Saint Francis of Assisi Church celebrated its 75
th anniversary “on the Green” from August
25, 2018 to August 25, 2019.
St. Francis has had two locations; the first on the east side of Lebanon Green, Route 87 from 1943 to May 1980 and the other, the present location on West Town Street.
On August 23, 1943, the first Mass at the Route 87 chapel was celebrated by Father Frank Murphy and on August 30, 1943 the new church was blessed by Bishop Maurice McAuliffe. The current location was dedicated and blessed by Bishop Daniel Reilly on May 18, 1980.
As part of the 75th Anniversary we celebrated with Outdoor Masses and picnics; a Mass of Thanksgiving and reception with the Bishop, former priests and trustee families; a potluck appreciation dinner; Dance through the Decades dinner; Religious Jeopardy; a Giving Tree; Wine and Ice Cream Socials.
We remembered items and events of our past. We gave out anniversary and advent buttons, St. Francis figures, warm fuzzies, round tuits and the Barrington Bunny story. We told our Lebanon Catholic history with a published, full-color book.
We created a time capsule, to be opened in May 2030, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the West Town Street church.
The Anniversary Committee would like to thank everyone who participated in our events. We hope that you will remember this milestone and continue to pray for our church, Saint Francis of Assisi.
We can truly say that the Catholics in Lebanon, our faith on the Lebanon Green, has been seventy-five years blessed. As we conclude our celebration, we continue to look towards the future and do what we can to ensure that the church will continue to exist and grow in Lebanon.