November 1, 2018

The Friars of Thirty-First Street, Part 3 – The Second Pastor

Fr. Zachary Kunz, the first pastor of St. Francis of Assisi, was succeeded by an equally energetic missionary friar, Fr. Alexander Martin of the Province of Saint Leopold in Tyrol, Austria. At the time of his ordination, he had desired to be sent to America as a missionary, but his superiors sent him to the Holy Land as a German-speaking confessor. Eventually he received permission to go to Cincinnati as a missionary to work among the German immigrants. He arrived in Cincinnati in 1846, but due to a conflict between his superior and the local bishop, Fr. Alexander went to serve as pastor of Holy Trinity Church in Boston for two years. In a letter to his provincial minister, Fr. Alexander explained that he left Boston for New York because of the problems inflicted upon him by the Freemasons of Boston.

Fr. Alexander heard about the parish left vacant by Fr. Zachary’s death and that church authorities were considering entrust- ing the parish to the Franciscans. Fr. Alexander thought it was ideal for a Franciscan mission church, and that if it were given over to the friars, he would contact his superiors about the details of the transaction In his letter, he added, “If the transaction does not come to pass, which is possible because of the fickle and peculiar mentality of this country, I have another offer from a bishop in the northwestern missions.”

Fr. Alexander was assigned as pastor of Saint Francis Church and he served the people for ten years. It is evident that he had a great deal of trouble with his Tyrolian superiors but none of his contemporaries ever doubted his dedication to the people and his work ethic. During a fierce epidemic of cholera, Fr. Alexander worked night and day caring for the sick, and it almost cost him his life. On one occasion, Father James R. Bayley, later Archbishop of Baltimore, called on him and found him collapsed with exhaustion because of his work among the cholera victims.

In 1853 Fr. Alexander enlarged and renovated the church and built a small rectory next door. Archbishop Hughes rededicated the renovated St. Francis Church in the spring of 1853, and preached the sermon. His final words were truly prophetic:

“Let this day be the commencement of a long period in which religion will prosper in this church – in which piety will be extended – in which the old and the young will al blend together harmoniously their voices of gratitude and their voices of prayer towards God who has favored their undertaking and this day crowned with success.”

This is the third in a series of articles on the history of our parish which will be published throughout our 175th anniversary year. They are adapted from the writings of Fr. Flavian Walsh, O.F.M., Pastor from 1985-87.

jnuzzi
November 1, 2018

The Franciscan Challenge: Q & A’s

Who lives in Holy Name Province?

There are 325 Franciscan Friars in Holy Name Province serving the people of God in a wide variety of settings – colleges, parishes, urban ministry centers and diverse social ministries along the East Coast. Today we continue the mission of Saint Francis to make the Gospel message come alive in our contemporary world. We live in cities, suburbs and rural areas. Our backgrounds are diverse and our ministries are varied; most of us serve in pastoral roles, while others work in education, social ministry, administration and manual trades.

What is the mission of the Franciscan Friars of Holy Name Province?

The core of the Franciscan charism is in the living out of the Gospel of Jesus Christ within the Church according to the rule of life proposed and observed by Saint Francis of Assisi to preach this message to every creature. This is our purpose and mission.

Our message is very simple: God loves each of us totally and unconditionally.

What makes the Franciscan Friars different?

The Franciscan Friars have always been thought of as “of
the people and with the people”. Living in community is a core value and often helps the Friars to put things in a more “down to earth” perspective. The Friars never see themselves as better than anyone, and therefore they are not usually judgmental and are very accepting of everyone, those who are in the faith community and those who are not.

All Are Welcome is the core of Franciscan hospitality.

jnuzzi
November 1, 2018

Gaudete et Exsultate: Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Francis – Chapter 1: The Call to Holiness

I [Pope Francis] like to contemplate the holiness present in the patience of God’s people: in those parents who raise their children with immense love, in those men and women who work hard to support their families, in the sick, in elderly religious who never lose their smile. In their daily perseverance I see the holiness of the church militant.

Very often it is a holiness found in our next-door neighbor, those who, living in our midst, reflect God’s presence. We might call them ‘the middle class of holiness.”

Let us be spurred on by the signs of holiness that the Lord shows us through the humblest members of (God’s) people… Holiness is the most attractive face of the church. But even out- side the Catholic Church, and in very different contexts, the Holy Spirit raises up “signs of his presence that help Christ’s followers.”

jnuzzi
November 1, 2018

The Pastor’s Corner – November 4, 2018

Every Jewish person would know the answer to the question that the scribes asked Jesus in today’s Gospel from St. Mark. They had reminders of the importance of the commandments every day; they prayed it every day; they taught it to their children every day. It was so important to them that repeating it reinforced its importance. We too know how important is love of God, love of neighbor and love of self. This is a lifelong task, but a loving one because God is good and we are all created in God’s image and likeness.

