Pray for Pope Francis
Please pray for Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, who is critically ill. Please pray the Rosary for his body and soul! Please pray for unity and solidarity in our universal Roman Catholic Church!
Lent 2025 at St. Francis of Assisi
LENT 2025 – LIVING THE HOPE OF THE CROSS
Cuaresma 2025: Vivir la Esperanza de la Cruz
“십자가를 희망하며”
ASH WEDNESDAY, March 5, 2025
Come! Let us begin our journey together
Masses: 7:30 AM, 12:00 PM, 4:30 PM (en español), 5:30 PM and 6:30 PM
Confession: 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Imposition of Ashes: 7:00 AM to 6:30 PM in the Lower Church. Ashes will also be distributed in the Upper Church after the 6:30 PM Mass.
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SOUP AND SCRIPTURE
Come! Fill your hearts and bellies…
Mondays, March 3, 10, 17, 24, 31
6:30PM-8:00PM
Francis Room
Join us as we gather to reflect on this season of Lent, quieting ourselves so we may better hear God’s message for us.
click here to register for this event
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ADULT EDUCATION
Several of our Spring Adult Education courses are intended as Lenten journeys.
These include The Life and Spiritual Theology of St. Titus Brandsma; Jesus; and The Life and Spiritual Theology of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity.
Pre-registration is required for all adult education. You can find a full course listing and registration information here.
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STATIONS OF THE CROSS
Come! Let us walk the way of the cross with the Lord…
The Stations of the Cross are prayed immediately after our 12:00 PM and 5:30 PM Masses
every Friday of Lent (February 16 – March 22, 2024)
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Living the Hope of the Cross
In a world often marked by uncertainty and loss, the Cross stands as a beacon of hope and renewal.
This Lent, we are invited to journey with Christ, embracing the promise of transformation and redemption.
Through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, let us open our hearts to the hope found in the Cross and become bearers of that hope for a world in need.
Vivir la Esperanza de la Cruz
En un mundo marcado por la incertidumbre y la pérdida, la cruz es como un faro de esperanza y renovación.
En esta Cuaresma, estamos invitados a caminar con Cristo, aceptando la promesa de transformación y redención.
A través de la oración, el ayuno y la limosna, abramos nuestros corazones en la esperanza que se encuentra en la cruz y convirtámonos en portadores de esperanza para un mundo necesitado.
“십자가를 희망하며”
불확실성과 상실로 점철된 세상 안에서, 십자가는 희망과 새로움의 표지로써 단락을 이룹니다.
이번 사순절에 우리는 그리스도와 함께하는 여정에 변화와 구속의 약속을 기꺼이 받아들입니다.
기도와 금식, 그리고 자선을 통해, 우리의 마음을 열고 십자가 안에서 희망을 발견하여 도움이 필요한 세상을 위해 희망의 전달자가 됩시다.
First Friday Mass and Sacred Heart Devotion
Please join the UGNAYAN Filipino Ministry for the First Friday Mass and Sacred Heart Devotion!
Friday, March 7
6:15 PM
Lower Church
All are welcome! Magsama-sama tayo!
The First Friday Mass and Sacred Heart Devotion dates for the rest of 2025 are:
- April 4
- May 2
- June 6
- July: date to be announced (postponed due to Independence Day)
- August 1
- September 5
- October: date to be announced (postponed due to Transitus)
- November 7
- December 5
You can reach the UGNAYAN Filipino Ministry at St Francis of Assisi at [email protected].
USCCB Action Center says: Urge Congress to Protect the Persecuted!
This action alert comes from the USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) Action Center. You can find more information and contact your Congress members here.
“[I]t is the historic policy of the United States to respond to the urgent needs of persons subject to persecution in their homelands. . . . Congress further declares that it is the policy of the United States to encourage all nations to provide assistance and resettlement opportunities to refugees to the fullest extent possible.”
These opening lines of the Refugee Act of 1980—the law creating the statutory authority for the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP)—communicates the importance of responding to the needs of those forced to flee their homes because they are persecuted on the basis of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. Carrying out the Gospel’s mandate to care for the “least of these” (Mt. 25:31-46), the Catholic Church has served refugees in the United States since well before USRAP’s creation.
