The Church of St. Francis of Assisi will observe Columbus Day on

Monday, October 14th with one Mass 11:30 AM.
There will be no confessions.

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

Below is a table comparing September 2018 collections to our current September 2019 collections.

As you can see our collections have gone down and we are not making our budget.

We need everyone to do their part to keep St. Francis on firm financial ground.  The best way to use this is to make your offering using our online giving system.

You can sign up for online giving HERE.

We ask all of our members and visitors to offer the equivalent of ONE HOUR of their weekly salary per week to support the mission of the church.  This comes to a tithe of 2.5%

Thank you to all of you who are already doing your part.

A very strong corrupting factor in cultures throughout history is the presence of racism. We just have to take a quick look through history to see its destructive power. In 2018 the US Bishops’ Conference responded to the power of racism by writing and publishing a pastoral letter against this “persistent form of evil”: Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love. The letter opens with the Scripture from St. John that says: “See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are.” The letter continues to address: What Is racism?

Racism arises when – either consciously or unconsciously – a person holds that his or her own race or ethnicity is superior and therefore judges persons of other races or ethnicities as inferior and unworthy of equal regard. When this conviction or attitude leads individuals or groups to exclude, ridicule, mistreat, or unjustly discriminate against persons on the basis of their race or ethnicity, it is sinful. Racist acts are sinful because they violate justice. They reveal a failure to acknowledge the human dignity of persons offended. To recognize them as the neighbors Christ calls us to love (Mt. 22,39).

The Gospel today is about Jesus curing ten lepers. What a horrible disease and what a horrible life for those who had it. You have to admire these lepers for encountering Jesus and for Jesus paying attention to them and eventually curing them. Lepers were not allowed to make contact with people outside the leper colony. They must have been shocked when they realized they were cured, so shocked that all but one went back to thank Jesus. Even in our day to day life, we take things for granted and may not pause to give thanks to God for minor or major miracles. They do happen. What was the last miracle that you experienced?

This week we begin a series of excerpts from the United States Bishops’ Letter: Open Wide Our Hearts on racism. Racism is a destructive and powerful force, and their Pastoral Letter has much to say about this evil. There is some racism in each person and to recognize it gives a person the opportunity to chose a different course in life and to embrace more strongly and fervently the val- ues of Jesus. As a church we need to stress that we are all “children of God” and that we are “sisters and brothers in Christ” and temples of the Holy Spirit. I hope that the weekly excerpts will help us lessen the power of this evil.

Our 175th Commemorative Journal is a great testament to the long history of St. Francis Church. The Journal contains history and photographs and much to enjoy. Copies are available at the reception desk of the Parish House.

-Fr. Andrew Reitz, O.F.M.

Top: Fr. Cronan Kelly, O.F.M. Bottom: Fr. Philip Levere, O.F.M.

Fr. Cronan Kelly was appointed pastor and guardian at 31st Street in 1961, and directed the ministries of the church for the next three years. Shortly after he became pastor, one of the friars, Fr. Philip Lavere, asked for permission to undertake a new ministry, The Good Word. Fr. Philip and Fr. Cronan worked together on project and The Good Word was underway.

As of February 3, 1962, people could dial PEnnsylvania 6-9233 and hear an inspirational message from
the Franciscans. The project started with only three answering units, and within two months ten units were in operation. Two days after the ten units were in use, the telephone company recorded 1,358 busy signals. It was estimated that 3,000 calls were handled daily. So many persons were calling from the offices of Consolidated Edison that the company recorded the friar’s message from the phone and reproduced it over their intercom system each day.

A new era of unexpected change was felt throughout the entire Roman Catholic Church during Fr. Cronan’s tenure as pastor. Pope John XXIII convoked the Second Vatican Council to “open some windows” and renew the life of the Church. Pope John opened the first of four sessions from October 11 to December
8, 1962. The friars at St. Francis Church responded immediately, and offered a series of sermons with appropriate prayers to highlight the Council throughout the week of October 8. At least four sermons a day, sometimes more, were preached. A different friar spoke each day on topics such as “What Is the Council?”; “The Peoples’ Part;” “Towards Unity;” “Why Have a Council?”; and “Prospects and Problems.”

The friars realized that a major event was happening in the Church, and they began early to prepare their people for the changes the Church was calling for throughout the Roman Catholic world. To a Church community that had not experienced change in four centuries, new developments produced confusion, consternation and upheaval in the lives of many Catholic people.

Fr. Finian Kerwin, who had served a small mission in the southwest corner of Georgia, succeeded Fr. Cronan as pastor in 1964, when the latter friar was elected to serve on the Provincial Council. Fr. Finian struggled to turn change into challenge fro the friars at 31st Street. His task was not an easy one, but he worked patiently as pastor to implement the essential changes called for by the Church.

Fr. Finian served as guardian and pastor from 1964 until 1967, when he was elected Minister Provincial of Holy Name Province, and Fr. Cosmas Timlin was appointed pastor. The three short-term pastors – Fathers Cronan, Finian and Cosmas – concentrated on the implementation of the external changes called for by the Council. The necessary renovations in the upper and lower churches were carried out so that the Mass could be celebrated in accord with the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy. The altars of both churches became free-standing, facing the congregation. The sound systems were replaced with modern units so everyone could participate with the priest. Two organists led the people in song at the 16 daily Masses, and Folk Masses for the young were introduced in the lower church. On September 14, 1964, the Sacrament of Reconciliation was administered in English for the first time, a symbol of the many changes which were to follow during the next ten years.

Left: Fr. Finian Kerwin, O.F.M., Right: Fr. Cosmas Timlin, O.F.M.

This series of articles on the history of our parish is adapted from the writings of Fr. Flavian Walsh, O.F.M., Pastor from 1985-87.

This Fall treat yourself to a St. Francis of Assisi Adult Education class or day of reflection.  Topics range from faith and theology, spirituality, the Franciscan tradition, literature and the arts.  Courses range from one day, to semester long series.  These are reasonably priced and taught by talented instructors very knowledgeable in their field.

You will find brochures at the entrances of the church that describe the many different programs the Center will offer between October and December.

Course and registration information is also available online here.  

Online registration is now open.

We show our respect for the Creator by our stewardship of creation. Care for the earth is just not an Earth Day slogan, it is a requirement of our faith. We are called to protect people and the planet, living our faith in relationship with all of God’s creation. This environmental challenge has fundamental moral and ethical dimensions that cannot be ignored.

From Pope Francis in Laudato Sí: A true ecological approach becomes a social approach; it must integrate questions of justice in debates on the environment, so as to hear the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor…Everything is connected. Concern for the environment thus needs to be joined to a sincere love for our fellow human beings and an unwavering commitment to resolving the problems of society.

From Pope Benedict in Caritas in Caritas in Veritate: The environment is God’s gift to everyone, and in our use of it we have a responsibility towards the poor, towards future generations and towards humanity as a whole.