SUNDAY, January 24 - THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Readings: Neh 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10 1 Cor 12:12-30 8:00 A.M. Zoni Family

9:30 A.M. For the People of St. Francis of Assisi

11:00 A.M. Carmela & Domenico D’Angelo

12:30 P.M Dominico Nudo

Giovani & Paula Milevoi

Marianna, Angelo, Domenico Annibale

Jack Cecere

Maria Circello

Maria Filiberti

MONDAY, January 25 The Conversion of Saint Paul the Apostle

Readings: 9:1-22 Mk 16:15-18 No 7:00 A.M. Mass

9:00 A.M. Rita McHale

TUESDAY, January 26 Saints Timothy and Titus, Bishops

Readings: Ti 1:1-5 Mk 3:31-35 No 7:00 A.M. Mass

9:00 A.M. Richard Conlon

WEDNESDAY, January 27 WEEKDAY

Readings: 2 Sm 7:4-17 Mk 4:1-20

No 7:00 A.M. Mass

9:00 A.M. Marie Pace

THURSDAY, January 28 Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest

and Doctor of the Church

Readings: 2 Sm 7:18-19, 24-29 Mk 4:21-25

No 7:00 A.M. Mass

9:00 A.M. Edward Vopelak

FRIDAY, January 29 WEEKDAY

Readings: 2 Sm 11:1-4a, 5-10a, 13-17 Mk 4:26-34

No 7:00 A.M. Mass

9:00 A.M. Nicholas Forlano, Sr.

SATURDAY, January 30 WEEKDAY

Readings: 2 Sm 12:1-7a, 10-17 Mk 4:35-41 Purgatorial Society

San Giro

5:00 P.M. Anthony Mosomillo

SUNDAY, January 31 - FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Readings: Jer 1:4-5, 17-19 1 Cor 12:31-13:13

8:00 A.M. For the People of St. Francis of Assisi

9:30 A.M. Raymond, Rose & John Carrino

11:00 A.M. Catholic Schools Week - No Intentions

12:30 P.M. San Giuliano Society - No Intentions

MASSES FOR THE WEEK

THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

My Dear Parishioners,

In today’s gospel passage we have Jesus return-

ing from the temptations he encountered in the

desert to the region of Galilee where he grew

up. His physical appearance likely reflected the

40 days of fasting and the hardships of his time

in the desert. The news of him spread, as He

traveled throughout the surrounding countryside

and taught in the various synagogues. Now, back

in Nazareth, Jesus opens the scroll of the

prophet Isaiah on the Sabbath and reads: “The

Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives

and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the op-

pressed go free, and to proclaim a year accept-able to the Lord.”

In this reading, which Jesus chose, we can begin

to understand how he saw his ministry. He had

just come from the desert where he was tempted

with material things. Now He says that his minis-

try is to bring glad tidings to the poor. Jesus’

ministry will be to reach out to all people and he

mentions in very strong language that the poor

are to be a significant priority. His ministry will

confirm what he says in today’s Gospel. He will

not only touch his followers spiritually, but will

also heal their afflictions, feed, and comfort

them.

We hear these words of Jesus just as the listen-

ers in the synagogue heard them. It is to us that

Jesus brings glad tidings of salvation and to us he

promises freedom from the sinfulness that op-

presses us. It is our eyes that are opened to the

truths that Jesus teaches and as his followers, we,

too, are called to reach out to others and share

with them the words and works of the Lord.

God Bless, Msgr. Maresca

Please join us for annual celebration of

National Catholic Schools Week

beginning next Sunday, January 31,

2016. The theme, “Catholic Schools:

Communities of Faith, Knowledge,

and Service” highlights our focus on

faith development, academic

excellence, and dedication to

community service.

Our World’s Finest Candy Fundraiser

ends on February 1st. We want to

thank Mrs. Zotto and her team:

Mrs. Cervello, Mrs. Damiris,

Mrs. Demetriou, Mrs. Groll,

Mrs. Koumarnetos, and Mrs. Luebcke

for giving their time and effort to work

on this fundraiser.

This Week at SFA School

Monday Hot Dog Lunch

There will be Religious Instruction Classes

Sunday, January 24, 2016

REGISTRATION NEVER CLOSES

If you have a child in public school,

you can still register.

Diocesan guidelines require two years

of instructions prior to the reception

of a Sacrament.

Are you interested in

being Baptized or

complete your initiation

by the reception of the

Sacraments of Eucharist

and/or Confirmation?

Please call the Rectory

for information about

the Rite of Christian

Initiation of Adults.

