About St. Francis of Assisi · Mocksville, North Carolina
St. Francis of Assisi is a Roman Catholic parish in Mocksville, North Carolina, serving the Catholic faithful of Davie County as part of the Diocese of Charlotte. The parish celebrates Mass in both English and Spanish, hosts Eucharistic Adoration and the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and is home to a First Class Relic of St. Francis of Assisi — making it an official Jubilee Year pilgrimage site for the Franciscan Jubilee 2026–2027. The parish is well known in the broader community for hosting the Shamrock Run 5K & 10K, a beloved local fundraiser it ran for 32 years in support of Davie County charities before passing the event to the Mocksville Rotary Club.
- Patron
- St. Francis of Assisi
- Rector
- Rev. Eric Leon Kowalski
- Diocese
- Diocese of Charlotte
Why belong here
St. Francis of Assisi is a small but warm and welcoming parish where parishioners regularly open doors for one another and pour themselves into community life together. It offers the full sacramental life of a Roman Catholic parish — Sunday Mass in both English and Spanish, weekday Mass, weekly Eucharistic Adoration with confession, a food pantry outreach program, and active liturgical ministries — all centered on a genuine sense of hospitality that long-time members describe as the defining mark of the parish.
Mass times at St. Francis of Assisi
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Wednesdays: 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
- Saturdays: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
- Or by appointment
Adoration times
- Wednesdays: 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM (Weekly Holy Hour / Eucharistic Adoration)
About St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church
St. Francis of Assisi is a Catholic parish in Mocksville, North Carolina, in Davie County. It belongs to the Diocese of Charlotte and serves Catholics across the rural Piedmont of northwestern North Carolina. The parish is known for its warm hospitality, its bilingual liturgical life (English and Spanish), and its unusually strong tradition of community outreach — most famously the Shamrock Run, which it hosted for more than three decades.
- Parish Name: St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church
- Location: Mocksville, Davie County, North Carolina
- Diocese: Diocese of Charlotte
- Patron: St. Francis of Assisi
- Languages: English and Spanish
Franciscan Jubilee Year 2026–2027 & First Class Relic
The parish prominently features the Franciscan Jubilee Year 2026–2027 on its homepage and has been designated an official Jubilee Year pilgrimage site. It is one of the parishes privileged to hold a First Class Relic of St. Francis of Assisi, drawing visitors who come to venerate the relic during this historic Franciscan anniversary.
- Designated Jubilee Year pilgrimage site for 2026–2027
- Houses a First Class Relic of St. Francis of Assisi
- Pilgrims and visitors are welcome
Mass & Worship Schedule
The parish offers a full weekly Mass schedule in both English and Spanish, with a live-streamed English Mass on Sunday morning and a sung Spanish Mass with choir (Coro) immediately after. Daily Mass is celebrated Monday through Friday mornings, and a First Friday Spanish Mass is added in the evening each month.
- Saturday Vigil: 5:00 PM (English)
- Sunday: 9:00 AM English (live-streamed, organ); 10:30 AM Spanish (Coro)
- Weekdays Mon/Wed/Thu/Fri: 8:00 AM
- First Friday: additional 6:30 PM Mass in Spanish
- Holy Days: as announced (typically 9:00 AM English and 7:00 PM bilingual)
Parish Outreach: SFA Food Pantry
The SFA Outreach Program operates a parish food pantry to serve neighbors in need across Davie County. Volunteers are actively recruited through both English-language and Spanish-language sign-ups, reflecting the parish's bilingual identity.
- SFA Outreach Program (Food Pantry)
- Volunteer opportunities in English and Spanish (Haz un voluntariado aquí)
Stewardship & Financially Supporting the Parish
The parish invites parishioners and friends to support its mission through ongoing financial stewardship, framed on the parish website as 'financially supporting my parish family.'
- Parish stewardship and giving
- Sanctuary Candle Memorials / Vela del Santuario offerings
The Shamrock Run — A 32-Year Community Tradition
St. Francis of Assisi began hosting the Shamrock Run 5K & 10K in 1988 as a church fundraiser, and over the next three decades it grew into one of the most popular races in the area — and the first official 5K in Davie County. The first race drew just 33 participants; in time it raised thousands of dollars for local charities including A Storehouse for Jesus, Special Olympics, Family Promise of Davie, Habitat for Humanity, the Dragonfly House, the Davie Domestic Violence and Rape Crisis Center, the Davie County Pregnancy Care Center, Hospice & Palliative Care of Davie County, and the Davie Family YMCA. COVID-19 forced a pause after the 2019 race, and in 2024 the parish entrusted the event to the Mocksville Rotary Club so the tradition — and its community impact — could continue.
- Began 1988 with 33 runners — the first official 5K in Davie County
- 32-year run as parish fundraiser benefiting numerous local charities
- Paused during COVID; handed off to Mocksville Rotary Club in 2024
- Pastor Fr. Eric L. Kowalski publicly praised parishioner volunteer efforts
Pastoral Leadership & Clergy
St. Francis of Assisi is led by its pastor, Rev. Eric Leon Kowalski, who has been widely quoted in local press for his warmth and his pride in the congregation. A former pastor of the parish, Rev. John F. Starczewski, went on to serve St. John Neumann Catholic Church in the Diocese of Charlotte.
- Current Pastor: Rev. Eric Leon Kowalski
- Former Pastor: Rev. John F. Starczewski (later assigned to St. John Neumann)
- Diocesan contact for the parish: Diocese of Charlotte
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Eric Leon Kowalski
Long-tenured pastor referenced by the parish and local press in 2023–2024 as the leader of the Shamrock Run and parish life; listed as current pastor on the Diocese of Charlotte parish page.
- Rev. John F. Starczewski
Former pastor of St. Francis of Assisi in Mocksville before his assignment to St. John Neumann Catholic Church, per the St. John Neumann priests page.