Greetings, and may the Peace of the Lord be with you.
Throughout the eight centuries of Franciscan Spirituality, prayer has consistently remained the cornerstone for those who walk in the footsteps of Francis. With this sentiment in mind, the brothers of the House of Prayer cordially invite you to share your personal petitions with us. These requests will be cherished and remembered in our daily community prayer and good works. Moreover, once a month, a Mass in honor of Our Lady of Mercy will be dedicated to your intentions.
On the right the map for Parish Sts Francis and Clare
Fr Vinnie, Fr Peter, Br Richard, Br Manfred
Father Matthew
4/14/2026 TUESDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK OF EASTER
Greetings. As we move further away from the great feast of Easter we still bask in the Light of the Resurrection. I have often wondered why some people stay on that lonely hill outside the city of Jerusalem. And as they stand there, they focus on the empty Cross. We need to understand that the […]
4/13/2026 MONDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK OF EASTER
Greetings. Hope all is well. I guess we all have asked the question to ourselves or to others, “What is heaven like?” I am sure we all have our own idea of what it may be like. But then the words of St. Paul come to mind when he writes in his first letter to […]
4/12/2026 SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER
Good Day. Hope all goes well with you all. If you would, please keep in your prayers our Brother Richard who is in the hospital. Well, here we are starting the second week of our Easter season. As I said before, this season of joy will be with us for some time. Our Mass readings […]
4/11/2026 EASTER SATURDAY
Greetings, and Easter peace!! I came across this quote by Helen Keller. I am sure you all have heard of her, and despite her disabilities, she became a prolific writer and enabled us to see that even with such disabilities as she had, she accomplished great things. Helen Keller tells us the following. “Faith is the […]
4/10/2026 EASTER FRIDAY.
Happy Easter Friday! When I was in the Alexian Brothers Community, the Friday after Easter was known as “Golden Friday”. From what we were told, it was a long-standing feast in the community. It may have been a German tradition. As I said before, Easter is one of those feasts that we will be celebrating […]
4/9/2026 EASTER THURSDAY
Sorry this is late, had a little computer problem today. Hello, I hope your week is going well. As I have said before, the work of salvation which was given to the disciples is handed down through the ages to us today. We now are the modern-day disciples that have been commissioned to go forth […]
4/8/2026 EASTER WEDNESDAY
Hello, and again, Happy Easter. It has been said in the Gospel of John, “And you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” (Jn 8:31) It is a good practice to always tell the truth. The Christian Leader, Clarence W. Hall, tells us “Easter says you can put the truth in […]
4/7/2026 EASTER TUESDAY
Greetings, and happy Easter. If we were writing this story, would the Cross be the end of that story? Or would we come up with an ending that would justify what the hero had to endure? It is always great to hear that the hero of the story comes out victorious. As it is, we […]
EASTER SUNDAY
“He has risen; He has risen indeed” How could this be true? I am sure that the women who when to the tomb to complete the necessary rituals for burial asked the same question when they found that the tomb was empty except for a young man in a long white robe asking, “Why look […]
4/4/2026 HOLY SATURDAY
Greetings. It is over. The gentle one from Nazareth is dead. His suffering has come to an end. His loyal followers are nowhere to be found. It is the Sabbath so the rest of the traditional rites of burial will have to wait until tomorrow. Jesus had said that He had come not to abolish […]
4/3/2026 GOOD FRIDAY
Peace to you all. Today is a day of great sadness. The gentle Rabbi of Nazareth has undergone a great deal of suffering and a horrible death on a cross. His devoted friends had fled for fear that they may find themselves in the same situation. Only one, John, the youngest of the group, had […]
4/2/2026 HOLY THURSDAY, MAUNDY THURSDAY
Greeting and Happy Holy Thursday. Some may call this day Maundy which recalls when Jesus washed the feet of his disciples to give them all an example of servantship which they all are to exhibit to all they encounter. Today we also remember the institution of the priesthood and the Holy Eucharist, both which took […]
PRAYERS
Our Father
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever Amen.
The Glory Be
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be world without end. Amen.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Grace Before Meals
Bless Us O Lord,
and these thy gifts
which we are about to receive
from Thy bounty;
Through Christ Our Lord.
Amen.
Grace After Meals
We give You thanks, Almighty God,
for these and all your blessings;
As you live and reign
For ever and ever.
The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day, He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
The Peace Prayer of Saint Francis
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
Prayer of Thanksgiving
O God, we thank you for this earth, our home; For the wide sky and the blessed sun, For the salt sea and the running water, For the everlasting hills And the never-resting winds, For trees and the common grass underfoot. We thank you for our senses By which we hear the songs of birds, And see the splendor of the summer fields, And taste of the autumn fruits, And rejoice in the feel of the snow, And smell the breath of the spring. Grant us a heart wide open to all this beauty; And save our souls from being so blind That we pass unseeing When even the common thorn bush Is aflame with your glory, O God our creator, Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
St. Francis of Assisi’s prayer given to Brother Leo
You are holy, Lord, the only God, and Your deeds are wonderful. You are strong. You are great. You are the Most High. You are Almighty. You, Holy Father are King of heaven and earth. You are Three and One, Lord God, all Good. You are Good, all Good, supreme Good, Lord God, living and true. You are love. You are wisdom. You are humility. You are endurance. You are rest. You are peace. You are joy and gladness. You are justice and moderation. You are all our riches, and You suffice for us. You are beauty. You are gentleness. You are our protector. You are our guardian and defender. You are our courage. You are our haven and our hope. You are our faith, our great consolation. You are our eternal life, Great and Wonderful Lord, God Almighty, Merciful Savior.
Canticle of Brother Sun and Sister Moon
Most High, all-powerful, all-good Lord, All praise is Yours, all glory, all honor and all blessings. To you alone, Most High, do they belong, and no mortal lips are worthy to pronounce Your Name.
Praised be You my Lord with all Your creatures, especially Sir Brother Sun, Who is the day through whom You give us light. And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendour, Of You Most High, he bears the likeness. Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars, In the heavens you have made them bright, precious and fair.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air, And fair and stormy, all weather’s moods, by which You cherish all that You have made.
Praised be You my Lord through Sister Water, So useful, humble, precious and pure.
Praised be You my Lord through Brother Fire, through whom You light the night and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong.
Praised be You my Lord through our Sister, Mother Earth who sustains and governs us, producing varied fruits with coloured flowers and herbs. Praise be You my Lord through those who grant pardon for love of You and bear sickness and trial. Blessed are those who endure in peace, By You Most High, they will be crowned.
Praised be You, my Lord through Sister Death, from whom no-one living can escape. Woe to those who die in mortal sin! Blessed are they She finds doing Your Will. No second death can do them harm. Praise and bless my Lord and give Him thanks, And serve Him with great humility.
St. Francis of Assisi’s prayer praising Mary the Mother of Jesus
Hail, holy Lady, most holy Queen, Mary, Mother of God, ever Virgin. You were chosen by the Most High Father in heaven, consecrated by Him, with His most Holy Beloved Son and the Holy Spirit, the Comforter.
On you descended and still remains all the fullness of grace and every good. Hail, His Palace. Hail His Tabernacle. Hail His Robe. Hail His Handmaid. Hail, His Mother. and Hail, all holy Virtues, who, by grace and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, are poured into the hearts of the faithful so that from their faithless state, they may be made faithful servants of God through you.