St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Parish sits on the east side of Ann Arbor, just off Stadium Boulevard, where the church, the Assisi Center, the school, and the rectory share a single campus that has grown into one of the larger Catholic parishes in the area. With nearly 3,000 registered families, the parish draws college students, longtime Ann Arbor residents, young families, and a substantial Spanish-speaking population. The parish is marking the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi (who died in 1226) with a Jubilee Year that runs through October 2026, and that sense of history and hospitality shapes everything from Sunday Mass to the weekly food drive.
The Jubilee Year of St. Francis
The parish is in the middle of a year-long celebration of its patron. The Most Reverend Bishop Boyea of the Diocese of Lansing called 2026 the Year of the Bible, and St. Francis has layered its own observance on top of that. Highlights include a special presentation titled "May God Give You Peace" on the life of St. Francis by parishioner Steven Gusfa, a Transitus of St. Francis Choral Vespers prayer service, the annual Blessing of Pets in the piazza in front of the church, and Francis Fest, the parish picnic. The feast day itself, October 4, also opens the parish's Sunday Religious Education classes for the new year, tying the catechetical calendar directly to the saint's life.
Mass Schedule and the Worship Space
Weekend Masses are offered Saturday at 5:00 p.m. in English and at 7:00 p.m. in Spanish, and on Sunday at 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 5:00 p.m. The Sunday 5:00 p.m. Mass is bilingual in English and Spanish, and the parish has a particular need for Spanish Readers (Lectors) who can proclaim the Word there. Weekday Mass is celebrated Monday through Friday at 9:15 a.m., and on Thursdays a Holy Hour follows the Mass; on the first Thursday of the month, confessions are heard during Holy Hour from 10:15 to 10:45 a.m. Saturday confessions run from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., with two priests typically available (one priest during June, July, and August). Masses are livestreamed on the parish YouTube channel.
The Music and Liturgy Program
Music is a major part of parish life. The St. Francis Chorale rehearses Wednesday evenings and sings for the 10:30 a.m. Sunday Mass from September through June. A 5:00 p.m. ensemble rehearses Sunday afternoons before serving the 5:00 p.m. Mass. The Assisi Ensemble provides drop-in support for the Saturday 5:00 p.m. Mass. Other ensembles include the High School Ensemble, the Family Choir, the Taizé Musicians (who lead special contemplative prayer services), and the Resurrection Choir, which sings at funerals. A handbell choir rehearses on Tuesday evenings for musicians in seventh grade and older. Adult and youth cantors lead the sung parts of the Mass. The parish is also teaching its congregation Latin chant settings of the Gloria, Sanctus, Mystery of Faith, and Agnus Dei, parts of the Mass that will eventually be used at all Masses, both English and Spanish.
The Pastoral Team and the School
Fr. James Conlon is pastor of St. Francis, with Fr. Josh Bauer serving as parochial Vicar and Fr. Seamus Kettner assisting with the altar server program. Two deacons, Rich Badics and Gene Leger, support the liturgy and pastoral care. The full-time pastoral team of about a dozen includes Jonathan Hasey (Director of Music and Liturgy), Ebony Welch (Coordinator of Worship), Kelly Hernandez (Director of Adult Faith and OCIA), Scott Wright (Director of Outreach Ministries), Ellen Ward (Director of Religious Education), Will Wisner (Pastoral Associate), and Helena Bichakjian, the bilingual Religious Education secretary. St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School is also part of the campus, serving students through eighth grade at 2270 East Stadium Boulevard.
Becoming Catholic Through OCIA
Adults who want to learn about the Catholic faith or be received into the Church join the OCIA program (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults), which meets through the year and culminates at the Easter Vigil. OCIA at St. Francis is open to the unbaptized, Christians baptized in another tradition, and baptized Catholics who have not yet received Confirmation and Eucharist. Kelly Hernandez, the Director of Adult Faith and OCIA, walks inquirers through what the parish describes as "a journey of faith" rather than a class, with discernment, sponsorship, and formation paced individually.
Sacraments for Children and Adults
The parish prepares children for all three sacraments of initiation. First Reconciliation and First Eucharist preparation begin in second grade, with a year of prior religious education usually required. Children who attend St. Francis School receive religious instruction during the school day; those who do not attend the school are enrolled in Religious Education classes on Sunday mornings, Wednesday evenings, or Saturday afternoons. Confirmation preparation begins in grades 6 and 7, with the sacrament celebrated in the spring of eighth grade. Candidates keep a "red binder" of materials, work through a candidate and sponsor book, choose a saint's name, complete service hours, attend a retreat, and submit Sunday Mass reflection forms. Adults who have not been confirmed are also prepared, typically through the OCIA process.
