About St. Francis of Assisi · Blairsville, Georgia
St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church is a Latin-rite Catholic parish serving Blairsville and the surrounding mountain communities of Union County in northeast Georgia. The parish was canonically established on March 4, 1982 under the Archdiocese of Atlanta and worships at 3717 Highway 515 East. It offers a bilingual schedule of weekend and daily Masses, weekly Eucharistic Adoration, a robust sacramental life, and a wide range of family, youth, and adult faith formation ministries. The parish is especially noted in the archdiocese for its Care for Creation / Laudato Si' ministry, which was selected to host the 8th Annual Archdiocesan Green Mass on the parish's patronal feast day, October 4, 2025.
- Established
- 1982
- Patron
- St. Francis of Assisi
- Rector
- Rev. Cong Nguyen (Administrator, appointed effective July 1, 2025; succeeded Father Mario Lopez Castro, who had served as pastor since July 1, 2020)
- Diocese
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Atlanta (Northeast Deanery, Union County)
Why belong here
St. Francis of Assisi offers a warm, mountain-village Catholic community with a full sacramental life — bilingual weekend Masses, weekday Mass and Communion services, daily Eucharistic Adoration several days a week, and regular Saturday and Wednesday confession. The parish is family-oriented, with Family Faith Formation, Youth Religious Education (Life Teen), Confirmation preparation, an OCIA/RCIA process for adults, and groups for every stage of life (Sisters in Faith, That Man is You, Landings, Grace Force, Walking Together, Fire of the Spirit prayer meetings, and a Humanae Vitae ministry). Beyond its walls, it is widely respected for its Care for Creation / Laudato Si' stewardship work, its prison ministry at Colwell Detention Center, and its active outreach to the local Union County community.
Mass times at St. Francis of Assisi
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Wednesday 6:30 PM to 7:00 PM (during Adoration, after the Spanish Mass)
- Saturday 5:30 PM to 6:15 PM
- After weekday Masses or by appointment
Adoration times
- Monday 9:45 AM to 11:00 AM
- Wednesday 12:45 PM to 2:00 PM
- Wednesday 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM
- Friday 9:45 AM to 11:00 AM
Welcome to St. Francis of Assisi
St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church is a Latin-rite parish in Blairsville, Georgia, in the Northeast Deanery of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Atlanta. The parish gathers for weekend Mass in English and Spanish, weekday Mass and Communion services, frequent Eucharistic Adoration, and a full slate of faith-formation and outreach ministries. The current parish priestly team is led by Rev. Cong Nguyen, who was appointed administrator by Archbishop Gregory J. Hartmayer, OFM Conv., effective July 1, 2025, succeeding Father Mario Lopez Castro.
- Address: 3717 Hwy 515E, Blairsville, GA 30512
- Phone: (706) 745-6400 • Fax: (706) 745-1468
- Website: stfrancisblairsville.com
- Diocese: Archdiocese of Atlanta (Northeast Deanery, Union County)
- Social: facebook.com/sfablairsville
Parish History
Catholic life in Blairsville dates to the mid-1960s, when the first weekly Masses were offered in the area as a mission served by the Glenmary Home Missioners. The community was formally established as St. Francis of Assisi Parish on March 4, 1982, with Father Bob Poandl as the first resident pastor. The present church was dedicated in May 1996 by Archbishop-emeritus John F. Donoghue, and the campus later expanded with a multipurpose building housing classrooms, a social hall, parish offices, and a commercial-style kitchen.
- 1960s — first weekly Masses in the Blairsville area (Glenmary mission).
- March 4, 1982 — parish canonically established; Father Bob Poandl named first resident pastor.
- May 1996 — current church dedicated by Archbishop John F. Donoghue.
- 2002 — Father Richard Wise appointed pastor.
- May 2020 — Father Mario Lopez Castro appointed pastor effective July 1, 2020.
- 2025 — Rev. Cong Nguyen appointed administrator effective July 1, 2025.
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Faith formation at St. Francis of Assisi is organized into three coordinated streams — Family Faith Formation, Youth Religious Education (Life Teen), and Adult Faith Formation — supported by the parish's Flocknote email system and a Children's Bulletin available in the vestibule. A combined [email protected] email is the main point of contact for parents and adults interested in joining any of these programs.
- Family Faith Formation (weekly family activity prompts and events)
- Youth Religious Education / Life Teen (Sundays 9:30 AM)
- Adult Faith Formation — 'Always More of God' (Saturdays and select Wednesdays)
- OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) — Wednesdays at 6 PM
- Confirmation Preparation — Wednesdays at 6:30 PM
- Icon Writing Workshop (Apr 27 – May 2, 2025 hosted by the parish)
Care for Creation / Laudato Si' Ministry
St. Francis of Assisi is recognized across the Archdiocese of Atlanta as a flagship Laudato Si' parish. The Care for Creation team began in March 2020 as a small Zoom study of Pope Francis's encyclical and has grown into one of the most active creation-care ministries in the archdiocese, with eight founding members and a half-acre pollinator garden of native plants on the parish grounds. The team manages parish-wide recycling, hand-washes dishes for parish events to cut single-use plastic, hosts Firewise wildfire-preparedness meetings, supports the missionary group To the Nations in Uganda with reusable bags, and was selected to host the 8th Annual Archdiocesan Green Mass on October 4, 2025.
- Half-acre pollinator garden (coneflowers, Sweet Joe-Pye-Weed, etc.)