It takes us a while to understand God and it takes even longer to understand ourselves and our relationships with our neighbors. We want to have a strong love for God. It is not that easy when it comes to human beings, but the challenge is there. One fact that is important and helpful to us is that we cannot love every person the same – we are closer to some people than to others and it is easier to love some individuals than others. As we struggle to fulfill this commandment, Jesus says, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”

This Monday, November 5, I will be departing on our annual pilgrimage with 44 people. We will fly to London and then on to Warsaw, Poland. We will also visit Czestochowa, Wadowice, Krakow, and Auschwitz. We then travel to Budapest, Hungary and then Vienna, and finally Prague. I will particularly enjoy Austria and the Czech Republic where my mother’s parents came from. This will be my first time in Poland. Please pray for a safe pilgrim- age for us!

Tuesday, November 6: Don’t forget to vote! I already cast my absentee ballot. It is a privilege and a duty for each us.

– Fr. Andrew Reitz, O.F.M.

 

jnuzzi
October 25, 2018

Stewarship: Collections for September 2018

Below is a table comparing August 2017 collections to our current July 2018 collections.

As you can see our collections fell short of 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.

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.

Thank you to all of you who are already doing your part.

jnuzzi
October 25, 2018

The Friars of Thirty-First Street, Part 2: The First Church

Fr. Zachary Kunz, heartsick over the divisions, and concerned about the welfare of the peaceful members of his parish, asked the bishop for permission to establish a new parish. The bishop consented to dividing the parish lines, and Fr. Zachary began his plans for a new parish church on West 31st Street between 6th and 7th Avenues. Details are meager, but the Metropolitan Catholic Almanac for 1845, the forerunner of the Official Catholic Directory, states the name of the church and the pastor. Fr. Zachary chose for his patron the man of peace, Saint Francis of Assisi.

The cornerstone of a new church was blessed and laid on May 9, 1844 by the Coadjutor Bishop of New York, the Most Reverend John McCloskey. In a very short time the church was completed, and on August 1, 1844, the future Cardinal Archbishop of New York, Bishop McCloskey, dedicated Saint Francis of Assisi Church on West 31st Street.

There were two rooms in the basement of the small church. Fr. Zachary lived in one of the rooms, and in the other he opened his parish school, for among the German immigrants there was an unwritten law that there must be a school wherever there is a church. A document in the original cornerstone shows that Peter Jeny was the first teacher of this new school which eventually grew into a center of primary education for the boys and girls of the parish.

The simple rite of blessing church bells indicates the existence of a vibrant Secular Franciscan presence in the parish as well as the potential growth of the parish since more than 100 children were confirmed by Bishop Hughes the day after he blessed the church bell on September 16, 1847. Saint Francis Church was the third Catholic church in New York City to boast of church bells, and the second to sound the Angelus three times a day.

Fr. Zachary died very suddenly in 1848. A Sunday picnic had been planned for the parish, and when the very prompt Fr. Zachary did not appear for Sunday Mass, some of the people went to his little room where they found him dead, the victim of a stroke. His sudden death deprived the people of a very capable and zealous missionary pastor.

This is the second in a series of articles on the history of our parish which will be published throughout our 175th anniversary year. They are adapted from the writings of Fr. Flavian Walsh, O.F.M., Pastor from 1985-87.

 

jnuzzi
October 25, 2018

Gaudete et Exsultate: Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Francis – Chapter 1: The Call to Holiness

The Holy Spirit bestows holiness in abundance among God’s holy and faithful people. “It has pleased God to make men and women holy and to save them, not as individuals without any bond between them, but rather as a people who might acknowledge him in truth and serve him in holiness.”

In salvation history, the Lord saved one people. We are never completely ourselves unless we belong to a people. That is why no one is saved alone as an isolated individual. Rather, God draws us to himself, taking into account the complete fabric of interpersonal relationships present in a human community. God wanted to enter into the life and history of a people.

 

jnuzzi
October 25, 2018

Book Review: What Happens at Mass

Recently, our Young Adult Ministry went on a weekend retreat to Mt. Alvernia Retreat Center in Wappingers Falls, New York. While preparing for the retreat, some of our young adults asked that we spend time on the retreat helping them understand the Mass. As a result, the whole retreat was devoted to taking various parts of the Mass and explaining how they relate to our lives.

