THE CATHOLIC COMMUNITY OF SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI PARISH HISTORY THE FIRST 30 YEARS 11401 LEESVILLE ROAD, RALEIGH, NC 27613 PREFACE IN THE VERY A Work in Progress: BEGINNING… The First Thirty Years of St. Francis of Assisi Roman Catholic Church of Raleigh, North Carolina “Lord, what do you I’ve been chatting with the folks who founded St. Francis want of me?” of Assisi Roman Catholic Church in Raleigh. They started 30 years ago. And the old painted Way back then, the first pastor asked me to write a little crucifix in the San summary of how the parish got started. Jump 30 years to today and the current pastor has asked me to continue Damiano church the story. spoke. “Francis,” the So here I am, talking with the clergy and the parishioners Lord said, “rebuild who made it all happen, recording the history, starting my church. It is falling from the very beginning, and doing my best to retell our parish stories. down.” Think of this 30-year historical compilation as a work in For a short while, progress. I have done my best to record the many parish- ioners’ memories that surfaced. In many ways it is more Francis wandered. But complete than I anticipated and in other ways it is less. no place held his heart I hope this narrative will tickle your minds and bubble up like Assisi. So he more memories for the compilation of future publications. headed back to the The narrative that follows picks up where the first story left town of his birth and off and leaves off where the rest of the story – our future set out to rebuild the history – begins. church of San Damiano. But how Donna (Foglia) Sink would he buy stones and mortar and tools? What could he do? He knew how to sing. He would sing for stones. The Catholic Community of St. Francis of Assisi 11401 Leesville Road Raleigh, NC 27613 919-847-8205 www.stfrancisraleigh.org The Catholic Community of St. Francis of Assisi 3 Parish History 1982-2012 Ready to build a church. Founding pastor, Fr. Jim English, S.J., stands on land that will become the home of our faith community. The Catholic Community of St. Francis of Assisi 4 Parish History 1982-2012 The Early Years, 1978-1986 ight hundred years after choir practice, Catholic Youth Organi- are we going to get a church?’’ The Francis heard God’s call zation (CYO) and Senior Citizen parishioners made a memorable to rebuild his church, a meetings, the miles added up. They impact on the bishop that evening. people called upon their grew weary of the heavy commuting. Yvonne notes of the following years, E bishop to build a new When rumblings of St. Raphael’s “Any time the bishop saw either Hank parish. expansion began, many northwest or me, he would smile and say, Raleigh parishioners couldn’t resist ‘Any more vigilante meetings?’” And that’s exactly what happened. thinking that what the diocese really Bishop Joseph Gossman called upon In August 1978, when Father Lewis’ needed was a church in their area. the Maryland province of the Society of six-year term as the Chancellor of the Jesus and asked a Jesuit priest to con- Yvonne Foglia and MaryLou Bender, Diocese of Raleigh ended, Bishop sider becoming the founding pastor of the 1977-78 hosts of the annual St. Gossman appointed him Pastor of St. a Roman Catholic Church located in a Raphael’s Women’s Guild potluck Raphael Church with the assignment small suburb of Raleigh called Lees- supper, had a novel idea. “Why don’t to study the western area of the parish ville. This Jesuit, Father James Eng- we invite the bishop to come and talk and to start a new parish out there. lish, made several trips to North Caro- And that was exactly what happened. lina to meet with St. Raphael’s pastor, The search for property began, but it Father Gerald Lewis, and with the “One of our proved difficult. bishop. He also toured North Carolina, “One of our problems back in those driving from the Appalachian Moun- problems back days,” Monsignor Lewis recalls, “was tains to the eastern coast of North that people did not want to sell to Carolina, and then returned to Boston. in those days Catholics. There was a lot of property Father English contemplated, made was that around but not much that was avail- his decision, flew back to Raleigh, and able to us. John Norkus from Our Lady in February 1982 said to Father Lewis, people did not of Lourdes Church, a part-time real “Jerry, I’m your man!” Father Lewis estate agent, found this property on announced to his parishioners that his want to sell