalie@SaintAgnesSF.com. Otherwise, we'll see you there! ​

The mission of the Companions in Ignatian Serivce and Spirituality (otherwise known as Ignatian Companions) is to respond to the thirst of many Christians to deepen their spiritual life as they give of their time and talent to serve those in need – the poor, the marginalized and the socially vulnerable. Ignatian Companions engages women and men who desire to deepen their awareness and love of God through accompanying the poor and marginalized and engaging with fellow Companions in dialogue, prayer and reflection rooted in the spirituality of St. Ignatius Loyola. 
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In 2016, the Ignatian Companions were looking for a new home. They wanted to partner with a nonprofit that would provide them with a hospitable space and like-minded people who understand the value of their work. The program is an obvious match for ISLC and we look forward to helping take the program to the next level. 

​To all our Ignatian Companions, welcome! We are so glad you are part of our community. We are blessed with your presence.

As we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord this weekend, we pray that we might be like the magi - always ready to encounter Jesus and always ready to begin the work of Christmas. 

Sometimes it can be difficult to find contemporary Catholic art that speaks across generations of people. Eric Minella, a graphic artist and friend of the ISLC, recently created this image of St. Ignatius for the new ISLC web site and for print. We think its an interesting and fresh take on our favorite saint. Thanks, Eric!