Today, no refugees are being resettled through USRAP. This ban impacts thousands of refugees who had already been fully processed, undergone extensive security checks, and approved for refugee status by the federal government while outside of the United States. This includes many persecuted Christians, as well as Afghans who had been approved for special immigrant visas because of the assistance they provided to the U.S. mission and U.S. servicemembers in Afghanistan.
The indefinite suspension of USRAP is the result of an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on January 20. The order requires the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of State, to submit a report by April 20, 2025, regarding whether refugee resettlement is in the national interest. However, the order leaves the decision about whether to resume refugee resettlement to the President alone, without any timeline stated for that decision.
On January 24, the State Department issued suspension notices to domestic resettlement agencies, including the USCCB, impacting their ability to carry out services under the Reception and Placement (R&P) Program. The R&P Program provides crucial assistance to refugees and Afghan special immigrant visa holders during their first three months in the United States to support their successful integration and help them to achieve self-sufficiency as quickly as possible. Services provided through the R&P Program include help finding initial housing, securing employment, enrolling children in school, scheduling medical appointments, and English language classes.
The chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Migration, Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso, addressed the suspension of USRAP on January 22, stating: “Indefinitely halting refugee resettlement is unmerited, as it is already proven to be one of the most secure legal pathways to the United States.”
Adult Education Spotlight: The Life and Spiritual Theology of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity
The Life and Spiritual Theology of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity
Come join us in this Lenten journey as we explore the life and works of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, a French Carmelite from Dijon, France. We will cover major episodes of her life, family, and the development of her spiritual theology especially in the developments of the themes of praise of glory, the Trinity, her retreat work and guidance to others. We will examine excerpts from her diary, letters, and poems to help facilitate this task. Finally, we will consider what wisdom we can gain from these works for our own life today.
Instructor: Mary J. Gennuso, Phd.
Saturday March 15
9am-12pm on Zoom
Fee: $30.00
Our Adult Education Spring 2025 classes are open for registration
The Church of St. Francis of Assisi has long dedicated itself to ongoing faith formation of Adults through our Adult Education ministry.
Our Spring 2025 courses are now listed online and are open for registration here.
Subjects range from theology, biblical studies, spirituality, church history, music, literature and poetry. Here are the titles of the courses for this upcoming semester:
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- Lent Soup and Scripture
- Jane Austen: A Writer and Her Enduring Legacy
- Jane Hirshfield: Questions and Observations
- Jesus
- The Life and Spiritual Theology of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity
- The Life and Spiritual Theology of St. Titus Brandsma
- Saints, Anchorites, Mystics, and Holy Women from the Middle Ages
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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 Fr. Brian Jordan, OFM, for information on scholarships: [email protected]
Lenten Stations of the Cross
STATIONS OF THE CROSS
The Stations of the Cross are prayed every Friday during Lent following our 12 noon and 5:30pm liturgies. Please join us.
Lent Soup and Scripture 2025
Come! Fill your hearts and bellies…
Join us as we gather to reflect on this season of Lent, quieting ourselves so we may better hear God’s message for us.
• Days•
Mondays, March 3 – March 31
• TIME •
6:30pm-8:00pm
• LOCATION •
The Francis Room
The Soup is on! Join us for one, two, three or all four reflections.
This is a free event but since soup is being served, we are asking for free will donations to offset the costs of the meal. Please register below to let us know that you are coming.
ALL ARE WELCOME!
Converge Spring and Summer Events
The Converge @ St. Francis ministry invites you to its Spring and Summer events. We invite the church community to events that will inspire, serve, and connect with one another.
From our Spring Book Club, Saint’s Walk around NYC, our Jubilee Day of Reflection and our Parish Summer Picnic, there’s a place for everyone to enjoy and uplift their spiritual journey and strengthen the bonds of community to make a difference and deepen your spiritual journey.
Together, let’s embrace the season of growth and transformation!
Stay tuned for more details.
Recent News & Events
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Pray for Pope Francis March 5,2025 -
Lent 2025 at St. Francis of Assisi March 5,2025 -
First Friday Mass and Sacred Heart Devotion March 5,2025 -
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