March 26, 2024 — The Jesuits’ St. Ignatius Loyola Parish in Sacramento marked its 70th anniversary with a Mass celebrated by Bishop Jaime Soto, of the Diocese of Sacramento, on March 8.
Bishop Soto (third from left) celebrated the anniversary Mass and was joined by current pastor Fr. Tom Lucas, SJ (far left), as well as several former St. Ignatius Parish pastors.
Bishop Soto was joined by Fr. Tom Lucas, SJ, pastor of St. Ignatius, as well as some of the parish’s former pastors as concelebrants of the Mass. The parish, founded by the Jesuits in 1954, today serves approximately 3,000 families in the greater Sacramento area.
During the anniversary Mass, Bishop Soto blessed a renovated shrine, designed by Fr. Lucas, of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
The shrine’s wall is covered with blue Spanish tiles, and two hand-forged iron candle holders in the form of rose bushes flank a glass mosaic of the Mother of the Americas. Fr. Lucas, a stained glass artist, hand cut and set the mosaic image, comprised of almost 200 pieces of stained glass.
Fr. Lucas said his devotion to the image springs from summers of working with Mexican Franciscan Sisters at the Casa de los Pobres in Tijuana, Mexico. “She promised to enfold us all in her mantle and to be mother of all in need,” he said.
Source: Diocese of Sacramento