Liturgy

Contact Elizabeth Hanks at 242-4575, ext. 25 or
email: ehanks@stfoa.org

Mass Times:

Weekday Mass: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday 9:00 am.

Communion Service Wednesday at 9:00 AM

Weekend Mass:
Saturday evening Vigil 5:00 pm.
Sunday morning 8:00 am & 10:00 am
Sunday Life Teen Mass 5:00 pm (October through mid-June).

Prayerfully consider being a Eucharistic Minister for the 5:00 PM Saturday Mass, 8:00 AM Sunday Mass, or a Sacristan for the 5:00 PM Sunday Mass. Call Elizabeth for details.

 
Please see the "This Week @ St. Francis" for special Masses


Calendar of upcoming Events
Sunday, February 12th, 10AM Mass, Boy Scout Sunday.
Monday, February 13th, 9:45 AM in the Parish Hall, Brunch for the Linen Ministers
Monday, February 13th, 4:30 PM, Liturgy Commission Meeting
Sunday, February 19th at the 8:00 AM Mass we will present our Catechumens and Candidates who will begin their final period of preparation for initiation.
They have found strength in God’s grace and we ask that our community members show their support and offer prayers for them as they are sent to St. James Cathedral for the Rite of Election on February 23rd.
Ash Wednesday, February 22nd, Masses 9:00 AM, 12:45 PM and 7:00 PM.
February 25-26, First Sunday of Lent.
Archbishop Peter Sartain will celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation on Sunday, February 26th at the 5:00 PM Mass.


A New Liturgical Team is Forming I am hoping to form a new team of people to plan the environment for liturgy. As the different Liturgical seasons change, there is much to be done in the church. If you or someone you know has an artistic eye and creative hands and are interested in being part of the planning for church environment, please contact Elizabeth in the Parish Office, ext 25. Debbie T. is planning to step down from her leadership role on the environment team. Thank you, Debbie, for 10 years of dedication and service. Your presence in this ministry has been a wonderful blessing to St. Francis Parish.


Please continue to pray for our Catechumens and Candidates as they continue on their journey toward the Easter Sacraments.
Those seeking Baptism are: Tim L., Amber M., Kay P., Andrew T., Christy T.

Those baptized in another Christian tradition and now seeking full communion with the Catholic Church are: Nick A., Andrew A., Mistie H.

Those baptized in the Catholic faith and now seeking Confirmation are: Clint H., Cameron M., Kelly S.


If you are a Liturgical Minister, please pick up one of the white envelopes addressed to you on the counter under the St. Francis mural in the vestibule of the church. Thank you.


Implementation of the Roman Missal Third Edition For more information on the Roman Missal visit: http://old.usccb.org/romanmissal/

At St. Francis of Assisi there will be large-print response cards in the pews to help us with the new responses until they become familiar.
  

Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults
If you are an adult, interested in becoming Catholic, or completing your Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist, or you have been away from the church and are interested in coming back, RCIA might be your answer. Contact Elizabeth in the Parish Office, extension 25 for more information and to register for the classes which meet Mondays at 7:00 - 9:00 PM in the Parish Hall.
If your child is 7 years or older and has not been Baptized, contact Cheryl Brooten, ext. 24 for information about the Rite of Christian Initiation for Children process.


Volunteer to become more involved in the life of the parish as a:
Liturgical Minister, Altar server, Acolyte, Sacristan, Lector, Eucharistic Minister, Usher/Greeter, Minister for cleaning the church, Minister for laundering small linens, Environment Minister.
You will need to be a Confirmed Catholic to be a Eucharistic Minister or a Lector. Contact Elizabeth for more information.

Altar Servers and Acolytes serve God and his people by helping the priest during daily and Sunday Mass and other liturgical celebrations throughout the year. Any Catholic child, 7th grade and above may be an Altar Server and any High School student may be an Acolyte.

Care of Linen Ministry: These ministers wash and iron the small linens that are used during the Mass. This includes corporals, purificators and small towels. Linens are taken home after the last Sunday Mass or on Monday morning and returned Tuesday or Wednesday.

Church Cleaning Ministry: These ministers help keep our beautiful church tidy. Only about 30 minutes once a month is required. These volunteers work in teams of two or more, on Friday mornings to prepare for the weekend Masses. Responsibilities include: filling the Holy water, dusting and straightening the books in the pews.

Environment Ministers: Those working on the environment play an important role in the life of the church. They decorate the sanctuary and church for the liturgical seasons and Holy days. Their work reflects and supports the community in prayer and worship.

Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist (Eucharistic Ministers): Lay ministers who help with the distribution of the Eucharist at Mass. To serve as a Eucharistic Minister you need to be Confirmed and actively participating in the Catholic Church’s Liturgical Life on a regular basis.

Lay Presider for Communion Service: The Lay presider prepares a reflection on the readings for the Wednesday Communion service and leads the Communion service.

Lectors proclaim the word of God to the assembly on weekend, weekday and Holy day liturgies. The Lector proclaims the first and second readings from the Sacred Scripture, the general intercessions and the announcements at the end of Mass. You will have a workbook provided to help you prepare for the upcoming readings.

Sacristans are responsible for unlocking and locking the church and setting up for Mass. Set up includes preparation of vessels, hosts and wine. Sacristans are scheduled to perform their duties for all Masses on weekdays, weekends and Holy days on a rotating schedule.

Ushers: The role of the ushers is to take up the collection, see that the Offertory gifts are brought to the altar, pass out the weekly bulletins and assist with other situations that might arise.

I welcome your questions, concerns and suggestions regarding Liturgy and the environment of the church. If you have ideas for what would make Liturgy at St. Francis of Assisi more life-giving for you, please contact me at the St. Francis parish office, drop by, send a note, give me a call, or send an email. Please sign your name to your suggestions so that I can contact you. Your suggestions are valuable to me and our community.
Thank you, Elizabeth


Is low-gluten bread permitted?
Yes. If, for medical reasons, a person is restricted to the amount of gluten he or she may consume, churches may use low-gluten bread. Pastors and the faithful are reminded that for bread to be valid matter for the Eucharist, it must be made solely of wheat; contain enough gluten to effect the confection of bread; be free of foreign materials and unaffected by any preparation or baking methods which would alter its nature. The amount of gluten necessary for validity in such bread is not determined by minimum percentage or weight, though hosts which have no gluten are considered invalid matter for Mass. In the Roman Rite, the bread prepared for the Eucharist must also be unleavened. The lay faithful who are not able to receive Holy Communion at all under the species of bread, even of lowgluten hosts, may indeed receive Holy Communion under the species of wine only.

As a final note, it is important to recall that through the doctrine of concomitance the Church teaches that under either species of bread or wine, the whole of Christ is received (cf. General Instruction of the Roman Missal, no.282; Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.1390; Council of Trent, session 21, Doctrina de communione sub utraque specie et parvulorum, 16 July 1562, chapters 1-3: Denzinger –Schonmetzer, 1725-1729). (USCCB website)

If you would be interested in receiving low-gluten hosts, please contact Elizabeth in the Parish Office.


Please continue to pray for our military members and their families. We ask God to protect them from harm and bring them home soon.