Many people know the excellent facilities we have at St. Francis Parish. Outside of Sundays in the Church and when the schools are in session, the Community Center is the focus of the community here. Through the various programs under Ashley Watson, the Coordinator of Community Life, the Parish draws in people daily. Father Mark Reamer, pastor during the construction of the Community Center and The Siena Center for Lifelong Learning, called the Church the front door of the parish and the Community Center the back door. He envisioned the Community Center’s programs providing an introduction and initiation into the Catholic Faith.
This facility offers well-known and well-attended leagues for youth basketball, high school basketball, men’s basketball, youth volleyball, and various adult open play nights in the gym. Ashley says the goal is to “Help youth (and adults) develop new skills, create a level of fitness and understanding of the meaning of teamwork, and learn to value good sportsmanship in a Christian environment.” However, the Center also offers Parent/Child, Making Music, and Sign Language classes. One of their most popular activities is their Camp Francis Summer Camp Program. As their website says: “The Assisi Community Center Summer Camp Program is meant to support the mission of the Catholic Community of Saint Francis of Assisi and the Community Life ministry within our parish community. We promise to inspire growth opportunities, offer support, encourage participation, and safeguard the environment as we build our summer family. We enable our community to renew the spirit within, maintain the physical body, and grow the mind as we enjoy quality recreational, educational, and spiritual activities within our exceptional facilities and grounds. We welcome with joy all those young people who come to us and invite them into the life of our summer community.”
The Community Center also offers the Assisi Cafe, which provides coffee and an environment for social interaction on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 8:30 to 10:30 AM. Of course, the Community Center personnel organize and hold Francis Fest each October. The focus of this event is to continue what used to be the Parish picnic, a celebration of our Franciscan identity. It is a moment to celebrate our community and what we are for each other at St. Francis. So stop in for a coffee with friends, join a league or volunteer to help with one, and certainly come out in October for Francis Fest because it is through ‘community’ that we build our strength as a parish!