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Congratulations & Thank You! Child Confirmation & First Eucharist

Congratulations to: the 34 children who were Confirmed and Welcomed to the Table of the Lord for the first time the eight children who were Confirmed the three children who received Jesus in the Eucharist for the first time on Saturday, April 19, 2008!

Thank you to their catechists: Maria Smith, Susan Montoya, Jim Guzman and Michelle Hernandez- Flores. Thank you also to the parents who guided their children along the way and assisted as needed.

Memorial - Fr. Michel Gagnon, O.F.M: Wednesday, April 16
Memorial Service
7:30PM, in the Church
We mourn the loss of Fr. Michel Gagnon, O.F.M., who served as Administrator at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in 2003. Many parishioners also remember Fr. Michel fondly from the Sacramento Newman Center, where he served as chaplain, 1970-1977.

Fr. Michel entered St. Anthony’s Seminary in 1944 and made his solemn profession at Mission San Luis Rey on July 10, 1954, with ordination on December 21, 1957 at Mission Santa Barbara. On that day, 50 years later, he celebrated his golden jubilee in the priesthood at Mission San Luis Rey.

A memorial service will be held here in his honor on Wednesday, April 16, at 7:30pm in the church.

Thanks! Centennial Volunteer
A huge thank you to Judy Miranda,
who has agreed to coordinate
sales/promotions for our centennial!

Reminder: No Alley Parking
This is a gentle reminder to park in designated parking spaces only.
Please do not park in the alley.

In the event of an emergency, first responders need clear access to Brunsman Hall, the school, friary, St. Clare’s Chapel, the church and St. Francis Terrace. Thank you!

Thanks! Lenten Meal Coordinators
A HUGE THANK YOU to the Saturday evening Lenten community meals coordinators, Archie & Elaine Smith and Dick & Barbara Crippen and to all the wonderful volunteers who joined them to offer delicious food and gracious fellowship that enriched our Lenten journey. God bless your generosity.

Bishop Weigand Visit: Feb '08 Update
Updates: Approved Liturgical Texts, Kneeling

Last August 5th, Bishop Weigand conducted a canonical visit to our parish, attending all of our Masses that weekend. As is customary, the Bishop and I then met in his office to go over his observations of the parish.

The Bishop complimented us on our enthusiastic participation during our liturgies and the liveliness of our music. It was the first Sunday of the month and the Parish Council held its monthly “Meet and Greet” at the doors of the Church after all the Masses. The Bishop was very impressed and said he would tell other parishes about our practice. Bishop Weigand felt we welcomed him warmly, respectfully and hospitably and wanted to thank our parish leadership.

The Bishop then expressed his concerns about some aspects of the liturgy. One concern was the use of inclusive language in the “Glory to God” and the Eucharistic Prayer. In the Church’s ongoing discussions of language in the Mass, liturgists acknowledge the difficulty in finding words that speak to the people of each local community and yet also keep us in communion with the larger Church. The Bishop asked that we use the approved texts of the “Glory to God” and the Eucharistic prayer. The Bishop’s other concern was regarding the assembly’s posture during the Eucharistic Prayer. The Bishop would like us to kneel from the end of the “Holy, Holy, Holy” song to the conclusion of the Great Amen.

More Information: Read entire update

The Gospel Call: Fr. Louis Vitale, OFM
Blest are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons and daughters of God — Fr. Louie Vitale, O.F.M. answers this gospel call in his daily life. He initiated the non-violent peace movement pacebene and is now in prison, serving a five-month sentence for his non-violent protest of training soldiers in methods of torture. Are you called to follow the gospel call — I was in prison and you came to visit me?

Visit Fr. Louie in prison by writing to him, using self-addressed cards located in the church literature racks or write to him at the following address:

Louis Vitale #292487, Imperial County Jail, PO Box 679, El Centro, CA 92244

2008 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity: January 18-25
Pray without ceasing (Thess. 1:5,17) is the theme for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (JAN 18-25). Begun in 1908, these days have been set aside each year so that Christians the world over may share the prayer of unity.

(1 Thessalonians 5:12a, 13b-18 ) But we appeal to you, brothers and sisters... Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, beloved to admonish the idlers, encourage the faint-hearted, help the weak, be patient with all of them. See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Jesus Christ for you.

