The Roman Catholic Church of St. Ignatius of Antioch 715 E Orange St Tarpon Springs FL 34689 * * * Website: www.st.ignatius.net “I am the wheat of God. I must become the pure bread of Christ.” St. Ignatius of Antioch 2020-2021 Ministry Directory St. Ignatius of Antioch Catholic Church Guide Book Parish Information Rev. Msgr. Joseph A. Pellegrino, Pastor 715 E Orange Street Tarpon Springs, FL 34689 Parish Office Hours: Monday– Friday 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Phone: 727-937-4050 Fax: 727-943-0676 Email: [email protected] Parish Web Site: www.st.ignatius.net Mass Schedule: Saturday…….4:00, 6:30 p.m. (Fulfills Sunday Obligation) Sunday……...7:00, 9:00, 11:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Life Teen Weekdays…...7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. Saturday…….9:00 a.m. Schedule of Confessions: Please check the bulletin or website for Holy Day & Lenten Mass Times Saturday…….3:00– 3:45 p.m. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament: Thursdays after 9:00 a.m. Mass until 10:15 a.m. First Friday of the Month 9:30 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. Miraculous Medal Devotion: Before 9:00 a.m. Mass each Wednesday Awaiting Easter Vigil, 2020 1 St. Ignatius of Antioch Catholic Church Guide Book Letter from Msgr. Pellegrino Welcome to St. Ignatius of Antioch Parish! Welcome to our family! Welcome to a parish where people are continually looking for ways to care for each other and for those outside our community. This is a parish with a Caritas Program to serve the elderly and homebound. It is a parish with a Food Pantry for the hungry in our community. It is a parish with funds set aside for parishioners dealing with financial hardships. It is a parish with its own Pregnancy Center to give women the ability to choose life. It is a parish with one of the most active youth ministries in the State of Florida, boasting over 175 teens in our high school Life Teen Ministry and over 100 middle school children in our EDGE Ministry. It is a parish with a Faith Formation Program that incorporates parents in with the religious education of their children. It is a parish with a music ministry that has been recognized by the Vatican itself and invited to participate in the cardinal consistory and solemn liturgy of Christ the King. It is a parish with a flourishing Early Childhood Center and a membership in an inter-parochial grade school, Guardian Angels Catholic School. It is a parish where men meet to pray early every Wednesday, the Brothers in Christ. It is a parish that has an award winning Knights of Columbus Council, and a Women’s Council that began 50 years before the parish was canonically erected. This is a parish where your family can grow closer to the Lord, a parish where you can live the Catholic way of life. I am so happy that you have chosen to unite your family to our family. Our parish will be much stronger spiritually because you have chosen to pray with us. As your pastor, I am looking forward to growing closer to Christ with you. Welcome! Sincerely Yours in Christ, Rev. Msgr. Joseph A. Pellegrino, Pastor 2 St. Ignatius of Antioch Catholic Church Guide Book Parish Crest Our parish crest presents our rich history of our parish family within the Tarpon Springs community. The main colors of blue and white match the flag of Greece pointing to the rich Greek heritage of Tarpon Springs. There are four main sections surrounding the Eucharistic host. This represents Christ at the heart of our community and as Christians we are Christ to the four corners of the world, from north to south and east to west. In the upper left corner is wheat which recalls the words of St. Ignatius: “I am the wheat of God. I must become the pure bread of Christ.” It is a continued reminder that we are a Eucharistic people that takes Christ into the world. In the upper right corner is the lion that represents the martyrdom of our patron St. Ignatius of Antioch and reminds us as a community that we are always called to be witnesses of our faith. The white cross with a blue background in the lower left represents the cross that is thrown into Tarpon Spring Bayou on Epiphany. It also symbolizes the deep Christian legacy of our Tarpon Springs community. The pine tree in the lower right portion of the crest represents Pinellas County, which comes from the early Spanish explorers in the sixteenth century that named the area, Punta Piñal, Spanish for "Point of Pines" or "Piney Point". Prominently atop the crest is the shape of our current Church. Alyssa Morris created this beautiful artistic expression for our parish. 