We are a Parish Community in the heart of New York City.
We welcome people from from as close as the high rise next door, to as far away as parts of New Jersey, Westchester County, and parts of Long Island. Many people come on a regular basis for our daily masses and availability of Confession. But many people aren’t aware that at the heart of the Church of St. Francis of Assisi is a vibrant parish community.
The members of our parish community choose to make the Church of St. Francis of Assisi their spiritual home. We are a parish where people worship together, volunteer together, get to know one another and form real, lasting connections.
We are an Urban Ministry Center
What does it mean to be an Urban Ministry Center? It means we provide services and ministries beyond the borders of our parish and beyond the needs of just our parishioners.
Our unique position near Penn Station in the heart of New York city allows us to serve a much wider community.
Our adult education center is attended by adults from the entire region who are interested in learning more about our Catholic faith. Our counseling center offers counseling services in a faith-based environment beyond our parishioners, and our Migrant Center assists people with immigration issues from all over the tri-state area.
We are a Shrine Church
Our doors are open to all people. The Church is open for private prayer and for Eucharistic Adoration for over 10 hours each day. We also offer many opportunities each day for daily Mass and for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
This sacred place is not only for our parishioners but we welcome people from all over New York City, people from the tri-state area, people from around the country and from around the world. We are a refuge and place of prayer for tens of thousands of people who come through our doors each year.
The Church of St. Francis of Assisi is a sanctuary open and available to all.
Our Mission Statement
The Church of St. Francis of Assisi in Midtown Manhattan is a parish in the Archdiocese of New York and an urban ministry center staffed by the Franciscan Friars of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe and their partners in ministry.
Inspired by our faith in Jesus Christ, and rooted in the charism of St. Francis of Assisi, we actively WELCOME all people. We WORSHIP God through prayerful and inspiring liturgies, the celebration of the sacraments, and the devotional life of the Church. We WITNESS to our faith by ministering to everyone, especially those who are poor, alienated or oppressed.
The Franciscan friars have been ministering to people in New York City for over 175 years. The Church of St. Francis of Assisi has responded to the signs of the times and the needs of God’s people in very creative ways over the course of our long history.