St. Francis of Assisi of Bridgeport
St. Mary of the Assumption of Minoa & St. Matthew of East Syracuse

past Messages from Deacon Nick

IMPORTANT DIOCESAN ANNOUNCEMENT!!
Reorganization under Chapter 11

Bishop Lucia announced today (619/20) that the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse has filed for reorganization under Chapter 11.


Parishes and other Diocesan Entities are NOT included in Chapter 11
and we will continue as normal.


Click Here for Bishop Lucia's Message
Click Here for the Press Conference 6/20/20
Click here for the Press Release PDF
FAQ Document about the Chapter 11
Frequently Asked Questions about the Chapter 11


Day 1: Tips for Praying - Click here for the Video

Day 2: Dedicate 5 minutes of Undivided Prayer time in your Morning  

Day 3: Repeat this Prayer "Lord, I am a sinner: Come with your  Mercy"

               Pope Francis                

Day 4: "O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers,
            works, joys and sufferings of this day. For all the  intentions of your

            Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the              world, for the salvation of  souls, the reparation of sins, the reunion of all              Christians, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father this                    month Amen"  Morning Offering

Day 5: Using the fingers on your hand, start with the thumb and pray

           these Intentions in this order:

           1. The thumb is closest finger to you. So start praying for those who
                 are closest to you. They are the persons easiest  to remember, To                      pray for our dear ones is a "Sweet Obligation."

           2. The next finger is the index. Pray for those who Teach you, Instruct                    you and heal you. They need the support and Wisdom to show                           direction to others. Always  keep them in in your prayers 

            3. The following finger is the tallest. It reminds us of our leaders, the                     governors and those who have authority.They need God's guidance.

            4. The fourth finger is the ring finger. Even though it may surprise                        you, it is our weakest finger. It should remind us to pray for the                          weakest, the sick or those plagued by problems. They need                         your  prayers.

            5. And finally we have our smallest finger, the smallest of all. Your                       pinkie should remind you  to pray for yourself. When you are done                   praying for the other four groups, you will be able to see your own                       needs but in the proper perspective, and also you will be able to pray                   for your own needs in a better way.

Day 6: Pray Like This.. (LK 11:1-3) Click here to Watch the video today 

Day 7: Today's challenge: Block out at least 15 minutes of your day for prayer.                 You got this!

Day 8: Try to picture yourself in front of Christ as you would a                       friend: "We can picture ourselves standing in front of Christ, and                         arouse  in ourselves the liveliest sentiments of love for his Sacred                        Humanity; live in his presence, talk to him, ask him for the things we                    need, tell him about the things that are making us suffer, share our joys              with him  instead of letting them drive him from our thoughts..."
               St. Teresa  of Avila

 Day 9: Pope Francis shared with us his last prayer before going to                  bed. Pope Francis says this: "Lord, if you want, you can make                  me clean." Then he prays five Our Fathers - one for each of                        Christ's wounds on the Cross. -"because Jesus cleansed us with                  his wounds."

Day 10: Prayer Challenge is to say the St. Michael the Archangel                      Prayer - "St. Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle: be our                          protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God                      rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly                      host, by the power of God, thrust into hell, Satan and all the other evil                  spirits, who prowl throughout the world, seeking the ruin of souls.                       Amen."

Day 11: Today during your prayer or when you struggle today,                         remember to ask for help from a saint you feel inspired by.                 If  you don't have one, pick one whose feast day is today 

             CLICK HERE FOR THE SAINT GENERATOR

             CLICK HERE FOR THE SAINT CALENDAR

                    Struggle with the saints and why we ask for their intercession? 

             CLICK HERE TO WATCH BISHOP BARRON

Day 12: Don't give up if your prayer seems unfruitful. In the words of              Pope Francis "All of us experience moments of fatigue and                                discouragement, especially when our prayers seem ineffective...But                      Jesus assures us: unlike the unjust judge, God promptly answers his                    children, although this does not mean he does it in the time and                         manner  that we would like. Prayer is not a magic wand! ...It helps to                   preserve our faith in God, and to trust in Him even when we do not                       comprehend His will. In this, Jesus himself - who prayed so much! – is                 the example.” Pope Francis

Day 13: Remember in your prayer today that the King of Kings                        resides in your soul and that prayer is your visit to him!                      It is clear to me that if I had understood, as I do today, that in this tiny                palace of my soul, such a great King is living, I would not have left him                alone so often, and I would have taken steps to ensure that the palace                 was less dirty. How admirable it is then, to think that he whose                           greatness would fill a thousand worlds and much more, shuts himself                   into such a little thing! St. Teresa of Avila

Day 14:The Church asks us to pray for our departed brothers and                   sisters. Remember them in your prayers today. One example            of a prayer for the departed is:
          Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon                them. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God,                rest in peace.

                You could also offer up something today for the Souls in                                       Purgatory, such as getting stuck in traffic, waking up early or                          having to pick up after someone else.
                Confused on the Church's teaching on Purgatory and praying for                  the dead? Watch Dr. Scott Hahn's as he answers these questions
                 CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO.


Congrats - You did it! The 3 parishes of Our Catholic Family have benefited from your prayer! Yesterday concluded our 14 day prayer challenge. We hope that you enjoyed this challenge and grew in your prayer life. We encourage you to take what you've learned, develop the prayer habit yourself, and go forward having been changed by the 14 day challenge.


The hardest struggle many people have is finding the time to pray. We've included a video from Fr. Mike Schmitz addressing the Time to Pray. We hope this encourages you as you continue on your journey. God bless!



TIME TO PRAY VIDEO - CLICK HERE

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