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On May 13, 2021,  the CDC announced that scientific data shows that fully vaccinated people may safely return to not wearing masks in most settings including indoor activities.  This is great news and a major step forward in getting beyond this terrible pandemic.

However, people who are not yet vaccinated are still at a high risk of contracting COVID-19 in New York City.

For the health and safety of our brothers and sisters who have not yet been able to get a vaccine, the Church of St. Francis of Assisi we will continue to require masks and social distancing at Mass for the time being.  This may change as the risk levels in New York City decline.  However as Christians called to love one another, we feel that this is a small sacrifice that those who are vaccinated we can still make for the sake of those who are not.

The friars and staff strongly urge everyone to get vaccinated as soon as possible for the sake of the common good.  We can overcome this pandemic if we continue to all do our part.  As Pope Francis said, getting vaccinated is the moral thing to do for our own safety, for the safety of our family, friends and neighbors and for the common good.

The friars and staff place the utmost importance on keeping our members, visitors, volunteers and staff as safe as possible as we continue to navigate this terrible pandemic.  We continue to have safety measures in place to maintain social distancing and other safety practices including requiring masks and having hand sanitizer available at the entrances to the church.

Mass attendance in person

In July 2020, the Church of St. Francis of Assisi resumed welcoming people to attend Mass in person again.

All of our Masses are open for people to attend in person without a reservation.  We require everyone who enters to wear a mask that covers their nose and mouth, communion is only given in the hand with the communicant keeping their mask up until they step a few feet to the side to consume the Eucharist.  And we continue to ask people to participate in the prayers but not in singing.

Currently we limit in person Mass attendance to 140 to be able to preserve social distancing.

Masses are also available on Livestream for people who are not yet comfortable attending in person, and for the homebound and our members who are far away.

Click here for our current Mass schedule.

Confession

In July 2020 the Church of St. Francis of Assisi also resumed making available the sacrament of Reconciliation.  Masks are required in the confessional.  Confessions are heard in the confessionals in the lower church.

Click here for our current Confession Schedule

Church open for private prayer and Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.

The Church of St. Francis of Assisi is open for private prayer Monday to Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, when Mass is not being held.  The Church is also open Saturday 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM and Sunday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is also available in the lower church Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM.

St. Francis Bookstore and Hospitality Desk

The Hospitality desk and St. Francis Bookstore in the Francis House is open Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 4 PM and Sunday from 8 to 12 noon.  Books, religious articles, Mass cards and other items are available in our store.

The Adult Education Center

The St. Francis Adult Education Center is closed during the pandemic.  This has also allowed us to undertake a major renovation of the building which needed of some attention.  At this time we are not hosting self-help groups due to the pandemic and our adult education classes have been held on zoom.

We expect to begin to offer in person attendance of adult education courses, for people who can prove that they have been vaccinated, this summer.  Courses will also be offered on zoom.

We hope to begin to welcome back self help groups by the end of the summer at the latest.

Volunteers and Liturgical Ministers

We are still limiting the number of lectors, servers and eucharistic ministers who serve during the liturgy, however we hope to open this up further when the risk levels in New York City go down further.  For more specific information about limits on liturgical ministers please contact Edward Trochimczuk at [email protected].

Volunteers in other ministries should contact their staff liaison for information about your specific ministry.

We are here for you

Even during the darkest days of this Coronavirus pandemic, when our church and our city was in lockdown, the friars and staff continued to reach out to our members and visitors on livestream and zoom with prayer, scripture sharing groups, liturgies and retreats.  We will continue to offer these opportunities even as we open up more and more in the weeks and months to come.

If you have any questions about attending in person, our safety procedures, or what we offer remotely, please contact our Director of Evangelization, Joseph Nuzzi at [email protected]

Earth Day 2020 was overshadowed by the Coronavirus pandemic, but it was the 50th anniversary of the first Earth day which was established on April 22, 1970. Now, we are beginning the second half-century of celebrating Earth Day.

Earth Day is a secular celebration and call to action that we, as Catholic Christians in the Franciscan tradition resonate with strongly.   Our faith reminds us that “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it” (Psalms 24) and that God has given human beings a particular responsibility to care for creation (Laudato Si’,. 49, 91).

Our faith calls us not only to support initiatives to support the care of the environment but in fact to take the lead as people who believe in the Creator and who respect God’s creation.

A brief history of Earth Day:

Earth Day was the brainchild of Senator Gaylord Nelson and other activists in the 60’s who worried about environmental degradation. Back then, cars ran on leaded gasoline, and had notoriously low gas mileage. Water pollution was rampant; in November 1969, an oil slick in the Cuyahoga river in Cleveland caught fire and burned several nearby boats and buildings, as well as the ship repair yard. By the mid 60’s, only 487 pairs of nesting bald eagles remained in this country, their populations decimated by habitat loss, shooting, and DDT poisoning.

Senator Nelson, with Congressman Pete McCloskey, decided to host nation-wide college teach-ins on April 22, 1970, to raise awareness about the threat of industrial development to people and planet. Their effort caught on, and diverse environmental groups joined forces for the defense of the earth. The country held huge rallies and demonstrations on the first Earth Day; about 20% of the US population at that time took part. That first glorious Earth Day led to a series of groundbreaking legislative victories. By the end of 1970, the Environmental Protection Agency had been created and the Clean Air Act passed. Soon after, the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, and other important environmental legislation became law.

Earth Day became a global movement in 1990, and reached 193 countries by 2010. It now includes a focus on climate change and clean energy, supported by the global organization EARTHDAY.ORG. More than a billion people take part each year, making it the largest secular celebration on earth.

How you can get involved outside of St. Francis

This year, the global pandemic limits large rallies and demonstrations, but we are connecting via the Internet and social media, as well as smaller outdoor events. EARTHDAY.ORG will feature three days of online activities from April 20-22, centered around the theme of “Restore the Earth,” and exploring topics like regenerative agriculture, reforestation and environmental justice. Learn more at earthday.org/earth-day-2021. Use toolkits from EARTHDAY.ORG to expand your knowledge of environmental issues like climate literacy, biodiversity loss, environmental justice, and agriculture and deforestation at earthday.org/teach-in- toolkit.

Local opportunities can be found here: https://www.eventbrite.com/d/ny–new-york/earth-day-events/

Continue to celebrate Earth Day throughout the year with these sustainable practices. Take the foodprint quiz at foodprint.org to see how your food habits impact the environment, people, and animals. Learn about alternate energy suppliers, and make the switch from conventional fossil fuel to wind or solar. Next time you trade in your car, look at hybrid or electric vehicles. Plant a native tree; native trees capture carbon, provide shade, and create habitat for birds and other wildlife. Donate to the environmental organization of your choice. Get informed about environmental issues and advocate for them at the local and national level.

Earth Day shows people can bring about change in the face of huge problems. Our planet is our one and only common home, our life-giving spaceship in the vastness of the universe. Earth Day reminds us that we must take care of Earth’s air, water, and diverse plants and animals as if our lives depended on it; in truth, our welfare is deeply intertwined with the welfare of the planet.