Name: St. Francis Ecumenical Catholic Church
Address: US

September 1, 2024

Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I cry to You all the day long. O Lord, you are good and forgiving, full of mercy to all who call to you.

First Reading Second Reading Gospel__________

Deuteronomy 4:-1-2- 6-8 James 1:17-18, 21 Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Today Jesus is disciples were resting, kind of gathering around to hear Jesus preach. And before Jesus could say anything, the Pharisees from Jerusalem …were there having sent important officials of the Sanhedrin to hear what Jesus had to say — and, of course, they were going to try to trap him and perhaps to turn crowds of people away from him — And so, the first thing they said was, “We hear that your disciples do not follow the law and the tradition of our people. This is like saying that he is an outsider, that he is not even a Hebrew. And then, asked...your disciples do not wash the cup and take care of washing the dishes, and they don’t wash their hands every day, and they don’t wash their hands when they come back from the marketplace where they are defiled. “And, of course, these are the rituals and traditions of our people, and not to do these is to turn away from the Law, to turn away from Moses, to turn away from God Himself.” When Jesus gives his answer, he says, “You worship me with your mouth, but your heart is not there.” The Pharisees had begun to make the outside of everything very important, indeed, to protect the inside. Now the trouble with all of this is this: as Jesus says, you wash the outside of the cup, but you don’t have heart. There’s no heart in it. Now, when we think of heart, we think Jesus means when we think of heart, we say things like, “My heart yearns for you,” or “I give you my whole heart,” But in Jesus’ time, heart — and in the Bible whenever you come across the word heart — they’re not talking about emotion. For the Jews, and the people of that time, heart also meant mind. You fought with your heart. It also meant determination. “Do you have the heart for it, or don’t you have the heart for it?” “Will you give your heart to God?” meant your whole being, everything that was human about you, you were going to give it to God. And, of course, this is a little bit harder. Jesus is saying, “Give me your heart and I will give you, my heart.” What he’s saying is, “Give me your humanity, yourself, and I will give you my humanity and divinity.”

God’s Blessings

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Lord of life, you nourish us with Bread from Heaven so that we may one day join you in the kingdom. We pray to the God of Mercy for our own needs and for the special intentions of others… For those who work to change the systemic injustice that perpetuates food insecurity: that they know the support of faith communities working for social justice,
For those suffering from mental illness and suicidal thoughts because they want to give up: that God grace them with the courage to reach out and the kindness of another who hears their despair.
For the Church, that we live in love as Christ has loved us, leading with forgiveness and unity and letting go of malice and bitterness that foster divisions.
For all nations, that their leaders and citizens strive to care for all people equally, living kindly and compassionately,
we pray to the Lord...

"No matter what has happened to you in the past or what is going on in your life right now, it has no power to keep you from having an amazingly good future if you will walk by faith in God. God loves you! He wants you to live with victory over sin so you can possess His promises for your life today!"

Peace and Blessings,

Deacon Bob Pragano

Let Us Pray for…….

Luanne Jolly, a friend of DJ & Deb, who is experiencing severe health issues. Fror peace and comfort for her, we pray. 8/25

Natalie Madar who is recovering from shoulder surgery this week. For peace & comfort for her and for a return to full health. 8/25

Matthew, John Swatek’s 32 y/o nephew who is in a coma after a tragic car accident. Prayers of peace & comfort for him, his wife and their 5 kids. 8/18

Terry Lauer, Ross’s cousin who is recovering from major cancer surgery. Radiation treatments to start next month. Prayers for healing and comfort. 8/18 Andi Slaybaugh, friend of Deb Imbach who is dealing with a recurrence of cancer. Prayers for peace and comfort for Andi and her family. 8/11 Fr.

Fr. Tom Wilt, who is in rehab and doing better. Prayers for strength, healing and comfort for him and a return to full health. Prayers for Marge too. 8/18

Michael Ureichuck, who is recovering from spinal surgery. Prayers for healing, peace, comfort and a return to full health. 8/4

Charles Harshbarger, a friend of St. Francis who is back in short term rehab. Prayers for strength, peace, healing & comfort for him. 8/18

Kevin Curtis, who is dealing with Parkinson’s, but is doing better. Prayers for continued strength, healing and comfort. 7/28

Thomas Ames, brother of Cookie Waters, who passed away on July 16th . Prayers of peace and comfort for Cookie & their family. May he rest in peace. 7/21 Kathy Fearon, friend of Deacon Bob who passed away last month. Prayers of peace and comfort for her family & friends. May she rest in peace. 7/21

William Hilton Brower, William’s Dad, who passed away July 15th. Prayers for peace and comfort for William and the family. May he rest in peace. 7/21

