Make a new kind of New Year’s resolution!

Set aside time to pray about what (daily/weekly/monthly) change(s) you feel called to explore in 2024 to support our planet and all life upon it. Perhaps devote time each day to noticing the natural world around you: the sky, clouds, bird song, moon, or stars. Make a weekly visit to your local farmers market adding seasonal items into your meals. Swap out something small: a traditional toothbrush for one made of recycled yogurt containers. Choose an environmentally themed book / blog / organization each month on a topic that calls out to you to deepen your understanding of the positive impact that you can make. Enjoy, have fun, and thank you!

“Environmental problems are caused by billions of small, unthinking actions. They’ll be cured by billions of small, sensible actions, simple substitutions of environmentally conscious habits for thoughtless and wasteful ones.” Donella Meadows

For more information about the Laudato Si Circle here at St. Francis or to share your own tip of the week, email stfrancislaudatosi@gmail.com

For more information about the Laudato Si Circle here at St. Francis or to share your own tip of the week, email: stfrancislaudatosi@gmail.com

The Christmas collection is an important source of income for us to help us keep the Church of St. Francis of Assisi well maintained and to provide all of the ministries that help us worship God, pass on the Catholic faith, and reach out to those in need.

Please be as generous as possible to keep our church strong.

Click HERE for Fr. Joe Juracek’s 2023 Christmas Letter.

The Christmas flowers and wreaths which adorn our church at Christmas are offered to honor the birth of Christ and to glorify God. Thank you to everyone who donated toward our Christmas decorations.

In Memory of:

Lorraine Ahlers
Stacey Antine
Teresa Veronica Badami
Cesar & Consuelo Banas
Michelle Benson
Clarence, Sherlock & Noelle Berke
Al & Josephine Berke
Helen Bloomer
Cecilia Argueta Caceres
Joan & George Call
Katherne Calzetti
Robert Carter
Daryl Carter
Brian Cartet
Amelia Catajan
Members of the Cavanaugh Family
Mary Cerreto
Julian, Lourdes, Ben, Ann Charles
Marie Louise and William Cipriani
Billy Cipriani
Cathy Frances Clare LeBlanc
Elise Mary Clarke
Eddie & Wilma Coogan
Ronnie Degeorge
Charles & Bertha Degnan
Amelia Diaz Manaog
Thomas & Theresa Dolan
Mary & James Dunleavy
Anna & Michael Dunleavy, Sr.
Deceased Memebers of Emanuel Gernant Families
Frank Garcia
Corinne Garnek
Joseph A. & Irene J. Gorski
Jorge Granizo
Amy Hager
Deceased members of the Harlan & Lediger Families
Doreen & Edward Hau
Jane R. and Charles Janiak
Angela Keith
Edward and Geraldine Kepich
The members of the Kivyta, Rodman, Ramanauskas, So, and Macenas Families
Monika & Rainer Klier
Kathe Kramer
Gloria Lara
Eugenio Laud
Sr. Jo Laurenzo, SND
Members of the Le, Kane, McCarthy, Tran & Pham Families
Christine and the Lee and Taylor Family
Helen Massicci
Ben Matlock
Ryan McGee
Helen McKeon
Joan Melone
Peter & Ann Mitchell
Ted & Michael Mitchell
Edith Mullen
Luis & Alba Naranjo
Elizabeth & James Newson, Sr.
Byrd, Puff & Boo Piscione
Moises Sotalin and Ramon Pinto
Calvin M. Prayor
Eric SA. Rivera
Stephen J. & Frances M. Rosty Family
George ” Pa’ Pa ” Soresco
Jessie Sotto
Alfred & Virginia Suriano
Antonio Tavarez
Enrique, Isabel, Danilo, Jesus Tavarez
Rita & Larry Thorne
Jimmy Timpone
Kitty Timpone
Boo Timpone
Ellen Traina
Leonardo & Julia Uy
Celeste Vazanna
Carmen and Fernando Virola
Dorothy Wendt
Marge & George Westfall
Jennie & Charles Wildes, Sr.
Margaret Wirth

And for the Special Intentions of:

Julie Black
Elizabeth Rose
Fr. Joe Juracek, OFM
Marta Vidal
For the Church of St. Francis of Assisi and all its members
For Peace, love and an end of war in the world may all families have a joyous safe and healthy Christmas.

Thank you!

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The phrase Laudato Si, or Praise Be To You, is repeated throughout St. Francis’ Canticle of the Creatures. Pope Francis uses it to describe our right relation to Creation and he urges each of us to address the climate crisis right now.

Tip of the Week:

Fir Thee Well – Mulchfest runs December 26 – January 7.

Bring your Christmas tree and the Parks Dept will turn it into valuable wood chips that will be used to nourish trees throughout the city. On Chipping Weekend you’ll receive your own bag of chips to use as you please. For a list of locations and to learn how to properly lay the chips, go to: https://www.nycgovparks.org/highlights/festivals/mulchfest

“It is important that the different parts of a city be well integrated and that those who live there have a sense of the whole, rather than being confined to one neighborhood and failing to see the larger city as space which they share with others.” Pope Francis (LS151)

For more information about the Laudato Si Circle here at St. Francis or to share your own tip of the week, email: stfrancislaudatosi@gmail.com

Getting Started:

“How do you pronounce ‘Laudato Si’?”

Lau rhymes with now – Dot – Oh – See

The phrase Laudato Si, or Praise Be To You, is repeated throughout St. Francis’ Canticle of the Creatures. Pope Francis uses it to describe our right relation to Creation and he urges each of us to address the climate crisis right now.

Tip of the Week:

For a good introduction to Laudato Si, watch the documentary The Letter: A Message for our Earth (2022), 81 mins. It’s free to watch. Go to www.theletterfilm.org. If you’d rather read the Pope’s encyclical, hard copies are available at booksellers and a free downloadable pdf is available online here.

“Saint Francis of Assisi reminds us that our common home is like a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us.” Pope Francis (LS1)

For more information about the Laudato Si Circle here at St. Francis or to share your own tip of the week, email stfrancislaudatosi@gmail.com

The Christmas trees, the wreaths and the poinsettias will again adorn our sanctuary this Christmas.  We offer them to honor the birth of Christ and to glorify God.

It is also a way to remember your loved ones and share the beauty of the season with the whole community.  We invite you to memorialize members of your family, friends or other loved ones with a donation for our Christmas decorations. Donations and the names of those received by December 20th will posted on our parish website for Christmas.

Dear Fellow Parishioners here at St. Francis of Assisi,

I am happy and excited to be a part of the new environmental ministry here at St. Francis. The Laudato Si Circle, as we are called, is a group of individuals who feel called to take action to address the climate crisis. Guided by principles outlined by Pope Francis in his 2015 encyclical “Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home” and further in his 2023 exhortation “Laudate Deum“, we believe that small actions taken every day can create change in ourselves, our church, our city, and our world.

We acknowledge that the topic is overwhelming and difficult to face but we find that by doing it together, we find hope and even joy. We are not experts or scientists. We are at different levels of awareness and each of us has room to learn and grow. Everyone’s unique talent is appreciated and needed. We welcome all ages, faiths, and affiliations. We meet in person on the last Thursday of every month from 6:30-8:00PM in the 1st Floor Conference Room. We just had our first meeting which we used to get organized and now we invite you to join us.

Our next meeting will be Thursday, December 28th at 6:30 and we’ll be brainstorming ideas for what we’d like to accomplish in the new year. In the meantime, keep an eye on the bulletin for our tip of the week. Keep the faith. Change is possible.

Beth Dzuricky