Dear Community and Friends of the Church of St. Francis of Assisi,

May the Lord give you peace.

Our journey continues. In the last two weeks, we have been in the desert and on the mountaintop with Jesus. This weekend we are going to a village in Samaria. The Samaritan people were outcasts to many Jewish people. Yet, Jesus enters into conversation and asks a favor of a Samaritan woman. Our journey with Jesus continues to invite us to go deeper and wider in our ways of knowing and relationships. Jesus engages someone who is both a woman and a Samaritan. This was unheard of and shocking to the disciples. How can we follow this example? Paul offers some insight, “…the love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Jesus embodies the love of God and the grace of the Spirit. Similarly, we are invited to do the same.

There are many outcasts in our society. Many people experience being marginalized not only in the larger community but also in the Church. Pope Francis, with the Synodal Way, asks us to be open to gracefully receive one another. Like the woman at the well, many women have been dismissed, and their gifts have not been respected. Jesus did not hesitate to have a difficult but respectful conversation with the woman. She becomes the apostle to the others of her village. Through her encounter with the Lord, she enables many to believe in him. She is transformed by her encounter and others are blessed by her courage. We give thanks for the many women who call us to encounter the Lord for ourselves.

Unfortunately, Fr. James Martin, SJ is unable to join us on March 18th. Please keep his family in your prayers. He is a great blessing for the Church and has a significant message for all of us. He will reschedule for a later date. We are still planning to meet on the 18th and will spend our time contemplating the Passion from Matthew’s Gospel. We do not often get a chance to sit together with the text. This is an opportunity to listen to the Word of God, to listen to others reflect on that Word, and to be heard as you allow the Spirit to speak from your heart. I will be facilitating the conversation.

Please note that author Maureen O’Brien has a new book. Maureen spoke with us last year, sharing her reflections on the psalms. Her new book is: Gather the Fragments: My Year of Finding God’s Love. If you enjoyed her presentation last year, I am sure you will be taken with this new work.

Thank you for your response to the Cardinal’s request for support in the Annual Stewardship Appeal. I know that times are tight for many of us. I jokingly suggested someone pledge the outstanding $59,000.00. However, if 1000 people pledged just $59.00, we would meet our goal. Please do what you can to stop the mailings! Thank you.

Peace and all good,

Fr. Tom, ofm

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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