As a parish in the Archdiocese of New York, we are part of the fabric of the larger Church of New York.  We share in the benefits and the responsibilities of the ministry of our Archbishop and of the Archdiocese. The Cardinal’s Annual Stewardship Appeal is part of our financial support and part of our participation in the life of our Church outside the walls of our beloved Church of St. Francis of Assisi.

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

• $10MM Assistance for Financially Vulnerable Parishes
• $6MM Charitable Outreach and Pastoral Support
• $3MM Evangelization, Communications, and Catholic Education
• $1MM Formation of New Parish Priests
• $1MM 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 December 16, 2021, the Philippines was massively devastated by Super-typhoon Odette.  More than 600 hundred people died and many more were unaccounted.  The structural destruction caused over 5 Billion pesos (about $100 million USD) and many families were displaced.

Our sisters & brothers in the Philippines need our help!

Use the form below to make a donation to support the relief efforts or you may make a check payable to: The Church of St. Francis of Assisi with:  “Philippines relief” in the memo.

Below is a letter from Bishop Alberto Uy from the most affected diocese in the Philippines, expressing his gratitude for all assistance.

Here is a video on Facebook showing some of the devastation: https://fb.watch/alObTirmx3/

In response to the current Covid surge in New York City and surrounding areas the Church of St. Francis of Assisi is implementing the following Covid regulations for January 2022.  If your ministry or group has any questions how these affect your particular group, please contact your staff liaison.

Mass:

• Masks continue to be required at Mass and Communion continues to be only given in the hand.
• Holy Water basins remain empty.  Holy Water is available in individual bottles in the church lobby.

Confession:

• Masks must be worn in Confession and the door to the confessional will be left open for air circulation.

Ministry and Group Meetings:

All groups and ministries are asked to meet remotely for the month of January.

Exceptions:

• Self help and 12 step groups may continue to meet in person
• groups that hold liturgical celebrations (First Friday Mass, etc.) may continue to have their gathering for prayer, but social gatherings after the liturgical celebration is suspended for January
• volunteers whose work cannot be done remotely (breadline volunteers, Franciscans delivers, etc.) are not affected by this regulation

The staff is hopeful that these restrictions will only be needed for January 2022 and that normal in person activities will resume as soon as this surge starts to recede.

February 11 – 13
Loyola Retreat Center in Morristown, NJ

We are bringing back our annual St. Francis Volunteers retreat for members of our St. Francis of Assisi Community for a weekend away at the beautiful Loyola Jesuit Center in Morristown, New Jersey.  This has been a popular event and a great opportunity to get away to refresh your spirit with a weekend full of prayer, reflections, and sharing of our faith.  And it is a great way to get to know others in your church community better.

The weekend is structured around the celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours:  Night prayer on Friday, Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer on Saturday, and Morning Prayer and Mass on Sunday.  Between the times of prayer are 5 reflections on different aspects of our faith and we leave free time for individual reflection and prayer as well as time on Saturday evening for a social.

Proof of vaccination will be required to attend.

Registration will open on Sunday, January 16, 2022

Our Christmas poinsettias need a new home. The plants are still beautiful and thriving.

Beginning at the end of our 5 PM Mass on the last day of the Christmas, the feast of the Baptism of the Lord (January 9, 2022 this year) we invite you to take home a plant.

On Monday the remaining plants will be placed in our 32nd street entrance.  Please feel free to drop in and take a plant or two.

When you enter St. Francis this Sunday, or watch Mass on livestream, you’ll see that we will still have our Christmas trees up.  Some people wonder, why are the Christmas decorations still up on January 9th?

Most of us know the song the 12 days of Christmas, with its list of strange Christmas gifts (who needs eight maids-a-milking???). The traditional 12 days of Christmas counted the days from Christmas to the Epiphany, which is traditionally celebrated on January 6th, even though in some countries, like the US, it is now celebrated on a Sunday.  These 12 days were the days of the Christmas season when the mystery of the incarnation was reflected upon and celebrated by the Church.

Today the Christmas season has been expanded.  It now extends from the evening of December 24th until the Sunday after the Epiphany.  The Sunday after Epiphany is the feast of the Baptism of the Lord.  This is why our Christmas decorations are still up and we are still celebrating Christmas on January 9th.

So what unifies the Christmas season?  The liturgy during this season celebrates everything from the birth of Christ, to the visit of the Magi, to the presentation of the Lord in the temple 40 days after His birth.  But it also celebrates the Baptism of Jesus when he was 30 years old.  How do all of these episodes of Jesus life fit together?

While December 25th definitely celebrates the birth of Jesus, the Christmas season really celebrates the identity of Jesus.  It celebrates who He is.  Jesus is the incarnate Son of God.  He is Emmanuel, God with us, in the flesh.  All of the Christmas feasts point to this reality.  The angels announced him as Lord, and Christ and shepherd at his birth.  The Magi recognize this and offer him gifts honoring him as King, and God and sacrifice.  Simeon and Anna recognize and proclaim who Jesus is at his Presentation in the Temple; and at His baptism, the voice of the Father reveals that Jesus is the Son of God. That is why this event from Jesus’ adult life is celebrated in the Christmas season.

Christmas is a season of revelation and epiphany.  It gives us an opportunity to reflect on the great event of the incarnation of God in history.  The many days of Christmas allow us to immerse ourselves in the great love God has for all of us.  One day is no where near enough time to take in the reality of what Christ’s birth means.  Maybe a lifetime is not enough time to take in just how much God loves us.

So Merry Christmas, again, yes, in January.

