About St. Francis of Assisi · Jefferson, North Carolina
St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish in Jefferson, North Carolina, the county seat of Ashe County in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It is the only Catholic parish in Ashe County and belongs to the Diocese of Charlotte. The parish was formally established on August 27, 1963, in a former 1899 Presbyterian church on East Main Street, and grew into a community of more than 275 registered families by 2019. In 2014 it dedicated a new church built on a 15-acre site on Luther Road, where it continues to celebrate weekend Masses in English and Spanish and to serve the wider High Country including its mission church, Saint Frances of Rome in Sparta.
- Established
- 1963
- Patron
- St. Francis of Assisi
- Rector
- Rev. Jacob Anthony Mlakar, S.T.L.
- Diocese
- Diocese of Charlotte
Why belong here
St. Francis of Assisi is the only Catholic parish in Ashe County and serves the wider North Carolina High Country, including its mission church, Saint Frances of Rome in Sparta. Parishioners gather around the Holy Eucharist in three languages of the heart — Saturday evening in English and Spanish, Sunday morning in English, and weekday noondays in English and Spanish — supported by Adoration, weekly confession and a year-round Faith Formation program for children. The parish combines a steady rhythm of devotions and sacraments with a genuine outreach to migrant farm workers, seasonal visitors, and a growing Hispanic community rooted in Jefferson, a small Appalachian town near the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Appalachian Trail.
Mass times at St. Francis of Assisi
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Tuesday: 6:30 PM – 7:15 PM (during Adoration)
- Friday: 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM (during Adoration)
- Saturday: 3:45 PM – 4:15 PM and 6:45 PM – 7:15 PM
- Sunday: 8:15 AM – 8:45 AM
- By appointment
Adoration times
- Tuesday: 6:30 PM – 7:15 PM
- Friday: 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM
- First Saturday of the Month: 8:30 PM – 9:30 PM
Our History
St. Francis of Assisi traces its roots to 1954, when about a dozen Catholics in Ashe County gathered in Lloyd Bullet's living room with a travelling priest, Father Conlan. The community grew through the late 1950s in basements, inns and even the courthouse, until Bishop Vincent Waters of Raleigh directed the Diocese to purchase the former 1899 Presbyterian church on East Main Street in Jefferson for $12,000 in 1962. The formal dedication took place on August 27, 1963, and the parish began as a mission of Saint Elizabeth of the Hill Country Catholic Church in Boone.
- 1954 — first Masses celebrated in private homes
- August 27, 1963 — formal dedication as St. Francis of Assisi, mission of St. Elizabeth, Boone
- Mid-1960s to 1999 — staffed by Glenmary Home Missioners
- September 25, 1985 — Bishop Donoghue dedicates new parish hall
- 1988–1999 — Father Roland Hautz oversees rectory purchase, 1994 renovation and start of Spanish Masses
- 1999 — Father Mark Lawlor becomes first diocesan pastor
- 2006–2010 — Father Joseph Dinh purchases 15 acres on Luther Road
- 2012–2014 — new church designed, built and dedicated under Father Stuhrenberg
- March 15, 1973 — St. Francis of Assisi becomes an independent parish
- October 3, 2013 — 50th anniversary celebrated
- August 16, 2024 — 10th anniversary of the new-church dedication observed
Parish Mission Statement
United in the Holy Eucharist as source and summit of our faith, St. Francis of Assisi Parish forms missionary disciples inspired by their patron: loving God and neighbor, cherishing creation's beauty, and drawing all people into deeper communion with Christ and His Church.
Meet the Clergy
Father Jacob Mlakar, S.T.L., was appointed pastor of Saint Francis of Assisi and its mission Saint Frances of Rome in Sparta on July 9, 2024. A native of Hudson, Ohio, he grew up in Charlotte, NC, earned a B.A. in History and Religious Studies from UNC–Chapel Hill in 2014, and did his priestly formation at the Pontifical College Josephinum and the Pontifical North American College in Rome. He was ordained a deacon in St. Peter's Basilica in October 2019 and a priest on July 24, 2020, at St. Mark Church in Huntersville. Before Jefferson he served as parochial vicar at St. Vincent de Paul in Charlotte, parochial vicar at Holy Cross in Kernersville, and assistant chaplain at Bishop McGuinness High School, and earned a 2024 Licentiate in Sacred Theology (spiritual theology) from the University of St. Thomas (the Angelicum) in Rome.