Worship Resources for the Week of Prayer and throughout 2008:

• Prayer Resource
• Worship Resource and Background Material
• Song Resource

Discharging Parish Debt: January 2008
Letter from Fr. Anthony

Dear Parishioners, New Years is a time for new beginnings. I am writing to you regarding a new beginning for our parish as we discharge an old debt. In 2002 the Diocese launched a 5-year capital campaign entitled Preserving Our Past.. . Building Our Future (PPBF). Many of you will remember this campaign. Its goal was to fund renovations to the cathedral as well as other significant projects (e.g., a new facility for St. Francis High School, a retirement facility for diocesan priests, and social service projects). St. Francis Parish was expected to raise $600,000. (This amount was determined by the number of registered parishioners at the time. It also took into account that we had just finished our own capital campaign to pay off our loan from the Diocese for the 1994 renovation.) Parishioners of St. Francis pledged $150,000 and approximately $103,000 was received. St. Francis was one of three parishes in the Diocese that did not reach it goal; the other two were extremely poor parishes. The PPBF capital campaign ended in July 2007. At that time, I was discreetly approached by a member of the Board of Directors of the PPBF about the possibility of working out a solution whereby St. Francis could meet its obligation. The Board of Directors of the PPBF realized that St. Francis parishioners have a deep love for the poor and suggested that our parish specify our contribution to the capital campaign to be used strictly for the poor. After consulting with the Parish Finance Council and the Parish Council, the parish made a proposal to the Diocese to meet its fair share in the campaign. Our proposal was presented to the Diocese and they accepted the proposal. The terms of the proposal are as follows: The amount of $450,000 will be paid to PPBF from the parish's "Harrington Fund" savings account now on deposit in The Parochial Fund Inc. PPBF will then transfer these monies to The Catholic Foundation of the Diocese of Sacramento Inc. ("Catholic Foundation") which serves as the long term custodian of those endowments that are being funded via the Preserving Our Past, Building Our Future capital campaign, including the Social Services Endowment. The transfer of the $450,000 to the Catholic Foundation will be made subject to Catholic Foundation's formal agreement to adhere to the terms of this Agreement. The account will be established in the Catholic Foundation as a separate and distinct "sister" endowment to the PPBF Social Services Endowment and shall be named "Poverello Fund". (This name was chosen, because it is an affectionate nickname for St. Francis.) The Poverello Fund shall be invested by Catholic Foundation in a manner consistent with the investment of the PPBF Social Service Endowment. 100% of the earnings generated on the Poverello Fund shall be retained by Catholic Foundation and added to the principal of the account until the total account reaches $497,000. (The $497,000 figure covers all unredeemed pledges as well as the remainder to reach the goal of $600,000.) Earnings generated after the Poverello Fund reaches the $497,000 figure shall be distributed semi-annually and shall be allocated 50% back to St. Francis of Assisi Parish via deposit into the Parish's Harington Fund savings account, and 50% to the Roman Catholic Bishop of Sacramento. a corporation sole (diocese") for "human social services" only and in no way used for social service building construction purposes, as was the restriction placed by Mr. Albert Harrington, the original donor of the funds to the Parish. Once the cumulative total of the Parish's distributed 50% share of earnings reaches $450,000, then 100% of the earnings thereafter, and in perpetuity, will be distributed semi-annually to the diocese for "human social services" only and in no way used for social service building construction purposes, as was the restriction placed by Mr. Albert Harrington, the original donor of the funds to the Parish. (This will take approximately 24-28 years.) As a result of this proposal, the Parish has fulfilled its fair share in the PPBF capital campaign, and the initial endowment of $450,000 will return to the Parish for our assistance to the poor, and the Diocese will have an endowment that will generate money for assistance to the poor in perpetuity. In fact, over time, the Poverello Fund will have generated more money than any other parish gave. I believe that this use of the Harrington Fund bequest will not only discharge the parish's obligation to the PPBF capital campaign, but more importantly, it will also actively benefit the poor indefinitely. May the Lord give each of you Peace. Fr. Anthony M. Garibaldi, 0FM Pastor

Letter from Fr. Anthony: Discharging Parish Debt

Thanks! Donations to Step Guests
A HUGE thank you to our Children’s Faith Formation Families and our Teen Group and Parents for providing Christmas stockings and motel goodie bags for our step guests. Our guests were impressed and delighted to know these thoughtful gifts were provided by the children and teens of our parish. Your generosity provided an overflow of stocking items that we donated to Loaves & Fishes for their Christmas program.

Thanks! Advent & Christmastide Environment
The Liturgy Team would like to express its deep gratitude to all those who participated in the weekly work parties to put in the evolving church environment during Advent and all of Christmastide. And we are quite happy to report that there were far too many of you to name individually! Truly, we were overwhelmed and overjoyed by the numbers and willingness of those who came to help. So from your grateful parish…THANK YOU!!

