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연중제13주일07-02-2023

Sunday Bulletin – July 2, 2023

Click here for weekly bulletin for
Sunday, July 2, 2023

Summer Adult Education – Summer Stretch: A Poetry Workshop

Summer Stretch: A Poetry Workshop

Meetings on ZOOM

Mondays 6:00 – 8:00 PM
July 10-August 7

Instructor: Sr. Fran McManus, RSM

This five-week workshop will provide practice in using tools of the poetic trade. Rhyme and meter, figurative language, point of view and line length will be among course topics. We will consider recent trends in narrative poetry, but writers will not be restricted to that genre. We will also discuss ways to generate and revise poems. Beginning with the second class, students will have the opportunity to present their work to the class. Beginners and long-term practitioners are welcome, but enrolment is limited in order for each student to have the opportunity to present their work for a class response.

Enrollment is limited to 15 students.

Fee: $50.00

(financial assistance is available, please email Joseph Nuzzi at [email protected] for information)

Summer Adult Education – A Certain Slant: Faith-Informed Fiction

A Certain Slant: Faith-Informed Fiction

Meetings on ZOOM

Thursdays 12:30-1:30 PM
June 29^th -July 27^th

Instructor: Fran McManus, RSM

In this five-week course we will examine how faith is portrayed as practice and shaping influence of the characters of three short novels. The first class will introduce the three authors and provide an overview of the Catholic imagination in literature. We will discuss the works in chronological order, devoting two sessions to The Diary of a Country Priest.

Required texts:

Mr. Blue (1928) by Myles Connelly, the biography of a modern fictional character who like St. Francis of Assisi commits himself to Lady Poverty.

The Diary of a Country Priest (1932) by George Bernanos, the story of a young French priest working to understand and serve his congregation.

The Ninth Hour (2017) by Alice McDermott focuses on the work of group of nursing nuns and the individuals they serve in Brooklyn.

Fee: $50.00

(financial assistance is available, please email Joseph Nuzzi at [email protected] for information)

United in Love: Pre-Pride Festive Mass

Join us for our annual
United in Love Pre-Pride festive Mass
Saturday | June 24 | 4:00 p.m.

“Inspired by our faith in Jesus Christ,
and rooted in the charism of St. Francis of Assisi,
we actively welcome all people.”

This is the first declaration in our parish mission statement. It is how our community at St. Francis thinks and acts.

We are again celebrating this welcome to all people at our United in Love Pre-Pride Festive Mass.
This is a Weekend of Prayer for and with our LGBT Brothers and Sisters.

We take this opportunity each year for our whole parish community to remember that the Lord invited all people to follow him, regardless of race, ethnicity, economic background, gender or sexual orientation.

It is also an opportunity when we can invite to Mass any of our friends who many not feel welcome at the table of the Lord for whatever reason, but especially if they are gay or lesbian. Take the opportunity to bear witness to the unconditional love of God by reaching out and inviting back a brother or sister who hasn’t been home in a while.

Click here for more information about our LGBT ministry

The Pastor’s Corner – June 25, 2023

Dear Community and Friends of the Church of St. Francis of Assisi, May the Lord give you peace.

Months ago, as we reflected on our conversations regarding the Synod and then read the report, we noticed that concern for the LGBTQ community was clearly expressed. Our community raised the concern and was affirmed to see it in the Report from Pope Francis.

This Saturday at 4:00 PM, we host our annual Pre-Pride Mass. This inclusive celebration precedes the Pride celebrations in the city. We are blessed to be home to many LGBTQ members. Last week’s New York Times noted that we, together with the Jesuits of St. Francis Xavier and the Paulist Fathers at St. Paul’s, recognize the grace of the Body of Christ that is welcoming and affirming of God’s many gifts. Please join us in this celebration. We are indeed blessed by all who pass through our doors.

It is always interesting to consider the Gospels after we have been immersed in the Easter/Pentecost experience. In Matthew’s Gospel today, we hear Jesus proclaim that he will deny anyone who denies him. And then we remember Peter, who denied Jesus on the eve of his death, and then Peter is charged to continue the mission. Paul’s letter this weekend says, “But the gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one, the many died, how much more did the grace of God and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ overflow for the many.”

God’s grace transforms us all. The gift of Jesus is reconciliation and healing for all. In his resurrection, Jesus affirms God’s love. There is no condemnation. He offers healing and a charge to continue the mission of proclaiming the Gospel. It is all the more pressing that having been reconciled or, as Paul noted last week, justified, we deepen our commitment to discipleship.

As I write this, I am in Florida getting acquainted with the ministry here and the many people who help to support our senior friars. It is hot! I will keep you posted on the timeline for the arrival of Fr. Joe and my departure. It has been a privilege to have had this short time with you. I thank you.

Blessings and peace,

Fr. Tom, ofm

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남북통일기원미사06-25-2023

Sunday Bulletin – June 25, 2023

Click here for weekly bulletin for
Sunday, June 25, 2023

The Pastor’s Corner – June 18, 2023

Dear Community and Friends of the Church of St. Francis of Assisi, May the Lord give you peace.

We have just had a wonderful celebration of the Feast of St. Anthony. Scores of people have come to pray with us and to give thanks to God for St. Anthony of Padua. Thousands of loaves of St. Anthony’s bread have gone to homes and offices throughout the area. Thank you to all who came to join us for the Feast. Thank you also to the many who volunteered to assist for the day. It was a mammoth undertaking, and everything went well. This year we had the relic in the San Damiano Room. This provided a quiet space for people to gather and made restrooms available for those who traveled to be here for the day.

Thank you to all who contributed to the support of the day. Our many donors and benefactors, together with the participants of the day, graced us with generous support. The spaces were beautifully appointed and honored the celebration of the day.

We return to the scripture readings that we left when Lent started. We are attentive to the continuation of the text from the Book of Exodus, the Letter to the Romans, and the Gospel according to Matthew. It is hard to remember where we left off that Sunday before Ash Wednesday. Today’s Gospel notes Jesus’ distress as he looks at the people and realizes they are like sheep without a shepherd. He, the Good Shepherd, begins his ministry and appoints twelve disciples to share in that work. He sends them to announce the nearness of the Kingdom of Heaven and empowers them to heal and liberate. He likewise challenges them to share the gift as gift without charge.

Like those early disciples, we have a message to bear and are empowered to heal and liberate. He gave the disciples the freedom to do the good. We have that same freedom. As beginners, they were sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. When they are more secure in their mission, they will go beyond the boundaries of their nation. In sending them, he invites them to nurture the gifts of their hearers, to encourage them in the covenantal relationship, and to hear again words of hope. He does not send them to beat the “lost sheep” but to love them as he has modeled. This is the mission of the church. It is not to push out but to gather in. It is not exclusion but inclusion. We have some work to do.

Finally, I do not yet have a definite date for my departure. I will go to Florida this week to meet with the friars there, and I will also meet with Fr. Joe Juracek to work out a time for transition. I am sorry to leave you so soon. It has been a privilege to be here and to minister with you. We have developed many new ways of connection, including live streaming, Zoom, and social media. The Word of God continues to take root in our lives. I will keep you informed as the transition moves forward. I thank you for your support and your prayers.