Each year the Church of St. Francis of Assisi prepares adults to celebrate the sacraments of initiation into the Catholic Church through the process known as the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.

At St. Francis we have a group that meets for instruction in English and one that meets for instruction in Korean.  Yet, we form one community at our parish.

Fifteen people preparing to be Baptized this Easter traveled from the Church of St. Francis of Assisi to St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Sunday, February 18th to celebrate the Rite of Election.  Each year at this Rite, the bishop or his representative hears godparents give testimony that their candidates are ready to be Baptized.  The Bishop then calls them to be Baptized at Easter.

It is a joyful event that happens the first Sunday of Lent each year.  This year over 250 parishes from all over the Archdiocese of New York made the pilgrimage for this Rite and St. Patrick’s Cathedral was full to capacity for the celebration.

Our elect were joined by our candidates preparing for Confirmation and Full Communion in the Church.

Let us hold all people preparing for the Easter sacraments in our prayers as we journey together through Lent.

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Photos generously provided by Keith Kemp.

The Blue Marble. These are references to what the Earth looks like from space. We call it our Common Home, the only one we’ve ever known, and we’re being called to take care of it. This Lent, don’t be afraid to give up some pride and pick up someone else’s litter.

“The miracle is not to fly in the air or to walk on water, but to walk on the earth.” Chinese proverb

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

Click here to go to our page on the website for St. Francis Church.

Does your heart need mending?

God mends our suffering hearts, but God does not erase the scars. Instead, God heals us in a way that we move beyond our hurts without losing what we have been through.  Our wounds, our scars, our past ups and downs, our joys and our sorrows all make us who we are. God wants us to remain our unique selves while making sure that the hurts and pains we suffer no longer have power over us.  God always offers us new life despite what we suffer.

Jesus is no stranger to how God heals. After his crucifixion he still carried the marks of the wounds in his hands and side, but they no longer caused him pain.  His resurrection moved him beyond the cross to new life. The cross left its marks on Jesus, but those marks became a sign of his victory, not his defeat.

So it is when God mends our hearts.  Our heart may be full of patches and stitching, the signs of God’s work on us, but we become more beautiful and more unique.

This lent, we come to contemplate the hurts we carry and where our heart needs mending.  We also bring to mind the hearts we have hurt and now need to be mended. May this Lent be a time for God to mend all wounds and bring us to new life, new joy, and renewed love.

This heart was lovingly made by Mary Lou Torpey, a member of the Church of St. Francis of Assisi.  When asked about the thought behind her creation she said:

“People have not always been able to visit a nearby store to replace something with a hole or a tear. Until modern times, mending was necessary, expected, and often resulted in something even more beautiful and durable than the original piece. This allowed garments, blankets, etc. to be used—and loved–for generations.

 Our mended heart incorporates fabric from near and far: Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia and the U.S. Most of the stitching is in the sashiko style, and the patches have layered fabric to allow for blooming into something else if worn through.

 Our hearts get battered and worn. God is a mender of hearts, so often revealing something more beautiful to ourselves and others.”

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

Our Spring 2024 courses are now listed online and will soon be open for registration at: www.stfrancisnyc.org/courses/.

Subjects range from theology, biblical studies, spirituality, church history, music, literature and poetry.  Here are the titles of the courses for this upcoming semester:

• • • Abraham Film Presentation
    • Reading the New Testament Letter of James
    • The Spiritual Genius of Henri Nouwen
    • Great Choral Music in a Century of Strife
    • Catholicism 101: Christianity in the 2nd & 3rd Centuries
    • The Poetry of Alicia Ostriker: Observations and Engagements
    • Soul-Searching: Three Novels by Francois Mauriac
    • The Irish Way: Understanding Irish Music through Persecution and Famine
    • Catherine of Siena Part 2: The Bridge and Beyond
    • Charles De Foucauld – Saint of the Sahara

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.

CLICK HERE FOR FACULTY BIOS

Fasting from the Fossil Fuel Five – Transportation, Stove, Dryer, Heating, Hot Water

The word fossil may conjure up ideas of being natural but in the case of fossil fuels, it means really old. Oil, coal, and gas were indeed produced from animal and plant waste but that took millions of years. They are not renewable. When they’re gone, they’re gone, and the process of getting them out from deep in our Earth releases toxic carbon dioxide. Divesting from them runs the gamut from moving your money away from certain banks and corporations, to changing your vehicle or heater (check out new incentives and rebates a la the recent infrastructure bill). At an even simpler level – washing clothes in cold water, hanging them to air-dry, taking the train, biking, walking – all of these actions move us in the right direction.

“…the speed with which human activity has developed contrasts with the naturally slow pace of biological evolution.” Pope Francis (LS18)

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

Click here to go to our page on the website for St. Francis Church.

Monday Holiday – Presidents’ Day

The Church of St. Francis of Assisi will observe
Presidents’ Day on Monday, February 19th.

One Mass will be celebrated at 12:00 PM.

There will be no confessions.

The church offices and the St. Francis Adult Education Center will be closed for the day.

These 40 Forks of Lent

This season, instead of giving up chocolate, consider giving up single-use plastics like straws, bags, and cutlery. If every Catholic in New York City gave up forty plastic forks, we would
save 105,600,000 forks from ending up in a landfill. It can take up to one thousand years for a fork to decompose and even then, since many of them are petroleum-based, even when they do degrade or are incinerated, they end up as microplastics in our water, food, and lungs.

“Nonetheless, every little bit helps…there are no lasting changes without cultural changes… and there are no cultural changes without personal changes.” Pope Francis (Laudate Deum 70)
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

Click here to go to our page on the website for St. Francis Church.