Fr. Martin, a friend of Fr. Pat, who is doing better, but is preparing for carotid artery surgery in Sept. Prayers for healing, peace and comfort for him. 8/18

Andrew Caturano, friend of Judy McNeill. He has severe back pain, while caring for his mom, who has dementia. Prayers for Peace & Comfort for them. 7/7 Marion Gregory, aunt of Sue Wenrick, who in rehab and dealing with dementia and other medical issues. Prayers for peace & comfort. 5/12

Pedro Rodriquez, Gina’s Dad who is doing better and is now back in rehab. Prayers for continued strength, healing, and comfort for he & Gina. 4/21

Nita Martin, sister-in-law of Natalie Madar, who is undergoing treatment for bladder cancer. Prayers for healing, peace, and comfort for her. 4/7

For those who have been affected by severe weather and storms; some have lost loved ones and everything they own. May God be with them in their loss. For those who are mourning the loss of a loved one. May God’s healing touch be upon them and comfort them in their loss. We will see them again!!!

For those who are dealing with mental illness and addictions, and for their families, may God’s healing touch be upon them.

For the people of Ukraine, Israel, and Gaza, that the wars end soon, and they can begin the process of piecing their lives & countries back together.

For those who have been killed, injured, or affected by the continued mass shootings in our country. Let us pray for sensibility and peace. Amen

MASS CARDS - Sympathy Mass Cards are available at the church.

St. Francis Latest News

All Are Welcome To Come And Share Along With Us

The Holy Eucharist

In Christ's Love & Peace

Each Sunday 10:30 am

“ A Different Way To Be Catholic ”, where all are welcome – no exceptions..
Priest - Fr. Patrick Wenrick
Assisted by
Fr. Tom Wilt, Fr. Jake Czarnik-Neimeyer, Deacon Bob Pragano
MASS Each Sunday at 10:30 am.
We Celebrate Unity in Diversity

ALL ARE WELCOME NO EXCEPTIONS

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REACH OUT TO THOSE IN NEED

The Interfaith Food Pantry is now open to clients Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. The hours of operation will continue to be 9:30 am - 1:00. pm located at:

9530 Starkey Rd, Seminole, FL 33777

DONATIONS

If you wish to donate to the IFP, here is a list of items that are needed at this time.

Cereal - the food pantry does not buy cereal, so donations are important.

Other Items:

Soup (not broth), Ramen Noodles, Tuna (cans), Meat (stew, Spam, ham, chicken, etc.), Fruit (cans), Vegetables (cans), Pork & Beans (Baked Beans), Instant Oatmeal (indiv. pkgs), Breakfast Bars, Chef Boyardee, Manwich, Hash, Chili Spaghetti or Pasta (boxes), Spaghetti Sauce (Pasta Sauce), Pudding & Jello (small boxes), Peanut Butter Jelly/Jam (no glass), White Potatoes (cans or pkgs), Coffee-ground (no K-cups or flavors), Plain White Rice (not Minute), Mac & Cheese, Cereal (boxes), Black Beans, Misc. Beans (not dry), Tomatoes (Diced, Sauce, Paste), Tea Bags (not Family Size or Iced Tea), Crackers (in sleeves) Brownie Mix, Stuffing, Gravy (cans).

Not needed: Snacks, Candy, Beverages (no juice, soda, etc)

Thank You and God's Blessings!

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Church Council Meeting

August 24, 2024 10:00 am

WELCOME BACK!

To our Church Social gatherings after Sunday Mass

Hope To See You Soon

ALL ARE WELCOME

At Saint Francis

Ecumenical Catholic Communion

We Celebrate Unity in Diversity

AT SAINT FRANCIS CATHOLIC CHURCH

"Your Gift is a Blessing"

Saint Francis Ecumenical Catholic Church

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Start by doing what is necessary, then do what is possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible

"ALL ARE WELCOME"

Welcome to St. Francis Ecumenical Catholic Church where ALL ARE WELCOME! Come join us in worship and celebrate our Catholic, Christian identity with the seven Sacraments. We are truly "INCLUSIVE" and hope that our website highlights the wide variety of worship, fellowship and service opportunities available. Please feel free to read more about our church on this site, or come in for a visit. We would love to greet you and share with you our love for Jesus Christ and for you, our neighbor.

Our Mission

We believe that the door to salvation is always open to everyone and so are the doors to our church.

To live by FAITH, be known by LOVE, and be a voice of HOPE in order to give ourselves in service and better the lives of others.

Weddings

St. Francis offers "ALL Loving Couples" the traditional Catholic Sacrament and setting for your most sacred celebration. Noninclusive circumstances, that are so denied by other churches may prevent couples from celebrating a true catholic marriage ceremony; we here, warmly welcome "All" at Saint Francis, to include also the: divorced, same sex, (LGBTQ).