ATTENTION SCHOOL PARENTS In order to receive the Catholic rate for

tuition, every SFA family must be registered

and using Church envelopes. The suggested

donation each week is $9.00. If you are not

receiving Church envelopes, please stop by the

rectory to register. Those families who are not

registered with SFA or their own parish will be

charged the non-Catholic tuition rate.

Families who are worshiping in parishes other

than SFA will receive the Catholic rate for

tuition if they use their own parish weekly

envelopes.

Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.

St. Francis of Assisi Parish

Weekly Offering

Thank you for your continued

generosity of giving each week.

Your weekly offering helps us pay

our monthly bills. Please

remember if you miss a week for

any reason, try to make up for it

the following week or when you

return.

The Collection/Donation for the weekend:

Collection - January 16/17 $ 6319.00 Replenish Parish Reserves$ $ 1284.00

School parents must use church

envelopes.

School Parents Please remember to keep up your weekly

donation to your parish in order to remain

with the Catholic rate for tuition. Thank You.

PARKING IN THE SCHOOL YARD

When parking in the school yard, please DO

NOT park in front of the garbage dumpsters.

Those areas are not proper places to park.

Thank you for your cooperation.

ATTENTION: Please DO NOT light the

candles in Church by using another candle. One

could get burned and the wax is dripping all

over the candle stands creating a mess.

PLEASE use the lighter. If you have trouble

with the lighter, ask for help. Thank You.

Please Consider Remembering St. Francis of Assisi Parish in your Will.

Calling All Teens

and

Young Adults! The parish is looking to start a

Young Adult Group for high

school and/or college students to

gather in community and in

service. If you are interested in

participating, please let us know

via Email: saintfrancisyoungadults@gmail.com

3rd Time: Cynthia Winkler

St. Francis of Assisi Astoria, N.Y.

and Christopher Feltman

Immaculate Conception LIC, N.Y.

Next Sunday, Jan 31 begins our

annual celebration of Catholic

Schools Week

While we celebrate all Catholic schools

have to offer, we especially focus on our

own St Francis of Assisi School. All monies

collected in the second collection next

weekend will go directly to our school. All

proceeds will go toward purchasing a new

Smart Board for our computer lab.

A pink envelope is included in your

monthly envelope packet for this

purpose. Please be as generous as your

means allow.

Remember in your prayers all those in our parish who are sick, that they may find health and comfort:

James Nunez, Vincent Wytak, Carol Ross, Rolondo Larrondo, Jeffrey Hyans, Jessica

St. Preux, Al Ciani, Alesha Moses, Elizabeth Quartuccia, Kathleen Newton, Samantha Fabrizi, Nancy McCaffrey,

Christopher Wojtalik, Marie Guerriero, Theresa Pacheco, William Goss, Luke Pacheco, Vincenza Papa,

Jim Schneggenburger, Anthony Criscuolo, Ann Anselmi, Alice Franklin, Saverio Giordano, John Ross, Terri Kornalewski, Samantha O’Sullivan, Marilyn Miller, Domenica Brandon, N. Donn Talenti, Adele Fusco, Lenny Franklin, John Carmody, Jennie Bizocco, Rosario Duran,

MaryEllen Christenson, Patricia Hili, Edena Iorfida, Mary DeGloria, Charles Formosa, Millie Peri, Vivian Papa,

Joel Steinmann. Carlos Arevalo, Dr. Arthur N. Gualtieri, Anna Governali, Edmund Stalzer, Antonio Postiglione,

Annette Conway

85th Anniversary Book

of Prayer Intentions

Remember our book of prayer

intentions will remain throughout

our anniversary year in front of

the statue of St. Francis of Assisi.

Please feel free to write your

prayer intentions in it. These

intentions will be remembered

every Sunday throughout the

anniversary year in the prayer of

the faithful.

During the Year of Mercy the

Diocese has given us the opportunity to attend

the School of Evangelization’s Third Annual

Evangelization Congress 2016. The theme is

“Celebrating Mercy”. Parents, catechists,

parishioners, and others are invited to attend.

More information about speakers and sessions

will be given as we receive them.

DATE: Saturday, January 30, 2016

PLACE: Immaculate Conception Center

7200 Douglaston Pkway, Douglaston

TIME: 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM

Check-in/Registration begins

at 8:00 AM

Cost: $ 15.00 per person

This includes a light breakfast and lunch.

Vendors will be on site for the Congress.

(Seven hours of living and leading by Faith

credit will be granted, but you must attend the

entire Congress.) If you are interested in

attending please contact Rich Pipchinski

(718) 278-0259

To register, go to:

www.bqonlineformation.org or

www.meetmein.church

Knights’ Corner

Dear Parishioners and Brother Knights,

On behalf of Bridge to Life and the Knights of Council of 309, I would like to thank the parishion-ers of St. Francis for their continued generosity. We were able to distribute many bottles, which we will

collect on the weekend of January 30-31.

