SUNDAY, November 26 Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

Readings: Ez 34:11-12, 15-17 1 Cor 15:20-26, 28 Mt 25:31-46

8:00 A.M. Kathleen Geisler

9:30 A.M. Francis Gauci

11:00 A.M. Navarro Family

12:30 P.M. Filomena Antonelli

Console Family

Nicolino Turano

Andrea Mastracola

MONDAY, November 27 - Weekday Readings: Dn 1:1-6, 8-20 Lk 21:1-4

9:00 A.M. Angelo Calogera DiMarco

TUESDAY, November 28 - Weekday Readings: Dn 2:31-45 Lk 21:5-11

9:00 A.M. Deceased of Kelly Family

WEDNESDAY, November 29 - Weekday

Readings: Dn 5:1-6, 13-14, 16-17, 23-28 Lk 21:12-19 9:00 A.M. Deceased Members from Unije, Croatia

THURSDAY, November 30 - Weekday Readings: Rom 10:9-18 Mt 4:18-22

9:00 A.M. Gandolfo - 71st Wedding Anniversary

FRIDAY, December 1 - Weekday Readings: Dn 7:2-14 Lk 21:29-33

9:00 A.M. Joseph Spiteri

SATURDAY, December 2 - Weekday

Readings: Dn 7:15-27 Lk 21:34-36

9:00 A.M. Purgatorial Society

5:00 P.M. Lilli Family

SUNDAY, December 3 - First Sunday of Advent Readings: Is 63:16b-17, 19b, 64-2:7 1 Cor 1:3-9 Mk 13:33-37

8:00 A.M. For the People of St. Francis of Assisi

9:30 A.M. Serafina Cicolini

11:00 A.M. Emilia Trentini

12:30 P.M. Console Family

Filomena Fosco

Antonio Fosco

Alba Maria D’Alleva DiRico

Giovanni DiRico

Concetta DiBenedetto Fosco

Nicola Fosco

Giuseppe DiRico

Maddalena DiFabio DiRico

MASSES FOR THE WEEK

OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, KING OF THE UNIVERSE

My Dear Parishioners,

Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity

of Christ the King. This is the last Sunday of the

liturgical year. Why is there such a feast day as

Christ the King and what does it mean in our lives?

Paul gives us some insight when he discusses the

end of time. It is when, after destroying every king-

dom, authority and power, Christ will hand the

kingdom to God the Father. Only one power will be

left, a living power that does not deal in death but in

loving goodness. Jesus did establish the kingdom

and hopefully each of us belongs to that kingdom.

Jesus is the ruler of our hearts and minds,

and we become part of his kingdom when we make

the decision to belong. We do this each time we com-

mit ourselves to being just and merciful, kind and

forgiving, humble and compassionate. We become

practicing members of his kingdom every time we

share with those in need and seek help for those

who are oppressed. When we extend the hand of

Christ’s compassion to others we are members of the

kingdom of God. Christ rules in his kingdom of love

through us. Christ rules by serving, and we share in

his kingship when we serve one another.

In our actions of service, we die to our own

selfish interests. The kingdom of God was estab-

lished by the death of its King, Christ himself. This

mystery tells us that our life in Christ the King will

come about by our death to our selfish wills through

sin.

The English king of the ninth century, Alfred

the Great, disguised himself and sought shelter in

the lowly home of two of his subjects. The subjects

did not know he was their king. They showed him

hospitality and shared what little they had with

him. Hopefully this story can help us understand

the account Jesus gives us about the Last Judg-

ment. In effect, Jesus is saying that we will be

judged on how well we have dealt with him when

disguised as one of the least of our sisters and broth-

ers. Jesus tells us this when he assures us, that as

often as we do for the least among us, we do for him.

God Bless, Msgr. Maresca

2017 – 2018 Religious Education school year has

begun for 1st through 7th graders.

8th grade Confirmation classes begin.

Registration is always open and forms are available

at the rectory. Classes take place on Sundays from

10:40am – 12 noon in the academy building.

Upcoming Class Schedule

November 26th - No Classes ~ Happy Thanksgiving!

December 3rd - Classes for grades 1 - 8.

ARE YOU SOMEONE OR DO YOU KNOW

SOMEONE WHO…

Has expressed an interest in becoming

Catholic?

Was baptized Catholic as a child, but has

not celebrated the Sacraments

of Eucharist and/or Confirmation?

