As with any family or business, churches have expenses and depend upon their parishioners for support of their mission. Hard costs such as utilities, personnel, mortgages, and maintenance are similar to those of other organizations,…
To quote Pope Francis’ reflection on Saint Francis in Laudato Si’ , the Pope’s encyclical on “Care for our Common Home,” he says, “ Saint Francis is the example par excellence of care for…
This year, the LGBTQ+ ministry will celebrate 25 years of service to the St. Francis of Assisi community. Jane Paris, one of the founding members, remembers, “We got started because the friars at St. Francis…
JaVon Hansknecht had been the Director of Justice and Peace at St. Francis for only about three months when Laudate Deum , the apostolic exhortation and follow-up to Laudato Si’ , was…
Traditionally, new Catholics are received into the Catholic Church during the Easter Vigil Mass by celebrating the sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation. The ritual that brings individuals into the Catholic church…
Strategic planning is the art and science of formulating, implementing, and evaluating the priorities for an organization where it can have the most impact based on its vision and mission. “When doing this process…
Do you remember setting up a nativity as a child? Do you recall putting the stable, the shepherds, the animals, and Mary and Joseph in place but waiting until Christmas to put baby Jesus out?…
At St. Francis, we all have heard of and perhaps participated in the listening sessions associated with the upcoming Synod in the Church. The ‘Synod on Synodality’ is a three-year process of listening and dialogue…
One of the seven themes of Catholic Social Teaching, ‘Option for the Poor and Vulnerable,’ points out that a basic moral test for Catholics is how our most vulnerable members are faring. In a society…
From the Latin adventus meaning “coming,” Advent, often characterized as preparation for Christmas, can be overlooked in the run-up to Christmas. However, as Father Jim Sabak says, “it is not ‘preparation for Christmas’ that is…