All contributions placed in the bottles will support crisis counseling and provide material assistance for new mothers and expecting women. By giving

these women more options for the care of their children, our concerted efforts as a parish family

are saving lives.

In this Year of Mercy, we Catholics are called to identify and alleviate the suffering of our brothers

and sisters. Comforting the afflicted and counseling the doubtful are two spiritual works of mercy. Pope Francis asks us to be special messengers of God’s

redemption; nobody, regardless of his or her past, is beyond repentance and salvation.

The Catholic Church is the strongest voice on Earth that consistently proclaims the moral vision that all

human life has intrinsic dignity and value. At his inaugural Mass, Pope Benedict XVI said, “Each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is

willed, each of us is loved, each of us is necessary.”

Warm regards, John Ketcham, GK grandknight309@gmail.com

ALTAR SERVER SCHEDULE - JANUARY 2016

Jan. 23rd 5pm Samantha Dee, Luke Curattalo, Fiona Hosey

Jan. 24th 8am Abigail Vorlicek, Luisa Schwab, Valentina Cracolici

9:30am Sal Demma, Erin Camilleri, Jady Lopez

11am Javier Fermin, Nicole Pereira, Leandra Rodriguez

12:30pm Francesco DiMarco, Joseph Todaro

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sat. Jan. 30th 5pm Samantha Dee, Richard Fabrizi, Carmelo Fontanez

Sun. Jan. 31st 8am Grace Vano, Christopher DeViccaro, Lauren Staats

9:30am Jessica Aniello, Fiona Hosey, Julian Visca

11am Frankie Marzella, Ryve Obien, Rocco Marchesona

12:30pm Francesco DiMarco, Joseph Todaro

January 24 - January 30

Sunday, January 24 2nd Collection Churches in Need 9:30 A.M. Children’s Liturgy - MCH 10:40 - Noon CCD/Confirmation - School

Monday, January 25

12:30 P.M. Golden Age - Msgr. Campbell Hall 2:30-4:00 P.M. Girl Scouts - MMC 2:50-3:45 P.M. Children’s Choir - Church 7:00 P.M. Adult Choir - Church

Tuesday, January 26

6:30 P.M. AA - Rectory Basement 2:30-4:30 P.M. Girl Scouts - Msgr. Maresca Center 6:45-7:45 P.M. Soccer Registration - MMC

Wednesday, January 27 6:45-7:45 P.M. Soccer Registration - MMC

Thursday, January 28 4:00-6:00 P.M. Girl Scouts - Msgr. Maresca Center 4:00-5:30 P.M. Legion of Mary - R/B 7:00 P.M. I.A.C.A. R/B 7:30 P.M. Scripture Series - RER

Friday, January 29 2:30-6:00 P.M. Girl Scouts - Msgr. Maresca Center

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

THIS WEEK NEXT WEEK

January 31 - February 6

Sunday, January 31 2nd Collection St. Francis of Assisi School NO Children’s Liturgy - MCH 10:40-12 Noon Faith Formation - School 11:00 A.M. Catholic Schools Week Mass 12:30 P.M. San Giuliano Society - (No Intentions) 1:30 P.M. Baptisms

Monday, February 1 12:30 P.M. Golden Age - MCH 2:30-4:00 P.M. Girl Scouts - MMC 2:50-3:45 P.M. Children’s Choir - Church 7:00 P.M. Adult Choir - Church

Tuesday, February 2 2:30-4:30 P.M. Girl Scouts - Msgr. Maresca Center (SB)

6:30 P.M. AA - Rectory Basement 8:00 P.M. Knights of Columbus - Rectory 7:30 P.M. Student Appreciation Day Setup - MMC

Wednesday, February 3 7:00 Baptism Class - Rectory 3:00-4:00 P.M. Drama Club Practice - MCH Student Appreciation Day - MMC

Thursday, February 4 4:00-6:00 P.M. Girl Scouts - Msgr. Maresca Center 4:00-5:30 P.M. Legion of Mary - R/B 7:00 P.M. I.A.C.A. Church 7:30 P.M. Scripture Series - RER

Friday, February 5

11:00 A.M. Catholic Schools Week Closing Mass

2:30-6:00 P.M. Girl Scouts - MMC

Saturday, February 6 9:00 A.M.-12 Noon First Penance Retreat-Ch/Sch 6:00 P.M.-8:00 P.M. Youth Group Movie Night - RER

Our Parish Calendar will be published weekly. Please

submit changes or updates to chsecy@sfaschool.org Thank you for keeping our Parish up

to date!