Prayer

Holy Week and Reverence

Parish Life, PNCC /

During March as we continue in this year of Reverence we are called to focus on Holy Week. We pray that you will experience a Reverent Holy Week

a7bd6afb62d04241b9fa29289351ca2bWe are about to embark yet again on a beautiful journey where we are blessed through the sacred Liturgy of the Church to share in the Salvific events of the passion, death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Let us not take these opportunities for granted but rather embrace them with gratitude and respect. Make the time for Jesus as He will become present to His people though the beautiful Liturgies of Holy Week.

Palm Sunday with the blessing of palms and procession recalls the triumphal entry of our Jesus into Jerusalem. We rejoice as we receive the palms but know how quickly the hymns and shouts of Hosanna change to crucify him as this year the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to St. Luke will be proclaimed during the Holy Mass of Palm Sunday.

Clergy and Faithful of our dioceses will be gathering around their Bishop for the majestic Chrism Mass – where the Holy Oils used throughout the dioceses are blessed by the Bishop and the priests renew their vows of service to Christ and His Holy Church.

Holy Thursday begins the Paschal Triduum and celebrates the Last Supper during which our Lord Jesus Christ instituted the Holy Eucharist – giving us His presence in His Sacred Body and Precious Blood that we receive. We also experience the Mandatum – with the solemn washing of feet reminding us that we are to follow the example of Jesus and are not here to be served but to serve. The Liturgy concludes with a procession of the Blessed Sacrament to the Altar of Repose, the vespers of Holy Thursday and the stripping of the Altars.

On Good Friday the Church gathers to remember the death of our Lord Jesus Christ upon the Cross on the hill of Calvary. We read the passion according to St. John, adore the Cross upon which hung the Savior of the world and receive His presence in the Eucharist during the Liturgy of the Presanctified. We are called to spend time in reverent prayer at the symbolic grave of our Lord and in the presence of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the blessed Sacrament.

On Holy Saturday the Church blesses fire, water and the Paschal Candle (the symbol of the Risen Savior – Christ as the light of the world) – the exhortations are read instructing the faithful and an Easter Vigil Mass may be celebrated. The is a beautiful moment for baptisms of people entering the Christian Faith.

We then gather on Easter morning for Resurrection Mass and procession – celebrating Christ’s glorious Resurrection from the dead. Proclaiming that Christ is Risen – He is risen indeed – Alleluia! Alleluia!

May we approach these sacred Liturgies of the Church with great reverence and solemnness. We have a wonderful opportunity over these next days to share with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the events of salvation. Take advantage of the opportunity we have and approach these beautiful Liturgies of the Church with reverence, respect and allow them to draw us closer to Jesus and our brothers and sisters in the faith.

Have a blessed Holy Week commemoration.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

PNCC Supreme Council Future Direction Committee

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Healing Holy Mass

Community Events, From the Pastor, Liturgical, Parish Life, PNCC /

Jesus went to every town and village. He taught in their meeting places and preached the good news about God’s kingdom. Jesus also healed every kind of disease and sickness. — Matthew 9:35

St. Francis Catholic Church PNCC will celebrate a Healing Mass and service on Sunday, May 31st at 10 A.M. All are welcome. For more information please call Fr. Andrew Koterba at 516-794-5189

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St. Francis’ Annual Blessing For All Animals, October 4th

1 Comment / Community Events, Parish Life, PNCC /

On Saturday, October 4th St. Francis parish will hold its annual Blessing For All Animals at 1 p.m. Bring your dogs, cats, hamsters, gerbils, birds, fish, ferrets, turtles, lizards, for a special St. Francis blessing…

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.

Directions to St. Francis parish: Take Southern State Parkway to exit 25N (RT-106 N) toward East Meadow for about a half mile. Turn left onto East Meadow Avenue for approximately 1 mile. Turn left onto Harton Avenue. Harton Avenue is off East Meadow Avenue between Pietro’s Pizzeria and the Chinese Take-Out.

blessing of animals flyer 2014

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Blessing of Easter Baskets

Community Events, Liturgical, Parish Life, PNCC /

All are welcome — as always! Bring your eggs, cooked foods, uncooked foods, baskets or not, covered with a white linen cloth (or not)… Father Andrew will bless your Easter foods in a short, cheerful service on Saturday, April 19th at 1 pm.

