President’s Day Holiday Schedule
Monday Holiday – Presidents’ Day
The Church of St. Francis of Assisi will observe
Presidents’ Day on Monday, February 17th.
One Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 AM.
There will be no confessions.
The church offices and the St. Francis Adult Education Center will be closed for the day.
Converge and Laudato Si Book Club
Hayhoe Let’s Go!
If you’re wondering how to have hope amidst the climate crisis, join the club!
The Converge Ministry and the Laudato Si Circle are co-hosting a new book club to discuss Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World, by Katharine Hayhoe.
According to the author, a Christian and a climate scientist, simply talking about it is a huge step in the right direction. So that’s what we’ll do with the guidance she provides in the book.
We will meet in the Clare Room from 6:30-8:00 PM on five consecutive Mondays beginning February 3rd. It is FREE but registration is requested. You can RSVP below.
Saints, Anchorites, Mystics, and Holy Women from the Middle Ages
Saints, Anchorites, Mystics, and Holy Women from the Middle Ages
This seminar will explore the lives of illustrious saints and holy individuals. Through cultural and historical resources such as classroom readings, writings, discussion, and a museum visit, the participants will explore the history that gives a voice to persons from centuries past and on how the example of their lives can be relevant in today’s world. Some of the individuals to be discussed are: St. Edward the Confessor (King of England), St. Hild of Whitby, Julian of Norwich, the controversial mystic Margery Kempe, Lady Margaret Beaufort the grandmother of King Henry VII, and St. Margaret of Cortona who became a member of the Third Order of St. Francis.
Instructor: Denise De Vito, M.S., M.S. Ed.
Friday, March 21, 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM, in person
Friday, March 28, 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM, Metropolitan Museum of Art
Fee: $60.00
Jesus: Spring 2025 Adult Education Course
Jesus
This Lenten course will be an opportunity to revisit an old question and to look for new and deeper answers. In recent years the question “Who Do you say that I am?” has resurfaced. For centuries we have embraced the divinity of Jesus, but now the challenge is to rediscover the Jesus who is also truly human.
This will have a significant impact on our spirituality and how we see the world. One of the biggest challenges of the twenty-first century is rediscovering our humanity. Jesus shows us the way!
Instructor: Father Anthony Ciorra
Wednesdays March 12 – April 2
12:30-2:00 PM, Clare Room
Fee: $60.00
Jane Hirshfield: Questions and Observations
Jane Hirshfield: Questions and Observations
During a 2020 Paris Review interview with Ilya Kaminsky, Jane Hirshfield stated: “A poem, a poet’s life, and the larger world are one continuous fabric.” We will examine the threads of Hirschfield’s poetic fabric woven over half a century. Often lyrical, filled with careful observations and pointed questions, Hirshfield’s poems are personal and global, concrete and philosophical. For the first hour and a half we will discuss Hirshfield’s work; the last half hour will include writing prompts based on the themes and techniques of the poems we discussed. The last half hour is optional; students will have the opportunity to share their work.
Instructor: Sr. Fran McManus, RSM
Text: The Asking: New and Selected Poems
Mondays, March 10th through April 28th. (We will not meet Easter Monday, April 21.)
6-8 PM on ZOOM
Fee: $60.00
Jane Austen: A Writer and her Enduring Legacy
Jane Austen: A Writer and her Enduring Legacy
Born 250 years ago, Jane Austen continues to entertain readers and inspire new novels, stage productions and films. We will read and discuss three of Austen’s novels in chronological order: Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park and Northanger Abbey.
Instructor: Sr. Fran McManus, RSM
Thursdays, March 6th through April 24th (No Meeting on April 17th, Holy Thursday)
12:30-1:30 PM on ZOOM
Fee: $60.00
Protecting the dignity of all: A statement on the drastic changes to U.S. immigration law and policy
The Church of St. Francis of Assisi is an urban ministry center staffed by the province of Our Lady of Guadalupe and their partners in ministry.
Last fall, nearly 700 Franciscan friars came together to form the new Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a historic moment for Franciscan life in the United States. The Province chose Our Lady of Guadalupe as our patroness because of her ties to North America. Her compassion and advocacy for people who are oppressed and suffering calls us to live in solidarity with people who have been marginalized. The statement below is from Provincial Council of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe. We are including it here in its entirety.
