St. Francis Prep Students Start 8-Week Franciscan Jubilee Challenge

St. Francis Preparatory School students in Fresh Meadows are beginning an eight-week Franciscan Jubilee Challenge to honor the patron saint of the school. The challenge, which begins October 4, asks students to perform and document one prayerful act, one act of kindness, or one act of service each week.

Pope Leo XIV declared 2026 a Franciscan Jubilee Year to mark the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi. Bishop Robert Brennan spoke about the challenge during a Mass held in the school auditorium to celebrate the feast day of St. Francis. Because the feast day falls on a Sunday this year, the school held the Mass two days early while students were in class.

Brother Damian Novello, superior general of the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn, addressed the students after the Mass. He said the challenge offers students a way to make a difference in the world and remind others of God's love through the example of St. Francis.