Church Building History

The first Solemn High Mass was celebrated July 10, 1883, in the original church. After an expansion in 1891, the church again was too small. The present church was built on the foundation of the original church in 1894. The walls and ceiling were decorated by William Kloer of St. Louis for $1,000. The pews cost $1,600. All other interior furnishings were donated by the parishioners. The high altar was donated at a cost of $1,200 and each side altar at $300. The stained glass windows in the sanctuary cost $150 each. Heating was not installed until December of 1897 at a cost of $1,630 so mass was celebrated in the basement during the winter until then.

Electric lights were installed in this church in 1901 and electric current was supplied from dusk to midnight. In November 1901, a splendid pulpit and two fine confessionals were added to the church at a cost of $275 for the pulpit and $200 for the confessionals.

In 1915, an electric organ, costing $3,500 was ordered and dedicated on October 24th. Electric lights were installed on the altar in 1922. The new church of St. Francis was in need of interior redecoration around 1924. The large fresco above the high altar and the eight murals above the arches date to that time. The large fresco cost $6,000 and the murals each cost $100, which were donated by parishioners. The present organ was purchased in 1926 at a cost of $5000 plus the trade in of the old organ (valued at $1,000.) It is an electric-pneumatic Hillgreen Lane double manual pipe organ, manufactured in Alliance, Ohio.

In March of 1947, a new pulpit was donated at a cost of $586. The old pulpit that was mounted high on the pillar on the south side of the church was removed. In April 1948, a new roof, asbestos shingles, was put on the church at a cost of $3,990. Gutters and spouts on the entire plant were also repaired at an additional price. In February of 1955, the church organ was renovated at a cost of $1,585.

In October of 1959, the work of tuckpointing the church was completed at a cost of $9,025. The interior of the church was then repainted and redecorated. The cry room was also completed at this time. In the fall of 1966, an elevator was installed it the rear of the church. In January 1971, a major overhaul of the church organ was necessary, costing $2,855.

In April 1974, the lights on the High Altar surrounding and above the crucifix were put into working condition. This was done and the arch lights were again used after being out of service for some time. In June of 1975, work began on cleaning and varnishing all the church pews. In 1976, a complete new sound system was installed and used for the first time at midnight Mass that year. At the same time, preliminary steps were taken to rewire the church.

In March of that year, the east entrance to the church was remodeled. It was repainted, carpet was laid, and new railings were installed for the steps. Thermo glass storm windows were installed in the summer of 1978. Screens and hoppers were installed on the 13 large windows in the body of the church. The wood was painted after the old storm windows were removed.

A year later, it was decided to enclose the front entrance. Two stained glass windows from Sacred Heart Church in Cornlea were renovated and installed, as well as one new stained glass window depicting the joyful St. Francis. This renovation was completed and solemnly blessed on Thanksgiving Day of 1980. On January 17, 1981, ceiling fans were installed. New glass doors between the front entrance and the church proper were added on June 24. That same year it was determined the church needed some renovation due to falling plaster and needed to be repainted.

At that time, the old communion rail was removed and new sanctuary furniture was made from it. The renovated church was blessed and used on December 19, 1981. The summer of 1996 allowed parishioners to worship in an air conditioned building through an alumnus’s donation. After a generous donation of material in 2000, the kneelers were recovered by volunteers.

In 2008, repainting and restoration of the church interior was done by McGill Painters in preparation for the 125th celebration. During this time, mass was celebrated in the church basement. At this time, all the church pews were removed to be revarnished. The old carpet was removed and carpet was laid, now covering the tile under the pews. The east entrance of the church was also painted and new carpet laid. Hand rails were installed on the stairs leading up to the main altar in the summer of 2008. In 2009 a statue of St. Peregrine, patron saint of cancer patients, was added to the back of church.

As soon as the new roof was placed on the present church, mass was offered in the basement and the old church was torn down. Heating was not installed in the church until December of 1897, so mass was celebrated in the basement during the winter. During the reconstruction of the friary in 1912, the friars lived in the basement of the church and some school classrooms. In 1917, new pews were bought for the winter chapel (church basement) for $1,231.40. During the winter months of 1966-1967, the church basement was remodeled and became a parish hall. Cost of remodeling the hall was approximately $3,800, but all the material, equipment, and labor was donated with the exception of $12. It began to be used as parish hall in April of 1967.

In January of 1971, the kitchen in the church basement was remodeled. The ceiling was dropped, a wall was knocked out to make the room larger, a new floor laid, and a double sink in the middle of the room were installed. In the hall, the radiators were removed, excess fixtures were removed, and the hall was varnished and painted. All costs and work were donated. During the summer, a new entrance on the south side of church leading into the basement was created.

In September 1972, cabinets and utility closets were built inside the new south entrance to the basement of the church. In 1976, electric hand dryers were installed in the washroom of the church basement. During the church renovation of 1981, mass was celebrated in the church basement on weekdays and in the gym on weekends. Mass was also celebrated in the basement during the church remodel of 2008.

In January of 2011, construction began to renovate the parish hall. At this time, the wooden floor was removed, exposing the supports. Sand was pumped in to fill the area and a cement floor was laid. All the kitchen cabinets were removed, a new cement floor was laid, and a ventilation system was installed on the south end. The bathrooms near the north entrance were also remodeled. A unisex bathroom was created and a furnace closet was created. During this time, it was also decided to update the heating system, as the old boiler system wasn’t the most efficient. New windows were also installed to help with the heating efficiency. The old stained glass windows found in these windows were removed, restained and painted, and place back in the windows. New walls and ceiling were installed and painted. The project was completed in May of 2011 with the help of many volunteers.