On Sunday, January 15, 2023 at the the 5:00 PM Mass, Fr. Tom blessed a new statue of St. Benedict the Moor which was permanently installed for veneration at the Church of St. Francis of Assisi.  Fr. Tom invited members of the St. Benedict the Moor Fraternity of Secular Franciscans from our parish to join him in blessing the image of the saint.  This beautiful new statue was donated by members of the St. Benedict the Moor Fraternity and permanently resides in the upper church.

Here is a short biography of St. Benedict provided by Mr. Paul Beelitz, SFO, who is the minister of the St. Benedict the Moor fraternity:

St. Benedict the Moor (1526 – 1589)

St. Benedict the Moor was the child of slaves who were taken from Africa to Sicily and given Italian names. Diana and Cristoforo Manasseri became devout Catholics, and their son Benedict was declared free when he was born in 1526. Benedict’s charitable nature was apparent from the time of his youth when he worked as a shepherd and gave what money he could to the poor. At the age of twenty-one Benedict became a member of a local group of Franciscan hermits. Benedict’s spiritual maturity far outweighed his lack of a formal education, and he became the group’s superior at the age of twenty-eight. In 1564 Pope Pius IV ordered the disparate hermit communities to join established religious orders, and so Benedict’s group joined the Order of Friars Minor at the Franciscan Friary of St. Mary of Jesus in Palermo. Benedict’s reputation as an excellent cook preceded him and he began his years in the Friary in that capacity. Once again, however, Benedict’s theological erudition and patient demeanor propelled him to become Master of Novices and then Guardian of the Community. After years of administrative duties, Benedict asked only to return to the kitchen, where he was visited by people who journeyed from afar for the opportunity to speak to him and benefit from his holiness and wisdom. Benedict died in 1589, having lived his entire life in Sicily.

Benedict was beatified by Pope Benedict the XIV in 1743 and was canonized by Pope Pius VII in 1807. There are St. Benedict the Moor Churches in New York, NY, Savannah and Columbus, GA, Pittsburgh, PA, Milwaukee, WI, Washington, DC, and St. Augustine, FL.

St. Benedict the Moor, whose Feast Day is April 4th, is the patron saint of African Americans.

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Photos by Mr. Keith Kemp, parishioner

Dear Community and Friends of the Church of St. Francis of Assisi,

May the Lord give you peace.

We have begun the 2023 Cardinal’s Annual Stewardship Appeal. The hope is for the Archdiocese to raise $21,000,000. Our contribution toward that goal is $73,000. Last year we surpassed our goal due to a very generous gift. It is my hope that we will be able to reach our goal for 2023.

The theme of the 2023 Appeal is rooted in Psalm 2: “Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” As I sit at my desk this afternoon, there are several migrant families seeking assistance in the rooms on the lower level and the first floor. These are folks who seek refuge in God through us. We at St. Francis are blessed to have come to know these families. Many children here have journeyed great distances to find a place of peace, hospitality, and community. One dimension of the Annual Appeal is to help address the needs of these families. We do our part here through your generosity. The Archdiocese depends on similar generosity to assist Catholic Charities.

Another source of refuge for all of us is the Word of God. This Appeal seeks to deepen the efforts of the Church to embody and preach the Gospel. Your financial assistance enables the possibility of the Church to meet the hunger for the Word throughout our Archdiocese. Again, finding refuge in the living and effective Word of God is the heart of our way of life. Please give as you are able to give. Any amount is appreciated. You can pledge an amount and give over time. You can also give online by clicking here.  (We just want to be sure that it is linked to St. Francis of Assisi!) Please consider your financial situation and determine if or what you may be able to give. Know that, if you are on the mailing list, you will get letters until you give or return that you cannot give at this time. Please pray for the success of this Appeal. I thank you for your consideration of this request. I also ask our virtual community to consider giving to this Appeal.

I am grateful for your commitment to St. Francis and grateful for your help.

Thomas M. Gallagher, ofm

Dear Community and Friends of the Church of St. Francis of Assisi,

May the Lord give you peace.

We had a good weekend celebrating St. Benedict the Moor, remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, and recognizing our call to communion. St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, calling for an end to division among them. Some claimed to be better than others based on their baptismal affiliation through individual apostles or preachers. Paul reminds them and us that our focus is Christ. A homily for St. Benedict the Moor noted his and the friars’ grace in belonging.

“The challenge St. Benedict the Moor presents to us is his total response to the Lord’s command at the Last Supper: I give you a new commandment: Love one another. Such as my love has been for you, so should your love be for one another. The integration of Benedict the Moor into a community of Franciscan confreres racially and ethnically different from himself, their mutual acceptance and love for one another, the choice the friars made to have Benedict, though illiterate, become the superior and guardian of their religious community — these present a timely challenge. They are a source of great encouragement toward holiness through love of neighbor for the love of God. And the challenge and encouragement are further enhanced by the power of Benedict’s example to not only love his neighbor as himself but to love as Christ loved, as he said to his apostles:  Your love for one another must be such as my love has been for you. In this love, we find true communion with all humanity.”

We are in the middle of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. We recognize the variety of gifts and charisms of the many ways the Gospel is lived among us. All the baptized participate in the Body of Christ. Our vision is Christ and the inbreaking of the Reign of God. This vision calls us to respect differences and accept various views. Pope Francis’ call for a synodal church is an invitation to hear various voices. We are to listen to people both in and outside of the church.

We are linked by a common desire to nurture the community’s life.

With the people of Isaiah’s prophecy, we have walked in darkness and have seen a great light. The darkness of division within our world, nation, and church creates a longing for the great light of God’s love. We hear Jesus empowering people in Matthew’s Gospel as he says, “you are the light of the world.” Illumined by God’s love, we, like Benedict, form an integrated community where racial, ethnic, gender, and sexual difference are accepted in mutual love. We choose to love as we have been/are loved.

Thank your participation in this graced community and group of friends who gather here, in person and online. We are blessed by the grace each person brings to our communion. Our vision is also attentive beyond our doors and welcomes the migrant, the stranger, and the one seeking Christ’s presence.

Thank you.

Thomas M. Gallagher, ofm