Humble Beginnings

St. Francis of Assisi Parish was formed in 1988 as a mission of St. Louis in Clarksville with Fr. Jack Kinsella as the founding pastor. In the early years, Mass and religious education were held at Atholton High School and many parish groups met in parishioners' homes. Many parishioners remember the children following their group to religious education by following animal puppets after Mass. In 1997, Fr. Dennis Diehl was named pastor and soon after opened the current Church and office space, which was completed in 1998. The Church functioned as a multi-purpose space for Masses, Religious Education, Youth Ministry, and Parish Events. In June 2009, the parish broke ground on the Fr. Dennis P. Diehl Faith Formation Center which opened a year later and is now home to many parish programs. Msgr. Joseph Luca was named pastor of the newly formed Pastorate of St. Francis and St. Louis in 2018. While the parish has evolved and grown over the years, the community continues to return to its motto: "Let there be no strangers among us." as we strive to evangelize in our community and our world.