Ash Wednesday ‑ Mass and Blessing and Distribution of ashes will be held on Wednesday, March 9th at 7 p.m..
Stations of the Cross ‑ will be held each Sunday following Mass, during the season of Lent. Come join us, as we follow in prayer and devotion, the suffering, death, and burial of Our Lord, Jesus Christ! Renew and enlarge your sense of all our Lord has done for us…
Lenten Services in East Meadow Read More »
Christmas Eve, Vigil of the Nativity Shepherd’s Mass will be held on Friday, December 24th at 9:00 p.m. Come Rejoice!
Our Christmas Tradition continues. Please join us in the Parish Hall after Shepherd’s Mass for our special time to share a meal together, listen and care for one another. Let us know what food/dessert item you’d like to contribute (so far we’ve got: cold cuts, rolls, kielbasa, sausage bread, borsch soup, babka & chrusciki).
Christmas Day, Solemnity of the Nativity of our Lord, December 25th… Holy Mass will be held at 9:00 a.m.
Solemnity of the Humble Shepherds, Sunday, December 26th… Holy Mass will be held as usual at 9:00 a.m.
Christmas Holy Mass Schedule Read More »
From EastMeadowPatch: St. Francis Christmas Dinner Spreads Holiday Cheer: St. Francis’ congregation celebrates the holiday season
The holiday spirit was bustling in East Meadow on Sunday at the St. Francis Polish National Catholic Church. The congregation held their annual Christmas fundraiser dinner. There were approximately 80 members in attendance, making the event full and joyous.
The congregation adopts a family in need every year. St. Francis fundraises through this dinner to provide necessities for that family.
“We have three dinners a year, but this dinner is meant to fundraise for the family that we adopt,” Reverend Andrzej Koterba explained.
The evening was full of festivities. Throughout the church hall, there were smells of homemade Christmas dinner, sounds of happy chatter and children running around, excited at the thought of meeting Santa Claus.
Giving is definitely a sentiment that the church members were comfortable with. The congregation held a raffle where almost all members participated. A donation box for the adopted family was brimming with dollar bills. The church also had a “wish list tree,” a tree filled with cards on ornaments that list an item that the church needs. Churchgoers are able to pick any ornament that they want, and then they can purchase and donate that item to the church. Everyone was so willing to give generously, which contributed to the true Christmas spirit felt throughout the evening.
St. Francis also gave out Polish wafers. The wafers are used at Christmas dinner on Christmas everyone breaks off a piece of the wafer, symbolizing peace for the year to come.
The children, especially Natalie, 5, and Adam, 4, were more than happy to chat with a newcomer. They both eagerly explained what they wanted Santa Claus to bring them: a Lego jet, Batman, a glowdome and a remote control helicopter.
Before digging in to the wonderful home-cooked meal, Reverend Koterba delivered a beautiful blessing on the food.
A surprise visitor came in the middle of the raffle, ringing jingle bells and jollily greeting the children – it was Santa Claus! He gave a gift to each of the children in attendance, who were delighted to sit on his lap and smile for a lovely picture.
The night offered a sense of family and home that is rare. Everyone was incredibly welcoming and loving.
“We welcome everybody and we appreciate greatly the generosity of our congregation,” Joni Blenn, the vice president, said.
View photos of the celebration at EastMeadowPatch.
St. Francis’ celebrates the Christmas season Read More »
St. Francis Polish National Catholic Church will hold its annual Christmas Dinner on Sunday, December 5th at 3 p.m.
Celebrate Christmas with delicious traditional holiday dishes! There will be great food and tons of fun! Lots of raffles, prizes & caroling… and St. Nicholas will be there for the kids!
Tickets are $15 Adults, $6 Children. Seating is limited to 80. When you call for reservations, please leave your name, phone number, and the number of adults and/or children (ages & sex so St. Nick can bring an appropriate gift) in your party.
Please R.S.V.P by December 1st to Carol Thomas at (516) 546-2535.
Check out this article from the Neighborhood Files at EastMeadowPatch along with some great photos by author, Kim Plummer: Animal Instincts: Pets Receive Blessings at St. Francis Church
Residents and parishioners gather at St. Francis Church with their cats, dogs and fish for the annual blessing of the animals.
