St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church

Steeped in a rich and vibrant history of service and growth, St. Francis of Assisi has been serving the needs of Catholics for almost 125 years and welcomes young and old from all walks of life into our faith and social community. St. Francis prides itself on being a family-friendly church. We believe that all members of our church community are important to the celebration of the Eucharist.

We invite you to learn more about the parish by exploring this website. Please visit the “Our Parish” section to learn more about the church and its rich traditions. You can also learn how to exercise your stewardship of time and talent in one of the wonderful parish ministries by visiting the “Parish Ministries” section. Some of the many ways that you can become involved include: being an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion or Lector, singing in our choir, serving the needy through the Ministry to the Poor, or by joining our Senior Associates group. For the youngest members of our parish family, opportunities to get involved include serving Mass as altar servers and Children’s Ministry, a group which coordinates a variety of activities including weekly Children’s Liturgy of the Word, Christmas Nativity Program, and May Crowning.

We invite you to join our parish community by filling out the online registration form. Someone from our Newcomers Group will contact you shortly thereafter. As one family we come together to know, love, and serve the Lord as instruments of his peace.

Thanks for visiting and please check out our Facebook page!

Reverend Michael J. Schneller
Pastor

Uptown Canticle by Father Michael
Sunday, April 5, 2020
 
We invite you to celebrate a COVID-19 Coronavirus Holy Week and Paschal Triduum. The Vatican published guidelines for Easter celebrations during the coronavirus.  “Easter is the heart of the entire liturgical year and is not simply one feast among others,” the document states, and that the Easter Triduum “cannot be transferred to another time.” Therefore, at St. Francis of Assisi as in many parishes throughout our country we will celebrate Holy Week and the Paschal Triduum in a virtual way.
 
What we celebrate during this Sacred Paschal Triduum is God’s glory, God’s holiness manifested in the divine Son, and our participation in that same holiness. Jesus’ paschal event – passing through death to risen Life – is an invitation to us to enter in God’s holiness, God’s Life. Holiness is neither a possession nor an external quality; it is who we are as we conform ourselves to the divine Son. As St. Teresa of Calcutta said, “You have to be holy where you are, wherever God has put you.” God wants nothing less of us than to share in the risen Life of the Son. We are fully alive when we open ourselves to risen Life. This is the journey of these Triduum days; this is the journey of our Christian life. All our liturgies during Holy Week and the Paschal Triduum are closed to the public.
 
Instructions on how to view the live stream of all our Holy Week Liturgies are at the end of this article.
 
Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord, April 5, with the blessing of palms, will be live streamed from our parish church at 9:30 am. Anyone wishing a palm branch may pick up one in church from Sunday to Thursday. Between the hours of 10:00 am – 4:00 pm.
 
Holy Week Masses for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday - live streamed at 9:00 am from the chapel in the Parish Center. For instruction see below.
 
Sacrament of Reconciliation (confession) Father Michael will be available on the front porch of the rectory at 631 State Street Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 4:00 – 5:00 pm. Penitents will have to make their confession face to face and six feet from the confessor.  
 
The Sacred Paschal Triduum
 
Holy Thursday – April 9  - Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper at 7:00 pm will be live streamed from our parish church. The Vatican guidelines omit the Washing of Feet and the procession with the Blessed Sacrament to the Chapel Repository.  We suggest that you make a spiritual communion as you view the live stream of the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper. St. Thomas Aquinas once defined a Spiritual Communion as “an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament [in Communion at Mass] and in lovingly embracing Him as if we had actually received Him.” You may want to use this prayer composed by St. Alphonsus Liguori in the 19^th century:
 
My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there, and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.
 
Good Friday – April 10  
The church will be open from 8:00 am – 2:30 pm and then again from 4:00 – 7:00 pm
 
Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion will be lived streamed on our Facebook and on our website from our church at 3:00 pm.
 
Stations of the Cross has been recorded and can be viewed anytime during the day see instructions below.
 
 Easter Vigil in the Holy Night – April 11
This night is like no other. However, this night will be different from previous Easter Vigils. We will postpone the initiation of the Elect for baptism and the Candidates for reception into full communion to an appropriate Sunday in the Easter Season or later.  We will live stream the entire the Easter vigil from our church. The Vigil will begin at 8:00 pm because it must start after sunset.
 
Easter Sunday – April 12
The 9:30 am mass will be live streamed from our parish church .  We have postponed our annual Easter Egg Hunt for Easter Sunday for a future date.
 
Instructions on how to view the live streaming of the Holy Week Liturgies:
On your computer, desktop, laptop, iPhone or iPad go to Facebook.com/sfauptown.  If you do not have a Facebook account, you will be prompted to log in, create an account, or NOT NOW.  If you do not want to create a Facebook account, please click “Not Now” and you will still have the opportunity to watch Mass.
 
Our Holy Week Liturgies can also be viewed on our website stfrancisuptown.com.
 
Let us implore the intercession of Our Lady of Prompt Succor to hasten to help us and our patron St. Francis of Assisi to make us instruments of the Lord’s peace.