About St. Francis of Assisi · Blountstown, Florida
St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church is a small Roman Catholic parish in Blountstown, Florida — the county seat of Calhoun County in the Florida Panhandle — serving the faithful of the rural Apalachicola River region. Founded in 1972 as a mission outreach of the Diocese of Pensacola–Tallahassee, the parish today worships in a modest building on SW Gaskin Street and ministers to roughly 69 registered families. It celebrates Mass in both English and Spanish, offers Eucharistic adoration and the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and is currently marking a Jubilee Year of St. Francis of Assisi under the pastoral leadership of Fr. Yozefu Balikuddembe Ssemakula.
- Established
- 1972
- Patron
- St. Francis of Assisi
- Rector
- Reverend Yozefu Balikuddembe Ssemakula
- Diocese
- Diocese of Pensacola–Tallahassee
Why belong here
St. Francis of Assisi is a welcoming small Catholic parish at the heart of rural Calhoun County where Sunday Mass is offered in both English and Spanish (10:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.), making it a true bilingual community of faith. The parish offers weekday Mass on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, weekly Eucharucharist Adoration, regular Saturday confessions, and a Jubilee Year plenary indulgence opportunity for pilgrims. With only about 69 registered families, members easily know one another and can become deeply involved in liturgical and parish life, and the church is conveniently located in midtown Blountstown near Highway 20.
Mass times at St. Francis of Assisi
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 9:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. CT (except First Saturday of the month)
- First Sunday during the 12:30 p.m. Adoration
Adoration times
- First Sunday 12:30 p.m. CT
- Tuesday 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. CT
- Wednesday 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. CT
Parish Identity & Location
St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church is a small, bilingual Roman Catholic parish serving Blountstown, the county seat of Calhoun County in the Florida Panhandle. The parish's physical address is 16498 SW Gaskin Street, Blountstown, FL 32424 — in the heart of midtown Blountstown, just off Highway 20. The parish belongs to the East Central Deanery of the Diocese of Pensacola–Tallahassee.
- Address: 16498 SW Gaskin Street, Blountstown, FL 32424
- Phone: (850) 674-4482
- Diocese: Pensacola–Tallahassee
- Deanery: East Central
- Founded: 1972
Parish History
St. Francis of Assisi was founded in 1972, only three years before the creation of the Diocese of Pensacola–Tallahassee in 1975, at a time when this corner of Northwest Florida was still administered by the Diocese of St. Augustine. The parish was established to serve the rural Catholic population of Calhoun County and surrounding areas. Today it remains a small but resilient faith community of about 69 families, and — fittingly for its patron — it now serves as the custodian of the sacramental records of the nearby closed mission church of Holy Cross in Chattahoochee (closed March 2021).
- Founded 1972
- Custodian of sacramental records from Holy Cross, Chattahoochee (closed 2021)
- Approximately 69 registered families
- Part of the East Central Deanery
Jubilee Year of St. Francis of Assisi
In conjunction with the universal Church's Jubilee Year, the parish is currently celebrating a Jubilee Year of St. Francis of Assisi. The Diocese of Pensacola–Tallahassee has scheduled a St. Francis of Assisi Jubilee Pilgrims Mass at the parish in Blountstown, repeated on the First Saturday of each month through January 2027. Catholics making a pilgrimage to the Mass may receive a plenary indulgence under the usual conditions.
- St. Francis of Assisi Jubilee Pilgrims Mass
- Plenary indulgence available
- Repeats First Saturdays through January 2027
Ministries & Parish Life
Despite its small size, St. Francis of Assisi sustains a robust bilingual liturgical life. The Sunday evening Mass in Spanish is a longstanding outreach to the Hispanic Catholic community of the region. Faith formation is directed by a parish Director of Religious Education (DRE), reachable via the dedicated email [email protected], and Eucharistic Adoration provides a pillar of the parish's devotional life.
- Spanish-language ministry (Misa en Español)
- Religious education (DRE)
- Eucharistic Adoration
- Reconciliation
- Jubilee Year observance
Sacraments & Sacramental Records
Beyond the regular celebration of the Eucharist, Reconciliation, and Anointing, the parish office assists couples in marriage preparation, parents presenting children for Baptism, families preparing youth for First Communion and Confirmation, and the pastoral care of the sick. The parish office also archives historical sacramental records inherited from the closed mission church of Holy Cross in Chattahoochee.
- Baptism (contact parish office)
- First Communion & Confirmation preparation
- Marriage preparation
- Anointing of the Sick by appointment
- Archival sacramental records of Holy Cross, Chattahoochee (closed March 2021)
Clergy & Staff
The parish is led by its pastor in collaboration with parish administrative staff. The most recent diocesan directory lists Rev. Yozefu Balikuddembe Ssemakula as the current pastor, with Audrey Cannon listed as administrative staff. Fr. Chuck Collins previously served the parish as administrator ('admin').
- Pastor: Rev. Yozefu Balikuddembe Ssemakula
- Past administrator: Fr. Chuck Collins
- Administrative Staff: Audrey Cannon
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Reverend Chuck Collinsrecent pastorate / administrator
Listed as 'admin' on parish directories; recent pastor/administrator of St. Francis of Assisi, Blountstown.
- Reverend Yozefu Balikuddembe Ssemakulacurrent (as of 2026 Diocesan Directory)
Listed as pastor in the March 2026 Diocesan Directory of the Diocese of Pensacola–Tallahassee.