St. Francis Live!

The traditional “Thirteen Tuesdays” before the Feast of St. Anthony begin on Tuesday, March 17.

Devotions to St. Anthony are prayed after every Mass starting at 7:45 AM.
Please join us!

The Feast of St. Anthony will be celebrated on Saturday, June 13.

WHY ARE WE ASKING EVERYONE TO SIGN UP FOR ONLINE GIVING?

The simple answer is that online giving is the best way to give to the church.  That is because it fits with how we pay for things today.  We use our credit card to pay for purchases online.  We pay for our metrocard with a credit card.  Many of us use our credit card for our gym membership, or if we support the museum, or public radio, or whatever we pay for daily and monthly.  It’s how we live today.

But we also have found that people who use the online giving tool are generally the most serious about their financial support of St. Francis. Our average donation online is $25.00 per week, whereas our average in pew weekly donation is only $4.00.

This is because people who give online take their support of the church seriously.  They think about what they can afford to give, and they commit to it.  This is what we all need to do as members of the church.

SIGN UP TODAY:

You can sign up for online giving and create a recurring weekly or monthly donation.  You can sign up right now by clicking HERE. 

QUESTIONS:

Click HERE for some FAQ’s about the Church’s finances that you might find helpful.

If you have any questions about our online giving tool, or about our stewardship campaign in general please email Joseph Nuzzi at j[email protected] 

If you missed WHY we are called to give, here it is again:

JESUS DID NOT CALL CONSUMERS… HE CALLED MISSIONARIES.

As followers of Jesus we are called to continue his Mission.  This means living the Gospel and bringing God’s love to our families, among our friends, and in our places of work.  But it also means making sure that our community is able to be fed by the Word of God and the Eucharist, and to make sure that the Gospel is preached in word and action in our local church.  When we financially support the church, we are not simply paying bills, we are also fulfilling the demands placed upon us as disciples of Jesus Christ.

MEMBERSHIP IN THE CHURCH HAS ITS PRIVILEGES AND IT COMES WITH RESPONSIBILITY

We are all called to be good stewards of the material blessings we receive from God through our hard work, talents and abilities.

Part of that stewardship, since biblical times, has been understood to include using a portion of our income to support our religious institutions and some to help the poor and disadvantaged.  In the Bible, we are asked to contribute 10% of our income as our tithe.  Today at St. Francis we ask our members and guests to contribute ONE HOUR of our work week to support the church.  This comes to a tithe of 2.5%.  This is the sacrificial giving we ask our people to commit to.

Many people do not understand how the finances of Church work.  Here are some FAQ’s of questions we commonly hear at St. Francis that might help clarify some questions.

But the bottom line is this:  each parish community in the US must raise the funds it needs to pay its bills from the people who attend the church.  That means here at St. Francis it is our responsibility to contribute to the budget to keep our parish church running.

Unfortunately today, many people who attend Mass regularly simply never think about their financial responsibility to the church.  We see often at Mass people who search in their pockets or purses for whatever they can find during the collection.  This should not be.

Each of us, as a full fledge member of the Church, should know and commit to what we can afford do give to support the Church.  And that support should be a sacrificial offering.  It should not be an afterthought.

If you simply cannot effort to give 2.5% then look at your budget, and decide what you can give, and commit to it.  That is what we are all called to do.  But without each of us doing our part, our church cannot survive.

Join us each Sunday in Lent as we take a deeper look at the Sunday gospels.

3:30pm in the Clare Room followed by 5pm mass.

Stations of the Cross

Every Friday after the 12:30 & 5:30 PM Masses

“Pardon & Peace” Service of Reconciliation

Friday, March 27, 2020 at 7:00 PM

A Lenten Afternoon of Prayer Saturday

April 4, 2020 from 2:00 to 5:00 PM San Damiano Hall

Matthew the Evangelist added his own unique touches to the story of Jesus’ journey to the cross. These particular insights will form the basis of meditations on Matthew’s Passion narrative, interspersed with selections from J.S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion – the work of a faith-filled musical genius and one of the towering achievements of Western culture. The afternoon will include communal prayer and conclude, for those who wish to participate, with our 5:15 Mass for Palm Sunday.

Presenters: Fr. William Beaudin, O.F.M. & Charles Powell Fee: $20.

Register online here.

Get Ready for Lent!

Ash Wednesday • February 26, 2020

Masses in the upper church:
7:00, 7:45, 8:30, 11:30 AM, 12:30, 4:30, 5:30 & 6:30 PM

Confessions in the lower church:
7:30 – 8:30 AM • 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Imposition of ashes
in the lower church: 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM

and in the upper church following the 6:30 PM Mass

On Saturday, February 15, we will celebrate the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick during the 11:00 AM Mass.

The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick brings the presence and healing power of Christ to those who are ill.  We invite all who are sick and those who would like to pray for them to come to this celebration of the sacrament.

Is anyone among you sick? They should summon the elders of the church, and they should pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord,  and the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up. If they have committed any sins, they will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. (James 5:14-16)