Baptism is celebrated in English at most 12:30 p.m. Sunday Masses and in Spanish at the Saturday 7:00 p.m. Mass, and not during the season of Lent. Parents attend a baptism preparation meeting, ideally before the child's birth, and choose at least one Catholic godparent who has received the sacraments of initiation and is at least 16 years old. Marriage preparation begins at least nine months before the wedding and includes a sponsor couple program in which a married parish couple hosts the engaged couple in their home. The parish also offers marriage convalidation for civilly married couples. Anointing of the Sick is celebrated after the 9:15 a.m. weekday Mass on request, and individual celebrations can be arranged through the Parish Office.
Catecismo en Español
The Spanish catechism meets on Saturday evenings from September through May. Families gather first for a community dinner at 5:00 p.m. in the Parish Activities Center, with classes for children and youth running from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. The program includes sacramental preparation for First Communion and Confirmation. Throughout the year, families are invited to additional enrichment events at times separate from the children's classes. The Catecismo page on the parish site is fully bilingual, as are the registration forms.
Women's Ministry and Men's Ministry
Women's Ministry at St. Francis runs two regular Bible studies: the Ann Arbor Catholic Women's Bible Study on Tuesday mornings, which draws women from several regional parishes, and a monthly Tuesday evening study for parish women. There is also a Mommy & Me Playgroup that meets Friday mornings in the Rectory Basement for moms with newborns through preschoolers, and the Elizabeth Ministry, which delivers meals and short-term household help to parishioners facing a difficult pregnancy, new baby, illness, or recovery.
Men's Ministry centers on the "That Man is You" program from Paradisus Dei, meeting Saturday mornings from 7:00 to 8:30 a.m. in the San Damiano Room of the Assisi Center. The format is fellowship, a video, and small group sharing, and the program aims to form men for service and authentic masculine identity. The current series, "Fight of Faith," is contemplative and practical.
55 and Faster: Seniors Ministry
Parish seniors gather under the banner of "55 and Faster," a self-described perpetual-youth group with a calendar full of regular events. The annual rhythm includes a Mardi Gras Party in February, the Crowning of Mary in May, a summer picnic at County Farm Park, a Saint Clare of Assisi celebration in August, Mary's Nativity in September, Fr. James's birthday in October, a Thanksgiving Meal and Talk in November, and Christmas Cookies and Carols in December. There is also a monthly Seniors' Out-to-Lunch Bunch, a daytime leadership team that meets on the first Wednesday of each month, and bus trips organized through the year. Scott Wright and a volunteer leadership team host all of it.
Bible Studies and Small Groups
The parish offers a robust Bible study program. In addition to the women's studies above, there is a Monday evening study on the Book of Revelation, a biweekly Tuesday study on the Gospel of Mark, a Wednesday morning Gospel Group that prepares for the upcoming Sunday readings, and a Tuesday evening Spanish-language Bible study on the Book of Exodus led by Freisy Bobadilla. Small groups include Christian Meditation on Monday evenings in the St. Francis Room of the Assisi Center; a Monday evening support group for the divorced and separated; Bill's Group, a Monday evening fellowship of about ten men with developmental disabilities, most of them Catholic, that meets in the Rectory Basement and on the third Monday of the month at a new location; and Peace Within, a monthly book study and action group focused on peace in self, family, community, Church, country, and world. The Secular Franciscans also meet at the parish on the second Sunday of the month.
Stephen Ministry and Pastoral Care
Stephen Ministry is the parish's one-to-one lay caregiving ministry, providing confidential Christian care to parishioners going through difficult times. Stephen Ministers are trained in a five-month course, with the next training cohort scheduled to begin in January 2028. Care options include crisis, preventative, supportive, follow-up, and chronic care. A separate monthly Grief Support gathering meets on the first Wednesday of each month at 12:30 p.m. in the parish library for those mourning the loss of a spouse, child, parent, or other loved one. The Homebound Ministry brings Holy Communion to parishioners who cannot attend Sunday Mass and visits the regional team that serves Catholics in care and correctional facilities across the Ann Arbor Deanery.
St. Vincent de Paul Service Ministry and Food Drives
The St. Vincent de Paul Service Ministry, with its own committee that meets on the second Wednesday of each month, organizes the parish's principal outreach around the Corporal Works of Mercy. Food drives are a year-round activity. Non-perishable groceries are collected at every weekend Mass and delivered on Mondays, Tuesdays, or Thursdays to the Northside Community Center in Ann Arbor, which feeds more than 500 families each month, and to Hope Clinic in Ypsilanti, which feeds more than 50 families each week. The parish also runs three major food drives each year: a Lenten drive in March benefiting the Northside Community Center and Hope Clinic, a June drive supporting the sister parish of Corpus Christi in Detroit, and a Thanksgiving drive in November. Busch's Fresh Food Market on Main Street in Ann Arbor donates the 900 empty grocery bags used for the drives.
