Columbus Day Holiday Schedule
The Church of St. Francis of Assisi will observe a holiday schedule on Columbus Day:
Monday, October 12th with one Mass ay 12:00 PM.
There will be no confessions.
The church offices will be closed for the day, including the St. Francis Adult Education Center.
Celebrating St. Francis
Novena to St. Francis of Assisi
(virtual)
Join us daily on our Facebook page for a virtual novena to our patron saint.
Friday, September 25th to Saturday, October 3rd
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Week of Prayer in honor of St. Francis
(in church and livestreamed at 12:00 Noon daily)
Monday, September 28, to Friday, October 2, at all of our daily Masses: 7:30 am, 12:00 noon, and 5:00 pm
In an era of doubt and uncertainty, let us pray for the grace to be instruments of peace in our world.
Click here for the Novena prayers.
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Transitus
(virtual)
LIVESTREAM Only – Saturday, October 3, at 7:00 PM (see our livestream on our homepage or our Facebook page)
The commemoration of the Passing of St. Francis from earthly life to Eternal Life.
Click here for Worship Aid for the Transitus
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Blessing of Animals
(in church)
Sunday, October 4, at 1:00 PM
Please gather with your pet near the entrance of the church on W. 31st Street.
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Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi
(in church and virtual)
Festive Masses on Sunday, October 4, at 11:00 AM and 5:00 PM (in person and on livestream)
Click the image to go to St. Francis Live to watch all liturgies and special events.
Blessing of Animals
Do you love your pet? Well, God does too!
St. Francis of Assisi is the patron saint of animals and it’s part of our Franciscan tradition to bless our furry or feathered friends on or near Francis’ feast day.
So bring your cat or dog, fish or frog, or any pet you have to get blessed.
Sunday, October 4, at 1:00 PM
Please gather with your pet near the entrance of the church on W. 31st Street.
Don’t forget your mask!
Adult Education – Fall 2020
The St. Francis Adult Education Center will hold a very limited Fall Semester starting October 2020. Our center continues to be closed to in person groups, classes and meetings.
The following classes will be help remotely on Zoom:
Catholicism 101: The Sacraments – A Spirituality of Encounter
In this eight week course we will study the seven sacraments of the Church and what it means to be a sacramental people. We will investigate the history and development of each sacrament as well as how they are currently understood and celebrated in the church. In this difficult time of the pandemic, coupled with this tense time of division and strive, we will also explore how the sacraments are moments of real contact with God’s love, justice and mercy and, as such, are concrete encounters with the one who saves us.
Instructor: Joseph Nuzzi, M.A.
Wednesdays October 7 – December 2, 2020 (no class Nov. 25th)
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM or 6:30 Pm – 7:30 PM
This is a zoom lecture series, the zoom code will be emailed to participants when they enroll
Instructor: Joseph Nuzzi
$70.00*
New York Friction and Factions: A Study of Three Novels by Edith Wharton
This year marks the centenary of the publication of Edith Wharton’s Age of Innocence, the first Pulitzer Prize winning novel written by a woman. We will study three of Wharton’s New York novels in chronological order, beginning with The House of Mirth, the story of the animated and beautiful Lily Bart who was at once created and condemned by high society. A satirical view of society and personal relationships, The Custom of the Country follows the ambitions and self-centered Undine Spragg as she navigates relationships and American and French customs. We will conclude with The Age of Innocence, highlights the extravagances and the restrictions of New York’s Gilded Age as Newland Archer finds himself attracted to his fiancée’s cousin Ellen, who comes to America in the wake of her failed marriage to a Polish count.
Texts: Widely available, including several inexpensive eBooks from Amazon. If you choose to purchase an electronic book of Wharton’s collected work, I recommend Edith Wharton: The Complete Works [newly updated], 2019. $1.99 from Amazon.
Instructor: Sr. Fran McManus, RSM, MA
Thursdays 12:00-1:00 PM
Oct. 8- Nov 19
$70.00*
Pablo Neruda’s Poetic World
We will sample the works of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda whose work demonstrates a wide variety of styles and subjects that range from lyrical love poems to surrealistic works to political poetry. Appointed as consul to several Asian countries and then to Argentina and later Spain, Neruda wrote from a global perspective shaped by appreciation for various cultural traditions and sympathy for those suffering from poverty or political oppression. Our discussion will include the problematics of the style and subjects of political poetry. For the first hour and a half, we will discuss Neruda’s poetry. The last half hour will include an optional writing opportunity in which students will be given a prompt and will be invited to incorporate some of the themes or styles into their own writing. Students will have the option of revising their work during the week for comments by the instructor.
