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.

Also,

Thanks for visiting and please check out our Facebook page or subscribe to our weekly
Parish E-bulletin.

Reverend Michael J. Schneller
Pastor

Uptown Canticle by Father Michael
February 28, 2021

In August 1997 two of my priest classmates and I treated ourselves to a 25th Anniversary of ordination gift: a cruise to Alaska, the inside passage and a land exploration to Prudhoe Bay in the Artic Circle. Our final stop was Denali Park in the shadow of Mt. McKinley. Since clouds overshadow the mountain 90% of the time, we decided to take a single engine, four-passenger plane ride to view its majestic peak. It was easier than climbing. What a breath-taking experience.
 
Mountains have a certain lure about them. Even at a distance one is drawn to the beauty and majesty of the towering heights. Mountains evoke a power and stability that speaks to the eternal.
 
Hills and mountains are scattered throughout the Holy Land. And on those high places, sacrifices were offered and oblations made to every kind of god imaginable, including the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. On one of my pilgrimages to the Holy Land I learned that even under the Church of the Transfiguration, on Mount Tabor, excavations have revealed an ancient Canaanite high place where sacrifices were performed long before Jesus took Peter, James, and John up to its lofty heights.
 
We encounter mountains in all the scriptures this weekend: Moriah, the place of Abraham’s sacrifice—almost his son; Zion, the mountain of the psalm 116, where the Temple, the courts of the Lord, was built; Rome, with its seven hills, to whom Paul addresses his letter; and Tabor, the mount of the transfiguration, on which the disciples hardly knew what to say.
 
Despite their draw, mountains are not always serene places. Just like Mt. McKinley, other mountains are treacherous and dangerous. Skiers and snowmobilers can get caught in a sudden avalanche in the mountains.
 
Mountain heights are dangerous for more than natural reasons. Mountains can also be strategic weapons—made dangerous by human activity during war. One reason cities were built on hills was that they were more defensible. When Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria, they were doing so to protect their population on the lower elevations.
 
It goes without saying that there are mountains in each person’s life. Some are grand, glorious, and majestic experiences that make us want to cry out in praise and gratitude. Others are painful reminders that the road we travel is not always a smooth plain. Whether it’s Moriah, or Tabor, or Zion, or eventually Calvary, the mountains will always be there. The price for climbing the mountain that life places before us is transformation and transfiguration.
 
Transformation and transfiguration describe a phenomenon with which we are all quite familiar. This process of evolving, growing and changing is clearly and beautifully evident in the changing of the season. On a human and personal level, transformation and transfiguration can take many forms. Hair goes gray or recedes or disappears completely as youth gives way to maturity. Other types of transformation and transfiguration are less desirable. Who has not seen a loved one or friend ravaged by sickness.
 
While all these transformations and transfigurations vary in significance, they share a common characteristic: The changes are external in nature, affecting the physical aspect or the person. It may not enter into that spiritual place where each of us is truly who we are before God. In Jesus’ transfiguration before his disciples, he invites each of us to enter into that experience whereby we are transformed not from without, but from within the depths of our being. What transformation and transfiguration are you hoping for as you journey up the mountain of Lent?
 
In Rory Cooney’s Lenten anthem, “Jerusalem, My Destiny,” we sing, “I have fixed my eyes on your hills, Jerusalem, my destiny!” Our Lent leads us not only to the hill of Calvary to die with Jesus, but also to be transfigured with him as we renew our baptismal promises at Easter and rise with him in the glory of the resurrection.

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For parishioners we cannot accommodate in the church or who are fearful to gather with us, Archbishop Aymond has given permission to distribute Holy Communion after mass outdoors. He strongly suggested that we not give Holy Communion to people in vehicles. He recommends that we do so outside where people can form a communion line and observe social distancing. Therefore, after each mass, weather permitting, I will be available to distribute Holy Communion in the front lawn of the rectory. I suggest that as you approach me to receive the Body of Christ you pray the Lord’s Prayer, the Our Father.

Please remember Archbishop Aymond has dispensed the people of the Archdiocese from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass. If someone is vulnerable and not feeling well, we ask that you not celebrate Mass in church with other people.