Welcome from Fr. Ross
Thanks for taking the time and that extra click to enter into our website. On behalf of the members of our wonderful Faith Community here at St. Francis of Assisi Parish and the Franciscan Friars, I would like to welcome you. I arrived here in Athol Springs on August 25, 2010. Since my arrival it has been a wonderful journey of faith, friendship and fruitfulness. The members of our Faith Community are a wonderful group of people who truly go out of their way to show their love for God and who work hard at really being a Welcoming Faith Community Family.
I am very grateful to all those who have done so much and continue to do so much to bring us to where we are today. We have a strong foundation upon which we can continue to build as we move forward into the future. As you can see when you go to the Our History page, there have been so many people who worked so hard throughout the years to make St. Francis Parish a living and visible sign of God’s loving presence here in Athol Springs. We have been blessed with a wonderful heritage and, as good stewards, we are called to continue the Lord’s work of bringing his Gospel message to more and more people. The Good News is that God is always near to us and his caring love brings us together truly as members of one family, making us real sisters and brothers to each other.
Following in the Lord’s footsteps and those who have gone before us, it is now up to us, under the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit, united with a common vision, to welcome others into our family, giving them the opportunity to share in that sense of belonging, opening our doors and our hearts to them, so that St. Francis Parish will be the place that they call their spiritual home. If you are looking for a place to call home, please give us a try. Take a look at the different pages on our website and, if you get a chance, please stop by and join us for one of our Liturgies. If you are just “passing through” our website, thanks for stopping by and please feel free to shoot me an email (fr.ross@verizon.net) with any thoughts, comments or suggestions. If you are interested in knowing more about the Franciscan Friars, please give me a call (716-627-2710) Let us remember to pray for each other too.
May God bless you and those you love.
Sincerely,
Fr. Ross M. Syracuse, OFM Conv
Pastor