Text: The Poetry of Pablo Neruda. Ed. IIan Stevens. 2015 (available in Kindle and paperback formats from Amazon.)
Sr. Fran McManus, RSM, MA
Mondays 6:00 PM- 8:00 PM
Oct. 19-Nov. 30
$70.00*
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*Please note:
The adult education center of the Church of St. Francis of Assisi is committed to providing quality adult education courses designed to deepen one’s understanding of faith through the study of Scripture, church history, theology, literature, the arts and Franciscan spiritual themes. The fees we charge are to cover the administrative costs of the program and to provide a modest stipend to our instructors. However, we never want financial difficulties preclude anyone from participating in our courses.
Therefore if financial constraints make paying the course fee difficult for anyone, please contact Joseph Nuzzi at [email protected] or 212-736-8500 x365 and arrangements will be made for anyone who needs it.
We welcome our newest members of the Church
On Thursday, August 13th at 6:00 PM we will celebrate a special liturgy during which we will baptize our elect and confirm another 4 candidates for Confirmation.
Our RCIA ministry has not taken a break throughout this pandemic and the shut down. The ministry has been preparing two adults for baptism and another 6 adults for Confirmation and full communion. When the lockdown occurred in mid March we had to suspend our in person meetings and our elect and candidates had to miss all of the Lenten and Holy Week celebrations that they normally participate in.
This, however, did not deter their dedication to their formation and their eagerness to join fully in the Body of Christ through the sacraments.
We moved our classes, our prayers and our formation online and we have been meeting ever since.
Our candidates have shown great resilience, patience and dedication through all of this. Not only are they prepared to receive the sacraments, but they have demonstrated a deep faith in God and a true Christian spirit of hope even in the face of the challenges, sadness and loss we have all been facing while this virus is raging.
Please pray for our two elect: Annie and Miguel as they approach the waters of Baptism this week, and please pray for our candidates for Confirmation: Lane, Danielle, Brooke, Kristen, Andrew, and Nick that the Holy Spirit bring them all into the fullness of the Body of Christ.
This has been a long but inspiring journey for them and the RCIA ministry team who has shared it with them and we are overjoyed to be able to celebrate with them at this point.
You can join us in prayer and support by watching the Liturgy live here or on our Facebook page this Thursday at 6:00 PM.
Fr. Timothy Shreenan’s Homily – July 5, 2020
In case you missed it, here is Fr. Tim’s homily from the Mass of July 5, 2020.
Celebrating the Blessed Mother
In August the Church of St. Francis of Assisi will be celebrating the Blessed Mother with a series of reflections, talks and a special liturgical celebration in honor of Mary, the Mother of God.
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A Week of Prayer in Honor of Our Lady Untier of Knots
August 17-21, 2020 Devotion prayers will be prayed after each of our daily Masses in church and prayers with reflections by the friars of St. Francis of Assisi will be posted online here each day
DAY 1:
DAY 2:
We Sing of Mary Musical Meditations in honor of the blessed Mother with Meredith
August 17-21, 2020 Join us on our Facebook page and here on our website for a hymn to Mary each day by our own musical director, Meredith Augustin
Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Saturday, August 15, 2020 Feast day Mass Presider: Fr. Andrew Reitz, OFM, Pastor 11:00 AM in church and live online on our website and Facebook page.
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A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth. Then another sign appeared in the sky; it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadems. Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and hurled them down to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth, to devour her child when she gave birth. She gave birth to a son, a male child, destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod. Her child was caught up to God and his throne. The woman herself fled into the desert where she had a place prepared by God.
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have salvation and power come, and the Kingdom of our God and the authority of his Anointed One.” (RV 11:19A; 12:1-6A, 10AB)
What We Stand on, What We Stand For: Introduction to the Creed
In this six week course we will explore the foundational beliefs of Christian faith as they are summarized by the Nicene Creed.
Presented by Fr. Bill Beaudin, OFM and Mr. Joseph Nuzzi
Wednesdays, July 1 to August 5, 2020
6:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Live on Zoom
This is a free course, registration required.
limited to the first 100 people to sign up.
PLEASE REGISTER BELOW (free of charge):
REGISTRATION IS CLOSED. WE HAVE REACHED CAPACITY.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST!
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