- Deacon Lee Levenson
- Deacon Carlos Medina
Masses
Weekend Masses are celebrated Saturday at 4:30 PM in English and 7:30 PM in Spanish, and Sunday at 9:00 AM in English. Weekday Masses include noon Mass on Tuesday and Wednesday in English, 7:00 PM on Tuesday in Spanish (7:45 PM in summer and 6:45 PM in winter), and 9:00 AM on Friday in English. The parish notes that weekday times can change with Father's schedule or weather, and that weekend schedules may shift in severe mountain weather.
Sacraments
The parish prepares the faithful for and celebrates all seven sacraments. Baptisms are scheduled at least one month in advance for Saturdays at 3:00 PM or 6:00 PM, with parents required to be registered and active for six months and to attend a baptism-preparation class. Confirmation and First Communion preparation is coordinated through the parish office. Anointing of the Sick and visits to the homebound or hospitalized are arranged by request through the parish office.
- Baptism
- Confirmation
- First Communion
- Confession (Reconciliation)
- Anointing of the Sick
- Marriage
- Holy Communion to the Homebound
Faith Formation & Religious Education
St. Francis of Assisi runs a parish Faith Formation program for children and youth, with registration each August for the Fall/Spring academic year. Children preparing for First Communion or Confirmation must present a copy of their Baptismal certificate to the parish office, and the program welcomes both English- and Spanish-speaking families with online registration materials in both languages.
- Faith Formation Fall/Spring program (registration August)
- Fees 2026–2027: $60 first child / $50 each additional child
- Sacramental preparation for First Communion and Confirmation
- Volunteer catechist and assistant opportunities
- Bilingual (English/Spanish) forms and program
Parish Life & Outreach
Beyond the liturgy, the parish supports its community through outreach to the Hispanic community — including a long-running Spanish Mass ministry begun by the Glenmary Lay Missioners in the late 1980s — and to migrant and seasonal farm workers who came to Ashe County for its Christmas-tree industry. The parish also maintains a prayer garden on the Luther Road property, dedicated in 2009.
- Hispanic Ministry and Spanish-language Mass
- Outreach to migrant workers in the Christmas-tree industry
- Prayer Garden on Luther Road property
Contact & Visiting
The parish office is at 167 St. Francis Place, just off Luther Road, Jefferson, NC 28640 (mailing P.O. Box 634). Office hours are Monday–Thursday 9:00 AM–4:00 PM and Friday 10:00 AM–12:00 PM. Phone (336) 246-9151; email [email protected]. After-hours pastoral emergencies are handled through the office line, ext. 7.
- Address: 167 St. Francis Place, Jefferson, NC 28640
- Phone: (336) 246-9151
- Email: [email protected]
- Office hours: Mon–Thu 9 AM–4 PM, Fri 10 AM–12 PM
- Emergency line: (336) 246-9151 ext. 7
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Conlan1954 – c. early 1960s
Travelling Diocese of Raleigh priest who celebrated Mass in private homes, the courthouse and a remodeled basement for the small Catholic community in Ashe County.
- Father Robert Cameron (Glenmary)early 1970s
Glenmary Home Missioner; parishioners built a basement apartment for him.
- Father John Otterbacher (Glenmary)1970s–1980s
Oversaw the basement addition including offices, social hall, meeting rooms, kitchen and restrooms.
- Father Roland 'Rollie' Hautz (Glenmary)1988 – 1999
Oversaw 1990 rectory purchase and 1994 renovation; began Spanish-language Masses with the Glenmary Lay Missioners.
- Father Mark Lawlor1999 – 2003
First Diocese of Charlotte priest to serve as pastor; established a weekly Sunday Spanish Mass for the Hispanic community.
- Father C. Morris Boyd2003 – c. 2006
Served as parish administrator after Father Lawlor.
- Father Joseph DinhJuly 2006 – July 2010
Purchased 15 acres on Luther Road in December 2007 and blessed the prayer garden there on August 16, 2009.
- Father James StuhrenbergJuly 2010 – July 2020
Led the design and fundraising for the new church; chaired the stained-glass committee.
- Father Cory CatronJuly 2020 – July 2024
Became pastor on July 21, 2020.
- Father Jacob Mlakar, S.T.L.July 9, 2024 – present
Also serves the mission of Saint Frances of Rome in Sparta.