Wow!
Fr. Francis Di Spigno, OFM,
Pastor
WOW!
This should have been in last weekend’s bulletin but somehow I “lost” a day last week and I missed the deadline! I am sorry about that because the previous Wednesday, July 23rd, was a great day for our Parish!!
As I have shared with you before, many years ago, before I arrived, when our youth minister left the parish, the decision was made not to replace her. That was unfortunate. It has been my dream and hope to rekindle a youth group once again here at St. Francis but, as you can imagine, that was not as easy as it may sound. There were many variables that got in the way. One variable was the need to hire a new Director of Family Faith to create and oversee a program for our youth and young adults. It took quite a while to find the right person, but fortunately, Colleen Lindsey was hired a few months ago and is off to a great start. One of the first things I told her, however, was that I would like her to hire a youth and young adult minister so we can truly welcome our younger brothers and sisters and offer them the opportunity to experience God in their lives and to have them fully participate in this incredible parish.
One other variable that played into our starting a new youth and young adult program were two enthusiastic and wonderful young men. They asked if we could meet and so we did. We met in March. They told me of their hopes to create something that would excite their peers and make them feel
welcomed at St. Francis. After affirming them and their ideas, I asked them to give me some time to find a new director. I promised them that I would not forget. Colleen was here just a few weeks when she scheduled a meeting with Luca Salluce and TJ Ball, these two incredible and enthusiastic young men, who had some great ideas.
On Wednesday, July 23, 2025, from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM, in St. Francis Church Hall, Luca, TJ, and Lexi Meehan hosted a Teen Trivia Night. Of course, I was going to go. I wanted to show my support, but I was absolutely blown away by what happened that night. I was pleasantly surprised to hear that 30 people had registered for the event the week prior. By the night of the event, 15 more people had registered and that night, nine more people showed up. In total, 54 of our younger brothers and sisters gathered for our first Teen Trivia night. I could not have been happier.
A HUGE shout out of thanks to TJ, Luca and Lexi for all of the work they put into making our Teen Trivia night such a great success. Thank you also to Ella and Pearla Parisio, and all the other volunteers who helped that night. Thank you to Colleen Lindsey and Carla Parisio for helping to make this all happen! I look forward to the next time we invite our younger brothers and sisters to gather at St. Francis.
A thank you, also, to everyone who attended last Sunday’s concert given by the Orchestra of St. Peter by the Sea. That was also a smashing success. Playing to a packed church, Fr. Alphonse Stevenson and the Orchestra dazzled all of us with their incredible talent and beautiful music. It was an evening of great joy for everyone. Thank you, Joan Sawicki and her ushers, Amy and Sydney Marks, and Arian Selmani of Keel Agency, for making it all happen. It was a splendid evening and enjoyed by everyone who came.
Here’s to the rest of the summer. May it not pass too quickly. May the temperatures be good to us, and the may the strong winds stay far away. Peace and All Good.
Congratulations to our LBI Jewish Brothers and Sisters
On behalf of St. Francis Parish and Center, we, the
Catholic community of Long Beach Island, offer our heartfelt love and congratulations to our Jewish brothers and sisters of the Jewish Community Center of Long Beach Island as you celebrate your 75th Anniversary!
We give thanks to G-d who, with a marvelous imagination has created a beautiful and wonderful world out of nothing but of many parts. As we watch the beauty of a sunrise or a sunset G-d’s majesty is so easily seen. Surpassing that majesty is the varying cultures, traditions, languages, and peoples that inhabit this incredible world we all call home.
We as the Catholic Community on Long Beach Island continue to work and pray for the peaceable Kingdom that recalls the time when “G-d looked at everything he had made and found it very good. Evening came, and morning followed.” Genesis 1:31
As we begin again with each new day, may our joint admiration, love, and respect allow us to fulfill G-d’s promise and a return to Eden.
Echoing the blessing that St. Francis so often prayed from the Book of Numbers,
May the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”
ALSO:
