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

Dear Community and Friends of the Church of St. Francis of Assisi, May the Lord give you peace.

I hope you had great celebrations for the Fourth of July. Summer is upon us; perhaps you will have time to get away. It is good to take a break from our regular routines. With the longer days and good weather, get together with family and friends. Enjoy some time alone.

We also welcome many tourists and visitors during the summer months. Thank you for your hospitality. The energy and beauty of this community invite people to be at home and marvel at the opportunity to pray with such a dynamic church.

The Prophet Zechariah speaks of a time of peace. This is a message his hearers longed for. The gift of peace and the end of war was the dream of a people who had known struggle. Like the first hearers of this message, we, too, long for peace. This is a message of hope for us all.

Paul’s letter to the Romans invites us to recognize the grace of God’s Spirit freely and generously given to us. Through the Spirit, we belong to Christ; we are sharers in God. Paul invites his hearers to be faithful to the gift of God, to allow their lives and their vision of the world to be shaped by the breath of God, the Spirit. The Spirit calls us to compassionately just relationships with one another. The Spirit recognizes God’s presence in the stranger. One of Edward Schillebeeckx, OP’s great images is of Jesus’ message and engagement with the poor and disenfranchised “without forgetting the others.” All are invited to this experience of God’s presence.

The message of the Gospel is for all. In the Gospel this week, Jesus praises God for making the message and mission simple. The revelation is welcomed by the childlike. We sometimes make a project out of the simple call to love. Then Jesus invites us to be yoked with him in the mission of affirming God’s love. We are indeed blessed to share in God through the Spirit and to share in the mission of the Gospel with Jesus.

Please continue to pray and embody peace. This is our gift to the church and to the world.

Finally, I thank you for your continued financial support of the Church of St. Francis of Assisi. We are struggling as we come out of the experience of COVID, and your generosity makes a huge difference. Thank you.

Peace and all good,

Fr. Tom, ofm

Starting Monday, July 3 we will celebrate the 12:00 PM and 5:30 PM daily Masses, Monday through Friday, in the lower church.  The daily Mass will return to the upper church after Labor Day.  The Saturday and Sunday Masses are not affected by this move.

We do each year in the summer to keep the air conditioning off in the upper church Monday through Friday. By only turning on the air conditioning in the upper church on weekends, we are able to be better stewards of creation and parish funds.  This saves us tens of thousands of dollars each summer in electric bills.   The lower church is much less costly to keep cool.

For those who come in person we hope you enjoy the change of venue and the intimacy that the lower church offers since it is a smaller worship space.

Those of you who join us vitally on livestream will notice a slight difference in quality as we only have one camera in the lower church.  The upper church has three cameras and better sound integration which allows for a better livestream experience of Mass.  You will be able to see and hear the Mass however. We thank you for your patience. We hope you understand that this small sacrifice is part of our efforts to responsible with our energy consumption and for the greater good.

Thank you.

The friars and staff wish everyone a happy and safe Independence Day!

Holiday Schedule for Tuesday, July 4, 2023:

Mass:  12 Noon

There are no confessions; the church offices and the St. Francis Adult Education Center will be closed.

Our regular schedule is in effect for Monday, July 3rd and Tuesday, July 5th.

Below are photos of our United in Love Pre-Pride Festive Mass and rooftop BBQ which took place Saturday, June 24, 2023 at our regular 4:00 PM Saturday Mass.  It was a wonderful celebration of our community and our faith that God calls all people and everyone is welcome in the Father’s house.  Thank you to our LGBT+ Ministry for hosting the festivities and to all of our volunteers who helped make the day a wonderful celebration.  A special thank you to Keith Kemp for taking the photos.

A note on why this day is important:

In the Gospel of St. John, at the last supper the Lord prayed to the father that his flock “might be one” as He and the Father are one (Jn 17:21). Yet, sadly, some members of the Church are made to feel by other members that they don’t belong, or that they are not welcome.  This has happened to divorced Catholics, it has happened to people who disagree with the church’s teaching on birth control and it happens to LGBT people.

Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Catholics have recently been particularly singled out for vitriolic, uncharitable, and frankly, unchristian, attacks by some members of the Church.   In one photo you will see a small protest which took place outside of the Church of St. Francis of Assisi before and during our Mass which underscores this point.  This attitude is completely against the teaching of the Church and does not bear witness to Christ who said “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another just as I have loved you.  By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (Jn 22:34-35)

At the Church of St. Francis we try to combat this hatred and division with love and inclusion.  We strive to build a community that is welcoming to all people. Love, unity and inclusion are values we cherish and they are rooted in our faith in Christ and His teachings.

