SUNDAY, March 29 - Palm Sunday

Readings: Jn 12:12-16 Is 50:4-7 Phil 2:6-11 Mk 14:1-15:47

8:00 A.M. Santos Digrande

9:30 A.M. Anthony D’Alleva

11:00 A.M. For the People of St. Francis of Assisi

12:30 P.M. Margherite & Giacomo Valluzzi

Joseph DiMilta

Vincenzo Cosentino

Rosa & Gennaro Benedetto

Guido Troisi

Rosa & Francisco Macchia

MONDAY, March 30 - Monday of Holy Week

Readings: Is 42:1-7 Jn 12:1-11

7:00 A.M. Frank Hollins

9:00 A.M. Hannah & James Browne

TUESDAY, March 31 - Tuesday of Holy Week Readings: Is 49:1-6 Jn 13:21-33, 36-38

7:00 A.M. Sam Perrone

9:00 A.M. Nicholas Forlano, Sr.

WEDNESDAY, April 1 - Wednesday of Holy Week

Readings: Is 7:10-14, 8:10 Heb 10:4-10 Lk 1:26-38

7:00 A.M. Claire Johnson

9:00 A.M. Fulvio Lupetin

THURSDAY, April 2 - Holy Thursday

Readings: Ex 12:1-8, 11-14/1 Cor 11:23-26/Jn 13:1-15

9:00 A.M. Morning Prayer

7:30 P.M. Mass of the Lord’s Supper

Visits to the Repository Until 10:00 P.M.

FRIDAY, April 3 - Good Friday Readings: Is 52:13-53:12 Heb 4:14-16, 5-7-9 Jn 18:1-19:42

9:00 A.M. Morning Prayer

2:00 P.M. Stations of the Cross

3:00 P.M. Celebration of the Lord’s Passion - English

7:30 P.M. Celebration of the Lord’s Passion - Italian/English

SATURDAY, April 4 - Holy Saturday

Readings: Ez 36:16-17a 18,28 Rom 6:3 111/Mk 16:1-7

9:00 A.M. Morning Prayer

7:30 P.M. Easter Vigil

SUNDAY, April 5 - EASTER SUNDAY

Readings: Acts 10:34a 37-43 Col 3:1-4

8:00 A.M. Felicia Briffa

9:30 A.M. Ann Jerrie

11:00 A.M. Guiseppe & Guiseppa Costanza

12:30 P.M. Carlos & Maria Isabel Mayuri

Guiseppe Toscano

Vincent Cosentino Frances Capone

MASSES FOR THE WEEK

PALM SUNDAY OF THE PASSION OF THE LORD

My Dear Parishioners,

What was it that enabled Jesus to embrace with patience and

resignation the events we commemorate today? What was it that

gave Jesus the determination to enter Jerusalem knowing full

well what was going to happen to him? What was it that gave

Jesus the courage to lay down his life for all people for all time?

As we heard Mark’s passion account of our Lord Jesus, we could

see that Jesus fully embraced the attitude of a suffering servant of

God. Paul went so far as to call Jesus a slave. Jesus took upon

himself the lowliest position of life in order that he could raise all

people to the glory and dignity of children of God. It was with a

profound sense of humble obedience that Jesus embraced the

intense suffering he endured on the way to his death upon the

cross. Jesus’ love for us and for his Father was full and complete.

This empowered Him to be obedient even unto death in order

that we may have redemption, according to the Father’s will.

As we enter this Holy Week we marvel at the courage and deter-

mination of our Savior, Jesus. We celebrate His triumphant entry

into Jerusalem and commemorate his passion and death. But it is

only by going forth to live as humble, obedient children of God

that we honor Christ with our very lives.

Holy Thursday begins the Triduum- the Great Three Days. This

special evening begins our commemoration of the Lord’s suffer-

ing, death, and resurrection with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper.

The disciples of Jesus did not know that this would be the final

time that they would be with their Teacher and Master. This is

the reason that He washed the feet of the ones he loved. Jesus

wanted to leave his disciples with a sign of service, love, and hu-

mility.

Jesus left his disciples with an example of what they were to be to

one another. This is the example of love that Jesus gives us. Jesus

wants us to wash the feet of one another. Can we do this? Can we

be Christ to one another? Are we ready to live the gospel message

of the Lord who suffered, died, and rose from the dead? As Jesus

did, we can do. As we share Jesus’ Body and Blood, we become

part of him as he becomes part of us.

