Saint Francis Xavier, North Side

Parish History

St. Francis Xavier parish was established in 1894.  The origin of the parish can be traced to the rise of industry and the subsequent rise of population in the area.  Early in 1894, the local Catholics petitioned the bishop for their own parish.  The petition was granted on May 12, 1894, and a resident pastor was appointed.  On August 19, 1894, the first Mass for the parish was celebrated in a rented commercial building.

The pastor decided that a school was a high priority, so he began construction on a school.  The plans called for the first floor of the school building to be used as a temporary church.  When a permanent church was built, the space originally used as a church would be converted to class space.  Ground for the new building was broken in February of 1895, the cornerstone was laid on May 12,1895, and the completed building was dedicated on September 22, 1895.

This temporary church served the congregation for 30 years.  Not until 1925 were plans made to build a new church.  Groundbreaking for the church took place on February 7, 1926.  The cornerstone was laid on July 4, 1926, and the completed church was dedicated on December 26, 1927.  The original church space was converted into classrooms.  This school served the parish until a new school was built in 1955.

As the growth of population at the end of the nineteenth century led to the creation of the parish, the loss of population at the end of the twentieth century led to its suppression.  In 1993, St. Francis Xavier was merged with three other parishes to form the new Risen Lord parish.  St. Francis Xavier church remains open and serves the new congregation.