Our United in Love Pre-Pride Mass is not only attended by members of our LGBT+ ministry.  This is a community event and all members of our parish who are committed to proclaiming our faith that God loves all people celebrate this love of God for God’s children in all of our glorious diversity.

If you didn’t make it this year, join us next year on the Saturday afternoon before NYC’s annual Pride celebration.

-Joseph Nuzzi, Director of Evangelization

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Photos by Keith Kemp, all rights reserved.

Dear Community and Friends of the Church of St. Francis of Assisi, May the Lord give you peace.

I thank everyone who participated in the Pre-Pride mass last weekend. It was a great celebration of the Lord’s love for all. Special thanks to the musicians, dancer, lectors, Ministers of the Eucharist, and Ministers of Hospitality. The participation was beautiful. We are indeed blessed by the richness of our community.

We have been asked to raise $73,000.00 for the Cardinal’s Annual Stewardship Appeal. We have pledged $40,000.00 to date. Please consider your means and be as generous as you are able. This appeal supports Catholic Charities and the Gospel’s mission in the Archdiocese.

Last week we hosted a Job Fair. Thank you, Fr. Julian, and all who made this possible. The line outside of San Damiano Hall was amazing. I hope that the folks seeking employment will be successful. I met with a man last Sunday who is struggling to find work. He has moved from city to city and has been unsuccessful in finding anything. Please keep all who are seeking employment in your prayers.

The Gospel this weekend reminds us of our care for the homeless and all who are in need. The Lord recognizes as blessed all who gives even a cup of cold water to someone who is thirsty. In recognizing the humanity of the person, we receive Christ. As surely as we receive the Lord in the Eucharist, we receive him in the person who is in need. We are blessed indeed.

I visited St. Petersburg last week and met with the friars there. Frs. Jerome Massimino, Joseph Hertel, Anthony Carrozzo, Kevin Tortorelli, and Vincent Laviano send their best. I do not yet have a departure date. I thank you for this short time that I have been with you. You have blessed my life.

Peace and all Good,

Fr. Tom, ofm

Dear Community and Friends of the Church of St. Francis of Assisi, May the Lord give you peace.

Months ago, as we reflected on our conversations regarding the Synod and then read the report, we noticed that concern for the LGBTQ community was clearly expressed. Our community raised the concern and was affirmed to see it in the Report from Pope Francis.

This Saturday at 4:00 PM, we host our annual Pre-Pride Mass. This inclusive celebration precedes the Pride celebrations in the city. We are blessed to be home to many LGBTQ members. Last week’s New York Times noted that we, together with the Jesuits of St. Francis Xavier and the Paulist Fathers at St. Paul’s, recognize the grace of the Body of Christ that is welcoming and affirming of God’s many gifts. Please join us in this celebration. We are indeed blessed by all who pass through our doors.

It is always interesting to consider the Gospels after we have been immersed in the Easter/Pentecost experience. In Matthew’s Gospel today, we hear Jesus proclaim that he will deny anyone who denies him. And then we remember Peter, who denied Jesus on the eve of his death, and then Peter is charged to continue the mission. Paul’s letter this weekend says, “But the gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one, the many died, how much more did the grace of God and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ overflow for the many.”

God’s grace transforms us all. The gift of Jesus is reconciliation and healing for all. In his resurrection, Jesus affirms God’s love. There is no condemnation. He offers healing and a charge to continue the mission of proclaiming the Gospel. It is all the more pressing that having been reconciled or, as Paul noted last week, justified, we deepen our commitment to discipleship.

As I write this, I am in Florida getting acquainted with the ministry here and the many people who help to support our senior friars. It is hot! I will keep you posted on the timeline for the arrival of Fr. Joe and my departure. It has been a privilege to have had this short time with you. I thank you.

Blessings and peace,

Fr. Tom, ofm

In recognition of the Juneteenth holiday and in memory of the end of legalized slavery in the US on June 19, 1865 the Church of St. Francis of Assisi will be closed on Monday, June 19, 2023.

There will be only one Mass at 12:00 PM.

There will be no confessions, and the church offices and the Adult Education center are closed for the day.

Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants thereof Lev. XXV X

(inscription adorning the Liberty Bell quoting Leviticus 25:10)