3 St. Ignatius of Antioch Catholic Church Guide Book 4 St. Ignatius of Antioch Catholic Church Guide Book U 2605 Keystone Rd. | Tarpon Springs, FL 34688 Hampton Inn & Suites Tarpon Springs 39284 US 19 N Tarpon Springs, FL 34689 727.945.7755 Business Center | Meeting Rooms Pool | Fitness Room Complimentary Beverage & Breakfast Areas Coin Laundry Laundry/Valet Service Luggage Hold Snack Shop tarponsprings.hamptoninn.com PALM HARBOR 35095 US Hwy. 19 N, Suite 202 Palm Harbor, FL 34684 (727) 771-0600 • Fax (727) 781-9666 TRINITY Advanced Urology 2148 Duck Slough Blvd., Suite 102-103 institute Trinity, FL 34655 (727) 375-1975 • Fax (727) 375-1927 PAUL ARNOLD, M.D. BRIAN HALE, M.D. WESTCHASE YASER BASSEL, M.D. AMAR RAVAL, M.D. 12780 Race Track Rd., Suite 125 DAVID DIPIAZZA, M.D. ALI SYED, M.D. Tampa, FL 33626 (813) 749-0820 • Fax (813) 749-0822 5 St. Ignatius of Antioch Catholic Church Guide Book Parish Mission Our mission at St. Ignatius of Antioch is to proclaim the gospel through word and worship, to be a welcoming inclusive community, and to nurture God’s people through responsible stewardship and compassionate service. Never Miss an Event! Parish Website: www.St.Ignatius.net Facebook Page: St. Ignatius of Antioch @stiggys Phone App: myParishapp… to download, on your phone text APP to 88202 YouTube Channel: St Ignatius Tarpon Springs Instagram: st_ignatius_tarpon Flocknote: Text "IgnatiusUpdates" to 84576 and register with Flocknote! This is enables us to get urgent notices or updates to our parishioners. *You will not get spammed!* 6 St. Ignatius of Antioch Catholic Church Guide Book St. Ignatius of Antioch “I am the wheat of God. I must be ground by the teeth of wild beasts to become the pure bread of Christ.” In these words, Ignatius, third bishop of Antioch, pleaded with his influential friends in Rome not to interfere with his impending martyrdom. Thus on December 20th in the year 107, Ignatius was escorted from the Roman galley that had taken nine years to deliver its prisoner from Antioch to Rome and was brought to the Flavian Amphitheater, the Coliseum, where at the conclusion of the Roman festival he was fed to the lions. Who was this man whose martyrdom became the example for all Christians? Who was this man whose life we here in Tarpon Springs honor and whose intercessions we pray for? Ignatius was a Syrian by birth who became attracted to the first generation of Christians. Some authors believe that he may have been a disciple of St. John the Evangelist. He certainly made friends with St. Polycarp, one of St. John’s closest followers. Tradition has it that St. Peter himself made Ignatius the third bishop of Antioch, the second largest city of the entire Roman empire, only Rome being larger. As Bishop of Antioch, Ignatius wrote seven letters that helped solidify the beliefs of our then second and third generation Church. He wrote that the Church can only preserve its unity if each member of the Church fulfills his or her role as a Christian in the world while recognizing that their bishop and priests represent Christ and His apostles. Of all the Churches, Ignatius emphasized the pre-eminence of Rome, for it was in Rome that Peter was executed. 7 St. Ignatius of Antioch Catholic Church Guide Book St. Ignatius of Antioch Ignatius wrote that in Christ we see a unity of opposites. Christ is flesh and spirit, of Mary and of God, a subject of suffering and yet incapable of suffering. Through Christ God’s life, the life of Grace has come into the world. The prophets and patriarchs of the Old Testament received portions of this grace to prepare for His coming. We ourselves can receive this grace and, like the prophets, become instruments of God. Our main means of receiving this grace is through the Eucharist, which Ignatius calls the medicine of immortality and defines as the real presence of Christ. By 98 A.D. when Ignatius was arrested in Antioch during the persecution of Trojan, he was known throughout the Christian world. Wherever the ship carrying him to Rome touched port he was greeted by hundreds of Christians. He literally had to beg wealthy Christians not to use their political connections to prevent his martyrdom. Within thirty years of his death he was venerated as a saint by the universal Church. Today, St. Ignatius of Antioch is remembered in the listing of the saints in the First Eucharistic Prayer. He is remembered on his feast day of October 17th which is celebrated by the universal Church. And he is remembered by the people of the Northern-most parish of Pinellas County, Florida, who has built a beautiful Church to honor the saint who pleaded with his friends to allow him to become the pure bread of Christ.