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The original St. Francis Church which had served so well for over 50 years was torn down. The demolition work on one of New York’s oldest midtown landmarks began on May 27, 1891 and the cornerstone of the new edifice was laid on September 27, 1891 by Archbishop Michael Corrigan. Every German Catholic Society was represented. Many priests were present, including the former pastor, Fr. Eugene Dikovich.

Bishop Winand Wigger of Newark, NJ

Bishop Winand Wigger of Newark, NJ also attended with mixed emotions. He had been born in a small house directly opposite St. Francis Church, on the site occupied by the present Greeley Arcade at 134 West 31st Street. The demolished church had been the church of his childhood, and his brother had long served as a trustee of St. Francis parish.

A year later the new church was ready for dedication, and the solemnities were set for July 17, 1892. On that glorious Sunday morning, Archbishop Corrigan blessed the edifice and consecrated the three altars, after which Bishop Leo Haid, O.S.B., Vicar Apostolic of North Carolina and Praeses of the American Cassinese Congregation of the Benedictines, celebrated a Solemn Pontifical Mass. Bishop Wigger, a former altar boy of St. Francis parish, preached the homily and after reviewing the history of the parish, exhorted the people to faithfully support the parish and all its wonderful good works.

The new St. Francis Church, dedicated in 1892.

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.

What is a Franciscan Friar?

The Franciscans, also called the Order of Friars Minor, are members of the the Catholic religious order founded by Saint Francis of Assisi over 800 years ago. We seek to follow the manner of life that Saint Francis led. Our Order is a mendicant religious order of men who depend on the charity of the people we serve for our livelihood. “Mendicant” come from the Latin word mendicans, or “begging.”

This new order founded by Saint Francis was prompted by a need to reinvigorate the life of the Catholic Church. At the present time, the Franciscan Friars number 17,224 worldwide with over 500 novices or “friars in training.”

Often you will see O.F.M. after a friar’s name and wonder what it means. It stands for Ordo Fratrum Minorum or Order of Friars Minor, more commonly called the Franciscans.

What is a Franciscan Province?

A Franciscan Province is a geographic area of the country or world where the Friars of the province live and work. In a large country there may be several provinces.

What is Holy Name Province?

Holy Name Province is the largest of seven provinces in the United States belonging to the Franciscan Order. It covers the eastern seaboard with some locations beyond. The Provincial headquarters are located here at St. Francis Friary in New York City.

Congratulations! Thank you!

We have reached our goal in the Renew and Rebuild Campaign and have
received new pledges and donations to take us over our goal. In
fact, the more we go over our goal, the more money we receive back from the Archdiocese.

So, it is not too late to make a pledge or give a donation to Renew and Rebuild. There are pledge Forms in church, or I can scan you one. A very special Thank you to all who helped us reach our goal. Thank you to Loida Diaz-de Jesus, Keith Kemp, and Joe Nuzzi – our hard working team! Blessings and Prayers!

Our first funds from Renew and Rebuild have arrived just in time to help us pay for the new duct and roof work near the elevator in the church to stop a leak from harming the control panel in the elevator. We have had to bring in engineers and roofers to find the problem and get it fixed. Thank you for providing the funds.

The Christmas season comes to a close this weekend with the Baptism of the Lord. Jesus joins his life to our earthy life and invites us to share in his life. The Baptism that we receive unites our lives to that of Jesus Christ and gives us our identity. Throughout our lives we try to “put on Christ” and become the new person that we are meant to be. Do you know the date of your Baptism? Have you ever seen your Baptismal Certificate?

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

Fr. Polycarp Guerth was assigned as pastor of Saint Francis, but he died in December 1882. Fr. John Roser, a professor at Saint Bonaventure College, provided temporary coverage from March ]to July of 1883 when Fr. Cornelius Praetori was named pastor of Saint Francis. In 1888 he was replaced by Fr. Ludger Beck, who had 16 years of pastoral experience in Munich and Ratisbon in Ger- many, as well as a dozen years of missionary experience in America at the time of his appointment. 

Fr. Ludger was born in Ursulapoppenricht, Germany in 1832 and joined the Franciscan Order at the age of 23. Fearful that the May Laws which exiled their Prussian confreres would be extended to Bavaria, the Franciscan Provincial Minister sent Fr. Ludger to America to find a suitable place for the relo- cation of the friars in case of repression. Fr. Ludger served for a short time at St. Francis of Assisi in New York, and eventually moved on to Louisville, Kentucky where he found a potential home for his brothers back in Bavaria. The May Laws were never promulgated and the expected expulsion never materialized. Fr. Ludger worked in a German parish in Louisville where he was pastor of Saint Mar- tin Church for 12 years. The parish was taken over by the diocese and Fr. Ludger returned to the friars of the Allegany Custody. 

In 1888 Fr. Ludger was appointed to succeed Fr. Cornelius Praetori, who had served as pastor since 1883. Fr. Ludger imme- diately liquidated the parish debt of $14,000 and began to plan for the construction of a new parish church which would bring his people into the 20th century. 

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

Chapter 3: In the Light of the Master

Jesus explained with great simplicity what it means to be holy when he gave us the beatitudes. The beatitudes are like a Christian’s identity card. So, if anyone asks:, “What must one do to be a good Christian?” The answer is clear. We have to do, each in our own way, what Jesus told us in the Sermon on the Mount. In the beatitudes we find a portrait of the Master that we are called to reflect in our daily lives.

The word “happy” or “blessed” thus becomes a synonym for “holy.” It expresses the fact that those faithful to God and his word, by their self-giving, gain true happiness.

Although Jesus’ words may strike us as poetic, they clearly run counter to the way things are usually done in our world. Even if we find Jesus’ words attractive, the world pushes us toward another way of living. The beatitudes are in no way trite or undemanding, quite the opposite. We can only practice them if the Holy Spirit fills us with his power and frees us from our weakness, our selfishness, our complacency and our pride.

On this Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, we hear Isaiah say: “Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come. The glory of the Lord shines upon you. See darkness cover the earth and thick clouds cover the people, but upon you the Lord shines and over you appears his glory.”

Although this was written centuries before Jesus, we can easily see that our light has come in the person of Jesus Christ. He is the one that is our light in the darkness of his world and this day and age that threatens us. The Epiphany shows us that Jesus is this for all people, all ages, all places. We say to Jesus: “Let your light shine on me.”

You may remember that we had our church elevator rebuilt last year. So, you may ask, why isn’t it working? Unfortunately, we found a small leak dripping from somewhere into the elevator that threatens to shut down the electrical system. We are trying to find that “somewhere” and have had engineers and maintenance personnel tracking down possibilities. Several ducts with rust may have to be removed and new ones installed. This means that they have to be custom made to our setting. All of this is in progress. We regret the inability of being able of using the elevator over these past weeks. Thank the good Lord that we will be receiving funds from Renew and Rebuild that you so generosity contributed to and this will pay for the project.

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