St. Francis of Assisi · San Francisco de Asís · Founded 1901 · 1439 Market St, Harrisburg, PA 17103
A brief history of our parish
In 1900, Bishop John W. Shanahan conducted a census of the city of Harrisburg, which had been rapidly expanding for years. He discovered that while there were almost 3,000 Catholics living in and around the city of Harrisburg (far more than expected), there were only two Catholic churches serving them at the time. St. Patrick’s Cathedral and St. Lawrence are in the same area downtown, and so Catholics had to travel from all over the city to attend Mass. In response, Bishop Shanahan established several “Harrisburg Missions” to care for the sacramental needs of his people. The East Harrisburg Mission offered Mass in the chapel of the diocese’s seminary, Sylvan Heights (now the YWCA of Harrisburg), which could only hold about 100 people at once. The community grew rapidly, and in January of 1901, Bishop Shanahan appointed Rev. James McGrath the first pastor of the newly-established St. Francis of Assisi Parish. By February of 1902, a new church had been built and consecrated with nearly 1,000 people in attendance at the laying of the cornerstone.
Since those first days, St. Francis of Assisi Parish has grown tremendously. In the 1940s, St. Francis had so many parishioners that it became the mother church to two new parishes, St. Catherine Labouré and St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. In the 1950s, St. Francis would be a mother church a third time over to the newly formed Holy Family Parish in 1958, which was merged back with St. Francis in 2023. Our parish hall was built in 1955 and has hosted many ministries over the years including our former parish school, religious education, sacramental prep, and since 1981, the St. Francis Soup Kitchen, which serves over 200 meals a day, Monday through Friday at 12:00 noon.
St. Francis is also a place of incredible diversity. The first Mass in Spanish celebrated here was in December of 1968, and this eventually led to the establishment of the Casa de San Francisco de Asís Hispanic Community, and the recognition of St. Francis of Assisi as a fully bilingual parish in 1990 with the appointment of Father (later Bishop) Kevin Rhoades as pastor. There has been a Black Catholic community here since at least the early 1950s, and the diocesan Black Catholic Apostolate has been working here since the 1980s. For over a century, St. Francis of Assisi Parish has been a home to the Catholics of Allison Hill, a refuge for the lost, a help to the poor, and a joy to anyone who comes to her.
Una breve historia
En 1900, el obispo John W. Shanahan realizó un censo de la ciudad de Harrisburg, que llevaba años expandiéndose rápidamente. Descubrió que, aunque había casi 3.000 católicos en la ciudad y sus alrededores, solo había dos iglesias católicas atendiéndolos. En enero de 1901 nombró al P. James McGrath primer párroco de la nueva parroquia de San Francisco de Asís. La iglesia actual fue consagrada en febrero de 1902.
San Francisco de Asís fue reconocida como parroquia totalmente bilingüe en 1990. La primera Misa en español aquí se celebró en diciembre de 1968. Hoy somos una parroquia multicultural — latinos, negros, blancos, inmigrantes y nativos — reunidos en una sola mesa. El Comedor Comunitario sirve más de 200 comidas al día desde 1981.
Office staff / Personal de oficina
- Pastor — Very Rev. Anthony R. Dill · [email protected]
- Vicario Parroquial — Rev. Peter Rettig · [email protected]
- Secretaria — Carol Fagan · [email protected]
Third-Party Reporting
In the Press En las Noticias
Faithful at St. Francis of Assisi Parish Bid Affectionate Farewell to Franciscan Friars
Over 600 faithful gathered for a farewell Mass when the Capuchin friars left after 19 years.
Mission of Feeding the Hungry Continues at St. Francis Soup Kitchen
Bishop Senior visited the Soup Kitchen and served meals alongside the volunteers.
Our story · Nuestra historia
Six moments that shaped the parish
1901 · The cornerstone
Founded by Italian and German immigrants
St. Francis of Assisi was incorporated as a national parish to serve the Italian- and German-speaking Catholic families who had settled in Allison Hill at the turn of the century. The first Mass was offered in a rented hall on Market Street.
1923 · A church of our own
The current sanctuary is built
After two decades of fundraising during the lean years that followed the First World War, the parish dedicated its first permanent church on the corner of 14th and Market — the same building still in use today.
1968 · The Council in our pews
Vatican II reforms come home
Following the Second Vatican Council, Mass began to be celebrated in English and the altar was turned to face the people. The same decade brought the first wave of Spanish-speaking families from Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic.
1985 · A bilingual home
The first regular Spanish Mass
A weekly Spanish-language Mass was added to the schedule, with bilingual catechesis for the children of newcomer families. Forty years later it remains the parish's largest Sunday assembly.
2005 · A door for the hungry
St. Francis Soup Kitchen opens
A small group of parishioners began serving a weekly hot meal out of the church basement. Four decades later the kitchen serves a hot lunch six days a week — Monday through Friday at noon, plus Saturday take-out — no questions, no paperwork, no judgment.
Today · A century-old promise, kept
A bilingual Catholic home in Allison Hill
Five Masses a week — three in English, two in Spanish — anchor a parish life of religious education for over a hundred children, an active soup kitchen, a Way of the Cross procession through the streets, and the everyday quiet work of being neighbors to one another.