This year the well-known Franciscan Christmas Fair will be online from November 21 to December 20. Shop for your favorite items – Franciscan pottery, candles, knitted and sewn items, olive wood products from the Holy Land, rosaries, greeting cards and many more! See photos of the Living Creche from previous years! Buy raffle tickets for [...]

The story of the Transfiguration is hard to imagine: standing in the presence of Moses, Elijah, and Our Lord and then descending the mountain to reenter the ordinary routine of life.  Like Peter, who wanted to build three tents, we often struggle with the connection between the transcendent and the mundane. A beautiful mosaic on [...]

Depending on whether your parish has an RCIA program, you may hear one of two Gospels this weekend. Cleansing of the Temple Today, standing in the Temple area, we see Jesus cast out the money changers and those selling animals.  He tells them to “stop making my Father’s house a marketplace” (Jn 2:16).  How do [...]

Depending on whether your parish has an RCIA program, you may hear one of two Gospels this weekend. Nicodemus When Nicodemus asks how he can be born again, Jesus responds that everyone who believes in “the Son of Man will have eternal life” (Jn 3:15) and “whoever lives the truth comes to the light” (Jn [...]

In the midst of Jesus’s triumphant entrance into Jerusalem, there is a simultaneous note of discord.  We can easily imagine the same crowds who shout, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” shouting, “Crucify him!” As we make our way inexorably forward in our mission, what fears do we have that might stop us from committing [...]

Today, look at Jesus as He stoops to wash your feet.  He draws near to you.  He knows the paths your feet have trod, the aches, the worries, the missteps, the hesitations.  He takes your foot gently in His hand and you wonder why.  Like Peter, you think it is not right for the Master [...]

In a parallel scene to the triumphant entry into Jerusalem, today Jesus travels through Jerusalem accompanied by crowds.  Instead of praising Him with laud and honor, they shout at Him, curse Him, and urge His captors to crucify Him.  Pope Francis writes “Love is a gift that means giving our lives.”  Jesus leads us in [...]

A giant TAG SALE benefitting the Franciscan Life Center and Franciscan Home Care and Hospice Care will be held: Saturday, April 17, 2021 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Franciscan Life Center Campus 271 Finch Avenue, Meriden, CT 06451 Come and find Furniture, Household Goods, Art, Religious Articles, Baskets, Knitted Items, Jewelry, Sporting Equipment, Electronics, Vintage [...]

For the entire month of April we celebrate our occupational therapy patients and caregivers, and raise awareness of the benefits of this type of therapy. Occupational therapy helps people get back to independent living after an illness or injury. The expertise of an occupational therapist can help you improve and maintain your strength and dexterity, [...]