Franciscan Home Care and Hospice Care

Franciscan Golf Classic 2021
2021-08-16 09:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | Tunxis Country Club, 87 Town Farm Rd., Farmington, Connecticut, 06032
Save the Date! August 16, 2021

Second Session: Summer Land-based Experiences for Children
2021-08-02 - 2021-08-06 | John Lateran Center, 405 Allen Ave, Meriden, CT, 06451
August 2 to August 6, 2021
9:30 am to 2:30 pm
John Lateran Center Campus
Activities include confidence-building games, gardening, animal experiences, sports, crafts, and more!
Ages 6-12. Cost is $180.00 per child.
Click here to download a Registration Form.

First Session: Summer Land-based Experiences for Children
2021-06-28 - 2021-07-02 | John Lateran Center, 405 Allen Ave, Meriden, CT, 06451
June 28 to July 2, 2021
9:30 am to 2:30 pm
John Lateran Center Campus
Activities include confidence-building games, gardening, animal experiences, sports, crafts, and more!
Ages 6-12. Cost is $180.00 per child.
Click here to download a Registration Form.

Summer Youth Leadership Program
2021-06-28 - 2021-07-02 | Franciscan Life Center Campus, 267-275 Finch Ave, Meriden, CT, 06451, United States
One Week Only – June 28 to July 2, 2021
Franciscan Life Center Campus
Team building exercises, games, and group discussions build communication skills, teamwork, problem-solving, and self-esteem.
Ages 13-14. Cost is $250.00 per child.
Click to download Registration Form below:

Casa di Roma Fundraiser
2021-06-01 11:00 - 21:00 | Casa di Roma, 103 Main Street, South Meriden, CT, 06451

National Nurses Week
2021-05-05 - 2021-05-12 | CT
Every May we take a week to celebrate our nurses. As professionals, our nurses are compassionate, knowledgeable, kind, and dependable. Many patients feel that our nurses are not just visiting workers but welcome guests. Tell us what you like best about your nurse and visit us on facebook!

Older Americans Month
2021-04-30 - 2021-05-01 | CT
This month Franciscan Home Care and Hospice Care, together with the Administration for Community Living, celebrates the experiences, gifts, and wisdom of the older generation. The theme for 2021 is “Communities of Strength”. This month will focus on the power of connection and engagement in building strong communities.

National Occupational Therapy Month
2021-04-28 | CT
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, making daily activities easier and reducing the risk of a fall or accident.
Original photo by Roger Mommaerts

National MS Awareness Week
2021-04-20 04:00 - 2021-04-25 13:00 | CT
“Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an unpredictable disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body.
“The cause of MS is still unknown. Scientists believe that a combination of environmental and genetic factors contribute to the risk of developing MS.”
(From National Multiple Sclerosis Society)
Our staff members are trained to help care for patients with MS. We also offer LSVT Big and Loud through physical and occupational therapy. Learn more by calling us today. 203-238-1441

Sale Into Spring
2021-04-17 09:30 - 15:30 | Franciscan Life Center Campus, 267-275 Finch Ave, Meriden, CT, 06451, United States
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 Pieces, Books, Movies, and More! All sales are final. Take a Tote for Ten ($10) in the Big White Tent or venture to the Green-Roofed Barn for individually priced specialty items. All items sold as-is.

Easter Sunday
2021-04-04 | CT
“He is risen as He said.” Matthew 28.6

To all our clients, families, staff and friends we wish a Happy Easter.

Holy Saturday
2021-04-03 | CT
On Holy Saturday, there is no Mass or Communion Service during the day. It is a time of waiting with the disciples. It is a time of the unknown. If Jesus has died, what does that mean for us? If Jesus has died, what does that mean about all that He taught and all that we have come to believe?
Pope Francis tells us “every moment of our lives is a time for believing, hoping and loving.” Even when it seems that everything is lost and all is at an end, can we wait in the unknown? We look forward to the Easter Vigil.
Resources for Lent:
Fr. Mike Schmitz, Praying Through Holy Week
The Bible In A Year
Message of His Holiness for Lent 2021
What Is Lent? (USCCB)

Good Friday
2021-04-02 | CT
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 this by offering his life for all.
How do we receive this gift from Christ? How can we offer the gift of our lives for others?
Resources for Lent:
Fr. Mike Schmitz, Praying Through Holy Week
The Bible In A Year
Message of His Holiness for Lent 2021
What Is Lent? (USCCB)
Photo Attribution:
Elias, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Holy Thursday
2021-04-01 | CT
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 to descend to the task of a slave. He takes your other foot. You receive His love. He tells you, “As I have done for you, you must also do.”
Resources for Lent:
Fr. Mike Schmitz, Praying Through Holy Week
The Bible In A Year
Message of His Holiness for Lent 2021
What Is Lent? (USCCB)
Photo Attribution:
Drlukitas, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Palm Sunday
2021-03-28 | CT
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 to the first step? Jesus knows where the journey into Jerusalem will end, yet he proceeds anyway. How can we participate in this commitment in our own lives?
Resources for Lent:
Fr. Mike Schmitz, Praying Through Holy Week
The Bible In A Year
Message of His Holiness for Lent 2021
What Is Lent? (USCCB)
Photo Attribution: Randi Hausken from Bærum, Norway, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Saint Patrick's Day
2021-03-17 | CT
We wish all of our patients, families, and staff a Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!