This service is a token of gratitude to God for all his gifts of both nature and grace. A reminder that the Lord is part of our daily life and is always among us! Please bring a family member or a friend; help make this old but significant tradition new again!

Download this flyer [pdf] for information on preparing a traditional Easter basket.

blessing of baskets flyer 2014

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Lent, Holy Week, and Easter in East Meadow

Community Events, Liturgical, Parish Life, PNCC /

We invite you to journey with us through Lent and Holy Week, and celebrate with us on Easter at St. Francis in East Meadow.

Lenten Holy Mass and Stations of the Cross every Sunday

After each 9 a.m. Holy Mass during Lent we will observe Stations of the Cross followed by Breakfast in the Parish Hall.

Palm Sunday

Procession & Holy Mass on Sunday, April 13th at 9 am

Palm Sunday marks the beginning of “Holy Week.” On this day we com­ memorate the last triumph of Our Lord Jesus Christ on earth. On this day we celebrate the triumphant entry of our Lord into Jerusalem; when the multitudes, going before and following after Him, cut off branches from the trees and strewed them in His way, shouting, “Hosanna, to the Son of David. Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord.” This Palm Sunday triumph of our Lord only led to His death. But we know that this death was not a failure. It was through His passion and death that He conquered the world and entered into His Kingdom. So the faithful join in this triumphant celebration in an act of homage and gratitude to Christ our King!

Paschal Triduum

  • Maundy Thursday Holy Mass on Thursday, April 17th at 7 pm
  • Good Friday Mass of the Presactified on Friday, April 18th at 7 pm
  • Blessing of the Baskets, Saturday, April 19th at 1 pm. All are welcome! Bring your eggs, cooked foods, uncooked foods, baskets or not, covered with a white linen cloth (or not)… Fr. Andrew will bless your Easter foods in a short, cheerful service.

For Christians the Paschal Triduum (“Three Days”) is the focal point of the entire year. During these days, covering the period from the evening of Holy Thursday through the evening of Easter Sunday, we celebrate our faith in the paschal mystery of Christ with the greatest fervor and intensity. In the liturgy we commemorate the passion, death and resurrection of Christ as the means of our salvation. Through our baptism, we share in the death of Christ and so hope to share in his resurrection. The liturgy of the Paschal Triduum then invites us to reflect on where we are in our own Paschal journey in Christ.

Maundy Thursday – The name Maundy comes from the Latin word which means ‘command.’ It refers to the new command Jesus gave his disciples on the Thursday be­ fore he was crucified. On that night, long ago, he served the “Last Supper” of bread and wine, washed his disciples’ feet and said, “A new command I give you; Love one another.” —John 13:13. Church bells fall silent on this day and are not heard again until Easter morn­ ing. Instead of tinkling altar bells, wooden clappers are used during divine services. The altar will be stripped at the end of the service to symbolize Christ being stripped of his power. The holy sacrifice is interrupted and will not be offered again until Holy Saturday.

Good Friday – Good Friday used to called God’s Friday because it was the day Jesus was crucified. This is the most solemn day of the year, as we recall the suffer­ ings and death of Jesus. We take this time to journey the ‘Stations of the Cross,’ Christ’s road to Calvary. The Bible says that when Jesus hung on the cross, the sky became dark from noon until 3:00 p.m.. During those hours, traditionally, the faithful may meditate on the sufferings of Our Lord on the cross and remember the words He spoke on the Cross…Take time to remember, read the Passion, read a psalm, meditate, say a prayer. We share now in sorrow, grief and pain.

Holy Saturday – Holy Saturday is liturgically a day of deepest mourning, a day which the Church spends at our Lord’s sepulchre, meditating on his sacred Passion and death. There is no mass and the altar is bare. As we end the Lenten penitential period in pious preparation for a festive Paschal season. We have the Blessing of our Easter Foods on Saturday, April 23rd at 1:00 p.m., a token of gratitude to God for all his gifts of both nature and grace. A reminder that the Lord is part of our daily life and is always among us! Please bring a family member or a friend; help make this old but significant tradition new again!

Solemnity of the Resurrection – Easter

Procession & Resurrection Holy Mass on Sunday, April 20th at 9 am followed by our famous Easter Breakfast.

Come, you are invited, family and friends of St. Francis Parish, to attend our traditional “Easter Celebration Breakfast” held in the Parish Hall, after Easter Sunday Mass. Come, let us REJOICE together!

lent & easter 2014

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