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.

WHERE YOUR 2021 GIFT GOES:

• 48% Assistance for Financially Vulnerable Parishes
• 27% Charitable Outreach and Pastoral Support
• 10% Evangelization and Catholic Education
  5 % Formation of New Parish Priests
• 5% Care for Retired Parish Priests
• 5% COVID-19 Relief

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

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

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.

This Sunday begin the first of the three “scrutinies” that occur each year on the third, fourth and fifth Sundays of Lent when we are blessed to have catechumens in our community.

Fr. Steve Mimnaugh praying over the elect, Lent 2019

The scrutinies are three intense prayers prayed over people who are preparing for baptism in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.  During the scrutinies, the priest and the whole community pray that those seeking baptism remain strong in their conviction to follow Christ and to be ready to receive the gift of their new life filled with God’s own Spirit.

When the scrutinies are celebrated, no matter what year it is in the Church’s three year cycle of readings, we use the Gospels of cycle A.  So if you attend the 5 PM Mass at St. Francis this Sunday, you will hear the Gospel of the Woman at the Well from John’s Gospel.  Next week you will hear of the Man Born Blind, and on the 5th Sunday of Lent you will hear of the Raising of Lazarus.

While we pray especially for our Elect during the scrutinies, these prayers give us all an opportunity to reflect on our own life as followers of Jesus.  Like the woman at the well and our converts, we all thirst for Christ.  Like the man born blind, we all want to see the Savior more clearly and like Lazarus we all desire to hear the Lord call us into a fuller life with Himself.

Whether you attend the 5 PM Mass this Sunday in person or on livestream, or whether you attend a different Mass this Weekend, I invite everyone to pray for our:

Elect preparing for Baptism:  

Jason and William

and for our Candidates preparing for Confirmation and Full communion:  

Brooke, Erin, Kathleen, Mary Lou, and Xavier.

May the Lord bless them and strengthen them as the journey through Lent to the waters of Baptism and the coming of the Holy Spirit.

-Joseph Nuzzi
Director of Evangelization

Volunteers (l-r), Mafe Iladan, Greg Madrid and Loida deJesus working with Fr. Michael Reyes, OFM to set up for Taize prayer last Friday. Even during the pandemic volunteers find a safe way to keep our ministry going strong for people who come to church in person and for people who pray with us on livestream.

If you missed last Friday’s beautiful Taize prayer, you can join us this Friday every Friday during Lent at 6:30 PM in the upper church and on livestream.

The St. Francis of Assisi bookstore is open in the lobby of the St. Francis House.  The bookstore to offer religious articles and a selection of spiritual and theological books carefully chosen to provide a variety of options to help support peoples’ prayer life and theological interests.

Fr. Brian Smail, OFM, has chosen a few books especially for Lent that you may be interested in, including:

ALL SHALL BE WELL

GOD FOR US

40 DAYS WITH GOD

St. Francis Church will observe Presidents’ Day on Monday, February 15, with one Mass at 12:00 PM.
This Mass will also be live-streamed.

There will be no confessions, and the church offices will be closed for the day.

If you are looking for suggestions for a fast this Lent, why not consider some of these suggestions inspired by Pope Francis…

Due to the snow storm, the Church of St. Francis of Assisi will be closed on Monday, February 1st, and Tuesday, February 2nd.

There will be only one Mass available on livestream only at 12:00 PM each day, and there will be no confessions.

The offices are closed both days.

Stay safe and warm as we welcome sister snow.

On January 7, 2021, the six provincials from six Franciscan provinces in the US issued a letter in response to the attack on the US Capitol of January 6, 2021.

Click on the button below to read their letter.

Our Christmas poinsettias need a new home. The plants are still beautiful and thriving.  If you would like to take a plant home, they have been placed in our 32nd street entrance.  Please feel free to drop in and take a plant or two.