Then RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) is

what you're looking for! RCIA offers seekers the

opportunity to come together in a small group to learn

more about our faith. Sessions focus on the teachings

and experience of Church as well as prepare

individuals to celebrate the Sacraments of Baptism,

Confirmation, and Eucharist during the Easter

season. You are welcome to participate in the process

with your questions, your insights and your faith story

in a warm accepting setting. For information please

contact our Director of Faith Formation, Kristina

Blair 718.278.0259 or dre@sfaacademy.org.

ACADEMY NEWS

This Monday, we welcome back our

students, faculty, and staff from the

Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

On Wednesday and Thursday of this week,

our students will have the opportunity to do

some Christmas shopping for their families.

Yes, the Christmas season will be upon us

very soon. We thank Mrs. Zotto, Mrs.

Kyriakopoulos, and all their helpers for

working on this special event .

On Friday, December 1st, Santa will make a

special visit to St. Francis of Assisi Catholic

Academy to take pictures with the children.

On Saturday, December 2nd, children in

grades Pre-School to Grade 1 can enjoy a

special Breakfast with Santa.

This Week at SFA Catholic Academy

Wednesday and Thursday

Christmas Boutique

Friday Pictures with Santa

Noon Dismissal

Remember in your prayers all

those in our parish who are sick,

that they may find health and com-

fort:

James Nunez, Vincent Wytak, Carol Ross,

Rolondo Larrondo, Jeffrey Hyans, Jessica

St. Preux, Al Ciani, Alesha Moses,

Samantha Fabrizi, Nancy McCaffrey,

Christopher Wojtalik, Marie Guerriero, Theresa Pacheco,

William Goss, Luke Pacheco, Vincenza Papa,

Jim Schneggenburger, Anthony Criscuolo, Ann Anselmi,

Alice Franklin, Saverio Giordano, John Ross,

Terri Kornalewski, Samantha O’Sullivan, Marilyn Miller,

Lenny Franklin, John Carmody, Jennie Bizocco, Rosario

Duran, Edena Iorfida, Mary DeGloria, Vivian Papa,

Joel Steinmann, Dr. Arthur N. Gualtieri, Anna Governali,

Antonio Postiglione, Mario Tamburello, Mary Rerecich,

Christopher Araimo, Charles Principato, Isabella

Columbo, Christine Elmendorf, Georganne

Cunningham, Jim Kreitler, Elisa Aracena, John Schakir.

Also remember in your prayers all the

deceased of the Parish. Please remember to continue to

pray for vocations to the priesthood, religious life,

diaconate, and married life.

Please be mindful that there

are people who come to

church early in order to

pray. Please show respect by

observing silence.

New York’s

POOP SCOOP LAW

Please remember if you are walking

your dog in the schoolyard or on church

property, please pickup after the dog.

It would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

Solemnity of Christ the King

November 26, 2017

“I was hungry and you gave me to eat, I

was thirsty and you gave me to drink.”

Is Christ calling you to serve Him in

others as a sister, brother, deacon or

priest? Contact the Vocation Office at

(718) 827-2454 or

email:vocations@diobrook.org

FOCUS:

Jesus is the King of the Universe and

Lord of all creation.

Today’s Solemnity of Christ the King

lauds Jesus as the King of the

Universe and Lord of all creation.

Through His death on the cross, rising

from the dead and ascension into

heaven, he won our salvation and

opened the way to eternal life. So in

gratitude for all that Jesus has done for

us, may we give of ourselves more

fully in love and service to others.

The season of Advent will begin next

weekend December 2/3. It is a 4-week period of waiting and preparing for the feast of Christmas. During the

Season of Advent, one of the beautiful signs we have in our church is the

Advent Wreath. The wreath, which has 5 candles, is placed in the church

and each week a candle is lit to remind us of our waiting and

preparing for the birth of Christ. This year, you are invited to be part of the candle lighting ceremony. You can sign up as a family or individually. The candle lighter(s) would sit toward the

front of the church and at the beginning of each mass, the priest will

call you up to light the candle(s) for that week of Advent.

There will be a sign in the vestibule of

the church next weekend. Any families, individuals or groups are

invited to sign up at any of the masses to light the advent wreath. Please

sign up for one of the weekend masses to participate in the Advent

Wreath Lighting Ceremony.

Join us as we renew our desire, anticipation and hope for Christ’s

coming again.