Parish Quarterly Tithe
The Tithing Committee met in December, and Fr. Anthony approved the Committee’s recommendation of $250 grants from the parish to these organizations:

Alliance for International Monasticism Catherine’s House - Catholic Worker P.O. Box 60 Sheep Ranch CA 95250 Catholic Medical Missions Board Cristo Rey Catholic High School Scholarship Foundation for International Community Assistance Franciscan Friars, Santa Barbara Province Retirement Fund 1500 34th Street Oakland CA 94601 Loaves & Fishes Anniversary Fund P.O. Box 2161 Sacramento CA 95812 Restoration House Sacramento Crisis Nurseries< 4533 Pasadena Avenue Sacramento CA 95821 Sisters of St. Francis Retirement Fund 1330 Brewster Avenue - P.O. Box 1028 Redwood City CA 94064 Stanford Settlement Teen Center Voluntary Missionary Movement-USA

Thank You: Christmas Eve Family Mass Participants
Thank you and God bless you to ALL who helped make the 5:15pm Christmas Eve Family Mass special!

We are especially grateful for all the leadership provided by Barbara Breeden, Rose Nakamoto and Dorothy Smith for preparing the children for this occasion. Thank you, also, to J.D. Warrick for managing the lighting for this event.

We would be remiss if we did not thank Janet Stites and the children’s choir. Their hours of practice and beautiful music truly enhanced the whole proclamation. Last but not least, thank you to all the children who helped proclaim the Word by their enactment and reading.

View Photos: Christmas Eve Mass

New Welcome Banners
Many thanks to parishioner Judy Wegener
for her wonderful design for the welcome banners
that now grace the front of our church,
and to all who submitted their ideas and preferences online
when the banners were in their planning stage.

Church Door Opener for Handicapped
A door opener has been installed on the side church door for those who need extra time to enter or exit the church. Simply press the touch pads and the door will slowly open and close--the cycle is about 30 seconds.

Be sure not to push the door closed, or the opener will break (it cost $4,000 to install)! If you do not need extra time, use the handle (rather than the touch pad) as you normally would.

Thank You: Christmas Alternative Faire
A HUGE thank you to Jackie Mikesell, Barbara Berger and Pam Caballero, who provided the leadership team for our wonderful Alternative Christmas Faire held Sunday November 18, and to all who helped in many ways, including shopping and participating to make it such a success! God bless your dedication and generosity.

From Fr. Larry: Fr. Louis Vitale, OFM
“Fr. Louis Vitale, OFM, a Franciscan of St. Barbara Province and our former Provincial,...was arrested in a protest at Ft. Huachuga, AZ....calling for an end to torture and to training in torture techniques and seeking to invite the rest of us to do our part....

Some requested his address to write to him:
Louis Vitale #292487, Imperial County Jail, PO Box 679, El Centro, CA 92244.”

Update from Sr. Margie
Franciscan Pilgrimage Blog
“Dear Friends–Once again I would like to thank you all for gifting me with a 10-day pilgrimage (October 19-29) to Italy, where I will have the opportunity to journey to Assisi, the birthplace of Saints Francis and Clare, Mt. La Verna, where Francis received the stigmata, and Rome, where Francis sought papal approval for his rule of Gospel life.

It is customary for pilgrims to keep a journal of their travels, and I will honor this custom–with a 21st-century twist–by keeping a web log, commonly called a blog. You can view and respond to my pilgrimage blog by visiting www.franciscanliving.com and clicking on the Franciscan Pilgrim link.”

Thanks! From Sr. Peggy Chambers, OMC
New Pastoral Associate
Sincerest thanks to all who have offered a welcome in true St. Francis fashion. While, indeed, nobody will replace Sr. Margie, I am here to serve you.

Please feel free to call or stop by my office at the Parish Center any time, and be assured of my prayers.

Sr. Peggy can be reached at 443-8084 x103 or PeggyC@stfrancisparish.com

A New Franciscan: Jim Battles
Jim Battles, a member of St. Francis of Assisi Parish, has joined the Conventual Franciscans.

This photo of was taken at his investiture on July 20, 2007. Let us keep Br. Jim and his fellow novices in our prayers as they begin their novitiate.

Sr. Peggy Chambers: Joins Parish Staff
New Pastoral Associate
Following a nationwide recruiting effort that started in April, the parish has hired a new Pastoral Associate, Sr. Peggy Chambers, OMC.

Sr. Peggy comes to us with impressive credentials and extensive pastoral experience; she has served parishes in Seattle, Montana and, most recently, Alabama.

Sr. Peggy officially started her ministry here on August 15, 2007.

Building Fund: Your Dollars At Work
Work has started on the repair and refurbishing of our church doors. The first door to be restored will be the wheelchair-accessible door on the friary side of the church.

Work on this door will include the installation of an automatic door opener. A temporary door will replace the original while work is underway. Keep those building fund donations coming!

Library: Our Shelves Runneth Over
Our St. Francis Library has been very blessed by the generous donations of our parishioners. However, many recent donations have been duplicates of books that we already have in our collection. Unfortunately, we do not have the room to accommodate multiple copies of books.

Please check with our librarian, Pat Pavone, before donating books to the Library, so that she can be sure there is space.
Pat may be reached at: Library@stfrancisparish.com. Thank you.