Other SVdP projects include serving a monthly community meal at the Delonis Center in Ann Arbor on the third Friday evening; hosting a Christmas Party for Foundations Preschool; the Lenten "Water for Life" campaign that funds clean water projects in Sub-Saharan Africa through Cross Catholic Outreach; bottle water drives for Flint through Faith in Flint; the Habitat for Humanity Catholic Build; a rotating homeless shelter hosted in the Assisi Center twice a year; respite care through Catholic Charities for caregivers of chronically sick family members; and the volunteer driver team for the Washtenaw County Jail ministry.
Shelter and Prison Ministry
The parish supports two local shelters. St. Francis hosts the week-long stay at Alpha House Family Shelter twice each year, providing meals for about thirty-five residents, many of them children. It also supports the Shelter Association of Washtenaw County by providing a week of meals for roughly seventy-five men in February or March. In the Washtenaw County Jail, teams of two to four Catholic volunteers from area parishes lead a men's Catholic class and service on Saturday mornings and a women's class and service on Wednesday evenings, with most of the organizing work coordinated by St. Francis. At Huron Valley Women's Correctional Facility, volunteers celebrate Sunday morning Mass with the inmates. The parish also works with Friends of the Master House, a faith-based transitional housing community in Ypsilanti for men on parole.
Life, Peace and Justice
The Dignity of Life, Peace and Justice Ministry invites parishioners to act on Catholic Social Teaching through education, advocacy, prayer, and action. The parish links to the U.S. bishops' Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship and CivilizeIt resources, the Michigan Catholic Conference, Braver Angels of Washtenaw, and contact information for federal, state, county, and city officials. The page makes clear that the parish does not endorse candidates or parties, but provides resources for forming consciences on issues. Subcommittees focus on pro-life advocacy and immigration. Peace Within, the parish's book-study and action group, sits inside this ministry and meets monthly in the Assisi Center.
Prayer Ministry and the Prayer Wall
Prayer Ministry keeps a Prayer Wall in the church, inscribed in English, Latin, and Spanish: "Lord, hear our prayer; Deus, exaudinos; Señor, escúchanos." Parishioners write intentions on cards and place them in prayer pockets; the intentions are prayed at every Mass for the next two weeks. The homebound members of the parish also pray individually for three weeks over each prayer request submitted online. The parish maintains a Prayer Lamp near the tabernacle, which burns for one week for a particular intention; a candle at the icon of St. Joseph near the east entrance, which burns for three days in memory of a deceased loved one; and votive candles at the Holy Family Shrine that burn for four hours with a free-will donation. Mass intentions can be requested by phone or in person, and Mass cards are available to send to those being remembered.
Pilgrimages and Spiritual Direction
Spiritual direction is offered through a team of trained directors including Janene (Ternes) Trevisan, Wayne Charlton, Etta MacDonagh, Cathy Selin, and Paul Thompson, with an introductory visit arranged through the parish office. Pilgrimages are a regular feature of parish life, typically led by Fr. James. The Jubilee Year included a two-day pilgrimage to Peoria, Illinois, in September 2026 to visit the Shrine and Tomb of the Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen, and an April pilgrimage marking the 800th anniversary of St. Francis's passage into heaven, with stops at Franciscan sites. The parish writes that pilgrimages "remind us that we are never alone on the journey but always with others, together seeking the Lord."
Getting Involved and Becoming a Member
New parishioners can register online or by completing a paper form at the church entrances. After registration, the pastor sends a welcome letter, a neighborhood coordinator drops off a new-member packet, and invitations go out to a semi-annual new-member reception. The parish's "Your Gifts / His Works" inventory is the way most people find their ministry fit, from liturgy and music to outreach and formation. Giving is handled through ParishSoft Giving online, and contribution statements can be downloaded through the parish's family portal. Letters of Good Standing, used by parishioners serving as godparents, Confirmation sponsors, or marriage mentors, are available to registered and active members after at least six months of membership.
The Campus on Stadium Boulevard
The parish offices are at 2150 Frieze Avenue, with the church at 2250 East Stadium Boulevard, the Assisi Center at 2240 East Stadium Boulevard, the school at 2270 East Stadium Boulevard, and the Religious Education office at 2150 Frieze Avenue, Door #9, at the end of the drive behind the school. Parish office hours run Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with appointments available outside those hours. The Religious Education office keeps longer hours during the program year and shorter hours in the summer. School office hours are Monday through Friday from 7:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with July by appointment only.