Good Friday we hear again the story of Jesus’ death. In the

austerity and simplicity of our liturgy we ponder its meaning. We

ask what does the Cross mean; what lessons do we learn from it?

This is at the heart of our meditation this day.

Holy Saturday, the most holy night, we revel in the Risen Lord’s

radiance. The darkness of humanity’s long night of waiting has

been dispelled as we are immersed in love, the love of God’s Risen

Son. We are warmed by the rays of joy which have conquered the

fear and sadness of sin and death.

Principal among the symbols of this great joy is our Easter

Candle, lit in the darkness; its ever-increasing light expresses the

glorious Resurrection. While our Easter Candle bears the marks

of this present time, 2015, we can think of this candle as timeless.

It represents our God, specifically the incarnation of the Son of

God as Jesus Christ. The light of this candle represents God’s

love for us from the creation of the world. It is this divine love

that continues to dispel the darkness around us throughout the

course of time, reaching its consummation in Christ our Light!

God Bless, Msgr. Maresca

There will be Religious Instruction Classes

on Sunday, March 29, 2015

If you have a child beginning first grade in

public school, it is time to register for

Religious Education. Diocesan guidelines

require two years of instructions prior to

the reception of a Sacrament. If your child

is already in the first grade and missed this

year, call the Office of Religious Education

to set up an appointment to discuss the

options.

Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults The

RCIA is a process in which adults prepare

themselves for the reception of the

Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism,

Confirmation and Eucharist) through

study, discussion and discernment. Please

contact the Rectory.

We thank our Home and School and everyone who

donated their time to make Breakfast with the Easter

Bunny a wonderful treat for our children in Toddler

Time to Grade 1 classes.

This Sunday is Palm Sunday which commemorates

Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. It also marks the beginning

of Holy Week.

We congratulate the following students on their academic

achievements for the Second Trimester:

Principal’s List (97 or above) Grade 6 Nikki McNamara, Emily Peeks,

Rosaria Spatola,

Grade 7 Maya Burns, Carmelo Fontanez

Grade 8 Daniella DeViccaro, Natalia Kyriakopoulos

First Honors (93 or above) Grade 5 Kayley Burns, Katie Martinez,

Francesco Marzella, Isabella Ortiz,

Leandra Rodriguez

Grade 6 Alessandra Ciaccio, Emily Grimaldi,

Amer Issa, Jady Lopez, Claudia Smith,

Lauren Staats

Grade 7 Crystal Barroso, Valentina Cracolici,

Brittany Demma, Kirsten Killeen

Grade 8 Evan Altman, Michael Grimaldi,

Anastasia Koumarnetos,

Leanne Ortega, John Schwab,

Sarina Singer, Michael Soviero III

Second Honors (89 or above) Grade 5 Sara DiGioia, LoRenzo LaRosa,

Amanda Milholi

Grade 6 Alexandra Esca, Yianni Koumarnetos

Grade 7 John Asaro, Gabriel Salazar,

Stefanie Todaro, Alexa Tossone,

Charles Thomas Walter

Grade 8 Victoria Formoso, Giovanni Ragusa

On Wednesday, April 1, school will close at 12

noon and classes will resume on Monday, April

13, 2015. We wish our students and their

families, faculty, and staff a very blessed Easter

and a safe and relaxing vacation.

St. John’s Preparatory

High School

Honor Roll For The 1st Semester

Brianna Anello Vincent Asaro

Rachel Aspenleiter Jayde Frederick Yassmine Issa Jonathan Lipe Cyan Martinez

Youssef Naimallah Michelle Nowakowski

Thomas Odermatt Antonio Ragusa

Raquel Ryan Hadi Salameh

Emily Sweeney Michael Viola

Nicholas Yanez

Congratulations!

THANK YOU

I want to express my thanks to all

of you for your prayers and

support. My operation went well

and I am home getting my

strength back. I thank my choirs,

the teachers, the students, the

staff and especially Msgr.

Maresca for his prayers and

words of support to me during

this time. I miss being at St.

Francis and I hope to return as

soon as my doctors say I am able.

Marina

There will be a 2nd Collection

next weekend For Support of

Senior Priests. Please be as

generous as your means allow.

