News - Saint Francis of Assisi

Preparation for the Sacraments continues at St. Francis despite Coronavirus

The coronavirus is not keeping our Elect and Candidates for Confirmation from preparing to receive the sacraments this year. The RCIA ministry is still going strong. To do our part for the common good we too are staying home.

Our RCIA community is physically apart but we are virtually together, and more importantly, together in spirit. Our candidates continue to meet at our regular time on Tuesday evenings with Joseph Nuzzi, our Director of Evangelization, and with the RCIA Ministry team. We follow the same format we would in class, with prayer, lecture, small group discussions and large group discussion.

On Sunday we continue to meet online for the Breaking Open of the Word where we study and discuss the Sunday scripture readings together. The ministry team and the candidates are committed to continuing their formation and preparation to celebrate the sacraments at Easter.

Please continue to pray for those preparing for Baptism, Confirmation and First Eucharist.

Coronavirus impact on St. Francis updates

updated November 27, 2021

At the Church of St. Francis of Assisi we continue to ask parishioners and visitors to wear a mask at Mass and in other parish buildings for the continued safety of everyone. We are continuing to distribute Communion only in the hand. Please keep your mask on as you come forward for Communion. We have not yet filled the Holy Water recepticals in the church but Holy Water is available in the church lobby.

updated Monday, March 23, 2020

A message to our Parishioners and Friends:

On Saturday, March 14, 2020 the Archdiocese of New York suspended all Masses in the Archdiocese of New York in response to the Coronavirus. As a parish of the Archdiocese, we are suspending all of our Masses after the 5:15 PM Vigil Mass today, Saturday, March 14th.

Confessions are also suspended for the time being.

These measures are being taken because we must all do our part to slow the spread of the virus. This will help to protect the most vulnerable among us who may be susceptible to complications from the virus and it is a sign of love and support for all of our medical professionals who continue to work and sacrifice on behalf of all of us.

We invite everyone to follow the sacred liturgy online. We also invite everyone during this season of Lent to pray for those who are ill, to pray for our medical professionals, and to pray for those who are economically impacted by the interruptions we are experiencing right now.

The Church of St. Francis of Assisi is closed for private prayer as of Sunday, March 22, 2020 in compliance with more stringent directives from civil authorities.
Please know that the Friars are praying for all of our parishioners and visitors at our daily Mass, our morning and evening prayers. We thank all of you for doing your part for the common good by staying home to curb the spread of this virus. Please join your prayers at home to ours for our community, for our city, or nation and our world.

Changes in the Adult Education Center:

ALL classes, programs, talks and 12 step / self-help groups are suspended due to concerns related to the coronavirus. This includes all the Lenten Afternoon of Prayer.

Pardon and Peace, Lenten Reconciliation Service is cancelled.

This is a very fluid situation and things could change quickly, so we ask you to check back here often for more possible changes.

We are encouraged by your cooperation in these changes, and are grateful for your ongoing financial support as pull together during this time of uncertainty.

Let us continue to pray for those who are suffering from illness, as well as those who are working to care for the sick.

The Church Responds to the Coronavirus

The Archdiocese of New York and other dioceses throughout the United States have implemented precautions in response to the spread of the Coronavirus, urging that we should prepare for its spread in communities across the country. These are the guidelines that are given by archdioceses and dioceses:

Washing our hands thoroughly, not coughing near one another and not touching our mouth, nose or eyes without first washing them are the simplest and most effective ways to prevent the spread of disease.
We will not be offering the Blood of Christ from the cup until further notice.
Parishioners are strongly encouraged to receive Communion in the hand to prevent saliva from possibly touching the minister’s fingers and being passed onto the next person. This happens very frequently.
The sign of peace will be given by waving, bowing, a nod of the head. We recommend no physical touching.
Those who have symptoms such as coughing, a runny nose or feeling unwell are asked to stay home from Mass. Missing Mass when you are sick is not a sin; coming to Mass when you are sick is a sin. You may be spreading your illness to others.
Please sanitize your hands before coming to Mass. All priests and Eucharistic ministers already wash their hands before Mass.

We will observe these precautions during until further notice. We offer prayers for those have come down with this virus, for health care personnel, and for those working to find an antivirus.

Stewardship: Collections for February 2020

Below is a table comparing February 2019 collections to our current February 2020 collections.

Our collections are up from last year, which is great, but as you can we are still not making our budget.

We need everyone to do their part to keep St. Francis on firm financial ground. The best way to use this is to make your offering using our online giving system. We want to thank everyone who supports the Church of St. Francis throughout the year. Our income comes only from our members and visitors who financially support our community. Click here to read some FAQ’s about our finances.

You can sign up for online giving HERE.

We ask all of our members and visitors to offer the equivalent of ONE HOUR of their weekly salary per week to support the mission of the church. This comes to a tithe of 2.5%

Remember your loved ones with a gift of flowers at Easter

The flowers and plants that will decorate our church at Easter are a sign of our joy in the Resurrection of Christ and our hope in the resurrection of those who have gone before us.

We invite you to remember deceased members of your family and friends with a donation for our Easter decorations.

Please fill out this form and return it with your offering to the reception desk.

