“Brothers and sisters: If Christ is preached as raised from
the dead, how can some among you say there is no resurrection of the dead? If
the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised, and if Christ has not
been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins.”
A Book Giveaway to Remember
In the late 90’s, I was in northeast India traveling through unreached cities and villages located near the Ganges River where less than 1% of the population were Christian. Many people in that region had never even heard about Christ! As we proclaimed the Gospel, we distributed books entitled Jesus Died for You in the Hindi language. I tossed a book into the lap of a Hindu Brahmin priest as he sat deep in meditation. He immediately began reading it! We threw books out the car windows as we drove slowly through the crowds. Masses of curious Hindus raced for the books, crowding in to catch glimpses of the words on the pages. I will never forget their spiritual hunger! Many precious souls heard the Gospel for the first time and came to Christ as a result. Seeing their hunger satisfied created an even deeper hunger for more of Jesus in each of the believers involved in the mission—this Jesus who through the love of a few Christ followers and the printed word had transformed lives in front of our very eyes. In that moment, we felt fully alive! We had found our purpose in giving Truth to someone else.
Here at St. Francis we receive the Gospel and enjoy the Sacraments on a daily basis. We are “stuffed” with Truth at every turn. It is easy to forget what hunger feels like. Outside these walls, however, there are souls who have not heard of this grace. They are skeptical, analytical, seeking answers in the wrong places.
During the upcoming Lenten season, we have an opportunity to shift our focus from filling our spiritual bellies to satisfying the hunger of someone else. Our gift to you is a book entitled The Case for Jesus that will help you reach someone else with Truth. Here are some tips on reading it with purpose:
1. READ with the goal of learning to better evangelize skeptics.
2. PRAY as you read, asking the Holy Spirit to lead you to someone who needs Christ.
3. GIVE your book to a non-Christian and discuss its content with them.
I pray you are empowered to present the case for Jesus in a world that continues to fall further away from Him. Remember, this book isn’t for you. It’s for them.
God bless you,Anthony Feola
"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
This Week at St. Francis...
Parish Mission with Fr. Coady Owens March 12-14
Please mark your calendars to join us March 12-14 for Mass, adoration, and inspiring talks by Fr. Coady Owens.Schedule: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday
Mass 5:30, Adoration 6pm, Talk and confessions 7pm.
Adoration: Please sign up in the Narthex for Adoration during the mission.
Times: 6-7pm
The Case For Jesus Lent Book Giveaway & Study
This weekend you will receive a free copy of The Case for Jesus. This book will coincide with our upcoming Mission with Fr. Coady Owens. Please begin prayerfully reading. Following the Mission there will be a book discussion group on Tuesday’s @ 7pm in the parish hall. Dates: March 19 and 26/ April 9 and 16. All are welcome to join us! Any questions please contact Anthony Feola in the parish office. afeola@parish.dol-in.orgFriday Holy Hours During Lent
There will be Adoration in the Worship Space Fridays during Lent from 12pm-1pm. Come and join us during your lunch hour as we fast, pray, and unify more deeply with Jesus in the wilderness. All are welcome!Holy Hour Dates: March 8,15,22,29
April 5, 12
Helping God Help Others
Next week you will receive a brochure detailing the Helping God Help Others Program our parish will be participating in over the next few weeks. This informative brochure is intended to communicate how we, as a parish, want to advance our mission and how we are serving God’s people in our community. Commitment Sunday for this program is Sunday, February 24. We encourage all parishioners to spend time in prayer and discussion with your family reflecting on how you are able to help us. We look forward to seeing all of our parishioners at Mass next weekend for this very important Commitment Sunday. If you have any questions regarding the Helping God Help Others Program, please feel free to contact the parish office.St. Vincent de Paul
St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry is in need of the deliverers for their food pantry. They take the donated food to homes. It requires a two hour weekly commitment to serve the elderly, disabled, and families.Gabriel Project
Gabriel Project is in need of Diapers (Sizes 1, 3, 5, and 6) and Diaper Wipes (sensitive or no scent). We also need GIRLS size newborn-3 month winter clothes and GIRLS 3-6 month spring clothes. We are almost completely out of these items and need your help to re-stock our shelves so that we can better serve our 10 babies.Secular Franciscans
The Secular Franciscans will meet Wednesday, February 27, at 7:00 p.m. in St. Mary’s St. Elizabeth House. We are continuing our discussion of a series of recorded talks by Br. Bill Short, O.F.M., entitled The Franciscan Intellectual Tradition. Part 9 focuses on “The Revelation of Christ in Culture.” Anyone interested in learning about St. Francis of Assisi and his spiritual tradition is welcome to attend our meetings. For more information, contact Bill Fink at 284-0918 or bfink@bsu.edu. “Blessed
are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours. Blessed are you who are
now hungry, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who are now weeping, for
you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and
insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice
and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven.”
School Supplies for Haiti – An Update
Thank you to everyone who donated school supplies for Haiti during Advent. We are excited to let you know that we collected thousands of pencils, colored pencils, and markers. Hundreds of scissors, rulers, erasers, and more, filling 13 boxes! These are due to be shipped via sea container to Plaisance in March. Please pray for a quick and safe delivery! In addition, we collected $360 for vitamins, $314 for school lunches, $345 for additional school supplies, and $730 for teacher’s salaries! A special thank you to confirmation student, Avery Clark, for her hard work in coordinating the Advent Giving Tree and in sorting the supplies.
"Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD,whose hope is the LORD."