Thank you

On Good Friday, the

annual collection for the

Holy Land is taken up

during the service. Your

financial contribution will

support the works of the Catholic

Community in the Middle East and

protect the Holy Places and Christian

shrines.

Please be as generous as your means

allow.

Thank you

St. Francis of Assisi Parish Finances

Thank you for your weekly

contributions which pays our bills.

Your sacrifice and generosity is

much appreciated.

The Collection/Donation for the weekend: March 21/22 $ 5820.00

Just a reminder to our envelope users to

please mark the amount on the outside of

the envelope. It is a great help to our

counters. Also, if you are not using the en-

velope system and would like to please call

the rectory. School parents are required

to use the envelopes.

Easter Mass Remembrance Envelopes can be returned in any

collection before Easter. The names of your loved ones, living

or deceased will be remembered at the Easter No-

vena of Masses celebrated Easter week.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++Easter Flower Offering

Envelopes can be returned in any

collection. Please clearly print the names

as we will be listing them in our Bulletin.

Gluten-free Hosts

If anyone needs to have a

Gluten-free Host we now

have them. You are asked

to come into the sacristy

before the Mass you are

attending and let the priest

know.

FOCUS: The Passion and

death of Jesus are expressions

of his love for us.

Jesus freely chose to suffer

and die so that our sins could

be forgiven and we could be

reconciled to the Father. The

motivation our Lord had for

doing this was his great love

for us and his desire to be

faithful to the will of his

Father. By entering more

deeply into our Lord’s

passion, we can come to

experience more fully his

great love for us.

Remember in your prayers all those in our parish who are sick, that they may find health and comfort:

James Nunez, Vincent Wytak, Carol Ross, Rolondo Larrondo,

Jeffrey Hyans, Jessica St. Preux, Al Ciani, Alesha Moses, Elizabeth

Quartuccia, Stephanie Stetz, Kathleen Newton, Samantha Fabrizi, Nancy McCaffrey, Christopher Wojtalik,

Marie Guerriero, Theresa Pacheco, William Goss, Antonio Ciancio, Luke Pacheco, Vincenza Papa,

Jim Schneggenburger, Anthony Criscuolo, Ann Anselmi, Alice Franklin, Saverio Giordano, John Ross,

Terri Kornalewski, Samantha O’Sullivan, Marilyn Miller, Domenica Brandon, Rosanne Costello, N. Donn Talenti,

Adele Fusco, Lenny Franklin, John Carmody, Jennie Bizocco, Rosario Duran, Ed Simeone, MaryEllen Christenson, Patricia

Hili, Edena Iorfida, Mary DeGloria, Louise Berhau, Charles Formosa.

O God, throughout the ages you have called women

and men to pursue lives of perfect charity through

the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and

obedience. During this Year of Consecrated Life, we

give you thanks for these courageous witnesses of

Faith and models of inspiration. Their pursuit of holy

lives teaches us to make a more perfect offering of

ourselves to you. Continue to enrich your Church by

calling forth sons and daughters who, having found

the pearl of great price, treasure the Kingdom of

Heaven above all things. Through our Lord Jesus

Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the

unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

The Annual Diocesan Wedding Anniversary

celebration will take place on Saturday, April 25th, 2015. All couples celebrating

their 25th, 30th, 40th and 50th and above anniversary are invited to attend with their

families. (Please see Bulletin Insert).

If you are interested PLEASE CALL

SUSAN AT THE RECTORY BY

Wednesday, APRIL 16TH to register

718-728-7801

Thank You

On Holy Thursday, the collection

taken up during the Mass of the

Lord’s Supper will go to the St.

Vincent De Paul Society.

Thank you for your generosity to

the poor.

To help us during our Lenten

journey, the following opportunities will be taking

place in our parish.

1. Mass is celebrated each morning at 7:00 am and

9:00 am Monday thru Friday and 9:00 am

Saturday.

2. Stations of the Cross will be held every Friday of

Lent at 7:30 pm and will conclude with Benedic-

tion.

3. Our Lenten Angel program will begin on Ash

Wednesday and conclude the Wednesday before

Holy Thursday. This program is a wonderful

opportunity to assist in supporting Catholic

Education here in St. Francis of Assisi School.

