25Th Sunday in Ordinary Time

September 22, 2019 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time Our Mission Statement Inspired by our patron Francis of Assisi, we seek to proclaim the reign of God by growing in Holiness through our experience of Christ in word, sacrament and one another, offering Hope to those who hunger for human dignity, and extending Hospitality to all. Weekend Mass: Saturday: 5:30pm Sunday: 7:30am 9:30am 11:30am 5:30pm Daily Mass: Monday - Friday: 9:00am St. Mary of the Angels Chapel Interested in learning more about liturgy? See page 5 See page 6 The Catholic Community of St. Francis of Assisi 11401 Leesville Road, Raleigh, NC 27613 919-847-8205 www.stfrancisraleigh.org I want to thank once again, Tim Throndson who spoke two weeks ago about our parish finances. And here, I’d like to re-state what I wrote in our Credo annual report which was distributed after all Masses a couple of weeks ago: I give You my heart O God, In our 2018-2019 annual report, you will find infor- That I may love You first mation on our parish finances. Last year at this time we told you that our parish offertory had risen 6% from the previous year; this year our par- And above all my other loves. ish offertory was down 1% from the past year. A possible factor for this To You I give my feet: is the news last year of the clerical abuse scandal from Pennsylvania; it was about that time that we noticed our offertory begin to decline. We Take me where You will. also know that, every year, many people move away from the area, and To You I give my hands: many people move into the area; we are a parish that is characterized by constant movement. Use them to heal. Whatever the reasons may be, our parish depends on our offertory To You I give my mouth: for the ongoing operations of parish ministries such as faith formation, justice and peace, pastoral care, liturgy; for the care and upkeep of our Let me speak blessings. buildings; for our parish staff – for everything that allows St. Francis to To You I give my nose: be the vibrant parish we are within the diocese. And so we encourage you to prayerfully reflect on the ways God is at work within our parish – Fill it with the fragrance of Your holy and priestly people. through liturgy, outreach to the marginalized, pastoral care of the sick, To You I give my eyes: formation of our youth, schools, and countless other ways, and consider your own financial commitment to St. Francis. And thank you! Let me see Your sacredness surrounding all. Thank you as well to David Nerz, outgoing chair of our Finance Council, To You I give my mind: for his service the past two years and to Tim Throndson, new chair of So at last, our Finance Council, for his willingness to serve. We have a very good and committed Finance Council – I have great confidence in the way Overwhelmed by Your gift of holy contemplation our financial resources are handled both by our staff and our Council. I may begin to follow in the footsteps of Your Son. Next weekend, our new parish council will gather with staff and other parish leaders for two days of reflection on our parish: where have we Fr. Steve K been, who are we now, and where is God calling us? This will be a time for us to reflect on what it means to be a parish that goes by the name of St. Francis – who was this 13th century Umbrian saint and what does he mean for us today? Also a time for us to reflect on our parish mission statement; also a time for us to reflect on, in the words of a document Faith Direct from the Second Vatican Council, “the signs of the times,” i.e. what’s the If you would like to make changes to your world like today, what’s the environment we inhabit in these times, and Faith Direct giving and cannot remember how does the gospel speak to that? Many thanks to all who have helped your account ID and Password, please organize these sessions and we will have news to report. call them at 1-866-507-8757. Blessings on your week! Our church ID is NC674. You can also reach them at www.FaithDirect.net. September Franciscan Fellowship This September Envelope schedule September 22: Weekend! Welcome Event September 22 Weekly after 11:30am Mass September 29 Weekly in Clare Fellowship Hall, includes refreshments. 2 Deb Royals-Mizerk, Director of Stewardship Kathleen Owen, Director of Parish Life We Commit to Answering God’s Call We are created in God’s image. Everyone here in the St. Francis family is invited to be a part of this passionate steward community – a community that recognizes that all we are, have, and will ever be is God’s. Come and see the many ways that each family member can respond to the challenge of stewardship. Come and See God of Generations God of generations, we are all your children; To your church we bring our gifts, our worship and our song. Young and old we follow, hand in hand together: In your great love, together we are strong. Christ, you welcomed children, called us to be like them, Giving is Receiving And received a boy’s small gift to feed a hungry crowd. In our church’s children, may we see you working: More than “our future”! They are faithful now. Everything we are, all that we have, and all that we will ever be is pure gift from God. Start here and now – become a disciple and discover a rewarding way of life, in companionship with Jesus. Spirit, feely moving, giving youth a vision, The practice of stewardship is a deep source of life-long joy. By your grace young Jeremiah heard your loving call; Understanding that giving is receiving keeps us in the “garden” Mary was a young one when she learned her mission: entrusted to the care of all people for God’s glory. Through faithful youth, you offer truth to all. God of men and women, Helper on our journey, You have called us in our faith to grow and to mature. May we keep on learning, worshipping and praying, That each new day, we’ll serve you all the more. Answer the Call Abraham and Sarah trusted in your promise: Age was no condition when you gave them work to do. Old and young we follow, hand in hand together; At every age, Lord, we belong to you. We are called to be the transparency through whom God is seen. Once we choose to become a disciple of Jesus Christ – stewardship is not an option – we became a part of the Body of Christ. All who Answering the Stewardship dare to receive and accept God’s call, who state with conviction that they “believe,” are all tasked with the potential to make Christ “pres- Call is Life-Giving. ent” wherever Christ is needed – a tremendous and awe-inspiring responsibility. Each of us has a life time to “answer the call.” 3 Becky Cawley, Office of Justice and Peace Outreach Ministries Pick up a Hammer with Habitat for Humanity this Fall! Trevor Thompson, Director of Justice and Peace There’s something meaningful about picking up a hammer and nail and building a wall with Habitat for Humanity. What makes it especially fulfilling is that these walls become an affordable home for families in need. The St. Francis of Assist Habitat Ministry is preparing to kick off the 2019-2020 building season. Catholic Parish Outreach “Feed a Family” Food Drive Becky Cawley, Office of Justice and Peace For many years, St. Francis parishioners have stepped forward to help struggling families meet basic needs like food, clothing, and shelter. Charitiable acts like these have amaz- ing power beyond just satisfying these needs. They have the power to restore hope and to help those who are struggling understand that they are not alone, that good people exist; good people who take the Gospel seriously; good people who care about the health and well being of folks they may never meet. We are involved in two building projects. One is where we work Good people like you! alongside several Protestant congregations in a project called Apostles Builds, and the other is with other Catholic communi- Last year, thanks in large measure to your generosity, Catho- ties in Wake County called Catholic Coalition Builds. With each lic Parish Outreach (CPO) was able to give a week’s worth build project, we also work alongside the family who will eventu- of groceries to on average 8,200 people a month. But with ally move into the home. 25% of NC children under age 5 going to bed hungry every night and 170,200 people in NC receiving emergency food No matter your skill level, we would love to assistance every week, the need is still great. This weekend have you helping with our projects this fall. and next, volunteers will be receiving your filled grocery bags The following are our St. Francis Habitat Saturdays at the CPO truck in our parking lot. In case you missed the where we need volunteers! opportunity to pick up a bag last weekend, no worries, just fill up one of your own from the list of grocery needs below. October 5 October 26 There are still a few volunteer slots available to receive bags November 2 at the truck.

Load more