The 2023 Cardinal’s Appeal has begun!

“Blessed are all who take refuge in Him!” (Psalm 2)

In our Archdiocese, 2.8 million Catholics and countless of our non-Catholic brothers and sisters take refuge in the Lord through His Church and her ministries. The Cardinal’s Annual Stewardship Appeal exists to fund the expansive efforts of our Archdiocese to provide every person with an encounter with Jesus and a confidence that He, present in every church in the most Holy Eucharist, is our refuge.

The funds that we give to this year’s Appeal will be used to address the following needs of the archdiocese:

• $9MM Assistance for Financially Vulnerable Parishes
• $5MM Charitable Outreach and Pastoral Support
• $4MM Evangelization, Communications, and Catholic Education
• $1MM Formation of New Parish Priests
• $2MM Care for Retired Priests

For more information about what your contribution is used for click here.

DONATE NOW:

If you would like to make a contribution to this year’s appeal click HERE.

Please remember to select “Direct my gift to” and select “St. Francis of Assisi, New York” from the drop-down menu.  This does not mean that St. Francis will receive these funds, it just means that the Archdiocese knows that your donation came from our community.

Here is a message from Cardinal Dolan for this year’s appeal:

ENGLISH:

SPANISH:

On Friday, February 17, 2023, forty five members of our St. Francis of Assisi family took a trip to the Mt. Alvernia Retreat center in Wappingers Falls, New York, for our annual weekend retreat.  The retreat is a time away dedicated to prayer, reflection, sharing of our faith, and fun.

Our days began and ended in prayer inspired by the Liturgy of the Hours and were filled with reflections where we were all together and time in small groups where people were able to share what our faith means in their daily life.  On Saturday there was an extended free time for quiet reflection, or a group walk around the beautiful grounds of the retreat center, or even a walk to tshe nearby Tibetan Buddhist temple.

Fr. Steve Patti, OFM, offered 4 major reflections about the spiritual life and our journey with God inspired by episodes from the life of St. Francis of Assisi.  This gave everyone a chance to learn more about our beloved patron saint and the joys and struggles he had in his own life.  Fr. Steve invited the groups to reflect on how Francis’ experiences can inspire our dedication to Christ and the Gospel today.

The retreat ended Sunday with Mass and we returned to New York renewed, refreshed and with the bonds of friendship and community strengthened.

Next year’s retreat will be January 12-14, 2024.  Save the date!

Here are some highlights of the weekend.  Thank you to Keith Kemp and Jenn Wiler for the photographs.

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The Church of St. Francis of Assisi has long dedicated itself to ongoing faith formation of Adults through our Adult Education ministry.

Our Spring 2023 courses are now listed online and open for registration at: www.stfrancisnyc.org/courses/.

Subjects range from theology, biblical studies, and liturgy to literature and poetry.  Here are the titles of the courses for this upcoming semester:

• • • Affirming the Light: The Poetry of Joy Harjo
    • Catholicism 101: The Gospel of St. Matthew
    • The Celtic Bards
    • A Deeper Look at Catherine of Siena: Her Dialogue, Prayers, Spirituality, and Life
    • Elizabeth of the Trinity: Her Life, Letters, and Spirituality
    • Franciscan Short Stories: , a 5-week series on the life and times of St. Francis of Assisi
    • Great Music Inspired by the Old Testament
    • “I Shall Pour Out Water upon the Parched Land” (Isa 44:3): Second Isaiah as Story and Promise.
    • A Literary Walk through Dublin
    • Reconsiderations: Three Novels of the Bronte Sisters
    • The Queens of Hearts:  Women Saints Who Were Queens Throughout Church History

While we try to keep our registration fees low (generally about $10 per hour of instruction) we also understand that for some this can be a burden.  We do not want anyone who wants to attend a class to be prohibited by economic hardship.  Please contact Joseph Nuzzi, Director of Adult Education and Evangelization for information on scholarships:  jnuzzi@stfrancisnyc.org or 212-736-8500 x365.

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

May the Lord give you peace.

Ash Wednesday saw hundreds of people streaming through the church. Some came for ashes, some for Confession, some for mass, and many for a time of prayer. We are blessed to be able to welcome everyone who comes. Our many ministers were present to assist all who came.

Thank you to the ministers and the faithful folks who came to be with us for even a few moments of the day. Many told stories of their long association with St. Francis and spoke of parents and grandparents who brought them here.

