the catholic community of st. francis of assisi
Jubilee Year of St. Francis
Welcome to a sacred year of reflection, renewal, and joyful celebration as we honor the Jubilee Year of Saint Francis of Assisi. Rooted in the spirit of humility, peace, and deep reverence for all creation, this Jubilee invites our community to rediscover the timeless wisdom of St. Francis and live more intentionally in harmony with God, one another, and the world around us.
Throughout this year, we will come together as a community in prayer, service, and celebration, embracing the Franciscan call to simplicity, compassion, and care for all living things.
A Story From the Fair Trade Market
Each year, St. Francis hosts the Fair Trade and Alternative Gift Market. The market connects artisans and artists more directly to consumers while supporting key principles of Catholic Social Teaching, including the dignity of work, the option for the poor and vulnerable, the life and dignity of the human person, and the call to community. Through their purchases, the market gives our parishioners the opportunity to support fair wages, safer working conditions, sound environmental practices, sustainable agricultural practices, and equal opportunity for economically challenged men and women around the world.
Many of you are very familiar with this event as it has been a feature of our community for many years. However, it is always worth appreciating the true impact of what you are provided at the market. Sure, beautiful products and artwork make unique gifts as we approach the Christmas season, and we understand we are more directly supporting creators from around the world. Their stories, however, can truly show the direct impact and heartwarming outcomes you are making possible.
Meet Barney Hale, a member of the Kirk of Kildaire Presbyterian Church in Cary. He made his first trip with his church to Guatemala in 2008. “I went as a civil engineer thinking I would do ‘civil engineering’ type projects, but the village had an adequate water supply and sanitation (outdoor pit toilets) sufficient for a village their size,” he remembers.
Our Lady of the Rosary Food Drive
Solidarity, the Call to Family and Community, and Options for the Poor and Vulnerable are three of the seven Catholic Social Teaching Themes, and St. Francis of Assisi’s twice-a-year food drives reflect our commitment to addressing them. In April and November, we collect food to help stock the pantry at Our Lady of the Rosary (OLR) parish in Louisburg, where 1 in every 3 people lives in poverty. In addition to non-perishable food, we also collect toiletries, diapers, and other baby items. The pantry is a critical resource for many families in Louisburg, some of whom may have no other way to put food on the table every day.
The OLR Food Drive Ministry, coordinated by Matt Burns and Odile Fredericks, works with the OLR community to fulfill our responsibility to provide for the common good and to live the values of our faith. Having enough food is a basic human right, and our community has a responsibility to provide for those in need as best we can. Volunteers hand out grocery bags with lists of needed items after each Mass one weekend and staff a truck in the church parking lot before and after each Mass the following weekend to collect donations, including cash and checks. Matt and Odile say the connections they make with ministry members and parishioners bring the entire parish closer together.