Residents, parishioners, cats, dogs and fish gathered at St. Francis Catholic Church on Saturday for the blessing of the animals.
Saint Francis of Assisi is known as the patron saint of animals and the environment. Traditionally, Catholic churches hold ceremonies to bless animals during the Feast of St. Francis on Oct. 4.
“Saint Francis referred to all animals as brothers and sisters, and it was reported that wild animals had no fear of him,” Thomas Kompa, parishoner, said during the ceremony.
St. Francis Catholic Church holds the annual event on the weekend so that more community members can attend. The church has held the blessing annually for the past 20 years.
Father Andrew Koterba said a prayer for all of the animals in attendance, as well as blessings for sick animals. In the spirit of St. Francis, Father Koterba encouraged those in attendance to help animals and our environment however they can: build a bird feeder, donate to an animal shelter, grow a garden or recycle.
For Joan McGratti of Wantagh having their cats blessed with her husband and daughters has become an annual tradition. Joan, her husband, Bill, and their two daughters, Lana and Laura, as well as each of their cats have been attending the ceremony for the past six years.
“It’s a beautiful and inviting Church, and it’s great that our cats are invited to be here, too, inside of the Church,” said Joan McGratti while holding her black cat, Raven.
For other pet owners it was their first time having their animals blessed. Jiselle MacDonald and her daughter Natalie brought their cat, Vinnie. Vinnie was dressed appropriately with a collar and black bow tie for the event.
“Vinnie is like a member of our family,” said Jiselle MacDonald, an East Meadow resident who moved here two years ago. “This morning my daughter was asking me if this was his Christening.”
Like MacDonald, most pet owners consider the ceremony an important way to strengthen bonds between a family and their pet. Carlo and Carla Calabrese, with their daughter Adrianna, brought their 2-year-old dog Daisy to be blessed for the third time.
“We want her to be protected fully. This is kind of like her baptism,” Carla Calabrese said. “Daisy is a major part of our family.”
Pet Blessing memories Read More »
The Church sets aside the month of November to remind you to pray for your faithful departed. All Souls Day is November 2nd. Please enclose to Father Andrew the names of your faithfully departed family and friends, who you would like to be remembered during Holy Mass in November.
Prayerful Remembrance Read More »
Come Celebrate Our 78th Anniversary with a Fall Dinner on Sunday, September 19th at 3pm. There will be great Home Cooked Polish Specialties & Much More. Tickets are $15 for Adults and $6 for Children under 12 years old. There will also be plenty of great prizes & raffles to help us raise funds to preserve our beloved parish of St. Francis.
Seating is limited to 80 guests. When you call for reservations, please leave your name, phone number and the number of adults and/or children in your group, R.S.V.P. to Carol Thomas at 516-546-2535.
St. Francis Parish will hold its annual Blessing of the Animals on Saturday, October 2nd at 1 p.m. We are also celebrating our 78th Anniversary! St. Francis PNC Church — 1932-2010!
Bring your hamsters, gerbils, dogs, cats, birds, fish, ferrets, lizards, etc. for a special St. Francis blessing… even the NCPD Mounted Unit will be there!
Blessed are you, Lord God, Maker of all living creatures, On the fifth and sixth days of creation you called forth fish in the sea, birds in the air and animals on the land. You inspired St. Francis to call all animals his brothers and sisters. We ask you to bless this animal. By the power of your love enable it to live according to your plan. May we always praise you for all your beauty in creation. Blessed are you, Lord our God, in all your creatures! Amen.
Blessing of the Animals Read More »
We are holding a Giant (Huge, Really, really BIG) Yard Sale to benefit St. Francis PNC Church on Saturday and Sunday, August 28th & 29th from 10am until 4pm. There will be something for everyone: children’s clothes & toys, adult clothes, kitchen, bathroom, living room stuff, furniture, small appliances, and knick-knacks galore — some used, some new.
If you have any items you’d like to donate (all proceeds to St. Francis PNC Church) or you need more info, please contact Monika or Fr. Andrew at 516-794-5189.
Giant Fundraiser Yard Sale Read More »
We welcome Maximilian Jan Farquharson to the Body of Christ. Maximilian was baptized on Sunday, April 11th. His parents are Ricardo and Magdalena.
Baptism of Maximilian Jan Farquharson Read More »