To All at St. Francis,

Matthew 16: 21-28

Why would anybody want to be a Christian? Denying yourself. Carrying your cross. Following Jesus? Why would anyone want to do that? Today’s Gospel is about the difficult task of following Jesus. Why do we do it? Why do we encourage others to do it?

Look at the Book of Acts, the believers are persecuted and even killed and yet the church continued to grow! Why would anyone want to be a Christian? Why would anyone want to be part of a. group that was being persecuted, jailed, and killed? What was/is it about Christians that would make others want to join them-even with the threat of suffering? What is (or should be) so attractive about Christians that others are willing to share in those benefits in spite of the difficulties?

Jesus’ scandalous call, then to take up the cross and follow is a call to martyrdom, to die as Jesus does. Such is the risk of continuing Jesus’ countercultural work of proclaiming and demonstrating God’s kingdom here on earth.

Peter who we thought he knew who Jesus is You are the Christ, Son of the living God but fails to believe that Jesus would have to suffer and die. Jesus’ rebuke Get behind me Satan, indicates the Peter here, like Satan in the temptation story, is trying to lead Jesus away from the suffering and death of the cross.

So why be a Christian? Because we are not afraid of death or dying. We know that the power of the Resurrection is stronger than death. We are sons and daughters of the living God.

Peace & All Good,

Fr. Joe

On Sunday, August 13th after the 5 PM Mass, the Church of St. Francis of Assisi hosted a Margarita Meet and Greet for members of our community in their 20’s and 30’s. We held it on our beautiful rooftop terrace, and with almost 50 people in attendance it was a great time. Our community is blessed to have many young Catholics who call St. Francis of Assisi home and we are intentionally building this community.  Here are some photos of the event:

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(en español abajo)

The assistance you need to begin life anew in New York City

The Asylum Seekers Assistance Project (ASAP) was created by the Migrant Center at the Church of St. Francis of Assisi in collaboration with partner organizations to assist newly arrived migrants and asylum seekers in New York City.

If you have arrived in the US within a year, this assistance is for you. If you are ready to self-petition, let us help you.

Please contact us.

For more information and to register for assistance, email us at centrodemigrantes@gmail.com or call us at (212) 736-8500 ext. 305 or 377.

La asistencia que necesita para comenzar una nueva vida en la ciudad de Nueva York!

Proyecto de Asistencia para Solicitates de Asilo (ASAP) fue creado por el Centro de Migrantes en la Iglesia de San Francisco de Asis en colaboraci6n con organizaciones asociadas para ayudar a los migrantes recien llegados y solicitantes de asilo en la ciudad de Nueva York. Si llego a los EE. UU. dentro de un ano, esta asistencia es para usted. Si esta listo para su auto peticion, permitanos ayudarlo.

Por favor contactenos.

Para mas information y registrarse para recibir asistencia envienos un correo electronico a centrodemigrantes@gmail.com o llama nos al (212) 736-8500 ext. 305 or 377.

In Collaboration with:

Church of St. Francis of Assisi

St. Ignatius Loyola, NYC

PAX CHRISTI New York State

Malteser International

ISC New York

PAX CHRISTI Metro New York

The Mass of Resurrection will be this Saturday, August 5th at 11AM. At the church of St. Francis of Assisi

Fr. John M. Felice, OFM, a Franciscan friar and pioneer in supportive housing for the homeless mentally ill, died on Monday, July 31, 2023 at St. Lawrence Friary in Beacon, New York, from an Alzheimer’s related illness. He was 81 years old. He had been living at the skilled nursing care facility for retired and infirm religious since December 2021. Funeral arrangements, a Mass of Christian Burial, and interment will be announced in the upcoming days.

His six decades as a professed Franciscan friar, 54 of those years as an ordained priest, with the New York-based Province of the Holy Name of Jesus, encompassed a rich and broad range of ministerial assignments that included parish pastor, formation director, social justice activist, advocate for the homeless, and two-term provincial minister of the province.

