Giving of your time and talent…..

As Director of Volunteer Ministry at the Church of St. Francis of Assisi Church, I meet many people from all walks of life. Many people are seeking to make a meaningful difference by offering their time and talent. Sometimes people area not sure if they can make a difference , but still want to be useful in any aspect of our church ministerial life. Our volunteers are invited to participate and work alongside paid staff in the delivery of services that further the organizational mission statement. We offer the opportunity to use your talents and organizational skills to help in any way possible. The notion of ‘stuffing envelopes’ and ‘folding and collating’ mailings have gone by the wayside to modern technology. Engaging and offering meaningful ideas and programming have come to the forefront. Commitment and a sense of importance to volunteer ministry is crucial and makes for a sound volunteer program which is what we strive for at St. Francis.

I believe volunteers, if invited to do so, can accomplish much and be recognized as a larger human resource asset.

Edward Trochimczuk
Pastoral Associate / Director of Volunteer Ministry

We will celebrate A Triduum (Three days) of Prayer to Mary, Untier of Knots on Tuesday, September 26, Wednesday, September 27 and Thursday, September 28, 2023.
The prayers will be said after the 7:30 AM, 12:00 PM and 5:30 PM Masses.

Below is the novena prayer.  Intentions can be submitted at the bottom of the page.

From Fr. Joe Juracek, OFM

A devotion that has become popular is the devotion to Mary Untier of Knots. This is based on a German painting, c. 1700, with the Blessed Mother standing on the crescent moon as she unties knots from a long white ribbon. The idea goes back to “the knot of Eve’s disobedience has been loosened by the obedience of Mary.” Jorge Mario Bergoglio, SJ (now Pope Francis) brought this devotion back to Argentina, which has spread and is now widespread in the United States. As the Untier of Knots, Mary appeals to people who are experiencing hardships in their lives.

We will celebrate a Triduum from September 26-28 to Mary, the Untier of Knots, here at the Church of St. Francis of Assisi after the 7:30 AM, 12:00 PM (Livestream), and 5:30 PM Masses. We invite you to join us on these three days and pray to seek liberation from all that keeps us bound and causes distress and pain. If you or someone you are worried about a specific problem, please send their names and concerns, and we will pray for them together.

It is comforting to focus our prayer on this beautiful feast where we realize the grace of God present in Mary. Let us nurture God’s gifts with the Blessed Mother as our guide.

Peace and good,

Fr. Joseph Juracek, OFM
Pastor

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Mary Untier of Knots
Feastday, September 28

Triduum Prayer in Honor of Mary, Untier of Knots

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. — Amen.

Let us pray for all having difficulty with the knots of their lives.

Mary, Untier of Knots, pray for us:
With all struggling families, we pray;
With all beset by financial struggles, we pray;
With all seeking employment, we pray;
With all suffering from mental and physical illness, we pray;
With all bound by political ideologies, we pray;
With all the homeless and the destitute, we pray
With all burdened with loneliness, fears, or worries, we pray;
With all living with addictions, we pray;
With all estranged from the church, we pray;
With all whom the church has abused, we pray;
With all enduring religious or ethnic persecution, we pray;
With all overwhelmed by shame or despair, we pray;
With all traumatized by violence or neglect, we pray;
With all targeted by racism or discrimination, we pray;
With all struggling to let go of grudges, we pray;
With all working to protect our planet, we pray;
With all the suffering in the aftermath of natural disasters;
With all seeking to make peace, we pray;

With confidence in God, let us pray.

Holy Mary, full of grace, during your life, you accepted with great
humility the holy will of the Father and the legacy of your Son, our
Lord Jesus Christ. You were never entangled with confusion. As you
did for the young couple at the wedding feast of Cana, you intercede for us in all of our difficulties. With simplicity and patience, you have given us an example of how to untangle the knots in our complicated lives. By being our mother forever, you arrange and clear the path that unites us to Our Lord.

PRAYER

Holy Mary, Mother of God and our Mother,
untie the knots that beset our lives.
Receive us into your hands,
as well as those for whom we pray.

Blessed Virgin Mary, through your grace,
your intercession, and by your example,
deliver us from evil,
and untie the knots that keep us from being united to God
so that free of all that binds us,
we may find Him in all things,
keep Him in our hearts,
serving Him always in our brothers and sisters.
Amen.

Through the intercession of the Holy Mary, Untier of Knots, may almighty God bless you: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Dear Parishioners, friends and visitors at the Church St. Francis of Assisi,

As the Director of Evangelization and Adult Education, I am responsible for a variety of ministries here at St. Francis. The one that touches my heart most profoundly is the work I do with adults preparing for the sacraments of initiation. In 2008 I established the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults here at St. Francis and since then this parish community has accompanied over 220 women and men to full initiation in the Catholic Church. Each person is unique and comes with their own beautiful story of life and faith. To share the Gospel – sometimes for the first time – with these people is a privilege for which I am profoundly grateful. Even though I have directed the RCIA for over 20 years I am still humbled by the task of introducing people to the Lord and to His Church.

I do not do this ministry alone. I share this ministry with an incredible team of volunteers. Together we try to share our faith and relationship with God with our candidates. It takes a community to bring someone to know Christ, because when two or three of us are gathered in His name, He is there among us.

This ministry also has another, larger, more important community that makes the work of the RCIA Ministry team possible: all of you.

Evangelization – bringing people to Christ – is the work of the entire parish community. You, the people in the pews, invite your friends to come and see. You are the first contact people have with the Gospel and you, at Mass, welcome the catechumens, dismiss them with a blessing and pray for them as they make their way to the sacraments. We just began our RCIA sessions again this past Tuesday and we are starting with 15 inquirers. More may join in the coming weeks. All of them are here not because of one ministry in this church but because the light of Christ shines forth from this community and that light draws people in.

The members of St. Francis of Assisi make this a place where people encounter the love of God.

May God continue to bless everyone here as we try to live the Good News of Christ together.

-Joseph Nuzzi,
Director of Evangelization and Adult Education

To All at St. Francis,

In the verses preceding today’s Gospel passage, Jesus tells his disciples the parable of the lost sheep among the flock of one hundred. Great effort is expended by the caring shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine in order to seek out the one who has gone astray. Jesus then likens the Father to the shepherd who is vigilant in guarding his flock and making sure that none are lost. It is this context that we are to read today’s teaching on how disputes within the community are not to lead to permanent division but must be resolved through a process of forgiveness.

All of this culminate in Jesus alluding to the ministry of reconciliation as carried out by the Church. The Church as a whole is given the authority to determine what sins are to be “bound” and “loosed”. Furthermore, Jesus concludes the instruction by ensuring his disciples of the efficacy of prayer and the importance of community. When two or more come together to pray, they must believe that the Father will hear their prayer. The source of this confidence is found in the presence of the Lord in the midst of his assembled Church. Thus, in their ministry of forgiveness and in their petition of the Lord’s aid, the community of believers experiences the presence of Jesus in their midst.

Peace & All Good,

Fr. Joe