FAITH FORMATION

"The mission of the Faith Formation program at St. Francis of Assisi Church is first to help parents to fulfill the promises they made at their children´s baptism by being the primary and best catechists in their children´s lives.  We further serve all who seek to deepen their relationship with and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the teachings of his church."

LECTOR MINISTRY

A Lector’s main function at Mass is to read aloud the first and second readings from the Old- and New-Testaments. When no Deacon is present, the Lector also leads the Prayer of the Faithful and, if the Responsorial Psalm is not sung by the choir, the Lector also leads that. Prior to Vatican II this was an ordained ministry; it is now performed by the laity as approved by the Pastor. Lector candidates are required to attend a 90-minute training class, after which qualifications are submitted to the Pastor for his approval. The class is scheduled when there are sufficient candidates and/or when the Mass Captains have need of new Lectors – normally twice yearly. After completing the class, approved Lectors are assigned to the Mass of their choice and are scheduled by their Mass Captain. At Saint Francis we normally have a sufficient number of Lectors so that two can be scheduled for each Mass and each Lector is scheduled once or twice a month.

"How can they believe if they have not heard?" St. Paul says in Romans 10:14. The Lector, at his or her best, makes the word of God come alive so we can hear it and our faith will be formed by it. If this is your gift to share speak to your Mass Captain.
Go to Worship for the names and contact information of the Mass Captains.

SACRISTAN MINISTRY

Candles:  keep large candle stands dust free and finger print free wash candle shields and remove black soot, wash candle shields and remove black soot on altar server's candles, replace candles or put extenders in place. Notify Sacristan when more candles need to be ordered.
Hosts:  Maintain supply of small and large hosts in sacristy, Maintain supply of extra hosts in freezer, Notify Sacristan to order hosts
Holy Water: wash holy water fonts weekly and replace holy water
Decorate for holidays:  Christmas, Holy Week, and Easter

MUSIC MINISTRY

Music is an integral part of Catholic worship. It draws us closer to God and enables us to praise and thank God for all our many blessings. The Music Ministry at St. Francis of Assisi parish consist of English and Spanish speaking parishioners who provide a variety of genres of music for regular worship. There are cantors, choir and ensemble members and instrumentalists. The music ministry welcomes singers and musicians to become a part of the worship experience.

OUTREACH MINISTRY

Hearing the words which Christ spoke to us when he asked that we observe what is right and do what is just, we have gathered as a ministry to respond to those words.

The St. Francis of Assisi Outreach Ministry is dedicated to responding to the needs of the communities in which our parishioners reside.  We focus on the needs for food, clothing, shelter and medical care.
Our parishioners are the primary source of grocery items for our food bank which is located at the Resource Center on Douglas Street in Cartersville.  We also belong to the Atlanta Food Bank where we are able to purchase some surplus foods at a very reasonable price.  Our parishioners donate $5.00 gift cards to the Resource Center primarily for the purchase of prescriptions for those in need of financial assistance.  We are also able to purchase eyeglasses at a greatly reduced rate through a state program. 

The Resource Center is open Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.  We work in partnership with all the non-profits in Bartow County and can recommend resources for nearly any need.  In addition to the Resource Center, we give a great deal of support to Hope House and all of its affiliates.  These are non-profit temporary refuges for the homeless.  We also give support to Hickory Log, a residential home for developmentally delayed men.  

The After School Program for children of working parents is located at Douglas Street Methodist Church.  Nearly half of the children in the program are St. Francis parishioners.  We furnish a meal for the children in that program several times a month.
St. Francis contributes heavily to the school supply drive in late summer.  This past summer two of our volunteers made four trips with cars filled to capacity to deliver the school supplies to the distribution sight.

We also have a program which is our most special and meaningful.  Two grade school teachers take the names of everyone on our prayer list and have their classes make “thinking of you” cards to send to those who are sick, elderly or convalescing.  There is another parishioner who sends cards several times a year to those same people.

We are dedicated to staying informed on immigration issues.  Many of our parishioners are affected by those issues and we make every effort to be informed and to be helpful in whatever that entails. 
The physical needs of our community and the social issues which affect our community are our concerns.  The words of one of our hymns say, “Take Christ to the world, celebrate our faith and manifest His love to all.  Take Christ to the world; show that we are His in the way we live.”          

LOVING HANDS GROUP

In 2008, we published a small ad in the church Bulletin trying to recruit knitters and crocheters. As a result of this and subsequent ads, we became a fairly large group and had to decide what to do with our handy works. Some of us knew of dire needs in the Bartow County and Cartersville areas which led us to do some research, asked for advice from the St. Ann’s Church Knitting Group, and relied on word-of-mouth among our members’ friends and acquaintances and discovered that , indeed, our art/craft could be put to good use in the community. Since then, we have made and donated afghans, lap robes, scarves, hats, mittens, etc. to a number of needy organizations as well as—with Miles’ help—to our soldiers in the war zones. Our group has grown over the past 3 years to more than 20 parishioners and non-parishioners and keeps growing. We also started a stuffed toys donation to the Cartersville and Emerson Police and the Bartow County Sheriff Department and other organizations taking care of small children. One of our members has direct access to these law enforcement agencies, and another to a pre-school for needy children, and another to a Family Crisis Center, and another to the Meals-on-Wheels program. With the help and blessing of Father Stack we meet in one of the church’s classroom, every week on Thursdays between 10 and 12 o’clock. We have been given a lot of yarns, needles, crochet hooks, stuff animals, etc. for which we are grateful. Should you be interested in learning more about our “LOVING HANDS” group, please call Millie Holland (770-514-1677), Carole Day (770-845-8003) or Kay Nealey (770-382-3296) or just drop in on our meeting Thursday form 10 am to 12 noon. You will always be welcome.

ARCHDIOCESE FOR THE MILITARY SERVICES, USA

Our Mission
The Archdiocese for the Military services was created by Pope John Paul II to provide the Catholic Church's full range of pastoral ministries and spiritual services to those in the United States Armed Forces. This includes more than 220 installations in 29 countries, patients in 153 V.A. Medical Centers, and federal employees serving outside the boundaries of the USA in 134 countries. Numerically, the AMS is responsible for more than 1.5 million men, women, and children.

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

The Knight of Columbus is a Fraternal organization that, Living in service to all, is one of the most dynamic qualities of being a Knight. A unique way for Knight to serve is by helping out in local parishes.

Los Caballeros de Colon es una organización Fraternal, que vive al servicio de todos. una de las mas dinámicas cualidades de ser un Caballero. la única vía de servicio de un Caballero es ayudar a su parroquia local.

ADMINISTRATION

BUILDING GROUNDS COMMITTEE

It is the mission of the Building and Grounds Committee to maintain all buildings and grounds at St. Francis of Assisi Church.  This includes replacing and repairing appliances and equipment, landscaping, and other duties as deemed necessary for the care of the properties.  A volunteer committee oversees and conducts as much of the work as can be done without the requirement of a licensed technician.  Volunteers are needed to help with planning and execution of the work.  Many hands make lighter work.  All are welcome to join the committee.