Following the Mayor’s relaxing of mask mandates for public schools – we announce the following:

• Masks are now optional
• Communion is still given in the hand only
• The Precious blood is still not shared

The Winter / Spring 2022 semester of Adult Education Courses is online and registration is open.

We have an exciting line up of courses on topics ranging from Scripture, Theology, spirituality, literature, worship and art.  Some courses are are in person and some are on zoom to accommodate people’s different needs and levels of comfort at this moment.

 Click HERE to see the current courses offered.

Monday Holiday – Presidents’ Day

St. Francis Church will observe
Presidents’ Day on Monday, February 21st.

One Mass will be celebrated at 12:00 PM.

There will be no confessions, and the church offices, switchboard and St. Francis Adult Education Center will be closed for the day.

If you would like ashes mailed to you to impose on yourself this Ash Wednesday, or if you have a homebound family member, friend or neighbor who you can visit on Ash Wednesday to help them being Lent, please fill out the form below and we will mail you the ashes before Ash Wednesday.

The deadline to request ashes is: Wednesday, February 16, 2022.

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