Dear Parishioners and Friends of St. Francis of Assisi Church,

May the Lord give you peace.

In light of the events of January 6th, I ask your prayers for the healing of our nation. The wrongful actions at our nation’s capital are reflective of the divisions we experience.  We are overwhelmed by the pain and struggle that fear has engendered.

I ask your prayers for our nation. Perhaps, we could simply reflect on the judgment scene in Matthew 25 and praying the peace prayer. Perhaps, we could reflect on how we each participate in the divisiveness. What do our words, silence, and actions say about the compassion which marks us as disciples?

I give thanks for your good judgment and your commitment to the life of the Gospel. We pray for everyone involved in today’s activity. May the peace of Christ prevail, and may we discern how best we can be the “light of the world.”

Again, please take some time for prayer. This particular event may be over, but the wound will not quickly be healed.

The friars and staff are praying with you.

Peace and all good,

Fr. Tom, ofm

We are still building a team of volunteers to help us with our livestream of the daily 12 noon and 5 PM masses and our Sunday 11:00am and 5 PM masses.  In addition we have special celebrations throughout the year, like Christmas, Holy Week, Easter and other Masses, which we want to make available to everyone via livestream.

We are also available to livestream your wedding or a funeral.

We are looking for volunteers who want to help with our media ministry team.  It is not difficult and we will train you if you are interested.  You only need to have an average comfort with computers and a basic understanding of the order of the Mass. We will train you on how to livestream even if you never have before.

This is a great way to serve the Church and meet others who are interested in this ministry.

Please consider joining our team.

Contact Edward Trochimczuk at etrochimczuk@stfrancisnyc.org for more information.

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or visit our website:  www.migrantcenterofnyinc.org

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Tel: (212) 736-8500 Ext 305/377 Email: migrantcenter@stfrancisnyc.org
www.migrantcenterofnyinc.org

During the final weeks of Advent, we have listened to John the Baptist. Like some of those hearing him for the first time, perhaps we found ourselves asking a genuine listener’s question: “What must we do to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord?” On a personal level, we may find a way to pour oil on the troubled waters of a tense and fractured relationship; to ask pardon from someone hurt by a broken promise; to soften the hardheartedness that makes it so difficult for us to offer or receive forgiveness after a quarrel. Perhaps there are injustices on a larger scale, at home or further afield, on which we should take some action. Would now be a good time to take a stand for what is right? We live in an age of increasing ecological awareness, and we recognize that our planet has suffered serious damage, caused by human exploitation of the good things of Creation. Do we need to extend our concern for the oppressed and the vulnerable and include the Earth itself? In addition, what of the pandemic? Do we realize our obligation to stay safe by following protocols recommended by the CDC and the NIH? We are not alone during this crisis. These are thoughts for listening to the Word of the Lord through the prophetic voice of John the Baptist.

by David McBriar, O.F.M.

For Christmas this year, we have added doves to our Christmas trees in the sanctuary. Each dove is a symbol of our prayer, our hope, and our remembering.

Some doves bear the names of people who are suffering from this pandemic: Those who have died from the virus, those struggling with the virus right now, and those who are out of work due to the economic impact of the pandemic.

Other doves bear the names of the humble heroes who continue to put themselves in harms way to make sure the rest of us are OK during this difficult time:  medical personnel, first responders and essential workers.

Here are the names submitted by members of our community to be remembered:

Angie Edwards
Gloria Gannon
Norma Ordonezp
Angel Julbe
Maria Mercado
Joan Melone
Andre Solomon
Mark Broadway
Louise Hansen-williams
Gloria Gannon
Andrea Zeluck
George W Hunkele
Daniel Lynch
Nery
Bronislawa
Teresa E Frees
Adam Brenner
Fabienne Krotkine
Nurses of The Cleveland Clinic
Shilpa Shah
Andrew
Ramonita Ramos
Mary Kunert
Diane Deverau Long
Andrea Figueroa
Pauline
James Schmittlrr
Michael Reilly
John Kunert
Victor Morales
Asterio Martin
Walter
Cherie La Pelusa
Dr Costanza

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
Dennis and Kathy Borecki
Brown Family
Robert Carter
Bertha and Charles Degnan
Deceased members of the Diaz family
Thomas and Theresa Dolan
Mary Dunleavy
James Dunleavy
Michael Dunleavy, Sr.
Anna Dunleavy
Dunleavy Family
Caroline M. Fagan
Deceased members of the Fisco Family
Deceased members of the Foley Byrne and Quirke Walsh Families & Poor Souls of all times
Thomas Aquinas Gilbride
Joan Dorothy Gilbride
Ruth Anne Gilbride
Peter and Ferdynand Hanusek
Edward and Cecila Harlan
Liz Healy
Billy Heuser
Jane R. and Charles Janiak
Lizurej and Kolej Family
Ania Lozowska
Padre Santiago Mallen, CSSR
May Kathleen Mark
Richard Mark
Helen McKeon
Joan Melone
Lafcadio Molina
Rt. Rev. Paul Moore, Jr.
Bill and Morgan
Giti Neuman
George Lee Rexing
Victoria, Owen and Donovan Robertson
George Soresco
Paul Starzey
Anne Taylor
Kenneth Taylor
Suzanne Veljovic
Dorothy Wendt
Charles Wildes, Sr.
Jennie Wildes

And for the Special Intentions of:

Providencia Castro Apolinaris Gilbride
Michael Thomas Gilbride

The Bread and Wine for the Christmas Masses was donated in memory of:

Robert Carter

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Even in a pandemic, we can celebrate the birth of Christ.

We might not be able to be with all of our loved ones in person this year, but we can be together in the spirit.  And whether you come to visit the church in person, or you join us on our livestream, we will still prepare the sanctuary to celebrate Christ’s birth. The Christmas trees, the wreaths and the poinsettias will again adorn our sanctuary this Christmas.  We offer them to honor the birth of Christ and to glorify God.

It is also a way to remember your loved ones and share the beauty of the season with the whole community.  We invite you to memorialize members of your family, friends or other loved ones with a donation for our Christmas decorations. Donations and the names of those received by December 18th will posted on our parish website for Christmas.

The Church of St. Francis of Assisi was temporarily closed to protect everyone after we discovered a potential exposure to Covid-19.  We have good news to report:  all the friars have tested negative and we are free to re-open our doors.

Confessions will begin again at 11:00 AM on Monday December 14th in the lower church and in person Mass will resume also on Monday, December 14th at 12:00 PM in the upper church.

See our special schedule due to the Coronavirus at the links below:

CURRENT MASS SCHEDULE                                       CURRENT CONFESSION SCHEDULE

Original Post of 12/9/2020:

Dear Parishioners and Friends of St. Francis of Assisi Church,

May the Lord give you peace.

One of our staff members has tested positive for the Coronavirus. The friars are going to quarantine until after all of us have been tested. At this point, the friars are all healthy.

For the safety of all, we will suspend public services.

I will update you on Monday, 12/14.

Until then:

• The upper church is closed.   
• The daily 12:00 PM and 5:00 PM masses and the Saturday 4:00 PM, Sunday 11:00 AM, and 5:00 PM will be live-streamed only. They will not be open for congregations.
  
• We will live stream Vespers for Monday 12/14 at 5:45 PM.  
• Confessions are suspended as well.   
• The Lower Church will be open for private prayer from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday.   

I regret the inconvenience and hope to be back on schedule soon. Please continue to pray for all who are sick with the virus, for those who have died, those who mourn, for caregivers, medical personnel, and all essential workers.

Blessings,

-Fr. Tom, ofm

Dear Parishioners and Friends of St. Francis of Assisi Church,

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