St Francis of Assisi
St. Francis of Assisi is a parish church named for the patron saint of peacemakers. In response to a temporary closing of the Church of St. John the Baptist, a Franciscan priest founded the Church of St. Francis of Assisi in 1844. Beginning with only a small congregation, the Church soon grew to house a school in the 1860s, assembled by the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany. The beautiful building of Gothic Revival design that stands today was erected in 1892. Upon walking inside, focus is drawn to the phenomenal mosaic behind the altar. This incredible artwork, Rudolph Margreiter’s The Glorification of the Mother of Jesus, has been with the Church of St. Francis of Assisi since 1928. Observant of the changes that have taken place in the neighborhood and the lives of the surrounding population, the Church of St. Francis of Assisi holds a “Nightworkers Mass” at midnight along with a midday mass for those who work in the day time. The Church was renowned for its vast provision of food to the hungry during the Great Depression, and continues to this day to notably demonstrate Franciscan compassion, as they maintain an ongoing tradition of a daily breadline.