The 2023 Cardinal’s Appeal has begun!

“Blessed are all who take refuge in Him!” (Psalm 2)

In our Archdiocese, 2.8 million Catholics and countless of our non-Catholic brothers and sisters take refuge in the Lord through His Church and her ministries. The Cardinal’s Annual Stewardship Appeal exists to fund the expansive efforts of our Archdiocese to provide every person with an encounter with Jesus and a confidence that He, present in every church in the most Holy Eucharist, is our refuge.

The funds that we give to this year’s Appeal will be used to address the following needs of the archdiocese:

• $9MM Assistance for Financially Vulnerable Parishes
• $5MM Charitable Outreach and Pastoral Support
• $4MM Evangelization, Communications, and Catholic Education
• $1MM Formation of New Parish Priests
• $2MM Care for Retired Priests

For more information about what your contribution is used for click here.

DONATE NOW:

If you would like to make a contribution to this year’s appeal click HERE.

Please remember to select “Direct my gift to” and select “St. Francis of Assisi, New York” from the drop-down menu.  This does not mean that St. Francis will receive these funds, it just means that the Archdiocese knows that your donation came from our community.

Here is a message from Cardinal Dolan for this year’s appeal:

ENGLISH:

SPANISH:

On Friday, February 17, 2023, forty five members of our St. Francis of Assisi family took a trip to the Mt. Alvernia Retreat center in Wappingers Falls, New York, for our annual weekend retreat.  The retreat is a time away dedicated to prayer, reflection, sharing of our faith, and fun.

Our days began and ended in prayer inspired by the Liturgy of the Hours and were filled with reflections where we were all together and time in small groups where people were able to share what our faith means in their daily life.  On Saturday there was an extended free time for quiet reflection, or a group walk around the beautiful grounds of the retreat center, or even a walk to tshe nearby Tibetan Buddhist temple.

Fr. Steve Patti, OFM, offered 4 major reflections about the spiritual life and our journey with God inspired by episodes from the life of St. Francis of Assisi.  This gave everyone a chance to learn more about our beloved patron saint and the joys and struggles he had in his own life.  Fr. Steve invited the groups to reflect on how Francis’ experiences can inspire our dedication to Christ and the Gospel today.

The retreat ended Sunday with Mass and we returned to New York renewed, refreshed and with the bonds of friendship and community strengthened.

Next year’s retreat will be January 12-14, 2024.  Save the date!

Here are some highlights of the weekend.  Thank you to Keith Kemp and Jenn Wiler for the photographs.

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The Church of St. Francis of Assisi has long dedicated itself to ongoing faith formation of Adults through our Adult Education ministry.

Our Spring 2023 courses are now listed online and open for registration at: www.stfrancisnyc.org/courses/.

Subjects range from theology, biblical studies, and liturgy to literature and poetry.  Here are the titles of the courses for this upcoming semester:

• • • Affirming the Light: The Poetry of Joy Harjo
    • Catholicism 101: The Gospel of St. Matthew
    • The Celtic Bards
    • A Deeper Look at Catherine of Siena: Her Dialogue, Prayers, Spirituality, and Life
    • Elizabeth of the Trinity: Her Life, Letters, and Spirituality
    • Franciscan Short Stories: , a 5-week series on the life and times of St. Francis of Assisi
    • Great Music Inspired by the Old Testament
    • “I Shall Pour Out Water upon the Parched Land” (Isa 44:3): Second Isaiah as Story and Promise.
    • A Literary Walk through Dublin
    • Reconsiderations: Three Novels of the Bronte Sisters
    • The Queens of Hearts:  Women Saints Who Were Queens Throughout Church History

While we try to keep our registration fees low (generally about $10 per hour of instruction) we also understand that for some this can be a burden.  We do not want anyone who wants to attend a class to be prohibited by economic hardship.  Please contact Joseph Nuzzi, Director of Adult Education and Evangelization for information on scholarships:  jnuzzi@stfrancisnyc.org or 212-736-8500 x365.