Leesville Road. It was only eight acres, search had ended. but it was all we could find.” Reminiscing about those days, now- to Catholics.” This property, it turned out, was Monsignor Lewis told an audience of technically in the parish boundaries Monsignor Gerald Lewis St. Francis of Assisi’s more seasoned of Our Lady of Lourdes, Leesville parishioners, “Those were very excit- Road being the dividing line. So, ing days. Soon after he became about building the church in northwest according to the Mother Parish Policy bishop of Raleigh, Bishop Joseph Raleigh?” Yvonne said to MaryLou. of the diocese, Our Lady of Lourdes Gossman was invited out here to And they did. About forty or fifty folks paid for the land, about $50,000. Springdale to a meeting of people who came that night. “Having the property, we needed to lived in this area. They met at Yvonne “A lot of curiosity-seekers, that’s what start a community but we were not and Henry Foglia’s house, and they it was,” MaryLou says. “They wanted ready to do that yet without a place weren’t gathering just to say ‘hello’ to to see what was going to happen. to have mass,” Monsignor Lewis says. the bishop. They were petitioning When we got through eating, we went Their next step was to find temporary Bishop Gossman to start a parish out into the family room. We had people worship space for the portion of the here.” The audience chuckled; many sitting on the floor and everything. We parish living in the area of the new recalled the auspicious beginnings of sat the bishop in front of the fireplace.” parish. This, too, would prove difficult. St. Francis of Assisi Church and the Yvonne nods. “He was the main man. According to Monsignor Lewis, there very meeting that put St. Francis on Father Lewis and another priest were was no school building near the area the map. Most of St. Francis of Assisi’s there, too. We started asking the that would become the new parish. early founders had been members of bishop questions.” They did find a closed greenhouse St. Raphael’s parish. Living in the and nursery, but Our Lady of Leesville community required them to “Everybody got settled in, and then Lourdes’s pastor objected. The drive long distances for any church there was this silence,” MaryLou re- search continued for usable facilities, function. From mass to faith formation, calls. “Henry said, ‘Okay, bishop, when but they could find none. The Catholic Community of St. Francis of Assisi 5 Parish History 1982-2012 The closest public school to the On April 8, 1982, Father English And that was it.” proposed parish was Lynn Road officially arrived in Raleigh. He tempo- The ladies of the parish would have Elementary School. Even though this rarily resided in St. Raphael’s rectory. none of that. Dottie Fuller suggested school lay within the boundaries of St. “Now,” Monsignor Lewis says, “what they throw him a Rectory Shower so Raphael’s, they asked for the use of its does a pastor do with a new priest who they could furnish his house. A lot of cafeteria. They were turned down. wants to start a new parish during Holy people showed up for the party in the Week?” “In Wake County, each principal living room of the little brown house. decides whether or not people can use With access to a house at the beach, Father English unwrapped boxes of the school,” Monsignor Lewis explains. Father Lewis gave Father English the dishcloths and dinnerware, kitchen “When I relayed all of this to the Dioce- keys to the house, gave him his car, utensils and bath mats. san Building and Real Estate Commis- and said, “You go to the beach and “I didn’t know any of the geography,” sion, Jim Kaus, a member of the come back next week.” he recalls. “I got lost every time I drove commission and a potential member of Upon his return, a realtor took Father more than a mile. There was nothing the new parish, offered to speak to the English around to look at properties. there, all trees.” He was completely out principal of the school. So, actually, They looked at many new, big houses, there by himself. “What was quite clear through Jim Kaus, who had some but Father English found the perfect to me,” he says, “was that I did not connections at Lynn Road School, the little brown house right across the know how to build a parish. I didn’t principal reversed his decision and let street from the new parish’s property. know, and therefore, I had to find the us meet there. And we began mass at people with the right talents. I had to Lynn Road School.