Annual Korean Community Concert
The Annual Love Concert by the St. Francis Korean Community
Sunday, December 5, 2022 • 2:00 – 4:00 PM
Tickets $20 at the reception desk
The Annual Love Concert by the St. Francis Korean Community
Sunday, December 5, 2022 • 2:00 – 4:00 PM
Tickets $20 at the reception desk
Our Advent Day of Reflection this year will be led by author Dr. Angela Alaimo O’Donnell, who will invite us to reflect on themes of the Advent season through a selection of poems from her new book Holy Land.
Join us to enter this sacred season with prayer, inspiration from Dr. Alaimo’s poetry, mediation and discussion.
Breakfast will be provided.
Copies of the book will be available to purchase that day and Dr. Alaimo will sign books at the end of the event.
Join us:
Saturday, December 3
9:30 AM – 12:00 PM
San Damiano Hall
This event is free and open to all.
Angela Alaimo O’Donnell, PhD is a professor, poet, and writer at Fordham University in New York City and serves as Associate Director of Fordham’s Curran Center for American Catholic Studies. Her publications include two chapbooks and seven collections of poems, most recently, Andalusian Hours (2020), a collection of 101 poems that channel the voice of Flannery O’Connor, and Love in the Time of Coronavirus: A Pandemic Pilgrimage (2021). In addition, O’Donnell has published a prize-winning memoir, Mortal Blessings (2014) and a book of hours based on the practical theology of Flannery O’Connor, The Province of Joy (2012), and her biography Flannery O’Connor: Fiction Fired by Faith (2015) was awarded first prize for excellence in publishing from The Association of Catholic Publishers. Her new critical book on Flannery O’Connor, Radical Ambivalence: Race in Flannery O’Connor was published by Fordham University Press in 2020.
Due to lack of registrations our Priest Days of Reflection have been cancelled for 2023.
For more information or to find out about potential future Priest Days please contact Fr. Michael Carnevale, OFM at Carnevale1@me.com
THE CHURCH OF ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI invites you to
A MORNING OF RECOLLECTION FOR PRIESTS
Mondays
12 / 5 • 2 / 27 • 5 / 1
9: 45am – 12:00 pm
(coffee and pastries & lunch provided)
San Damiano Hall
129 W 31 Street • NYC
Fr. Mullen has served as the 16th Provincial Minister of the Franciscan Friars of Holy Name Province, the largest province of the Order of Friars Minor in the U.S., since 2014. A native of Paterson, N.J., Fr. Mullen’s pastoral ministry includes nine years at parishes in Bergen County, N.J., as pastor and parochial vicar, and nine years as rector and guardian at St. Anthony Shrine in Boston, Mass. During his 46 years as a Franciscan friar, Fr. Mullen has held several administrative and leadership positions for the Province, Order of Friars Minor, and Franciscan institutions of higher education. He holds a doctorate degree in moral theology from Catholic University of America in Washington, and a master’s in divinity from Washington Theological Union.
Kenneth Himes, OFM is a professor of theology at Boston College. His research and writing focus on ethical issues in war and peacebuilding, the development of Catholic social teaching, and the role of religion in American public life, as well as fundamental moral theology. He is a past president of the Catholic Theological Society of America and the editor of Modern Catholic Social Teaching (Georgetown University Press).
Daniel P. Horan, OFM is the Director of the Center for Spirituality and Professor of Philosophy, Religious Studies, and Theology at Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, IN. He previously held the Duns Scotus Chair of Spirituality at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. He is a columnist for National Catholic Reporter and the author of fourteen books including the award-winning Catholicity and Emerging Personhood: A Contemporary Theological Anthropology (2019) and The Franciscan Heart of Thomas Merton: A New Look at the Spiritual Influence on his Life, Thought, and Writing (2014).
Join us Saturday, November 5th at 1:00pm, as we gather for a Memorial Mass remembering all of the deceased friars who have served here.
Come and give thanks for the 300+ men who have helped make this place what it is today!
If any of these apply to you or someone you know, feel free to contact us.
The process by which people explore our faith and prepare to join the church is called the “Order of Christian Initiation of Adults” (OCIA). Until recently the process was called the “Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults”, and you will still often see it referred to as the RCIA. You don’t need to worry about that though. If you are curious about Christianity in general or Catholicism in particular, all you need to do is contact us and we can help.
Our OCIA will begin Tuesday, September 17th, 2024. We meet every Tuesday from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM.
The OCIA at St. Francis of Assisi is free of charge.
If you would like to find out more about our Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, please contact:
Joseph Nuzzi
Director of Evangelization
212-736-8500 x365
jnuzzi@stfrancisnyc.org
How do we prepare adults for Baptism, Confirmation and First Communion?
God calls people all the time, even in a pandemic. When God calls people to the Church, it is the Church’s responsibility to welcome them and prepare them to be disciples of Jesus. The main way we do this, is through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. You will often see this referred to simply as the “RCIA.”
Why do people ask about our RCIA program?
People give all different reasons for exploring Catholicism. Some people come to the Church because they fall in love with someone Catholic and they are interested in exploring their partner’s faith. Some people come from a nominally Catholic family but were raised by their parents to have no religious affiliation and they are looking to reconnect with a lost family tradition. Some people move to the US from a country where religious practices are suppressed and they want to learn about spirituality. People give all kinds of reasons for expressing interest.
Some people are looking for meaning. Some people are looking for spirituality. And some people don’t really know why at first, but they just feel like they feel good coming to church.
But why do people decide to convert to Catholicism?
