To Bee Or Not To Bee

That is the question.  Bees are the unsung heroes of the climate crisis.  They help plants reproduce, keep soil healthy, and are essential to our food production.  Without bees, some of our favorite foods would disappear.  Fare thee well, pizza.  Whenever you can, support your local bees and beekeepers.  Buy local honey.  Double your impact by retiring your plastic wrap and switch to beeswax wraps.  Burn beeswax candles.  They are long-burning and soot free and they emit negative ions which improve air quality by eliminating pollutants and allergens.  Beeswax is an all-natural renewable resource and that’s quite the buzz.

“O, how shall summer’s honey breath hold out” William Shakespeare

For more information about the Laudato Si Circle here at St. Francis or to share your own tip of the week, email: stfrancislaudatosi@gmail.com

Click here to go to our page on the website for St. Francis Church.

It is our custom to celebrate a Novena (nine days) of Masses on behalf of our Fathers, Grandfathers, and those who have been a father-figure to us. It is proper to remember those who have died and to honor our fathers and grandfathers who are still living. To do so, please inscribe the names you wish to be remembered below, and you can also make an offering should you choose. The Novena will begin on Father’s Day.

On Saturday, May 18^th, 40 members of our Church of St. Francis of Assisi community participated in a 2-hour walking tour of three churches affected by the tragic events of 9-11.

We began at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church.  This church was completely destroyed after the attacks on 9-11 and was completely rebuilt.  The beautiful new gem of orthodox faith is a reminder of the power of life and love that always triumphs over hatred and death.  The group enjoyed the beautiful icons of Jesus, Mary and St. Nicholas.  It is truly a church worth visiting.

From there we proceeded to the 9-11 memorial to visit Fr. Mychal Judge OFM’s name.  Fr. Mychal, who served at the Church of St. Francis of Assisi until he died that fateful day, was the first death certificate of 9-11.

The next stop on our tour was the church that survived: St. Paul’s Episcopal Chapel.  This historic church was where George Washington went to pray after he was inaugurated as the First President of the United States of America.  The Church sits very close to where the twin towers stood but was spared destruction that day.

Our tour ended at the St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church. This is the first Catholic parish in New York City.  Some of New Yorks most famous Catholics attended this church, including Bl. Pierre Toussaint and St. Frances Xavier Cabrini.  This Church was damaged on 9-11 but survived.  Fr. Mychal’s body was brought here and placed in front of the altar that day.  After the 9-11 cross emerged from the rubble during the removal of the debris, it was housed at St. Peter’s until it was moved to the 9-11 museum.  A new steal cross now stands on the spot where the original cross once stood.

This tour was hosted by our CONVERGE @St. Francis Parish Life ministry.  It was a wonderful day!  Converge organizes events for members of St. Francis which are always open to all members. Our goal is to help strengthen our bonds of community in our parish community and enjoy some of the amazing things our city has to offer.

Click HERE to see a calendar of all of CONVERGE @St. Francis’ upcoming events.

The next two events are the Botanical Gardens Tour and the Parish Picnic.

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On the Feast of Pentecost 2024 Dario Corradini, who received Confirmation at the Church of St. Francis of Assisi at Easter, gave the following witness about his experience of preparing for this sacrament in our community:

If you need to complete your sacraments of Confirmation and / or First Eucharist, or if you are interested in exploring the Catholic faith, I we are happy to assist you.  Please click here and find out more.

“I Just Wanna Say One Word To You”

“Plastics.”

Many of us remember this famous line from the 1967 film “The Graduate”. It did indeed foreshadow a booming industry but now we know that we’re shipping our plastic waste to Malaysia. Out of sight out of mind but not out of our environment and not making anything easier for anyone. The plastics industry would like you to believe that if only you would recycle properly, if you would help them, the problem would be solved. It’s a lie. Unlike glass, paper, and metal which are successfully recycled, plastic recycling does not work for many reasons and it’s not your fault. The only solution is to move beyond plastic.

When faced with the choice, choose the thing that is NOT in plastic. If you make only one adjustment in your daily life to care for our Earth, let it be this. To learn more go to https://www.beyondplastics.org/

“If it can’t be reduced, reused, repaired, rebuilt, refurbished, resold, recycled, or composted, then it should be restricted, redesigned or removed from production.” Pete
Seeger

For more information about the Laudato Si Circle here at St. Francis or to share your own tip of the week, email: stfrancislaudatosi@gmail.com

Click here to go to our page on the website for St. Francis Church.

On the Feast of Pentecost 2024 Jonathan Mendez, who received Confirmation at the Church of St. Francis of Assisi at Easter, gave the following witness about his experience of preparing for this sacrament in our community:

If you need to complete your sacraments of Confirmation and / or First Eucharist, or if you are interested in exploring the Catholic faith, I we are happy to assist you.  Please click here and find out more.