But of all his ministries, Fr. Felice received national recognition for his trailblazing work and bold vision in community-based support facilities for the homeless in New York City. And it was the ministry he cherished the most, singling out his work with the homeless and mentally ill as his most significant achievement of religious life.

In 1980, he established the first St. Francis Residence in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood – a residential program that provided permanent supportive housing in a dignified and stable environment with on-site medical, psychiatric, wellness and social services to New York City’s homeless struggling with severe mental illness. It was the city’s first of its kind.

Fr. Felice’s vision and ground-breaking work – and the success of the St. Francis Residence – served as a national model for the permanent supportive housing movement of the 1980s. He eagerly assisted government agencies and non-profit housing programs throughout the country and the world in establishing similar programs. Fr. Felice was enlisted by New York city and state agencies and lawmakers to help craft policy and legislation to address the then-burgeoning crisis of homelessness, particularly the mentally ill who had been left to fend for themselves after their discharge from state-run facilities that were shut down in the late 1970s in an effort to deinstitutionalize mental illness.
Two years after opening the first residence on E. 24th St. and Lexington Ave., Fr. Felice and two other friars, Fr. John McVean, OFM, and Fr. Tom Walters, OFM, co-founded a non-profit called St. Francis Friends of the Poor, and established St. Francis Residence II on W. 22nd St. and, in 1987, St. Francis Residence III on Eighth Ave., between 17th and 18th Streets. Today, the three residences, owned and operated by St. Francis Friends of the Poor, provide permanent housing with supportive services to 255 formerly homeless tenants living with mental health issues.
“As one of the ‘founding fathers’ of St. Francis Friends of the Poor, Fr. Felice recognized back then that caring for mentally ill homeless persons would be one of the foremost and vital charitable efforts in the immediate future. He developed many of the programs used by St. Francis Friends of the Poor in its incredible programing structure for successfully caring for mentally ill homeless persons. Two of his hallmark standards and requirements are that each mentally ill homeless person is referred to as a ‘client,’ and that each client must always be treated with dignity. His efforts will be appreciated, admired and respected forever. We, along with all of the clients whose lives he has touched, will miss him,” Patricia Edith Harris, Chief Executive Officer of Bloomberg Philanthropies, and Mark Denis Lebow, Board Chair of St. Francis Friends of the Poor, said in a joint statement.
“Fr. Felice took the simple, direct and pragmatic approach to the homeless and mentally ill on the streets of New York City by offering them housing and help with whatever they needed. The simplicity of this solution, the cost-effectiveness, and the humanity and dignity it extends is a feasible investment for every New York City neighborhood,” said Ellen Baxter, founder of Broadway Housing Communities, an affordable and supportive housing nonprofit serving West Harlem and Washington Heights that was established in 1983, and on which Fr. Felice served as board chair from 2006 to 2016.
In the April 21, 1981 edition of The New York Times, the Community Service Society, a then-private, nonprofit social-welfare agency, called the St. Francis residences an example of what can be done to provide a place for the growing number of homeless people – a place where they might live with a “sense of self-worth and dignity,” instead of wandering the streets. At the time, the New York City Mayor, Edward I. Koch, had issued a plea to the private sector for community-based support facilities to meet the homelessness crisis. Fr. Felice said back then that he was just responding to the mayor’s call with a comprehensive solution to a complex problem – and that supportive services were a critical component to housing the city’s most vulnerable population. It wasn’t enough to just put a roof over their heads without the supportive services, he had said.
Fr. Felice was honored through the years by many organizations, among them The Supportive Housing Network of New York, for his innovative and pioneering efforts as the first to create housing for the homeless in New York City. He always described St. Francis Friends of the Poor as a “mustard seed” of an idea and “labor of love.”
Fr. Felice spent his life as a Franciscan friar never more than 40 miles from his hometown of Patchogue, Long Island, where he was born on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1941 to Michael and Dorothea (Kelly) Felice. After graduating from Seton Hall High School in 1959, he attended St. Bonaventure University in Allegany, New York. But he said the “simplicity, heart and genuine affection for one another” and “work and spirit” of the friars he had met there left such an impression, that it inspired him to transfer to the Franciscan St. Joseph Seminary in Callicoon, New York, after his freshman year.