If any one would

like to memorialize

the advent candles,

please stop by the

rectory.

The donation is $75.00 a candle.

There are (5) candles on the

Advent Wreath.

The white candle in the center of the

wreath symbolizes the arrival of

Christmastide, sometimes known as the

"Christ candle." We will light the candle

on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

and will remain lite through the

Christmas Season.

Advent Giving Trees

The Advent Giving Trees are setup in the back and

front of church and decorated with

colored Tags. Each Color Tag identifies the

Charity that will receive the purchased gifts.

Please tape the Tag to the unwrapped gift and

place back under the Giving Tree before or after

any one of the Masses.

ALL GIFTS SHOULD BE RETURNED BY

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17TH.

We thank you for always being so generous and helping to brighten the

Christmas Season for so many families.

ATTENTION Please be aware that when the

schoolyard gates are closed in the evenings, no

one is allowed to be in the schoolyard. The

past few weeks, children have been in the

schoolyard in the evenings and have been asked

to leave. This is an insurance liability.

Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.

Friday, December 1st is First Friday.

We will have exposition of the Blessed

Sacrament after the 9:00 A.M. mass

provided there is no funeral.

Benediction will be at 2:00pm.

Saturday, December 2nd the 9:00am

Mass will be an anointing Mass.

All those who wish to receive the

sacrament of the sick are asked to

participate in this mass. All are

invited to join us in prayer as we

remember to pray for all those

who are in need of God’s healing

power.

ATTENTION:

Please DO NOT light the candles in

Church by using another candle. One

could get burned and the wax is

dripping all over the candle stands

creating a mess. PLEASE use the

lighter. If you have trouble with the

lighter, ask for help.

Thank You.

Family, Marriage &

Individual Therapy

Professional therapy, provided by NYS

licensed therapists is available. This

program, under the direction of Dr.

George Guiliani, has been conducted in

the Diocese for the past 38 years. Most

insurance accepted. Appointments

available by calling Dr.Giuliani @

(631) 243-2503 - or go to our website: http://thecatholiccounselingcenter.com

DO YOU ENJOY SINGING?

Then use your voice to praise the Lord!

Join St. Francis of Assisi choir.

We meet each Monday evening @ 7:00 pm

in the choir loft in church.

ALL ARE WELCOME!

MEMORIALS FOR THE WEEK

OF NOVEMBER 26, 2017

SANCTUARY LAMP

Is Burning for

Francis Gauci

Requested by:

Spiteri-Gauci Family

Knights’ Corner

Colon-Msgr. Higgins Council 309

On behalf of the entire Council 309, I would like to thank everyone who supported our charitable raffle drive last weekend. Your support will go a long way to help the Knights of Columbus

continue its charitable work.

Happy Thanksgiving!

With gratitude,

John Ketcham, GK

Christmas Mass Remembrance Envelopes

can be returned in any collection. Please mark the envelope with the name(s) of those you want remembered, living or deceased, in

the Christmas Novena of Masses. Those envelopes will be placed on the altar for the

novena of masses.

Christmas Flower Envelopes may be returned in any

collection. Please be sure to write

the name(s) legibly. The list of

names will be placed in the

bulletin. Thank you.

Please Consider Remembering St. Francis of Assisi Parish in your Will.

There will be a second

collection

next weekend for

Retirement Fund for Religious.

May God Bless you for your generosity.

The retired religious will remember you in

their prayers.

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.

Banns of Marriage

3rd Time:

Iris A. Vazquez

St. Francis of Assisi

Astoria, N.Y.

and

Devian Ramos Jr.

St. Francis of Assisi

Astoria, N.Y.

2018 Mass book is opened for anyone who wishes

to schedule masses for next year.

All those attending

Mass, please be aware

of your personal

responsibility to

exercise common sense

and your best judgment

when you are sick. Please refrain from

reception of Holy Communion from the

cup when you are not feeling well ex:

cold, cough, etc.

YEAR OF VOCATIONS Our vocation committee is looking for a few

more members. We lost a couple because

they moved. It is only a one year commit-

ment. Please give serious thought to becom-

ing a member. Our next meeting will be on

Thursday, November 30th at 7:30pm in the

rectory. If interested please see Fr. Francis

or Msgr. Maresca.