Protecting the dignity of all: A statement on the drastic changes to U.S. immigration law and policy
The Provincial Council of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe is responding to the changes to U.S. Immigration Law and Policy and to the mass deportations happening across the country. They are asking for a just and compassionate approach in protecting the dignity of all. This response aligns with their year-long Franciscan Synod, which concluded in January, in which they have recommitted themselves to responding to the Gospel’s call to care for the needs of the poor, marginalized, vulnerable persons, and our common home.
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Jan. 29. 2025
As Catholic Christians in the Franciscan tradition we add our voices to countless other Church and public leaders who are deeply troubled by, and opposed to, the drastic changes to U.S. immigration law and policy contained in the executive orders and proclamations issued by the new administration last week. As we understand them, they seek to effectuate “the largest deportation program in American history,” to end refugee resettlement, to revoke humanitarian parole grants and to end birthright citizenship. Such a course of action, we believe, will result in severe and unnecessary negative consequences that will harm the most vulnerable among us.
Our opposition is based in our Judeo-Christian faith tradition which, from the Hebrew Scriptures, through the Christian Scriptures, and down to the most recent papal and Church statements, call us to welcome the stranger and to exercise justice and compassion when responding to those who are vulnerable. Catholic social teaching demands that we recognize that all human beings are created in the image of God and therefore possess an inherent and inalienable dignity and respect. The human rights that flow from the dignity of each human person include the right to migrate in the face of severe violence or desperate poverty.
While we agree that the U.S. immigration system has—for too long—needed significant changes and updating, the direction being taken by the new administration will, we believe, cause more harm than good—such as tearing families apart, moving us toward a police state, sowing fear, chaos and confusion among the many hard-working and law-abiding immigrants who have been part of our communities for so many years, and inviting further demonization of immigrants.
Therefore, with many religious communities in the United States, we urge Congress and the Administration to:
- Oppose mass deportation as the means to achieve needed and effective immigration reform
- Support orderly border management that is humane, proportional and respects the right to seek asylum
- Reject non-emergency immigration enforcement in schools, places of worship, social service agencies and healthcare facilities
- Take action to protect the “dreamers,” those brought to the U.S. as children who have lived here most of their lives
- Endorse efforts to protect vulnerable groups through such programs as TPS, DED, humanitarian parole and the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program
- Denounce anti-immigrant rhetoric that has no basis in truth
As a nation, let us choose a path forward that effectively secures our borders, even as it protects the dignity of all who come to our shores, through an immigration system governed by mercy and justice.
Our Lady of Guadalupe,
Bring solace to those across the world forced from their homes
Fleeing poverty, violence, and strife.
Protect them in their tribulations,
Strengthen them as they build new lives,
Fill our aching world with your grace and compassion.
Mother of All,
You see beauty and holiness in each of us:
Open the hearts of those who cannot yet see
The dignity of your children seeking refuge.
Unite us to welcome the stranger in your name,
Grant us the courage to break down walls that divide us,
And guide us as we advocate for justice and peace. AMEN.
Provincial Council
Franciscan Friars
Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Lawrence J. Hayes, O.F.M.
Mark Soehner, O.F.M.
John Eaton, O.F.M.
Erick López, O.F.M.
Roger López, O.F.M.
Sam Nasada, O.F.M.
Rommel Pérez, O.F.M.
José Rodríguez, O.F.M.
Edward Tlucek, O.F.M.
Artwork: Br. Kevin Hamzik, OFM
Protegiendo la Dignidad de Todos: El Consejo Provincial de la Provincia de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe Responde a los Cambios Drásticos en la Ley y Política de Inmigración de EE.UU.
El Consejo Provincial de la Provincia de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe está respondiendo a los cambios en la Ley y Política de Inmigración de EE.UU. y a las deportaciones masivas que están ocurriendo en todo el país. Están pidiendo un enfoque justo y compasivo para proteger la dignidad de todos. Esta respuesta se alinea con su Sínodo Franciscano, que concluyó en enero, en el cual se han comprometido nuevamente a responder al llamado del Evangelio para atender las necesidades de los pobres, marginados, personas vulnerables y nuestro hogar común.
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29 enero 2025
Como Cristianos Católicos en la tradición Franciscana, unimos nuestras voces a las de innumerables líderes de la Iglesia y del público que están profundamente preocupados y se oponen a los drásticos cambios en la ley y política de inmigración de EE.UU. contenidos en las órdenes ejecutivas y proclamaciones emitidas la semana pasada por la nueva administración. Según los entendemos, buscan llevar a cabo “el programa de deportación más grande en la historia de Estados Unidos”, poner fin al reasentamiento de refugiados, revocar las concesiones de libertad condicional humanitaria y poner fin a la ciudadanía por nacimiento. Creemos que tal curso de acción resultará en consecuencias negativas severas e innecesarias que dañarán a los más vulnerables entre nosotros.