- Parish-wide recycling delivered to the Union County Transfer Station
- Hand-washed dishware for parish events (including Knights of Columbus St. Patrick's Day party)
- Firewise public education on wildfire preparedness
- Support for To the Nations mission in Uganda (reusable bags program)
- Will host the 8th Annual Archdiocesan Green Mass on Oct 4, 2025, with Auxiliary Bishop Bernard E. Schlesinger III presiding
Small Groups & Spiritual Life
The parish supports a wide network of small groups that meet throughout the week in Marian Hall, Room 5, Room 11, and other parish spaces. These range from prayer and Scripture study to men's, women's, and mental-health support groups, and they reflect the parish's emphasis on accompanying one another in everyday Catholic life.
- Fire of the Spirit Prayer Meeting (1st & 3rd Wednesdays, 10:00–11:30 AM, Room 5)
- Walking Together (Wednesdays 1:30 PM, Room 11) — spiritual accompaniment for those with anxiety/depression
- That Man is You (Wednesdays 6:00 PM, Marian Hall)
- Sisters in Faith (Fridays 10:00 AM)
- Landings — welcome-back program for returning Catholics (Thursdays 6:00 PM)
- Grace Force (Wednesdays for youth; Fridays 4:00 PM, Marian Hall)
- Justice and Mercy (Fridays 10:00 AM)
- Humanae Vitae Ministry (4th Tuesday of each month, 1:00 PM)
- Daniel Plan (Wednesdays 1:00 PM)
Devotions & Liturgical Life
Beyond the Mass schedule, the parish sustains a rich devotional life rooted in traditional Catholic piety. The rosary is prayed before the Saturday vigil, the Divine Mercy Chaplet is sung on Wednesdays, and the parish hosts a special Our Lady of Guadalupe celebration each December with a Mass and Las Mañanitas. The annual Feast of St. Francis on October 4 is celebrated with a blessing of the animals, and pet food collected for the occasion is donated to the local shelter.
- Rosary — Saturdays at 4:00 PM before Mass
- Divine Mercy Chaplet (sung) — Wednesdays at 11:30 AM
- Our Lady of Guadalupe Mass and celebration (December)
- Las Mañanitas (December 12)
- Blessing of the Animals on the Feast of St. Francis (Oct 4)
- Children's Bulletin available in the vestibule
Outreach & Community Service
Outreach is a central part of parish identity, both inside the local community and beyond it. The parish runs a long-standing prison ministry at the Colwell Detention Center — 'Problem Solving With Spirituality,' begun in 2014 by Sister Mary Francis — which has produced baptisms and a remarkable re-engagement with the Catholic faith among inmates. The parish also partners with the Union County Rotary Club (which meets weekly on the parish campus), the local animal shelter, and missionary efforts in Uganda.
- Prison Ministry at Colwell Detention Center (weekly visits; part of the 'Rescued Program')
- Pet food donations and animal blessing with the local shelter
- Hosting the Union County Rotary Club's weekly meetings
- Care for Creation partnership with To the Nations (Uganda)
- Angel Tree gift program and Grace Force for youth service
Sacraments
St. Francis of Assisi celebrates all seven sacraments, with a particular emphasis on forming adults and youth to receive them well. The OCIA (formerly RCIA) process meets on Wednesday evenings, Confirmation preparation is offered for youth and adults, and the parish works with couples and families to prepare for Baptism, Marriage, the Anointing of the Sick, and Funeral Masses. Funeral services can be held in the church with interment at the on-site St. Clare's Memorial Gardens Cemetery.
- Baptism — contact the parish office
- First Communion and Confirmation preparation (youth and adult tracks)
- Marriage preparation
- Anointing of the Sick (contact the parish office)
- Reconciliation — Wed 6:30 PM, Sat 5:30 PM, after weekday Masses, or by appointment
- Funeral Masses with interment at St. Clare's Memorial Gardens Cemetery
Facilities, Cemetery & Campus
The parish campus sits at 3717 Highway 515 East in Blairsville and includes the church, the St. Clare's Memorial Gardens Cemetery, and a multipurpose building that houses classrooms, a social hall, parish offices, and a commercial-style kitchen. The kitchen and social hall are used by both parish ministries and outside community groups such as the Union County Rotary Club, reflecting the parish's long-standing openness to its Union County neighbors.
- Church (dedicated May 1996)
- St. Clare's Memorial Gardens Cemetery (on-site)
- Multipurpose building with classrooms, social hall, and offices
- Commercial-style kitchen used by parish and community groups
- Half-acre Care for Creation pollinator garden
Getting Involved & Communications
Parishioners and visitors stay connected through the parish Flocknote email/text system, the parish Facebook page, the weekly bulletin (available on the website and in print), and a parish communications email. Newcomers are encouraged to sign up for Flocknote groups for family ministry, youth, adult formation, and general parish news, and to reach out via the [email protected] address for any faith-formation questions.
- Parish Flocknote: stfrancisblairsville.flocknote.com (Family Ministry, Youth, Adult Formation, General)
- Parish Facebook: facebook.com/sfablairsville
- Weekly bulletin posted on stfrancisblairsville.com
- Online giving via saintfrancisofassisi.churchgiving.com
- Archbishop's Annual Appeal: lifeofthechurch.com/donate/
- Communications: [email protected]
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Bob Poandl1982
First resident pastor when the mission was canonically established as St. Francis of Assisi Parish on March 4, 1982.
- Father Richard Wise2002 – 2020
Served as pastor for 18 years; was pastor at the time of the 2010 Georgia Bulletin feature on the parish.
- Father Mario Lopez CastroJuly 1, 2020 – 2025
Appointed pastor of St. Francis of Assisi by Archbishop Hartmayer, announced May 2020; led the parish through the pandemic, launched Family Faith Formation, and grew the Care for Creation team.
- Rev. Cong NguyenEffective July 1, 2025
Appointed by Archbishop Gregory J. Hartmayer as administrator of the parish beginning July 1, 2025.