After a year of studies in Callicoon, he was received into the Order of Friars Minor with Holy Name Province in 1962 at St. Raphael Novitiate in Lafayette, New Jersey, where he professed his first vows the following year. He made his solemn profession of vows in 1966 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1968 at the Franciscan Monastery in Washington, D.C.

He completed his undergraduate education at St. Francis College in Rye Beach, New Hampshire, whose affiliation with St. Bonaventure University resulted in him receiving a bachelor of arts degree in philosophy from SBU. He received a degree of doctor of literature (LittD), a higher level of doctorate that is awarded to individuals who achieve special excellence, from SBU. He also studied theology at Holy Name College in Washington, and earned a bachelor of sacred theology degree from Catholic University of America in D.C.
While he was working toward a graduate degree in sociology at Catholic University, he was summoned in 1969 by Holy Name’s provincial minister to serve in the Province’s vocation office. He later became the youngest friar ever appointed, at age 31, as pastor of the Province’s flagship, the historic St. Francis of Assisi Church on W. 31st St. in New York City – where he led a fraternity of 70 friars and provided pastoral and sacramental care to parishioners. He held the position for three terms, from 1973 to 1982.

It was at the end of his third term as pastor of the Manhattan church that he teamed up with Fr. McVean and Fr. Walters to establish St. Francis Friends of the Poor and open the St. Francis Residences. He served as president of St. Francis Friends of the Poor until 2016, a 36-year run that ended when health issues caused him to step down from day-to-day operations. He maintained a presence at St. Francis Friends of the Poor until 2021, when those same health issues resulted in his move to St. Lawrence Friary in Beacon.

Fr. Felice also held several high-level administrative positions in the Province, including two terms as provincial minister, from 1997 to 2006, and two terms as a councilor on the provincial council, from 1976 to 1982. Under his leadership, Holy Name Province expanded its outreach services and programs to the poor and marginalized. He also started the Province’s pre-novitiate program in the Bronx, New York, where men discerning Franciscan vocation spent one year before professing first vows.

He also launched the Province’s Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Office, encouraging friars to advocate for social justice issues wherever they were ministering in the Province. He asked SBU and Siena College, based in Loudonville, New York – both institutions founded and sponsored by Holy Name Province – to incorporate social justice into their curriculums.

In an interview on the occasion of his 50th anniversary as a Franciscan friar, Fr. Felice said of his own faith journey, “I have been a very lucky man. Being one of the friars has been the privilege of my life.”
He is survived by his Holy Name Province confreres, a niece and nephew, and the hundreds of men and women who have resided at the St. Francis Residences over its 40-plus years.

On Sunday, July 16, 2023, our St. Francis of Assisi bid Fr. Tom Gallagher, our outgoing pastor, a fond farewell with our blessing as he makes his way to his new assignment in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Fr. Tom presided at the 12:30 PM Mass which was followed by a reception in the Clare room to which everyone was invited.  But before the end of the Mass, Meredith Augustin, our Director of Music Ministries, congratulated Fr. Tom, thanked him for his ministry with us, and led the members of the music ministry who sang a blessing over him.  Friars from the community and the entire community joined in praying the blessing over our pastor.

We wish Tom well in his new city and new assignment!  Below are some highlights of the day’s events.

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Dear Community and Friends of the Church of St. Francis of Assisi,

Peace and All Good!

It feels strange to be writing the “Pastor’s Letter” before I arrive at Saint Francis. I will be at Saint Francis next weekend. I am happy, honored and excited to become the pastor of such a fabulous church. My name is Fr. Joe Juracek, perhaps some may remember me, as I was stationed at Saint Francis about 20 years ago. I was vicar of the friary and started the counseling center working there for six years. I absolutely love being a Franciscan priest. My life has been filled with blessings and happiness. I can’t wait to share my joy of knowing and loving Jesus with you.

In the long form of today’s Gospel, Jesus explains the parable of the weeds and the good seed: “He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom.” I look forward to us “good seeds” working and growing together, moving forward from our community of Saint Francis to teach, witness and spread the Good News of
Jesus Christ.

