New Mexico's Society of Jesus

✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞     ✞




✞✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ Jesuits (or The Society of Jesus)

St. Ignatius, a  soldier-turned-mystic Ignatius Loyola, founded the Society of Jesus in an effort to reform the Roman Catholic Church. Rather than break off as a separate church, the Jesuits became a distinct order of priests in 1534 and received commendation from Pope Paul III in 1537. Pressured by the royal courts in Europe, Pope Clement XIV denounced the Society, causing Jesuits throughout the world to renounce their vows and go into exile. The suppression lasted for 41 years, until what is called their restoration on August 7, 1814. Jesuit priests take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Today they are the largest all male religious order in the Catholic Church. Jesuits are well known for their schools, including higher education, but are mainly a missionary order. 

The Jesuits are celebrating 2014 as their 200th Anniversary from the Restoration

Pope Francis is the first Jesuit pontiff

Jesuit Spirituality 

•    Finding God in all things 
• Listening with a discerning heart
• Choosing to live for the greater glory of God 

Founded in 1883, Immaculate Conception Church is the only Jesuit Church in New Mexico and only one of a handful in the Southwestern part of the United States. They have an affiliated school and nursing home next door, St. Mary's Catholic School and St Mary's Rest Home.

I attended the 5pm Saturday Mass.

It is a large and gorgeous chapel in the heart of Downtown Albuquerque. The service had well over a hundred people in attendance. Right away I noticed something pleasantly different about this Catholic service. Women were an integral part of the service - leading the chants, doing readings, helping with communion. There was not a individual bulletin for the service, but I believe it was Father Oren Key who presided over the mass. 

The liturgy was a traditional one otherwise. The sermon was based on Paul's 1st letter to the Corinthians. Fr. Key spoke of Paul's heartbreak at the news of the divisions in Corinth for Paul believed, "we are one in Christ. Brothers and Sisters in Christ." He talked about the relevance to today's issues of division and discord among different denominations of Christians and that the differences should only serve as an enrichment, rather than a division. He talked of the passion Paul had for unity. Just as Paul urged the Corinthians to set aside their difference and come together, so he urged his congregation:

That is the spirit we still have to strive for today ~ Fr. Key 

I really liked the sermon. I feel it spoke to the mission of my journey. While preparing to share communion, they did not announce any restrictions but I knew from experience that only baptized Catholics in good standing are meant to partake, but I did go up and get my blessing.  

It was a great way to spend my Saturday evening, well worth the trip downtown. 

THANK YOU Immaculate Conception Church for welcoming me into your sanctuary to Worship God. 

Me and the Mormons

During the Second Great Awakening of the 19th Century, a young man named Joseph Smith Jr. began soul searching for answers to his questions of religion and faith. During this time, he discovered ancient scripts about Jesus Christ engraved on gold plates. His interpretation of those scripts became the Book of Mormon, which teaches that Christ’s original Church has been restored in modern times with living apostles and prophets, starting with Joseph Smith. Following this, Smith helped organize the first Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). In 1844, following the political death of Joseph Smith, the church split based on different leadership. The Latter-Day Saints established a Quorum of Twelve with a leader of Brigham Young and relocated to Utah. Another group chose Joseph Smith III as their leader and stayed in Missouri, this group became the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

The Latter-Day Saints have unique beliefs separate from other Christian denominations. Some of those beliefs are: 

• faithful members must participate in...temple "endowment" ceremonies
• marriages performed in LDS temples can continue after death
• deceased persons can embrace Mormonism in the spirit world through 'baptism for the dead.' (MRM)

New Mexico and parts of surrounding states are served by the Albuquerque Temple. LDS Temples are not places of ordinary worship, they are only for weddings and special ceremonies, "the temple is to provide a dedicated place where sacred ordinances needed for eternal life can be performed." Only baptized mormons who have received an endowment can enter the temple. 

The Church divides geographical areas into stakes and then further divides them into wards (or branches.) Different wards often hold their weekly service, or sacrament meeting, at the same meetinghouse. Wards are presided over by a bishop and services are run by members of the congregation. There are no paid clergy in LDS. 