Fourth Sunday of Lent
2021-03-14 | CT
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 3:21). Hence, Pope Francis encourages us “through recollection and silent prayer, hope is given to us as an inspiration and interior light, illuminating the challenges and choices we face in our mission.”
The Man Born Blind
After Jesus restores his sight, the man who was blind asks Jesus “Who is [the Son of Man], sir, that I may believe in him?” (Jn 9:36). How often an experience of healing prompts us to ask this very question! As we continue our journey through Lent, let us continually ask who Jesus is in our lives and as Pope Francis urges, make time to pray “in secret, to encounter the Father of tender love.”
Resources for Lent:
The Bible In A Year
Message of His Holiness for Lent 2021
What Is Lent? (USCCB)
Photo Attribution: Brocken Inaglory, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Third Sunday of Lent
2021-03-07 | CT
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 I understand what Jesus means when he says “my Father’s house” today? Is it the bricks and stones of the church building? Is it watching Mass through the television or internet? Does it extend yet further? And, how do I share in Jesus’ zeal for the Father’s house?
Pope Francis reflects: “In these times of trouble, when everything seems fragile and uncertain, it may appear challenging to speak of hope. Yet Lent is precisely the season of hope, when we turn back to God who patiently continues to care for his creation which we have often mistreated.”
The Samaritan Woman
Today, we see Jesus at the well promising the Samaritan woman that “whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst” (Jn 4:14). We know many types of thirsts – for water, for relationship, for connection. Am I aware of my thirsts? Do I thirst for a deeper relationship with God or does my past get in the way?
“Hoping with [Jesus] and because of him means believing that history does not end with our mistakes, our violence and injustice, or the sin that crucifies Love. It means receiving from his open heart the Father’s forgiveness.” – Pope Francis
Resources for Lent:
The Bible In A Year
Message of His Holiness for Lent 2021
What Is Lent? (USCCB)
Photo Attribution: Alex Proimos from Sydney, Australia, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

2nd Sunday of Lent
2021-02-28 | CT
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 Mount Tabor depicts the scene in shining colors. God wants us to remember the brilliance and promise of this moment. Pope Francis writes “Lent is a time for believing, for welcoming God into our lives and allowing him to ‘make his dwelling’ among us (cf. Jn 14:23).” He continues, “fasting involves being freed from all that weighs us down – like consumerism or an excess of information, whether true or false – in order to open the doors of our hearts to the One who comes to us, poor in all things, yet ‘full of grace and truth’ (Jn 1:14).”
As you enter more deeply into the Lenten fast, you may be looking for a new way to open your heart to Christ. A resource link has been added below for a free podcast called The Bible in a Year, available online.
Resources for Lent:
The Bible In A Year
Message of His Holiness for Lent 2021
What is Lent? (USCCB)
Photo Attribution: Zairon, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

First Sunday of Lent
2021-02-21 | CT
Sundays provide an opportunity to take extra time for God’s Word in Scripture. Pope Francis encourages us “in this Lenten season, accepting and living the truth revealed in Christ means, first of all, opening our hearts to God’s word, which the Church passes on from generation to generation.”
We are all chosen to participate in God’s plan of salvation. Pope Francis reminds us that “this truth is not an abstract concept reserved for a chosen intelligent few.”
Resources for Lent:
Message of His Holiness for Lent 2021
USCCB – What Is Lent?

New Year's Day
2021-01-01 | CT
May our clients and families, staff members and volunteers look forward to a year of
happiness and good health!

Christmas Day
2020-12-25 | CT
We wish all of our patients, their families, and all of our staff a very
Happy and Blessed Christmas!

Though he was in the form of God,
Jesus did not deem equality with God
something to be grasped at.
Rather, he emptied himself
and took the form of a slave,
being born in the likeness of men.
Philippians 2: 6-8

Flu Clinic is Open!
2020-12-01, 2020-11-01, 2020-10-01 | CT
The seasonal flu vaccine is available at
Franciscan Home Care and Hospice Care!
Please call to make an appointment.
At the time of your appointment please remain inside your vehicle and call the office at 203-238-1441.

First Sunday of Advent
2020-11-29 | CT
Advent marks the approach of Christmas Day. It is a time of prayer and expectation. As we journey closer to the coming of Jesus Christ let us grow in love for one another, our families and our communities.

Happy Thanksgiving!
2020-11-26 | CT
There is so much to be grateful for! We give thanks for our wonderful clients whom we are privileged to serve. We are also grateful for our amazing staff who make it all possible!
Franciscan Home Care and Hospice Care is particularly thankful for all those who have donated their time, treasure or talent this year. Every contribution goes toward providing excellent care to those in need.
Thank you!

Franciscan Christmas Fair Online
2020-11-21 - 2020-12-20 | Online
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 fabulous gift baskets!
The Franciscan Christmas Fair benefits the services of Franciscan Life Center and Franciscan Home Care and Hospice Care.
franciscanchristmasfair.org

Election Day
2020-11-03 08:00 - 17:00 | CT
It is both a right and a duty of a citizen to vote. Your voice and opinion matter!

Columbus Day
2020-10-12 | CT
Today we celebrate the “discovery” of the Americas by European explorers. Let us celebrate the many diverse cultures that met for the first time in 1492. May our festivities honor the traditions of all peoples.
