We are building a house for the Lord.

In the book of Exodus, on seeing the “burning bush,” Moses said to himself, “I must go over to look at this remarkable sight.”

The parishioners of St. Francis of Assisi Church invite all to join them for a remarkable sight: the groundbreaking for their new church on Sunday, April 3, following the 11:10 a.m. Mass. Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory will lead the celebration, along with pastor Father Daniel Stack.

St. Francis of Assisi Church is a post-WWII phenomenon in Bartow County. A few Catholic families came after the war, drawn by jobs in the local industries. With the help of the Catholic Extension Society, a small church with a tiny apartment for a visiting priest was built on Cassville Road in the early 1950s. The church seated a little over a hundred people.

Father Joe Aquino, a Missionary of Our Lady of LaSalette, pastored St. Francis when the current facility was built and dedicated in 1994.  Father Joe, serving at a Louisiana church now, has been invited and hopes to be able to be at this groundbreaking.

What is now used as the church was intended as a multi-purpose facility destined to become the parish hall when a proper church would be built in the future.

That future has finally arrived. This seems like a miracle to the people of St. Francis. In the midst of the greatest economic challenge since the Great Depression they are building a church. Church members are offering their time, talent and treasure to make this dream come true.

The new church will seat about 450 people. St. Francis continues to grow along with Bartow County. Each year, the parish baptizes over a hundred infants and children, and each Easter a fair number of adults are received into the church. As Catholics move to the area they make their way here and sometimes bring friends with them.

St. Francis currently has six Masses each weekend, two on Saturday evening and four on Sunday. Four of the six are in English; two are in Spanish. The weekly total attendance is over a thousand.

All are invited to come and see the new St. Francis of Assisi Church when it is completed.  The church is located at 850 Douthit Ferry Road, Cartersville.