Parish Council News: June '07
Update: Appreciation for Outgoing Members and Sr. Margie

At the June Parish Council meeting, outgoing council members Jean Iacino, Marianne Grisez, Paul Rieschick, Jerry Hollis and Betty Podzius received certificates of appreciation for their service to our parish. The Parish Council presented Sr. Margie with a certificate of appreciation and a digital camera for her pilgrimage trip to Assisi and Rome. New council members will be sworn in and new officers elected at the July 10 meeting.

Calilfornia Interfaith Power & Light
Following on our parish Lenten Energy Fast, the Parish Council voted to add St. Francis of Assisi Church to the growing list of churches, synagogues, and temples that are members of California Interfaith Power and Light.

CIPL is a coalition of congregations across the state that is responding to global warming by promoting energy conservation, energy efficiency and renewable energy.

By joining CIPL, St. Francis of Assisi Parish seeks to fulfill our responsibility to Catholic Social Teaching that states we must “show our respect for the Creator by our stewardship of creation. We are called to protect people and the planet, living our faith in relationship with all of God’s creation.”

More Information:

Update: St. Mary of the Angels

Sister Parish in New Orleans St. Francis of Assisi Parish donated our Holy Thursday collection to our sister parish in New Orleans, St. Mary of the Angels. The pastor sent this letter of thanks: Note: Photos of the inside of our sister church are posted with the letter in our church vestibule. More Information: http://www.smaneworleans.org

Dear Fr. Anthony and Parishioners of St. Francis, With help from you and others we are recovering from the flooding of our community. Our focus is on our parish community and our place of worship. With the help of the National Guard, we were able to empty the church: pews, altar, piano, organ, kneelers, chairs, vestiment cabinet and linens. We tried to save some of the vestments, and we were able to clean some of them. We had to work very hard to scrape the mud off the floor.... to sweep and shovel the whole church. Then we had to come back and scrub and scrub and scrub. Finally we were able to get most of the dust out. At the same time, more and more of the ceiling fell down. We were able to get a new roof on the church... but could not use the church for services because of the falling ceiling. We cleaned and cleaned, and by Easter of ‘06 we were able to have Mass for the first time since August 28, 2005, despite the falling ceiling. Since then, the ceiling has been taken down, pews have been donated, banners have been put up, the Easter candle put back in place after being cleaned; the floor has been refinished, and all the pews put in place. We are deply grateful for your support. Our people are coming back ever so slowly. Thank you again for prayers and support. We will try and keep you informed of our growing. Yours in Christ, Fr. Bart Pax, ofm

From Your Pastor: Apr '07 Update
Thank You!

The Lord is Risen! Alleluia!

On behalf of the staff and Franciscans at St. Francis Parish, I wish you all Easter blessings.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all of the parishioners who have made this Lent a deeply spiritual experience for all of us. These parishioners have visibly and behind the scenes contributed their time and talent to making our Lenten journey quite meaningful and special, helping with liturgies, soup suppers, our Lenten retreat, sacramental preparation and faith formation activities, demonstrating what is possible when lay ministry is empowered.

The staff and I are extremely appreciative of the countless hours these volunteers dedicated to creating and maintaining an environment of worshipful love for God and each other. When we see parishioners step forward, we are deeply grateful for their efforts.

It takes all of us to build up the Body of Christ.

May the blessings and example of the Paschal Mystery fill us all with hope.

Happy Easter (Buona Pasqua),

Fr. Anthony

Faith in Action: Fair Trade Certified™ Products
By purchasing Fair Trade Certified™ products, we use our consumer choice to put our faith into direct action. Fair Trade helps farming families across Latin America, Africa and Asia to improve their quality of life by investing in their farms and communities, protecting the environment and developing business skills.

Fair Trade is a powerful tool that works, strengthening families and communities, empowering people to take care of themselves. It is a way to do God’s work and claim our common humanity, while enjoying products grown with love and care.

More Information: www.transfairusa.org

St. Francis Retreat: Fire Damage Recovery
On June 23, 2006, the Franciscan retreat house in San Juan Bautista suffered a fire: their stately victorian House burned to the ground, and the friars’ home and belongings, kitchen and dining rooms, upper conference room and all files and equipment were destroyed.

The friars are now living in the Casita; the Chapel serves as a conference room; and the offices are in a 30-year-old double-wide trailer. Despite this loss, St. Francis Retreat is open, with dining al fresco or in their “luxurious tent.”

The friars request the financial support of the community as they struggle to recover from this loss. Checks can be made out to Bring Back St. Francis and sent to:
St. Francis Retreat
P.O. Box 970
San Juan Bautista, CA 95045.

More Information: St. Francis Retreat website

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1066 26th Street Sacramento, CA 95816
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