Christ is risen! Indeed, He is risen!
It’s more than membership. The Order of St. Ignatius of Antioch serves its brothers and sisters at grassroots levels.
On April 19, 2026, members of The Order partnered with the Young Adult Ministry (YAM) and parishioners at St. Elias Church in Syracuse, N.Y. to pack pantry food items for 96 families of the City of Syracuse School District.
This was no ordinary act of charity. It was the Church breathing as one. As Saint Ignatius himself wrote: “Where the bishop is, there let the multitude of believers be; even as where Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.” In that same spirit, when the hands of The Order, the hearts of the young adults, and the faithfulness of the wider parish joined together, the whole Body of Christ was present in that room.
Last year, this local chapter of The Order collaborated with their Teen SOYO chapter for similar outreach events at Pascha and Christmas, a tradition of unity that continues to grow and bear fruit.
Saint Ignatius, who urged the faithful to “be united, as the Lord was one in body and spirit,” would surely recognize in this gathering the very image he longed for: different ages, different ministries, different gifts yet one Church, one loaf, one table.
For when we serve together, we do not simply do good works. We rise together just as He has risen.
Dr. Ramzi Khairallah, North American Chairman, The Order of St. Ignatius of Antioch