We go from the desert with Jesus to the mountaintop. We go from fasting to feasting. We experience the awesomeness of God’s glory reflected in Jesus with the disciples. Sometimes life is like that, filled with highs and lows. What is consistent in the Gospel is the love of God. Jesus in his baptism, is named son, beloved, and favored. His responses to temptation in the desert are responses born of the reality of that love. His transfiguration on the mountaintop reveals God’s love for him. That the disciples witness this is a sharing in the grace of God. With Jesus, we are named beloved of God, we are in a familial relationship with God, and by God’s grace, we are favored by God. May our journey, with all its ups and downs, radiate the gift of God already present among us.

This weekend the Cardinal’s Annual Stewardship Appeal has made pens and commitment forms available for us. I know I just asked you to increase what you give each week, and I am grateful to everyone who responded. Some folks have made a single donation, and others are increasing what they give weekly. I do not like to ask but feel that I must ask you to consider both our needs and the needs of the Archdiocese of New York. The forms for the CASA will be ready for you to make your commitment before you leave, or you may take them home to add to the ones you got in the mail. I thank you for your generosity and your constant prayers.

Blessings and peace,

Fr. Tom, ofm

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

May the Lord give you peace.

We have begun our journey and are blessed to make this journey together. Please join us for Mass, soup and scripture, reconciliation, time of reflection with James Martin, SJ, and quiet prayer time in the lower church. Your presence is a gift for everyone.

As I noted last week, I see Lent, not as an isolated time but as a segment of the transformative experience we are offered each year. We begin with Lent preparing ourselves for the mystery of the Cross and the Resurrection of the Lord. We celebrate our Easter liberation through the days leading to Pentecost. Ideally, this is a time to begin again, to deepen our reception of God’s love for us and for all. For too long, Lent has been presented as a time of penance. We have been told to reflect on our sinfulness. We give up what we enjoy making up for our failures in discipleship. I seriously doubt that God wants us to act like children who fear discipline. The fasting God seeks is the liberating of all who are bound, the welcoming of the stranger, and the binding of the wounds of all who have been broken under the slavery of oppression/abuse. It is time to move from focusing on ourselves to the vision of God’s love for us and all. This shift calls us to ministry, service simply because it is natural to us. Realizing how greatly we are loved and the call to maturity in grace, we give ourselves generously in response to the needs that we see all around us. Christ has liberated us from the weight of sin. He has called us to live by the Word that comes from the mouth of God. He chides us not to put God to the test (God’s love will always win.). He calls us to awe and wonder at the goodness of God, who is compassion.

The first phase of our 2023 journey has begun. Can we make lifetime changes incrementally, responding to the communion we already enjoy with God? Let us take time to listen, watch, and pray. We are blessed as a Franciscan community of grace. St. Francis’ life was shaped by his encounters with the Lord in people with leprosy, the friars, and his time among the Muslim community and in times of prayer. He learned to surrender to love. What God did for the poor man of Assisi; God does for us.

Sadly, our bulletin publishing company will no longer be able to publish any bulletins. They are one more business that did not survive the pandemic. We are looking to find another publisher. However, other companies are inundated with the many parishes affected by this loss.

Next week we will have cards and pens available for the Cardinal’s Annual Stewardship Appeal. We have $10,000.00 of the $73,000.00 requested of us.

As always, I thank you for your generosity and your presence.

-Fr. Tom, ofm

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

May the Lord give you peace.

We are about to begin our annual pilgrimage of 90 days. We start with Ash Wednesday and continue through to Pentecost. Most of us have considered this to only be the first part of the journey, Lent. This season is given to us for our conversion and transformation. Remembering the Spirit’s gift at Pentecost brings us to be renewed in our lives, vocation, and mission.

The pilgrimage is fourfold, it begins with Lent, climbs the mountain of Transfiguration in Passion of the Lord, reaches its climax as God raises Jesus at Easter, and continues through Pentecost to the rest of our lives. Let us consider the process. It is about giving up, listening up, lifting up, and growing up.We are asked to give up our false selves. We can let go of our pretense and recognize our giftedness. In this giving up, we are able to welcome the stranger, the poor, and the disenfranchised people of our lives. We can give up our prejudices and our closed-mindedness. We are invited to waive our surrender of chocolate, dessert, or caffeine. (Everyone in our lives will thank us.) We can surrender to the Spirit who calls us to the fullness of life.