Nuestra oposición se basa en nuestra tradición de fe Judeocristiana que, desde las Escrituras Hebreas, pasando por las Escrituras Cristianas, hasta las declaraciones papales y de la Iglesia más recientes, nos llama a acoger al extranjero y a ejercer justicia y compasión al responder a aquellos que son vulnerables. La enseñanza Social Católica exige que reconozcamos que todos los seres humanos son creados a imagen de Dios y, por lo tanto, poseen una dignidad y respeto inherentes e inalienables. Los derechos humanos que fluyen de la dignidad de cada persona humana incluyen el derecho a migrar frente a la violencia severa o la pobreza desesperada.
Si bien estamos de acuerdo en que el sistema de inmigración de EE.UU. ha necesitado durante demasiado tiempo cambios y actualizaciones significativas, creemos que la dirección que está tomando la nueva administración causará más daño que bien, como separar familias, movernos hacia un estado policial, sembrar miedo, caos y confusión entre los muchos inmigrantes trabajadores y respetuosos de la ley que han sido parte de nuestras comunidades durante tantos años, e invitar a una mayor demonización de los inmigrantes.
Por lo tanto, junto con muchas comunidades religiosas en los Estados Unidos, instamos al Congreso y a la Administración a:
- Oponerse a la deportación masiva como medio para lograr una reforma migratoria necesaria y efectiva.
- Apoyar una gestión fronteriza ordenada que sea humana, proporcional y respete el derecho a solicitar asilo.
- Rechazar la aplicación de la ley de inmigración no urgente en escuelas, lugares de culto, agencias de servicios sociales e instalaciones de atención médica.
- Tomar medidas para proteger a los “soñadores”, aquellos traídos a EE.UU. como niños que han vivido aquí la mayor parte de sus vidas.
- Respaldar los esfuerzos para proteger a los grupos vulnerables a través de programas como TPS, DED, libertad condicional humanitaria y el Programa de Admisión de Refugiados de EE.UU.
- Denunciar la retórica anti-inmigrante que no tiene base en la verdad.
Como nación, elijamos un camino a seguir que asegure efectivamente nuestras fronteras, incluso mientras protege la dignidad de todos los que llegan a nuestras costas, a través de un sistema de inmigración gobernado por la misericordia y la justicia.
Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe,
Lleva consuelo a aquellos en todo el mundo que se ven obligados a abandonar sus hogares
Huyendo de la pobreza, la violencia y el conflicto.
Protégelos en sus tribulaciones,
Fortalécelos mientras construyen nuevas vidas,
Llena nuestro mundo dolorido con tu gracia y compasión.
Madre de Todos,
Ves belleza y santidad en cada uno de nosotros:
Abre los corazones de aquellos que aún no pueden ver
La dignidad de tus hijos que buscan refugio.
Únenos para acoger al extranjero en tu nombre,
Concédenos el valor para derribar los muros que nos dividen,
Y guíanos mientras abogamos por la justicia y la paz. AMÉN.
Consejo Provincial Frailes Franciscanos Provincia de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe
Lawrence J. Hayes, O.F.M.
Mark Soehner, O.F.M.
John Eaton, O.F.M.
Erick López, O.F.M.
Roger López, O.F.M.
Sam Nasada, O.F.M.
Rommel Pérez, O.F.M.
José Rodríguez, O.F.M.
Edward Tlucek, O.F.M.
Arte: Br. Kevin Hamzik OFM
2025 Immigration Enforcement and Know Your Rights Resources/2025 Aplicación de la ley de inmigración y recursos para conocer sus derechos
Many of our parishioners are worried about immigration enforcement and ICE as a result of the recent Presidential decrees. These guidelines from Catholic Charities can help you know your rights in an encounter with ICE. The guidelines are available in English and Spanish.
Muchos de nuestros feligreses están preocupados por la aplicación de las leyes de inmigración y por ICE como resultado de los recientes decretos presidenciales. Estas pautas de Caridades Católicas pueden ayudarlo a conocer sus derechos en un encuentro con ICE. Las pautas están disponibles en inglés y español.
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Lent 2025 at St. Francis of Assisi March 11,2025
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Sunday Bulletin - March 16, 2025 March 11,2025
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Please Support our Church at Lent and Easter March 11,2025
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