Parish Life
St. Francis has a small but active parish life with many opportunities for ministry and service. If you are interested in any of these activities, or would like to join or help, please let us know.
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Choir:
The volunteer choir provides their time and talents throughout the year with motets, meditations, and sung propers for Sunday Mass and other feast days. Holy Week and Christmastide are marked by additional sung components. Also, they lead the congregation in the day’s hymns from the 1982 Hymnal.
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Altar Guild:
The Altar Guild tends to the instruments of the Mass, taking on the upkeep of the sacred vessels, linens, and vestments. They maintain order in the Sacristy, from washing up after Daily Mass to setting out the elements for Solemn High Mass and special feast days. The guild is open to both men and women.
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Acolytes:
St. Francis has a long tradition of service at the altar by men and boys of the parish. We welcome any man or boy who wants to be a part of this ministry, no matter what his talents are. Presently there are thirteen men who regularly serve at the two Sunday masses and the six weekly masses. Training is available for anyone who would like to become an acolyte.
The 10:15 mass on Sundays is either a Sung Mass with Incense or a High Mass, with the full complement of three Sacred Ministers. The liturgy for both of these masses is based on Ritual Notes and The Roman Rite Described, simplified somewhat for parish use, with the richness of incense, bells, and the minor propers sung by the choir. Weekday masses and the 8:00 Sunday mass are low masses using Rite One.
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Christian Education:
For both youth and adults, education in the Catholic faith, the saints, and the life of the Church is an integral part of life at St. Francis, following the usual school calendar with a break in the summer. Generations of children at St. Francis have experienced study of the faith, the church, and their christian duties and heritage. Adult Sunday School, which is usually led by the clergy, follows any number of topics designed to enhance our understanding of the faith.
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The Society of the Holy House of Our Lady of Walsingham
In 2014, St. Francis established a chapter of the Society of the Holy House of Our Lady Of Walsingham. A monthly corporate Rosary is recited on the fourth Monday of each month, and other special devotions and Masses are celebrated throughout the year. A requirement is a resident priest who is an associate member of the Society.
Carpool:
Every Sunday, the parish provides transportation for the needy or elderly who might require assistance attending mass. We would be happy to help arrange rides for you.
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Dinner Groups:
St Francis parishioners and friends are invited to join the fellowship and fun at the St Francis Small Dinner Groups, which meet once a quarter in a parishioner’s home. Usually a group will consist of 8 to 15 people, with everyone bringing a dish or drink to go with the host/hostess’s main course. These are casual dinners with everyone having an opportunity to visit and get to know one another.
Camp Crucis Summer Camp:
Camp Crucis is the Diocesan Church Camp of the Diocese of Ft. Worth, and has been a crucial ministry and source of spiritual formation for children and teenagers for almost sixty years. Each Summer, the camp provides weekly sessions for hundreds of youth from across the Dallas-Ft. Worth metroplex, where they participate in daily mass, prayer, theological formation, and plenty of fun and games. St. Francis has been sending its children to Camp Crucis for decades, and many of our youth have gone on to serve as counselors and staff members. Its website can be found here.
St. Michael’s Conference Southwest:
St. Michael’s Conference is an annual youth retreat for area teenagers that provides intensive instruction and formation in our Anglo-Catholic faith. Held at Camp Crucis in June, the conference provides daily Morning Prayer, Solemn High Mass, Vespers, and Compline, along with several hours of theological classes, followed by fun and games. The order and routine of the daily schedule, focused around prayer and liturgy, is intended to model the monastic life. The conference website can be found here.
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North Dallas Shared Ministries:
St. Francis has participated in the work of the North Dallas Shared Ministries for years. The Ministry works with parishes around Dallas providing charitable assistance to those in need. Their website can be found here.
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Anglicans for Life:
St. Francis is strongly pro-life, participating in the Anglicans for Life chapter of the Fort Worth Episcopal Diocese and the Catholic Pro-Life Committee of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dallas, which recognized St. Francis and its Rector as Pro-Life Persons of the Year in 2010. In addition, St. Francis hosts Gabriel Education Ministries programs for mothers experiencing crisis pregnancies and maintains the Gabriel Room of donated baby needs for distribution to same.
Blood Drive:
St. Francis participates with Carter Blood Care twice a year to hold a blood drive on the premises. St. Francis and the Rector have received many awards from Carter Blood Care for our contributions to the community.
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