-Joseph Nuzzi
Director of Evangelization

The Christmas flowers and wreaths which adorn our church at Christmas are offered to honor the birth of Christ and to glorify God. Thank you to everyone who donated toward our Christmas decorations.

In Memory of:

Carlina Apolinaris Acevedo
Francisco Castro Astacio
Basso Family
Alfred Lee & Catherine Bowse
The Brown Family
Anthony Carbone
Angelina Carbone
Maria Carbone Muia
Nancy Carbone & Salvatore Carbone
Robert Carter
Patricia Ann Castro
The deceased members of the Cipriani Family
The deceased members of the Colozzi and DeLuca families
Gregory Paul Conyers
Bertha & Charles Degnan
In memory of parents Frank and Giovannina DiPaolo, Aunt Nunziata DiPaolo and grandparents Felice and Maria DiPaolo
Thomas & Theresa Dolan
James + Mary Dunleavy
Anna + Michael Dunleavy, Sr.
The Dunleavy Family
Caroline M. Fagan
Joseph Fagan
Fisco Family
Anthony M Galgano Jr.
Roberto Ghan, Grace Ghan Duroy, Henry Gahan, Rosario Peralta,
Joan Dorothy Gilbride
Thomas Aquinas Gilbride
Charles Francis Gilbride
Catherine Collins Gilbride
Ruth Anne Gilbride
Edmona Glasgow
Joseph A. Gorski, Sr., Irene J. Gorski
The deceased members of the Harlan and Lediger Family
Elizabeth Healy
Billy Heuser
The deceased Members of the Huston & Staub Families
Jane R. and Charles Janiak
M. Knowles, R. Knowles, E. Friend, R. Isaacs, S. Ross, M. Kuerzi
Deceased Memembers of the Le, Kane & McCarthy Families
James Lloyd
Edward Loftus
Mary Locz
Padre Santiago Mallen, CSSR
Alice McCormack
Helen McKeon
Joan Melone
In Memory of Michael Mitchell & Helen Bloomer
William “Bill” C. Morrisey
The deceased family members of Billy & Kim Morrisey
William C. Morrisey
William C. Morrisey
Lafacadio Molina
Rev. Paul Moore, Jr.
William C. Morrissey
William Morrisey
Juan Martin Peralta, Rosita Peralta Cayab Yab, Rufina Ghan
James and Fondine Petkins
Eric A. Rivera, Sr. Jo Laurienzo, SND, Corinne Garnek
Candida Rose and Gerchow Rose
In Memory of Stephen J. & Frances M. Rosty from the Rosty Family
Anne Marie Sargusingh
Tata Luz M. Perez Santiago
Joseph Serluco
Joan Sexton
George Soresco
Jessie Q. Sotto
Starzey Family
Isabel Tarud
Maria Lourdes Tarud
Gabriel Tarud
Humberto Tarud
Ruth and Larry Thorne
Roy and Evelyn Tucker, Eileen and Larry Boyd, Mollie Powell, All those I love
Members of the Valencerina Family
Celeste Vazzana
Dorothy Wendt
Jennie + Charles Wildes, Sr.

And for the special intentions of:

Leroy Potter Alphonso
Adrienne Augustin
Rev. John Beddingfield
Fr. Michael Carnevale, Fr. John Felice, Fr. David McBriar
Uchenna Chukwujekwu
Mazda  F.
Fr. Michael Falce
Michael Gilbride
Providencia Castro Apolinaris de Gilbride
Axel Molina Family
Joan Padgett
Dorothy Waleski
Elsa Young

(*names are listed in alphabetical order by the donor’s first name)

The Bread and Wine for the Christmas Masses were donated by:

Ndidi Chukuma
Valerie Justiniano
Shirish Sivaraj

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Dear parishioners, friends and visitors:

Out of an abundance of caution and to try our best to protect everyone’s health and safety during this current surge in the virus the staff has decided to continue to require masks during Mass and we are now asking people attending in person to present proof of vaccination for the Christmas eve and Christmas Day Masses. If the virus continues to surge and if these measures seem prudent we may continue them in the future also.

There will be security at the main 31st St. entrance and at the 32nd St entrance to the church. The side doors of the church will be available for exit only.

Masks:

Masks will continue to be required for everyone regardless of vaccination status.

Masks must completely cover your nose and your mouth.

We will continue to give communion in the hand only with the communicant wearing their mask until they step aside to consume the Blessed Sacrament.

We are asking for everyone’s cooperation in this effort to protect one another especially during this Christmas season so we can stay as safe and healthy as possible as we celebrate birth of Christ.

NEW HOODIES AND SOCKS

Let’s give back this holiday season!  We are asking everyone who can to donate new hoodies and/or socks for the St. Francis Breadline guests. They will be distributed at Christmas.

Please bring a large or x-large hooded sweatshirt and/or athletic socks. These items can be placed in the boxes by the Blessed Mother and St. Joseph by Friday, December 17th. 

We thank you in advance for your generosity. 

This is our season of prayerful hope and our time of remembering.

Our solemn recall of Jesus’ birth during this time invites us to remember our sisters and brothers who we lost this past year.

For Christmas this year, we will again add doves to our Christmas trees. Each dove is a symbol of our prayer, our hope, and our remembering.

We would like each dove to bear the name of a person who died this past year. We will include one dove for those who have no one to remember them.

We invite you to send name(s) that you would like included on our tree this year.

Please submit names by December 20st.

May the peace Christ, whose birth we recall, be with you.

Fr. Tom, ofm