Franciscan Mission Associates

Franciscan Mission Associates Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Franciscan Mission Associates, 274-280 West Lincoln Avenue P. O. Box 598, Mount Vernon, NY.

We bring the ministry of St Francis to peoples’ lives through a two-fold undertaking of providing spiritual & financial support: devotional service to benefactors and fundraising for the missions, ministries, & friars of the Immaculate Conception Province

The June edition of FMA Matters was sent out to our subscribers on Tuesday.If you’re not yet receiving the newsletter in...
06/10/2026

The June edition of FMA Matters was sent out to our subscribers on Tuesday.

If you’re not yet receiving the newsletter in your inbox, we invite you to subscribe and stay connected.

Sign up here: https://buff.ly/9zdsGCW

It is interesting that, immediately after giving us the Beatitudes, Jesus does not give us tips on how to enact them. R...
06/09/2026

It is interesting that, immediately after giving us the Beatitudes, Jesus does not give us tips on how to enact them. Rather, He tells us what we already ARE: salt and light.

Jesus did not give us His teachings solely for our personal use. He gave them to us so that they can be shared. Our modern society often tells us to keep our faith as a personal thing. That is directly contrary to the command of Jesus.

Salt has three purposes; to preserve, to flavor, and to add value. If we are to be salt for the earth, we must preserve all that is good in Jesus' teachings. We are also to add flavor to conversations and relationships by sharing that message with others. And we are to realize that we, and others, are precious to God. Salt is everywhere now, but that was not always so. In Jesus' time, and until relatively recently, it was a valuable commodity. In fact, it could be used as a form of payment. We get the word SALARY from the word for salt! What an amazing discovery.

In John's Gospel, Jesus also tells us that HE is the light of the world. So what happened when He returned to heaven? Did the light go out? NO. He left us as the light to point others toward Him. We must be careful, however, not to make ourselves the light. We are to reflect the true Light, Jesus.

Our salt can go flat, and our light can be hidden. What a shame if that happens. Let us pray today that Jesus will show us how we can be salt and light for the world.



For more free educational resources from the Franciscans, visit: https://buff.ly/yLu5KIL

In the Jewish faith, one of the major things that they revered was (and still is) the law. It was given to Moses on Mou...
06/08/2026

In the Jewish faith, one of the major things that they revered was (and still is) the law. It was given to Moses on Mount Sinai after the Israelites were rescued by God from slavery in Egypt. It is most keenly seen in the Ten Commandments. Moses went up the mountain and received them from God Himself.

In the New Testament, the law would continue to be important, and remains so today. But Jesus came to fulfill the law of the Old Covenant. He will teach the people that it is not simply about following rules, but about adopting attitudes toward God, one another, and ourselves that express love, humility, peacemaking, and a host of other virtues.

We must forget that, though He is fully human, Jesus is also fully God. This strikes a difference when it comes to the Beatitudes. Moses goes us the mountain to receive the law. Jesus goes up the mountain to GIVE the law. This is a stark contrast, and is a reminder to us of the importance of paying attention to these laws that He gives us.

Throughout the next weeks, we will be expanding on these beatitudes as Jesus gives the rest of the Sermon on the Mount. Let these laws of Jesus be a basis for us, as we listen to His guidelines on how we are to live them out.

beatitudes

For more free educational resources from the Franciscans, visit: https://buff.ly/yLu5KIL

WEEKLY REFLECTION: Francis and the Eucharist: Trust in Jesus’ word ✝️ For St. Francis, the Eucharist was not simply a sy...
06/07/2026

WEEKLY REFLECTION: Francis and the Eucharist: Trust in Jesus’ word

✝️ For St. Francis, the Eucharist was not simply a symbol, but the true and living presence of Christ among His people. Trusting completely in the words of Jesus, he encouraged deep reverence for the Blessed Sacrament and frequent reception of Holy Communion. 🙏 His example reminds us to approach the Eucharist with faith, humility, and gratitude.

Read the full Weekly Reflection on our website:

https://buff.ly/F9i3YCY

At the Last Supper, Jesus told His disciples that the bread that He broke and the cup that He shared were His Body and B...
06/07/2026

At the Last Supper, Jesus told His disciples that the bread that He broke and the cup that He shared were His Body and Blood. This was, in essence, the first Mass. Jesus gave His Body and Blood to be our spiritual food, and since then, Mass has been celebrated, uninterrupted, until the present day.

In the thirteenth century, the Church formalized a day to celebrate this mystery. It is the Feast that we celebrate today; Corpus Christi, or the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ.

Catholics have always believed that, after the priest pronounces the words of consecration, bread and wine truly become the Body and Blood of Christ, and the faithful can then receive it. This spiritual food strengthens us and draws us closer to God and to one another. It helps us to follow God's will in our lives, and it fully incorporates us into the Body of Christ, the Church. St. Augustine said, "Become what you receive." As we receive the physical Body and Blood of Christ, we strive to become better members of the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church. This belief is at the core of who we are as Catholics. May we never take it for granted.