The names of those received by Friday, April 3 will be included in the Easter bulletin of April 12.

You can also offer an Easter Flower Memorial donations online HERE.

Please print clearly.

In Memory of: _______________________________________

From: _______________________________________

Address: _______________________________________

_______________________________________

Email (phone no. if no email) _______________________________________

Donation: ___$20 ___$50 ___$100. Other:_______

Querida Amazonia: Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Francis – 1

The following is from the Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Francis following the recent synod on the Amazon. These are the Holy Father’s Four Dreams for the Amazon region.

• I dream of an Amazon region that fights for the rights of the poor, the original peoples and the least of our brothers and sisters, where their voices can be heard and their dignity advanced.

• I dream of an Amazon region that can preserve its distinctive cultural riches, where the beauty of our humanity shines forth in so many varied ways.

• I dream of an Amazon region that can jealously preserve its overwhelming natural beauty and the superabundant life teeming in its rivers and forests.

• I dream of Christian communities capable of generous commitment, incarnate in the Amazon region, and giving the church new faces with Amazonian features.

The Pastor’s Corner – Sunday March 15, 2020

On this Third Sunday of Lent we hear about Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan. It is odd that he would meet this woman at the well at noon because the typical time to draw water was in the morning. Jesus acts in his usual manner by engaging the woman in conversation. She is shocked that he is talking to her– a woman, a Samaritan, and in public. Jesus discovers much about her and her broken life. The conversation seems to heal her and she ends up going back to town telling the people that she may have found “the Christ.” Jesus certainly shows us the way to deal with others – non-judgmental and accepting.

We have begun certain measures to protect ourselves from the spread of the coronavirus. While they may disturb our usual pattern of life in church, they are necessary. There is no holy water in the fonts. No handshake at the sign of peace. The Precious Blood is not given. Some are disturbed by taking Communion in the hand. This was the way that Christians received Communion for centuries. When Communion is given on the tongue, frequently it is difficult to put the Host on a person’s tongue and the minister ends up with saliva on the fingers which then is given to the next person when they receive Communion. We are called to protect ourselves and others. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.

-Fr. Andrew Reitz, O.F.M.

Open Wide Our Hearts, A Pastoral Letter on Racism from the United States Catholic Bishops 22

Almost 30 years ago, John Paul II reminded us just what is at stake. Each person “is called to a fullness of life which far exceeds the dimensions of his earthly existence, because it consists in sharing the very life of God. The loftiness of this supernatural vocation reveals the greatness and the inestimable value of human life.”

We are all called to that great life, to the communion of heaven where “a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people and tongue [stand] before the throne and before the Lamb.” That Lamb, showed us that the very life of God is love, and love requires something of each of us. We pray that the reader will join us in striving for the end of racism in all its forms, that we may walk together humbly with God and with all of our brothers and sisters in a renewed unity.

For there is no place for racism in the hearts of any person; it is the perversion of the Lord’s will for men and women, all of whom were made in God’s image and likeness.

(to be continued)

The Pastor’s Corner – Sunday March 8, 2020

The scene described in today’s Gospel is amazing. Not only is Jesus transfigured before Peter, James and John, but Moses and Elijah appear alongside Jesus. It is no wonder that they want to stay on the mountain. Ordinary, daily life is not that captivating, but sometimes you need moments such as these to carry you through days that might be challenging. The problem is that we don’t have that mountain and will probably never have an experience such as the one described; however, when we slow down and when we focus on God’s presence in our world, we may have something similar. Meditation and contemplation are two ways that any Christian can have a deeper experience of God. This may not be easy, but Lent presents the opportunity for us to be “transfigured.”

In response to the Coronavirus, please see the advice posted online and in the bulletin for steps we are taking at St. Francis of Assisi to help prevent the spread of this virus. We are concerned by what we hear and read, so we need to take some steps locally. We will try these practices for the time being and then evaluate the need to continue them. We ask for your cooperation in observing them. If you are sick, stay home – it is not a sin. Coming to Mass and spreading your illness is a sin. We don’t know what is going to happen here in the United States, but we must be cautious.

-Fr. Andrew Reitz, O.F.M.

Second Annual St. Francis Volunteer Retreat

This past February 7-9, 2020, marked the 2nd Annual Retreat for Volunteers and Ministers at St. Francis of Assisi. Thirty-three members of our parish, including the RCIA team, hospitality ministers, lectors, eucharistic ministers, and other St. Francis volunteers met at the Loyola Jesuit Center in Morristown, N.J. for a weekend of prayer and community. Our pastor, Fr. Andrew Reitz, O.F.M., and Joseph Nuzzi, Director of Evangelization, led the event, along with Meredith Augustin, Director of Music Ministries, and Ed Trochimczuk, Director of Volunteer Ministry.

The program was structured around the celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours with Night Prayer on Friday, Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer on Saturday, and Morning Prayer and Mass on Sunday. Inspired by St. Augustine’s writings, the weekend’s theme of “Restless Hearts” asked those in attendance to reflect on the ways we can strengthen our faith in a materialistic world. Participants shared in small groups how their faith informs their lives and guides their relationships. Special thanks to volunteer Jennifer Wiler, who helped organize the event, and to all those who attended.