Your generous donation will make a difference in

the educational life of a child/children at SFA.

4. Reconciliation Monday will be Monday, March

30. Every Church in our Diocese, the Diocese of

Rockville Centre and the Archdiocese of New

York will be hearing confessions. We will hear

confessions in St. Francis from 3:00 pm to 5:00

pm and 7:00 pm 9:00 pm. What a wonderful

experience to meet Christ, who forgives our sins,

who calls us to repentance and loves us as his

followers.

In addition, confessions are heard every

Saturday from 4:00 to 4:30 pm in the confession

room off the vestibule of the Church.

5. Adult Faith Formation will be taking place on the

following Wednesday: April 15. These will take

place after the 9am Mass, and at 3:15 pm in the

rectory basement. All are invited to participate in

these sessions.

Society of St. Vincent de Paul

Gives Back

For each car, truck or van, running

or not, St. Vincent de Paul will give

back to St. Francis of Assisi $50/100

per vehicle. Maybe you don’t have a

vehicle, but a family member, friend

or neighbor has an old or neglected

vehicle in their driveway that they

would like to dispose of.

Call the Society of St. Vincent de

Paul at (718) 491-2525

EASTER CANDLE

If anyone would

like to make a

donation or

memorialize the

PASCHAL

CANDLE, Please

stop by the rectory

and speak with

Susan.

In Loving Memory of Rita & Ralph Maresca In Loving Memory of Marie & Edward Donohue In Loving Memory of Margaret & Frank Woods In Loving Memory of Victoria Marino In Loving Memory of Louis Falco In Loving Memory of John Kos In Loving Memory of Yolanda & Natalie Palazzolo In Loving Memory of Elsa Armenti In Loving Memory of Michael Perrino In Loving Memory of Mr. & Mrs. Mike Rizzo In Loving Memory of Carmela Messina In Loving Memory of Antonio Carullo In Loving Memory of Mario Carullo In Loving Memory of Rosa & Antonio Filetto In Loving Memory of Maria & Nicolo DeGrandis In Loving Memory of Marina & Fiorello Pinotti In Loving Memory of Kathleen Culkin In Loving Memory of Pietro Zuliani In Loving Memory of Rosemarie Zuliani-Conroy In Loving Memory of The Gurnick Family In Loving Memory of Jack & Chris Burch In Loving Memory of Edward Levinson

EASTER CANDLE DONATIONS

Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion

March 29, 2015

“Morning by morning He waken - wakens my ear to listen as those who are

taught.” Listen in prayer daily to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, seeking to know your vocation. If He is asking you to consider the priesthood or consecrated

life, call the Vocation Office at (718) 827-2454 or email: vocations@diobrook.org

Memorials for the Week of

March 29, 2015

ALTAR BREAD

For this week is donated

in loving memory of

Antoni Carullo Requested by

Carullo Family

ALTAR WINE

Is being Offered for

Mario Carullo Requested by

Carullo Family

PALM SUNDAY, March 29

Palms will be given out as you enter church and

will be blessed at the beginning of each mass.

Saturday 5 P.M.

Sunday 8:00 A.M. 9:30 A.M. 11 A.M. & 12:30 P.M.

HOLY THURSDAY, April 2

Morning prayer - 9:00 A.M.

Mass of the Lord's Supper - 7:30 P.M.

Visits to the Repository Until - 10:00 P.M.

GOOD FRIDAY, April 3

Morning Prayer - 9:00 A.M.

Stations of the Cross - 2:00 P.M.

Liturgy of the Passion & Death of the Lord:

3:00 P.M. English

7:30 P.M. English and Italian

HOLY SATURDAY, April 4

Morning Prayer - 9:00 A.M.

NO CONFESSIONS

NO 5:00 P.M. MASS

Easter Vigil - 7:30 P.M.

EASTER SUNDAY, April 5 Masses

8:00 A.M.

9:30 A.M.

11:00 A.M.

12:30 P.M. (Italian)

ALL ARE INVITED TO

PARTICIPATE IN THE

SERVICES DURING

HOLY WEEK

As we begin the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, Jesus showed his love

in his desire to remain with us always through the institution of the

Holy Eucharist. Jesus invites us to intimacy, the intimacy of eating a

meal together, the intimacy of his becoming our very food and

drink so that he might share his life with us. The intimacy of

remembering Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection so deeply that

Jesus is present among us.