We are invited to listen up. This is for us to engage in prayer. Our prayer is the lifting of our minds and hearts to God. This can take many forms. Parents loving their children are praying. Caring for aging parents is prayer. Sitting quietly and being attentive to the grace of God in prayer. Sitting with the scripture, gathering with the community for Mass, the Stations of the Cross, or adoration is prayer. Being attentive as we go for our walk can be our prayer. The form is less important than the openness to God’s presence. (Often, it is only in subsequent reflection that we realize our experience of God’s presence.)

Lift up your hearts to the Lord! As we are attentive to lifting up others, our lives are transformed. We are invited to lift up one another as we praise and thank the people of our lives. We lift up children as we recognize their gifts. Our care for the migrant, refugee, or homeless person is our stretching to hold God’s presence in the other. We are lifted up as we bend to care for one another.

The call to maturity in our faith is our growing up. This journey sets us free to praise God, to embrace the love of God already present in our lives. We know the right and the good. The rules are helpful guides but only that. We discern the right things to do in many areas of our lives, and we can do the same in our faith life. As adults, we choose to follow Christ through Lent, the Cross, into Easter, and in wonder at the gift of the Spirit. The Spirit liberates us, enfolds us in God’s very being, and calls us, like Paul, to discover God’s grace in people thought to be forever outside God’s compassionate goodness.

We begin the journey together. I invite you to join us for as much of the pilgrimage as you desire and to be in this for the transformation of your life.

Blessings and peace,

Fr. Tom, ofm

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

May the Lord give you peace.

Please remember the people of Turkey and Syria who have experienced a powerful earthquake. Many were killed in the earthquake, and many more are trying to imagine how to rebuild their lives. While it may seem far away, we are connected as sisters and brothers. Please hold them all in your prayers.

I hope that you were able to stay warm last weekend. It was bitterly cold, I am glad the cold front passed quickly, and it was warmer on Sunday. Thank you for your prayers and concern for all who are homeless.

This week I am writing to ask for your help. Our weekly collections total less than $10,000. This is both weekday and weekend collections. Our need is far greater. The cost of heating, air conditioning, utilities, salaries, benefits, and archdiocesan assessments are significant. Before the Pandemic, finances were tight. We have yet to recover to that state. I ask those who are able to seriously consider increasing their weekly/daily donation. I realize that many businesspeople have yet to return to the city. This dramatically affects our weekday masses. I know that there are many folks unable to increase their donation as they are unable to increase their contribution. I ask those who can to assist according to their means. Our Development Office does an excellent job with many appeals, and we have had some significant bequests. To sustain our mission, we need to increase our income. Our Holy Father St. Francis told the early friars not to be ashamed to beg when there was a need. While I hesitate to ask, the need is overwhelming, and your generosity is always even more so.

Please know that the renovations are funded by the Renew and Rebuild allotment we received. Those funds are restricted and cannot be used for ordinary expenses.

Thank you for your attention to this plea. You are always generous, and I am grateful for you. Peace and all good,

Thomas M. Gallagher, ofm

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

May the Lord give you peace.

Thank you for your continued prayers for Fr. Ronald Stark, ofm. Fr. Ronald was pastor here from 1996-2002. He is a gifted preacher, confessor, pastor, and spiritual director. Fr. Ronald also has an incredible sense of humor. He is presently in Hospice Care. We are certainly grateful for his ministry here at St. Francis.

Thank you for your early contributions to the Cardinals Annual Stewardship Appeal. We are at $1,200 of the $73,000 goal. Do what you can to support the work of the Archdiocese of New York. As you know, Catholic Charities is overwhelmed by the work with the recently arrived migrants from Ecuador, Venezuela, and other countries. Families are arriving in New York daily seeking hospitality. Your donation to this appeal is greatly appreciated.

The Spring Adult Education/Formation brochures are available. Please consider registering for a course. This can be a great way to engage in the Lenten-Easter-Pentecost pilgrimage. Instead of giving something up, gear up with something new. This is an opportunity to expand your horizons and deepen your understanding of the many ways of God’s self-revelation. Information is also available on our website HERE.

Please keep your Monday nights open for soup and scripture as we prepare for Lent together. As we did in Advent, we will offer an opportunity for you to reflect on the Gospel each Monday of Lent as you enjoy a cup of soup and community. Please register so that we can be sure to have enough soup and space for everyone. We can also make access available for folks who need to avoid the steps. (We just need to know that you are coming.)