This is a different question than why people call or email about a program. People actually decide to convert because they feel closer to God in the Church. That is it. That is why they join and why they stay.
What is it that makes them feel closer to God here? The answer to that is probably the same given 2000 years ago in the Acts of the Apostles:
They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers.
(Acts 2: 42)
They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles – in other words to the Gospel. They learned about Jesus and Jesus’ teachings directly from the people who knew him, who listened to him and who ate with him, the people who were there when Jesus died. They heard the witness of the people who first experienced Jesus’ resurrection. They felt close to God through the message.
They devoted themselves to the communal life – in other words they joined the community of people who gather to live out Jesus’ commandment to love one another. Community is an integral part of the Catholic experience of spirituality. During this pandemic we were all given a painful reminder of how important community is to all of us when we were been forced to socially distance ourselves to stop the spread of the virus. Ancient Christians felt closer to God in the community.
They devoted themselves to the breaking of bread – this is an ancient reference to the ritual celebrations of the church (what we call the “sacraments”) and specifically to the Eucharist. In other words, they felt closer to God in the Church’s rituals, especially Communion.
…and they devoted themselves to the prayers. So many people who ask about the RCIA express that they do not know how to talk to God. In other words, they don’t know how to pray. That is OK. It’s part of what we teach. Ancient Christians felt closer to God in their personal prayer life and in the communal prayers of the Church.
These are many reasons for becoming Catholic. These are some of the the reasons that led the first generation of Christians to convert and they are the same that lead many today to join the Church.
Have you or are you experiencing a sense of grief or loss?
St. Francis will be offering a 6-week series on Bereavement for those who have suffered through loss or grief in these days.
A Bereavement Support Group will meet on six Wednesdsays from
Wednesday, October 12 to November 23 (no session on Nov. 2)
6:30 to 8:00 pm
in second floor conference room in the Francis house
Fr. Michael Carnevale and Fr. Steve Patti will co-facilitate the group. Space is limited, if you are interested please call Fr. Steve Patti, O.F.M. at 212-736-8500, Ext. 226 or or email him at spatti@stfrancisnyc.org to inquire.
Interested persons should be at least three months into the grieving process.
Pre-registration is required.
The Church of St. Francis of Assisi has long dedicated itself to ongoing faith formation of Adults through our Adult Education ministry. Our Fall 2022 courses are now listed online and open for registration at: www.stfrancisnyc.org/courses/.
Subjects range from theology, biblical studies, and liturgy to literature and poetry.
For the first time, we are also offering a theology class in Spanish: Que Pass en La Misa. We welcome Mr. Oscar Cruz, M.A., Director of the Catechumenate (RCIA) for the Archdiocese of New York who will be teaching this course.
While we try to keep our registration fees low (generally about $10 per hour of instruction) we also understand that for some this can be a burden. We do not want anyone who wants to attend a class to be prohibited by economic hardship. Please contact Joseph Nuzzi, Director of Adult Education and Evangelization for information on scholarships: jnuzzi@stfrancisnyc.org or 212-736-8500 x365.
Join us for a week of prayer, special events, and celebrations as we remember and honor our patron saint, St. Francis of Assisi!
October 1 – 1:00 PM
Main Church
Please join us as we take a closer look at the crucifix that “spoke” to a young Francis of Assisi in the ruins of the Church of San Damiano in Assisi. What did Francis see in that crucifix? What did the figure of the crucified Christ “say” to Francis? How did Francis’s experience of praying before that cross shape his way of being in the world? We will have a presentation, and also opportunities for table discussion. Presenter will be Fr. Steve Patti, OFM. All are welcome!
October 1 – 2:30 PM
San Damiano Hall
Join us for a new rooftop Octoberfest celebration for the feast of our patron saint. The event is open to all parishioners and friends. Stay tuned for more details.
October 2 – 1:30 PM
Rooftop terrace of the Francis House (San Damiano Hall in case of inclement weather)
Click HERE for details and tickets.
October 3 – 7:00 PM
Main Church
and on livestream. You can watch here: St Francis Live – Saint Francis of Assisi (stfrancisnyc.org)
October 4 – 5:30 PM
Main Church
and on livestream. You can watch here: St Francis Live – Saint Francis of Assisi (stfrancisnyc.org)
As we celebrate St. Francis on October 4th, the church will be decorated with magnificent flowers. All of his teaching, preaching, healing and seeking what was lost gave glory to God. He used his gifts well. Let us fill the church with the beauty of God’s creation in honor of a saint who loved nature so much.
You are invited to donate flowers in memory of a loved one or for a special intention.
You are invited to Francis Fest 2022 an Octoberfest celebration on the rooftop hosted by CONVERGE @St.Francis – a new ministry supporting life, faith and community at the Church of St. Francis of Assisi.
Join us on the rooftop of the Francis House for Beers and Brats and Pretzels and good times with parishioners and friends of St. Francis of Assisi.
Lederhosen and Dirndls encouraged!
Sunday, October 2
1:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Tickets: $20.00
Please Note: this event requires guests to climb one or more flights of stairs to arrive at the rooftop. Rain location: San Damiano Hall
Please join us as we take a closer look at the crucifix that “spoke” to a young Francis of Assisi in the ruins of the Church of San Damiano in Assisi. What did Francis see in that crucifix? What did the figure of the crucified Christ “say” to Francis? How did Francis’s experience of praying before that cross shape his way of being in the world? We will have a presentation, and also opportunities for table discussion.
Presenterd by Fr. Steve Patti, OFM.
October 1 – 2:30 PM
San Damiano Hall
All are welcome!