I attended the 11 am Albuquerque East Stake, Sandia Ward meeting on Sunday morning at the LDS Church at 4109 Eubank NE. Three separate Wards hold regular meetings there at different times. The services are very family oriented. All ages attend the service, one of the children even came up to me during the service and offered me a toy. ☺

They partook in sacrament, bread and water. I had not read anywhere of any restrictions on nonmormons partaking, so I honored the sacrament as well. 

Many hymns are sung throughout the service and several members spoke. The youth speaker explained the theory of GodHead. She made an analogy to the three branches of the U.S. government, three separate entities that make up one government. 

The adult speaker was a sister who was a 7th generation mormon. She spoke of the Law of Consecration, "a divine principle whereby men and women voluntarily dedicate their time, talents, and material wealth to the establishment and building up of God’s kingdom." She advised the congregants to live by the law they should:

• TITHE - give freely to the church and to the less fortunate
• SERVE - willingly in the church
• MISSION - serve your mission - the closest to living by the Law of Consecration
• BE CHRIST-LIKE in your love for others 

They show great pride and commitment to their religion and beliefs. After the meeting, all members study the bible in classes designated by age and sex. All LDS churches study the same curriculum every week in Sunday school. 

Interesting Note: LDS do not use the Cross as a symbol in their religion. 

THANK YOU Sandia Ward of Albuquerque LDS for sharing with me your Sacrament Meeting. 

Albuquerque Mennonite Church

The Anabaptist movement came about in protest to groups like Lutherans and others during the reform movement. Reformist churches required citizens to bring their children to the church for baptism. Anabaptists rejected infant baptism, believed in baptism of adults as a renewal of faith, and fought for early separation of church and state and PEACE.   

This movement led to Amish, Mennonites, Brethren and Hutterites. There are a few Mennonite and Brethren Churches in New Mexico. Amish colonies are spread out in the Midwest and on the East Coast. Hutterite communities are only in Northern U.S. States and Canada. Each group has become distinctly different in their beliefs and lifestyles, but most of them share the belief of not participating in litigation, holding government positions, or taking up arms in defense. 

A group of Anabaptists split from the Joseph Amman followers (Amish). In the mid 1500's, this group came to be led by a former Catholic Priest named, Menno Simons, and his followers eventually were called Mennonites. 

There are different orders of Mennonite churches - Old Order, Conservative, and Progressive. Most churches in the Western part of the United States are progressive. They are similar to Quakers in their goals of peace and justice. 

I attended the 9:30 worship service at the Albuquerque Mennonite Church. Worship is open to newcomers. Their belief statement:

          We of Albuquerque Mennonite Church are committed to Jesus’ call to be a
          growing community that embodies God’s love in the world, a community that 
          cherishes and practices worship, healing, hospitality, peacemaking, and respect
          for all. Open and affirming, we hold that every person is created in God’s 
          image, valued without regard to origin, sexual identity, affiliation, or status.

Every year, they ask their members to Re-Covenant to the church. 

Their worship team includes Pastor Anita Amstutz and Associate Pastor Andrew Clouse. Assoc. Pastor Clouse led the worship service. Visitors were introduced and then everyone greeted each other and were very welcoming to me. They were a very participatory congregation, vibrant and full of love.  

Pastor Amstutz gave the message (sermon) based on the story of Balaam and his Donkey from Numbers (22:21-35). 

While enroute to Moab, God blocks Balaam's path with an Angel because his path was "reckless." The Angel however was only visible to the Donkey. When the donkey would not continue on the path, Balaam beat him multiple times until the Angel finially shows himself to Balaam. 

It was a story that helps us look anew at life for unexpected mysteries. Pastor Amstutz spoke of how God comes to us in unexpected ways and unexpected places, so be open to it. Assoc. Pastor Clouse talked about how the story helps us to, "See with new eyes and to trust the God that we cannot see." 

        I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may

        know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious

        inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who

        believe. Ephesians 1:18-19

Their Worship Service included much joyous group song, as MUSIC is very important in the Mennonite faith. They feel it is their, "most profound connection with God." (Kropf) My favorite hymn was: 

Day by day, dear Lord, of thee three things I pray: to see thee more clearly, love thee more dearly, follow thee more nearly, day by day. HWB 569

THANK YOU Albuquerque Mennonite Church for sharing with me your love of God and manner of worship.