About St. Francis of Assisi · Graford, Texas
St. Francis of Assisi is a small Catholic mission parish in Graford, Texas, part of the Diocese of Fort Worth. It serves the rural Possum Kingdom Lake area of Palo Pinto County and is currently pastored by Rev. Prakash Dias, SAC, a member of the Pallottine Fathers (Societas Apostolatus Catholici). Because of its size, the parish gathers for one weekly Mass on Saturday evening and relies on its sister parish, Our Lady of Lourdes in Mineral Wells, for many day-to-day operations. In 2025 Bishop Michael Olson designated it as one of eleven Jubilee pilgrimage sites in the Diocese of Fort Worth during the Special Year of St. Francis, commemorating the 800th anniversary of the saint's death.
- Patron
- St. Francis of Assisi
- Rector
- Rev. Prakash Dias, SAC
- Diocese
- Diocese of Fort Worth
Why belong here
St. Francis of Assisi is a small, family-style Catholic mission in the rural Graford area that welcomes every visitor for a single, well-celebrated Saturday Vigil Mass followed by Reconciliation. Because the parish is intentionally small, newcomers are quickly known by name, and the community has the rare distinction of being a designated Jubilee pilgrimage site for the Special Year of St. Francis — a meaningful draw for anyone wishing to obtain the jubilee plenary indulgence locally in the Diocese of Fort Worth.
Mass times at St. Francis of Assisi
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:00 PM
Adoration times
- By appointment — call the Parish Office
Parish Identity & Diocese
St. Francis of Assisi in Graford is a parish of the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth, pastored by Rev. Prakash Dias, SAC, a Pallottine (Societas Apostolatus Catholici) priest. The parish serves the rural Graford and Possum Kingdom Lake region of Palo Pinto County, Texas, and is administered in close coordination with Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Mineral Wells.
- Diocese of Fort Worth
- Pastor: Rev. Prakash Dias, SAC
- Business Manager: Marla Trevino
- Linked mission: Our Lady of Lourdes, Mineral Wells
Jubilee Pilgrimage Site (Special Year of St. Francis)
In 2025, in conjunction with Pope Leo XIV's proclamation of a Special Year of St. Francis marking the 800th anniversary of St. Francis of Assisi's death, Bishop Michael Olson promulgated a decree designating eleven Diocese of Fort Worth parishes — including St. Francis of Assisi in Graford — as official pilgrimage sites. The faithful who make a pilgrimage to the parish, go to sacramental confession, receive Holy Communion, pray for the pope's intentions, and are detached from sin may obtain a plenary indulgence during this Jubilee year, which runs through January 10, 2027.
- Designated pilgrimage parish for the Special Year of St. Francis
- Indulgence available through January 10, 2027
- One of 11 pilgrimage sites named by Bishop Olson in the Diocese of Fort Worth
Location & Contact
The parish is located on N. State Highway 16 in Graford, with a separate mailing PO Box and an alternate contact address that routes through Our Lady of Lourdes in Mineral Wells. Phone numbers listed across the diocesan directory and third-party Mass-time sites differ slightly (940-779-2023 and 940-325-4789), so callers may wish to try either.
- Street: 14965 N. State Highway 16, Graford, TX 76449
- Mailing: PO Box 404, Graford, TX 76449
- Alternate: c/o Our Lady of Lourdes Church, 108 N W 4th Avenue, Mineral Wells, TX 76067
- Phone: (940) 779-2023
- Email: [email protected]
Patron: St. Francis of Assisi
The parish takes its name from St. Francis of Assisi (c. 1181–1226), the Italian Catholic friar and deacon who founded the Franciscan Order. Known for his love of creation and his Canticle of the Creatures, St. Francis is the patron saint of animals, ecology, and the environment, and is honored by the universal Church on October 4. The Graford parish shares its patron with a sister St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Grapevine, also in the Diocese of Fort Worth.
- Patron: St. Francis of Assisi
- Feast Day: October 4
- Founder of the Franciscan Order
- Patron of animals and ecology