Also, the disciples must have been dumbfounded when Jesus

began washing their feet, a task performed by slaves. Peter was

embarrassed by this action but Jesus was able to tell Peter that by

the washing of feet, Peter could share in his heritage.

This same possibility is open to us. Jesus invites us into a relation-

ship that is so strong and so deep that it will enable our faith to

grow even deeper. This Holy Thursday, let us spend some quiet

moments with Jesus present in the Eucharist and tell him of our

hearts’ desires.

Good Friday is a day of mixed emotions. As we think of the pain

our gentle Jesus suffered we cannot help being sorrowful. At the

same time, however, we have reason to rejoice. Through his

suffering and death on the cross Jesus has completed his mission

on earth. He has opened the way for us who believe in him to

share in the joy of his resurrection.

As we prayerfully recall Christ’s passion, we see in it a reason to

hope. Being God’s divine son, Jesus could have overcome his op-

pressors, but he freely took this suffering upon himself out of love

for us. If we believe in him and, like him, trust in the love and

mercy of his divine Father, we too, can triumph over death.

May this Holy Week be a source of strength, hope, and courage for

each one of us as we accompany Jesus through these celebrations.

God bless, Msgr. Maresca

MARCH ALTAR SERVER SCHEDULE-2015

Sat. March 28th 5pm Samantha Dee, Joseph Todaro, Yulia Purcarea

Sun. March 29th 8am Victoria Formoso, Nicole Pereira

9:30am Leandra Rodriguez, Lauren Staats, Rocco Marchesona

11am Javier Fermin, Emily Grimaldi, Mia Lopez

12:30pm Francesco DiMarco

Dear Altar Servers,

Please remember to come 10 minutes before your assigned mass. Also, remember to

hang up your albs and do not leave them on a chair or on the floor of the closet.

Just a reminder if you are unable to serve your mass, please try to change with

someone.

Thank you for all your service. Msgr. Maresca

April 5 - April 11

Sunday, April 5 2nd Collection Senior Priests

Monday, April 6

Tuesday, April 7 6:30 P.M. AA - R/B

Wednesday, April 8 7:00 P.M. Baptism Class - Rectory

Thursday, April 9

Friday, April 10

Saturday, April 11 9-11:00 A.M. Holy Name Setup - MMC

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

THIS WEEK NEXT WEEK

March 29 - April 4

Sunday, March 29 2nd Collection My Easter Gift to my Church 9:30 A.M. Children’s Liturgy - MCH 10:40-12 Noon CCD - School

Monday, March 30 12:00 Noon Stations of the Cross 12:30 P.M. Golden Age - MCH 2:50-3:50 P.M. Children’s Choir - Church 7:00 P.M. Adult Choir - Rectory 3:00 to 5:00 P.M. - 7:00 to 9:00 P.M. Confessions will be heard 7:15 P.M. RCIA - R/B

Tuesday, March 31 6:30 P.M. AA - R/B 7:30 P.M. Holy Name Executive Meeting - Rectory

Wednesday, April 1

Thursday, April 2 - Holy Thursday Collection for the St. Vincent de Paul Society See Holy Week Schedule

Friday, April 3 - Good Friday 2nd Collection Holy Land

See Holy Week Schedule

Saturday, April 4 - Holy Saturday See Holy Week Schedule

THE MAGNIFICAT

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior

for He has looked with favor on His lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:

the Almighty has done great things for me,

and holy is His Name.

He has mercy on those who fear Him

in every generation.

He has shown the strength of His arm,

He has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the might from their thrones,

and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich He has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of His servant Israel

for He remembered His promise of mercy,

the promise He made to our fathers,

to Abraham and His children forever.

Campaign Prayer

GENERATIONS OF FAITH

WE ARE IN NEED OF VOLUNTEERS, PLEASE

JOIN US FOR A BRIEF VOLUNTEER

ORIENTATION ON

TUESDAY, APRIL 7TH AT 7:30 P.M.

IN THE RECTORY.

IN THESE FINAL WEEKS OF THE CAMPAIGN,

WE NEED YOUR HELP AS WE REACH OUT TO

EVERY PARISHIONER TO ENSURE WE REACH

AND EXCEED OUR CAMPAIGN GOAL.