This Sunday the church returns to what is called “Ordinary Time.” This season lasts through summer and autumn and concludes with the beginning of Advent. The Gospel that we will hear each week is from St. Luke. Today’s Gospel is a very human one, showing how individuals are willing to follow the Lord, but…not yet. Jesus wants a firm commitment from those he calls to be his followers and the people he encounters are willing, but…not yet. In the midst of everything in our lives, we must continue to remember that we have been called and have said “yes” to the Lord to be a disciple, a follower now, today. In all the events and happenings of
our lives, we want to show forth that Jesus is the heart and center of our lives. He makes a difference in our lives so that we can make a difference.

This week we celebrate the 4th of July. Recently, I have been reading about Thomas Jefferson and our founding Fathers and how difficult it was for them to finally break from England and become an independent country. Thank God for their determination and bravery to lead us in that direction. It was not an easy period of history and so we are grateful for what they did and also for the values that they set forth as the foundation of our country. Let us
always treasure these values.

I hope that you have an enjoyable week. The Big Apple will have its traditional fireworks as will cities and towns throughout or country. If you are traveling, have a safe journey.

Happy 4th of July!

-Fr. Andrew Reitz, O.F.M.

Below is a table comparing May 2018 collections to our current May 2019 collections.

As you can see our collections have gone down and we are not making our budget.

We need everyone to do their part to keep St. Francis on firm financial ground.  The best way to use this is to make your offering using our online giving system.

You can sign up for online giving HERE.

We ask all of our members and visitors to offer the equivalent of ONE HOUR of their weekly salary per week to support the mission of the church.  This comes to a tithe of 2.5%

Thank you to all of you who are already doing your part.

St. Augustine said: “Believe what you see, see what you believe and become what you are: the Body of Christ.” When we say “Amen” we are saying “Yes, I believe this is the Body and Blood of Christ and that I will be the Body of Christ to others.” Every week and, for many, every day we gather to celebrate the Eucharist. This is what nourishes us; this is what strengthens us to be Christ in our world today. In the same way that we cannot survive without physical nourishment, we cannot fulfill our vocation without the nourishment and strength we receive from the Eucharist. It binds us together as brothers and sisters with Christ as the “heart” of our faith community. Let us be grateful to God for this great gift.

This Thursday, June 27 at the 5:30 PM Mass, several Friars will be celebrating their 25th and 50th Anniversaries of first profession of vows. Fr. Brian Smail from our community celebrate 25 years, and Fr. Vincent Laviano, who used to be here at St. Francis, will celebrate 50 years. We congratulate them and pray for them on this great occasion! Ad multos annos!

Tickets are on sale for the 175th Anniversary Raffle at the Front Desk. The prizes are $1000, $500 and $250 and you don’t have to be present to win. The drawing is September 20th. Tickets are $5 each or 5 for $20.

-Fr. Andrew Reitz, O.F.M.

We wish all fathers a very Happy Father’s Day!

From Sunday, June 16, through Monday, June 24, we will remember all fathers, living and deceased, enrolled in our Father’s Day Novena of Masses.

We take this special occasion to say “thank you” and pray that God will always guide and bless those who gave us life.

A Blessed and Happy Fathers’ Day! Thank you for your Fatherly care!

“In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” How many times have we made the sign of the cross in our lives? It is such a basic, yet important prayer that we learned at a young age along with “Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.” This describes not only the relationship between the Three, but it describes a relationship of love, of giving, and of sharing this with humanity. You and I are recipients of the outpouring of love that comes from the Trinity. Be mindful today as you worship and throughout the week when you make the Sign of the Cross that you pray the words with gratitude.

Television programs and news articles on the 75th Anniversary of D-Day make us aware of the bravery and sacrifice our young people showed in destroying the evil powers that were taking over Europe in the 1940’s. If you have ever been to the cliffs and beaches where our troops landed, you are overcome with admiration for what was done there. On June 19, 1944 one of our young Friars, Fr. Dominic Ternan, was killed in action. Fr. Dominic had served here at St. Francis Church before going into the service as a chaplain. We will honor the 75th Anniversary of his death at the 5:30 PM Mass this Wednesday, June 19. All are invited.

A special thanks to all those who worked on the Feast of St. Anthony! Thank you so much for the time you gave and the love that you showed the many people who came here that day. God bless you!

-Fr. Andrew Reitz, O.F.M.