Peace and all Good,

Fr. Joe, ofm

As part of our outreach to those in need, and in solidarity with the larger Catholic Community throughout the world, we periodically take up second collections to support the work of other Catholic ministries.  This Sunday we will be taking a collection for the Nazareth Sisters of the Annunciation who work in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Their work is described below and they have provided us a PDF with images of their work.

Please be prepared to show our love and support this week when you come to Mass for the second collection, or you can make an additional donation online and simply put “Nazareth Sister” in the comments box on your donation.

Thank you!

Brief History of the Nazareth Sisters of the Annunciation

The Congregation of the Nazareth Sisters of the  Annunciation was founded in 1955 by Rev. Lawrence Victor Bessone in the Diocese of Meru in Kenya. Currently the Congregation has about 200 members serving in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and few sisters working in USA.  Our Mission is to witnesses God’s Love to Humanity particularly to women, youth and the children in the spirit of the Holy Family of Nazareth.

The Nazareth Sisters do take care of the homeless children; the orphans, street children; Aids Patients, Refugees, youth, mentally challenged, people with disabilities and provide medical care to the poor people in their village.  Many of these children go begging in the streets due to luck of food and necessities of life, and they become vulnerable targets of drugs. Also, poor people we serve live in the extreme poor conditions and the most affected are women and their children. Thousands of vulnerable people live in horrible conditions with no opportunity for improving their situation or getting out of poverty or escaping from evils that may surround them such as human trafficking, drugs alcohol and terrorism.    The Nazareth Sisters can only fulfil this mission of our Lord Jesus Christ with the support of people of good will like you. We rely on God’s providence through the missionary support. It is through such people like you that God’s blessings are known.

These disadvantaged people are waiting for someone to give support.  They need clothing, they need medical care, they need education, they need shelter and more especially they need love. Who is to have pity on these vulnerable people?  It is a challenge.

All the donations received from your parish will be designated for these vulnerable people who are waiting for someone to give support. Your prayers and contribution will be highly appreciated

Be assured of our prayers.  May God reward you for your generous heart.

Click HERE for a PDF of the work of the Nazareth Sisters of the Annunciation: 2023 Mission Appeals Photos – parishes

Fr. Tom would like to remind everyone that the air conditioning in the upper church will only be working at 1/3 power again this weekend, July 22-23, 2023, as we are still waiting on parts to complete the repairs.  You can expect the temperature in the church to be similar to what it was last weekend.

We hope to have it working at 100% very soon.

Folks who are sensitive to the heat or have respiratory issues may want to consider the livestream this weekend.

Dear Community and Friends of the Church of St. Francis of Assisi,

May the Lord give you peace.

I thank you for the privilege of ministering with, to, and for you. It has been a great grace for me to be here with you. I have enjoyed these three years. You have generously shared your lives with me and the friars. It has been a great blessing to participate in the ministry of healing experienced in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the Anointing of the Sick. The honesty and the spiritual depth of the sharing in those moments are experiences of the Lord’s presence for me. Likewise, the celebrations of the Eucharist and preaching are blessings. You have responded graciously and been engaged in these celebrations. We, St. Francis Church, are quite popular with the live-stream community.

The pastoral ministry team and the entire staff are remarkably dedicated to ministry. They are committed to you and to using their gifts to build up the Body of Christ as realized at the Church of St. Francis of Assisi. The spirit of St. Francis thrives here in the energy and joy that abounds.

I honestly did not know what to expect when I was asked to leave Hartford and come here. I found incredible goodness and a gracious welcome (however socially distant in September 2020). I am grateful to have had the privilege to be with you, even for a short time. I ask your continued prayers for the friars and your welcome of your new pastor, Fr. Joe Juracek, ofm. I will remember you in my prayer with gratitude.

I will head to St. Petersburg, Florida, to minister with our senior friars next week. This is a significant change in ministry for me. I was surprised to be asked to pick up and go south! I have packed my sunscreen and my hats!

I am sure I will be back to visit.

Blessings and peace,

Fr. Tom, ofm