The book What Happens at Mass was given to the retreatants so that they could follow up afterwards. It was further suggested that there be a “What Happens at Mass” discussion group here to delve into this book even more deeply and so that participants thoroughly understand the richness of the Mass.

In the introduction to the book, Jeremy Driscoll, O.S.B., explains that “Mass is a ritual… Mass is about love… Mass… is an encounter.”

Even though a person may have gone to Mass for years, this book can deepen your appreciation of this “encounter” with the living God, and deepen your awareness of God’s continuing presence in your life.

The book is available in the lobby of the Parish House.

jnuzzi
October 25, 2018

The Pastor’s Corner – October 28, 2018

In today’s Gospel, Jesus says to the blind man: “Go your way, your faith has saved you.” This blind man, Bartimaeus, had not only been blind, but in those days he had to resort to begging. His whole life must have been frustrating until he encountered Jesus, who not only cures him, but the Gospel says that “he received his sight and followed [Jesus] on the way.”

Our faith can help us “see” the Lord’s presence in our lives and in the world. We see and hear a lot in our daily lives and much of
it is not positive. In today’s world, we need to learn how to see better and to hear better. I believe that it is a good habit to restrict ourselves on how much of the media we expose ourselves to. Much of what we see and hear does not have a positive effect on us but confuses us or has a negative effect on us. We need to know what is happening in the world so that we can act appropriately as Christians, but the media can saturate us until we cannot see and hear clearly. Did you ever consider “fasting” from your daily consumption of the media?

November begins this week with the celebration of All Saints, followed by our remembrance of our deceased loved ones. We will have our regular Mass schedules for both days. On Friday evening at 7:00 PM we have our annual Our Souls’ Mass where our loved ones who died this past year are remembered. There is a mention of their names and a candle lighting ceremony. If you lost someone during the past year, you are invited to this special Eucharist.

 

jnuzzi
October 18, 2018

The Friars of Thirty-First Street, Part 1 – New Beginnings

The Church of St. Francis of Assisi on West 31st Street in New YorkCity stands as a living memorial of the missionary vanguard of Franciscan friars from Europe who sailed to New York to care for the spiritual needs of the immigrants of the mid-19th century. Saint Francis Church and Friary have been intimately related to the birth and growth of both the Custody of the Immaculate Conception and the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, and the names of the friars who have labored faithfully and generously for the past 175 years in the spiritual oasis of the Big Apple are countless.

In the 1840’s, the West Side of New York City between 23rd Street and Times Square was a pleasant residential community of some 400 residents living along the Hudson River in the area known as Bloomingdale. Trees lined the streets and farms, and country estates dotted the lovely landscape. Many of the inhabitants were staunch Germans from Prussia, Bavaria, Bohemia, Austria, and Hungary. A large number of them were Catholics, who, if they wished to hear the word of God in their own language, had to trek to Saint Nicholas Church on East 2nd Street.

Early in 1840, the first Pastor of St. Nicholas Church, Father John S. Raffeiner, laid the cornerstone of a small frame church on West 30th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues. The little church remained a mission of St. Nicholas parish until September 14, 1840 when a Hungarian Franciscan became its first Pastor. In the first baptismal register the friar identified himself as the “Reverend Zacharias Kung, O.S.F. Ref., of the Province of Our Lady of Hungary, a priest and missionary.”

Fr. Zachary Kunz had come to America with a few of his confreres at the urgent request of some American bishops who were concerned about the spiritual care of the newly arrived immigrants. He found his parishioners scattered along the banks of the Hudson River between 24th and 40th Streets. Six days after his arrival – on September 20, 1840 – the little church was dedicated and named in honor of St. John the Baptist. However, his pastorate was brief and stormy. Trusteeism, which was raising havoc in many parts of New York, quickly put an end to his missionary efforts. The rebellious conduct of the trustees reached such outrageous proportions that Bishop John Hughes felt obliged to place the church under interdict. The little church remained closed until 1845.

Fr. Zachary, heartsick over the divisions, and concerned about the welfare of the peaceful members of his parish, asked the bishop for permission to establish a new parish. The bishop consented to dividing the parish lines, and Fr. Zachary began his plans for a new parish church on West 31st Street between 6th and 7th Avenues.

This is the first in a series of articles on the history of our parish which will be published throughout our 175th anniversary year. They are adapted from the writings of Fr. Flavian Walsh, O.F.M., Pastor from 1985-87.

jnuzzi
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