Greetings, and may the Peace of the Lord be with you.
Sunday Service at 10 30 ALL ARE WELCOME
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
Father Matthew
8/18/2026 TUESDAY OF THE 20TH WEEK OR ORDINARY TIME
Hello, hope all goes well with you and yours. How would you describe living in a world that war and strife did not exists. A world that there would be no poverty, no suffering, everyone would have enough and not without. Sounds a bit like what heaven may be like. Not having to worry about […]
8/17/2026 MONDAY OF THE 20TH WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME
Hello, hope all is well. Have you found yourself running through life that those you pass become more like a blur? If you are asked if you saw this on or that one, you would not even remember. Live is like that sometimes. The spiritual writer Leo Buscaglia says, “Too often we underestimate the power […]
8/16/2026 SUNDAY OF THE 20TH WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME
God day. Hope you are all well. Yes, I am still having difficulties with this computer. I just hope you all are receiving these meditation. Today’s Gospel, if it is the first time you are hearing this passage from Matthew’s Gospel one might get the wrong idea about how Jesus interacted with those who were […]
8/15/2026 FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTION OF MARY
Hello. Today we celebrate of the major feasts in the Church calendar. In some places it is known as the “DORMITION” or the “falling asleep” of Mary. We in the West know it as the Assumption. It is a feast when Mary was taken up into heaven, body and soul. As you know we do […]
8/14/2026 FRIDAY, FEAST OF ST. MAXIMILIAN KOLBE, PRIEST AND MARTYR
Hello, peace to you all. Today we remember Maximilian Kolbe, priest and martyr. St. Maximilian born in 1894 and died in the concentration camp at Auschwitz in 1941. He was a Conventual Franciscan friar and had a deep devotion to Our Blessed Mother who he referred to as the “Immaculata.” After his first arrest he said […]
8/13/2026 THURSDAY OF THE 19TH WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME
Greetings, hope all goes well with you. Both my brothers have children and grandchildren. I know that they delight in the sight that their family grows into the future. Having worked in hospitals and the health care system, I cannot imagine what parents go through when they lose a child. I have seen the effect […]
8/12/2026 WEDNESDAY OF THE 19TH WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME
Greetings. I am sure there are days when, for whatever reason, you feel alone. Not just being with others, but a feeling in your being that you are alone. No matter how busy we are, we are always ready to welcome the phone call, the knock on the door. It has a very sinking feeling. […]
8/10/2026 MONDAY OF THE 19TH WEEK OR ORDINARY TIME
Hello! Not too long ago I spoke about time. It is how we keep order of our lives, our days, weeks, months, years. It is how we calculate moment of our day. It is something we believe we have so much of until we don’t. The American author and businessman, Hervey McKay. once wrote, “Time is […]
8/9/2026 SUNDAY THE 19TH OF ORDINARY TIME.
Greetings, hope all is well As I thought about what I would write to you today, I realized that on a Sunday, I usually center the theme on the Gospel. Well, as I read through the readings for this Sunday, I could not be drawn to the first reading from 1Kings:19:9a – 11-13a. Elijah is […]
8/8/2026 SATURDAY, FEAST OF ST. DOMINIC
Hello, and a Happy Feast to all our Dominican Brothers and Sisters. We are told that Francis and Dominic met a few times during their lives. One of the hallmarks of the saints is that they say this earthly life as a testing ground of their faith and a preparation for the life to come. Each saw […]
8/7/2026 FRIDAY OF THE 18TH WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME
Greeting and a happy Friday. I guess this only make sense if your workweek is Monday through Friday. For homemakers, one day is very much the same as any other. Well anyway, A Blessed Day to you All. It’s nice to be served. You go to a fancy restaurant, and someone is there to answer […]
8/6/2026 THURSDAY FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION.
Greetings. I pray that all goes well with yours. Today we remember an event that would have taken our breath away. The Transfiguration of the Lord. In the central part of the country of Isarel, is a large hill called Mt. Tabor. Tradition tells us that it was here that Jesus took his three closes’ […]
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.