Jesus tells his hearers and us: “You are the salt of the earth, and you are the light of the world.” What was said in the early days of Jesus’ ministry during what is known as the Sermon on the Mount is a proclamation for our reflection. We are wonderfully gifted by God, sharers in God’s healing, preservation, flavoring, and radiance.
Imagine, it is Jesus who says that we are brilliant! Our call is to let our light shine, to reflect God’s goodness in our fragile and often fragmented world.

Thank you for all sharing your gifts with such generosity.

Blessings and peace,

Thomas M. Gallagher, ofm

On Sunday, January 15, 2023 at the the 5:00 PM Mass, Fr. Tom blessed a new statue of St. Benedict the Moor which was permanently installed for veneration at the Church of St. Francis of Assisi.  Fr. Tom invited members of the St. Benedict the Moor Fraternity of Secular Franciscans from our parish to join him in blessing the image of the saint.  This beautiful new statue was donated by members of the St. Benedict the Moor Fraternity and permanently resides in the upper church.

Here is a short biography of St. Benedict provided by Mr. Paul Beelitz, SFO, who is the minister of the St. Benedict the Moor fraternity:

St. Benedict the Moor (1526 – 1589)

St. Benedict the Moor was the child of slaves who were taken from Africa to Sicily and given Italian names. Diana and Cristoforo Manasseri became devout Catholics, and their son Benedict was declared free when he was born in 1526. Benedict’s charitable nature was apparent from the time of his youth when he worked as a shepherd and gave what money he could to the poor. At the age of twenty-one Benedict became a member of a local group of Franciscan hermits. Benedict’s spiritual maturity far outweighed his lack of a formal education, and he became the group’s superior at the age of twenty-eight. In 1564 Pope Pius IV ordered the disparate hermit communities to join established religious orders, and so Benedict’s group joined the Order of Friars Minor at the Franciscan Friary of St. Mary of Jesus in Palermo. Benedict’s reputation as an excellent cook preceded him and he began his years in the Friary in that capacity. Once again, however, Benedict’s theological erudition and patient demeanor propelled him to become Master of Novices and then Guardian of the Community. After years of administrative duties, Benedict asked only to return to the kitchen, where he was visited by people who journeyed from afar for the opportunity to speak to him and benefit from his holiness and wisdom. Benedict died in 1589, having lived his entire life in Sicily.

Benedict was beatified by Pope Benedict the XIV in 1743 and was canonized by Pope Pius VII in 1807. There are St. Benedict the Moor Churches in New York, NY, Savannah and Columbus, GA, Pittsburgh, PA, Milwaukee, WI, Washington, DC, and St. Augustine, FL.

St. Benedict the Moor, whose Feast Day is April 4th, is the patron saint of African Americans.

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Photos by Mr. Keith Kemp, parishioner

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

May the Lord give you peace.

We have begun the 2023 Cardinal’s Annual Stewardship Appeal. The hope is for the Archdiocese to raise $21,000,000. Our contribution toward that goal is $73,000. Last year we surpassed our goal due to a very generous gift. It is my hope that we will be able to reach our goal for 2023.

The theme of the 2023 Appeal is rooted in Psalm 2: “Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” As I sit at my desk this afternoon, there are several migrant families seeking assistance in the rooms on the lower level and the first floor. These are folks who seek refuge in God through us. We at St. Francis are blessed to have come to know these families. Many children here have journeyed great distances to find a place of peace, hospitality, and community. One dimension of the Annual Appeal is to help address the needs of these families. We do our part here through your generosity. The Archdiocese depends on similar generosity to assist Catholic Charities.

Another source of refuge for all of us is the Word of God. This Appeal seeks to deepen the efforts of the Church to embody and preach the Gospel. Your financial assistance enables the possibility of the Church to meet the hunger for the Word throughout our Archdiocese. Again, finding refuge in the living and effective Word of God is the heart of our way of life. Please give as you are able to give. Any amount is appreciated. You can pledge an amount and give over time. You can also give online by clicking here.  (We just want to be sure that it is linked to St. Francis of Assisi!) Please consider your financial situation and determine if or what you may be able to give. Know that, if you are on the mailing list, you will get letters until you give or return that you cannot give at this time. Please pray for the success of this Appeal. I thank you for your consideration of this request. I also ask our virtual community to consider giving to this Appeal.

I am grateful for your commitment to St. Francis and grateful for your help.

Thomas M. Gallagher, ofm