For more free educational resources from the Franciscans, visit: https://buff.ly/yLu5KIL

✈️🇮🇹 From April 14–23, 2026, pilgrims led by Franciscan Mission Associates traveled through Italy in celebration of the ...
06/06/2026

✈️🇮🇹 From April 14–23, 2026, pilgrims led by Franciscan Mission Associates traveled through Italy in celebration of the 800th Jubilee of St. Francis of Assisi.


🙏 Together, they visited Assisi, Greccio, La Verna, Rome, and other sacred places tied to the life of St. Francis, celebrating Mass daily and reflecting on the enduring Franciscan call to prayer, peace, and renewal.

📖 Read the pilgrimage recap and learn more about future Franciscan pilgrimages here:

https://buff.ly/b4rjpWy

Whenever Jesus asks a question, he is not looking for information. He is preparing for a teaching. He asks the elders ...
06/05/2026

Whenever Jesus asks a question, he is not looking for information. He is preparing for a teaching. He asks the elders today how the Messiah can be called the Son of David and yet be called David's Lord in the Psalms.

The Jewish leaders and many of the Jewish people had a set idea of what the Messiah would look like. Jesus does not deny that He is the Son of David, born of the human line of the great King. But he opens up the minds of the people to the fact that He is also God, one person in two natures, a divine nature and a human nature.

We too are vulnerable to putting Jesus in a box, deciding how we think He should be. In our humanity, we often limit God to acting as we think He should. But we must remember that God is God and we are not God. He will operate according to His plan, and He is more than we can ever imagine. Just as Jesus challenged the concepts of the elders, He challenges our ideas too.

Let us never allow our God to be too small.



For more free educational resources from the Franciscans, visit: https://buff.ly/yLu5KIL

If we look at the life of St. Paul, we can be sure that it did not take the path he had originally planned. He was a Ph...
06/04/2026

If we look at the life of St. Paul, we can be sure that it did not take the path he had originally planned. He was a Pharisee, and he persecuted the Church. Bur God had other plans, and from the time Paul got knocked down on the way to Damascus, he allowed the Lord to direct every step of his life. In the first reading of today's Mass, he is under house arrest in Rome, surely not where he thought he would wind up. But he says, "The Gospel is not chained."

We may often find ourselves in situations we didn't plan. Perhaps our own lives turned out very differently than we thought. But, if we are open to God's plan, we can make the Gospel known wherever we are.

In the Gospel today, Jesus is asked what the most important commandment is. He answers immediately that it is to love God with our whole heart and mind and soul and strength. He adds that the second commandment is to love others as we love ourselves. This is the key to the Christian life. To love means "to will the good of the other." If we are to love God, than we want want is for God's good; namely, to help Him get His children to heaven. That leads us to love others, because what is ultimately good for them is to be with God forever.

Putting these two things together, we can say that our lives operate according to the plan of God. Wherever we find ourselves, whether it is where we figured to be or not, it a place where we can make the Gospel known by love.



For more free educational resources from the Franciscans, visit: https://buff.ly/yLu5KIL

The Sacred Heart of Jesus reminds us of Christ’s compassion for those who are suffering, forgotten, or in need of care.T...
06/03/2026

The Sacred Heart of Jesus reminds us of Christ’s compassion for those who are suffering, forgotten, or in need of care.

Through your support, our Franciscan friars can continue to provide food, shelter, education, medical care, and spiritual support in the communities we serve.

As we prepare for the Sacred Heart Novena of Masses, we invite you to join us in prayer and make a gift in support of our missions.

🙏 Learn more and support our missions:

https://buff.ly/UrSMbOL

People in our modern world tend to focus a great deal on image. How do I look? What am I "into?" With whom am I assoc...
06/02/2026

People in our modern world tend to focus a great deal on image. How do I look? What am I "into?" With whom am I associated?

In the Gospel today, Jesus talks about real image. When asked about the legitimacy of paying taxes, He asks to see a denarius, a Roman coin. He asks whose image is on the coin, and those who are testing Him replyl "Caesar's." Then, says Jesus, repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.

You and I, and everyone who was listening to Jesus, is made in God's image. His being in what is imprinted in us. Coins are irrelevant. Jesus reminds the crowd that, far more important than earthly wealth or taxes is what we owe to God, in whose image we are made. Just as they would return the coin to Caesar, so they should return themselves, heart, soul and strength, to God.

The image of Caesar on a coin is passing. The image of God on our souls is eternal. We must do all we can to preserve it.



For more free educational resources from the Franciscans, visit: https://buff.ly/lK9bRlP

Address

274-280 West Lincoln Avenue P. O. Box 598
Mount Vernon, NY
10551

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 4pm
Tuesday 8am - 4pm
Wednesday 8am - 4pm
Thursday 8am - 4pm
Friday 8am - 4pm

Telephone

(914) 664-5604

Website

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