2017 CATHOLIC APPEAL

The 2017 Catholic Appeal will be coming to an end next month. I am grateful to so many who have contributed to help us reach our goal. I am aware of the many financial responsibilities each one has. If you have not contributed to the appeal for this year, please make every effort to find the means to make a donation. Your donation will help us reach our goal. We are short of our goal by $11,105. Every donation not only will help our parish but will benefit the many services our Diocese provides. I appreciate whatever you can do to help us reach our goal. May God bless each of you for your continued generosity. Msgr. Maresca

THE 2018 LECTOR WORKBOOKS ARE

AVAILABLE AND CAN BE PICKED UP IN

THE SACRISTY. THE NEW BOOK BEGINS

WITH THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT

WHICH IS DECEMBER 2/3.

December 3 - December 9

Sunday, December 3-1st Sunday of Advent

2nd Collection Religious Retirement Fund

9:30 A.M. Children’s Liturgy - MCH

10:40-12 Noon CCD/Confirmation Class - School

Monday, December 4 12:30 P.M. Golden Age - Msgr. Campbell Hall

2:30-4:00 P.M. Girl Scouts - MMC

2:50-3:45 P.M. Children’s Choir - CH

3:45-5:00 P.M. Christmas Pageant Rehearsal - CH

7:00 P.M. Adult Choir - CH

7:00 P.M. I.A.C.A. Evening of Prayer - Church

Tuesday, December 5

2:30-4:30 P.M. Girl Scouts - MMC

6:30 P.M. AA Meeting -St. Francis Meeting Room

7:00 P.M. I.A.C.A. Evening of Prayer - Church

Wednesday, December 6 7:00 P.M. Bereavement - St. Francis Meeting Room

7:00 P.M. I.A.C.A. Evening of Prayer - Church

Thursday, December 7 10:00-11:30 A.M. Legion of Mary-St. Francis Mtg Rm

4:00-6:00 P.M. Girl Scouts - MMC

7:30 P.M. Scripture Study - St. Joseph’s Meeting Room

7:30 P.M. Mass for The Immaculate Conception

Friday, December 8 Immaculate Conception (Holyday of Obligation)

Mass Schedule: 9:00 A.M. & 11:00 AM , 7:30 PM

Saturday, December 9

11:00 A.M. Holy Name Setup - MMC

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

THIS WEEK NEXT WEEK

November 26 - December 2

Sunday, November 26 NO Children’s Liturgy

NO CCD Classes

1:30 P.M. Baptisms - Church

Monday, November 27 12:30-3:30 P.M. Golden Age - MCH

2:30-4:00 P.M.- Girl Scouts - Msgr. Maresca Center

2:50-3:45 P.M. Children’s Choir - Church

7:00 P.M. Adult Choir-Church

3:45-5:00 P.M. Christmas Pageant Rehearsals - Church

Tuesday, November 28 2:30-4:30 P.M. Girl Scouts - MMC

6:30 P.M. AA Meeting -St. Francis Meeting Room

7:30 P.M. Evening of Prayer (See Flier) - Church

Wednesday, November 29 3:00-4:30 P.M. Drama Club Practice - MCH

7:00 P.M. Bereavement - St. Francis Meeting Room

Thursday, November 30 10:00-11:30 A.M. Legion of Mary-St. Francis Mtg Rm

2:30-4:30 P.M. SFA Singers Practice - MCH

4:00-6:00 P.M. Girl Scouts - MMC

7:00 P.M. IACA - St. Francis Meeting Room

7:30 P.M. Scripture Study - St. Joseph’s Meeting Room

7:30 P.M. Vocations Meeting - Rectory

Friday, December 1 2:30-6:00 P.M. Girl Scouts - MMC

Breakfast w/Santa - All Day Setup - MCH

Saturday, December 2 10-12 Noon Breakfast w/Santa - Msgr. Campbell Hall

Our Parish Calendar will be published weekly.

Please submit changes or updates to

chsecy@sfaschool.org

ALTAR SERVER SCHEDULE – NOVEMBER 2017

Sat. Nov. 25th

5pm Samantha Dee, Choloe Kebbe, Mia Lopez

Sun. Nov. 26th

8am Giuliana Lucia Antonaccio, Nanci Scarpelli, Grabriella Soldo

9:30am Emily Muskardin, Emma McCloskey, Joseph Todaro

11am Erin Camilleri, Vasilios Nassis, Jordan Ceron

12:30pm Luisa Schwab