St. Francis of Assisi

About St. Francis of Assisi Mission

St. Francis of Assisi is a Catholic mission church in Charlton County, Georgia, established in 1965 and entrusted to the Diocese of Savannah. As a Mission of Our Lady Star of the Sea in St. Marys, it is served by the same pastor and shares staff, faith formation, and many ministries with that parish — but it is very much its own community in Folkston, known for warm hospitality to year-round parishioners and snowbird travelers alike. The mission sits in the Diocese of Savannah's Valdosta-Brunswick Deanery, and weekly life centers on Sunday morning Mass, Wednesday evening Mass, and confessions before each. The parish also reaches outward through prison ministry at D. Ray James Correctional Facility, hospital and nursing-home visits, Cursillo, Knights of Columbus service, the Legion of Mary, Good Samaritan Outreach food ministry, and Catholic Youth Ministry (CYM).

Parish History — How St. Francis Came to Folkston

The story of St. Francis of Assisi is the story of one couple's stubborn Catholic faith in a small southeast Georgia town. Frank and Josephine Greco, who owned the Folkston Motel and the Howard Johnson's motel, contacted Chaplain Colonel Stephen T. Mayer USAF (Ret.), the priest of Our Lady Star of the Sea in St. Marys, and asked him to celebrate Mass for the area's Catholics. Fr. Mayer began saying Mass in the lobby of the Folkston Motel, and the first recorded Mass in Charlton County took place on September 19, 1965. The Grecos promised Bishop Thomas J. McDonough that if he would supply a priest, they would provide a church at no cost to the Diocese. They bought an old Presbyterian church, moved it between their two motels, and on a cold Christmas morning in 1965 ten families gathered — without pews or heat — for the first Mass in the new St. Francis of Assisi.

• Sept. 19, 1965 — first recorded Mass in Charlton County
• Christmas 1965 — first Mass in the relocated church, no pews or heat
• 1965 — established as a Mission of Our Lady Star of the Sea, St. Marys
• After I-95 opened, attendance dropped sharply; Fr. James Stevenson (Diocese of Youngstown, retired) personally funded attached living quarters, later the Social Hall
• 1995 — 13.96 acres on Kingsland Drive listed for $55,000 by founding parishioner Lawanda Jones
• 1997 — Bishop J. Kevin Boland approved the land purchase; $45,000 loan later forgiven in the 2000 Great Jubilee
• Oct. 4, 2001 — three-year capital fund drive launched; 62 families pledged $222,342.44
• Extension Society grant of $100,000 obtained by Bishop Boland
• Dec. 20, 2008 — the current new church was dedicated, exactly 33 years after the first Christmas Mass

Clergy and Pastoral Staff

St. Francis of Assisi shares its clergy and parish staff with Our Lady Star of the Sea. The pastor serves both communities and celebrates the Folkston mission's Sunday and Wednesday Masses. Two deacons assist across both parishes, and a parish secretary and Directors of Religious Education round out the staff.

• Rev. Fr. Mariusz Fuks — Pastor (also Pastor of Our Lady Star of the Sea)
• Fr. Jacob Almeter — Pastoral Assistant
• Deacon Tim Hughes
• Deacon Henry Nieves
• Susan Bayless — Parish Secretary
• Bryant and Kristie Shepard — Directors of Religious Education

Faith Formation and Religious Education

Religious Education is coordinated across the mission and Our Lady Star of the Sea by husband-and-wife DRE team Bryant and Kristie Shepard. Programs are organized under the motto 'We are One Faith, One Family,' with parents recognized as the primary educators of their children. All adult volunteers working with youth must complete VIRTUS safe-environment training and a background check.

• RE Classes for grades K–8
• Sacrament of First Reconciliation — typically in 2nd grade
• Sacrament of First Holy Communion — typically in 2nd grade
• Sacrament of Confirmation — typically in 8th grade (at least two years of RE preparation required)
• Nursery available
• Catechist and volunteer recruitment ongoing
• Contact: [email protected]

Ministries and Parish Life

St. Francis of Assisi and its sister parish Our Lady Star of the Sea together support a wide range of lay ministries — liturgical, charitable, and fraternal. Newcomers are encouraged to find a place to serve; the parish website lists point-of-contact emails for each ministry, and many are open to anyone willing to be formed and trained.

• Altar Servers & Cross Bearers (Jason Dominici)
• Counters — weekly collection counters
• Cursillo (Chrissy Bundrick) — short lay-led spiritual retreats
• Catholic Youth Ministry / CYM (Bryant Shepard) — Sun 8:00–9:00 AM during the school year; annual summer mission trip
• Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion
• Good Samaritan Outreach — emergency food and delivery for those in need
• Father's Angels Hospitality Committee (Victoria Brooks)
• Knights of Columbus — founded 1882 by Fr. Michael J. McGivney; principles of Charity, Unity, Fraternity, Patriotism
• Ladies Altar Society (Claire Walsh) — linens and vessels
• Ladies Auxiliary (Tricia Jenkins) — civic and charitable support
• Lectors
• Legion of Mary — weekly praesidium meeting; visitation of families, sick, hospitals
• Parish Council (Darlene Logan) — 9 elected parishioners, 3-year terms
• Ushers
• VIRTUS safe-environment training

Sacraments

The parish prepares children and adults for the Sacraments of Initiation and offers Reconciliation weekly. Parents should contact the Directors of Religious Education for any questions about timing or for adult sacramental preparation.

• First Reconciliation — typically 2nd grade
• First Holy Communion — typically 2nd grade
• Confirmation — typically 8th grade, with at least two years of RE preparation
• Reconciliation (Confession) — Sundays 8:00–8:20 AM and Wednesdays 4:30–4:50 PM
• Anointing of the Sick in emergencies — 912-342-0708

Community Impact and Outreach

Although St. Francis parishioners make up only about one percent of Charlton County's population, the parish punches well above its weight in civic life. Four parishioners have been named Citizen of the Year, one a Star Teacher, and members serve as leaders in Catholic Cursillo, hospital and nursing-home ministry, and prison ministry at the D. Ray James Correctional Facility. Good Samaritan Outreach provides emergency food and delivery to elderly, disabled, and homebound neighbors, and the parish continues to attract winter visitors traveling between the northeastern U.S. and Florida.

• Prison ministry at D. Ray James Correctional Facility
• Hospital and nursing-home ministry
• Cursillo movement leadership
• Good Samaritan Outreach — food and delivery for those in need
• Four parishioners recognized as Citizen of the Year
• One parishioner named a Star Teacher

Contact Information

Parish office mail and phone calls are routed through Our Lady Star of the Sea in St. Marys. The mission has its own email address for general parish correspondence.

• Address: 700 Kingsland Drive, Folkston, GA 31537-0487
• Parish office phone: 912-882-4718 (shared with Our Lady Star of the Sea)
• Listed parish phone: 912-496-3219 (Diocese of Savannah directory)
• Emergency contact: 912-342-0708
• Email: [email protected]
• Office email: [email protected]
• Website: https://www.weareolss.org/welcome---st-francis