About St. Francis of Assisi · Roland, Arkansas
St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church is a historic parish nestled in the heart of Little Italy, a community settled in 1915 by Italian immigrant families on the rolling hills of Highway 300 in Roland, Arkansas. Formally established on June 15, 1922 by Bishop John B. Morris as a mission of St. John's Seminary, the parish grew from a deconsecrated wooden church reassembled in the center of the community to a brick sanctuary completed in 1969 — one of the first in Arkansas built to the liturgical norms of the Second Vatican Council. Today the parish is served as a mission of Christ the King Church in Little Rock and remains the cohesive heart of Little Italy's Italian-American heritage, most visibly through its annual Italian Festival (originally the Grape Harvest Festival) held every autumn since 1927.
- Established
- 1922
- Patron
- St. Francis of Assisi
- Rector
- Rev. Juan Guido
- Diocese
- Diocese of Little Rock (Central Deanery)
Why belong here
St. Francis of Assisi offers something rare: a small, multigenerational Italian-American Catholic community with deep roots and a living liturgical life. Worship is centered on a weekly Sunday Mass at 10 a.m. (with Adoration, the Rosary and Confession beforehand at 9:30 a.m.) and a Thursday evening Mass at 6:30 p.m., supplemented by a monthly Holy Hour. Parishioners serve together through the Music Ministry, the Altar Society (which decorates the church for major feasts and provides funeral meals), and the annual Italian Festival each October — the parish's main fundraiser since 1927, where nearly a hundred gallons of family-recipe spaghetti sauce and 850 pounds of Italian sausage are served. As a mission parish served from Christ the King in Little Rock, St. Francis welcomes Catholics who want to belong to a tight-knit, family-oriented parish with over a century of faith to share.
Mass times at St. Francis of Assisi
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 9:30 a.m.
Adoration times
- Sunday 9:30–10:00 a.m. (immediately before Mass)
- Monthly Holy Hour: Last Sunday of the month, 5:00–6:00 p.m.
Parish History
St. Francis of Assisi parish was formally established June 15, 1922 by Bishop John B. Morris as a mission of St. John's Seminary, after Mass had already been celebrated in the Ledwidge schoolhouse since 1919. The founding Italian immigrant families — Segallas, Belottis, Perrinis, Bustanos, Granatos (soon joined by the Chiaro, Dal Santo, Ghio and Balsam families) — first assembled a deconsecrated wooden church from Ola, Arkansas, board by board, on land donated by the Perrin family. After Vatican II, Fr. John Hlavacek (pastor 1964–1974) commissioned the present-day brick sanctuary, completed in 1969 on land from the Bertolo and Maria Balsam family, making St. Francis one of the first churches in Arkansas built to the new liturgical norms. The parish has been served by over thirty priests in a century, with Fr. Richard Davis's 24-year tenure (1996–2020) the longest in modern times.
- Established June 15, 1922 by Bishop John B. Morris as a mission of St. John's Seminary
- Community of Little Italy settled December 15, 1915 by five founding Italian immigrant families
- Current brick church completed in 1969 — one of the first in Arkansas built to Vatican II norms
- Early pastor Fr. Albert Fletcher became the fourth Bishop of Little Rock in 1947
Little Italy Community & Founding
On December 15, 1915, twenty-seven Italians — members of five families fleeing gun violence in Chicago and lured by a newspaper advertisement for land at $10 an acre — arrived at the train station in Ledwidge and made the three-mile trek by mule and cart to what they named "Alta Villa," or "the high place." The rolling hills reminded them of their northern Italian homeland, and they envisioned an agrarian life of sustenance farming, grape growing and wine-making. Within a generation they had built a Catholic church at the heart of the community, and Maria Busato, one of the founders, would later write in Italian that the older generation put the church in the middle of the community on purpose — and asked that it never be moved.
- Five founding families: Segalla, Belotti, Perrini, Bustano, Granato
- Settlement originally called "Alta Villa" (the high place)
- Founded December 15, 1915 by 27 Italian immigrants
- Lured by $10/acre land advertised in a newspaper
Architecture, Art & Relics
The current church, completed in 1969, blends a modern late-1960s style with deeply personal craftsmanship. A marble terrazzo predella reflects the work of local Italian artisans; the oak main altar and Gothic cross were handcrafted by Henry Wagner and his son Joseph from descriptions provided by Fr. Hlavacek, with matching side altars, podium and baptismal font modeled on them. Six large paintings by local artist Alma Gipson, commissioned in the 1990s by Fr. James West, depict the life of St. Francis. The Stations of the Cross, donated in 1995 in honor of John Chiaro, were blessed at the Vatican by Saint Pope John Paul II, and two reliquaries house over 20 first-class relics of prominent saints plus relics of Our Lord including the True Cross and the Crown of Thorns.
- Main altar and Gothic cross handcrafted in oak by Henry Wagner and son Joseph
- Six paintings of St. Francis's life by local artist Alma Gipson (1990s)
- Stations of the Cross blessed by Saint Pope John Paul II (donated 1995)
- Two reliquaries with 20+ first-class relics including the True Cross and Crown of Thorns
St. Francis Cemetery & Grotto
St. Francis Cemetery was consecrated in 1926 on land donated by the John Segalla family. Though the parish church sits in Pulaski County, the cemetery is located one mile away in Perry County. It is one of approximately 50 Catholic cemeteries in Arkansas and contains more than 100 interments. A small Little Italy Centennial chapel was built inside the cemetery in 2015 in memory of William "Billy" Wagner, with a prayer to the early founders displayed beneath statues of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Blessed Mother and St. Michael the Archangel. A large quartz grotto at the center of the cemetery honors St. Francis and is graced by statues of St. Francis, Jesus Christ and His mother.
- Consecrated 1926 on land donated by the John Segalla family
- Located one mile from the church, across the county line in Perry County
- Contains over 100 interments
- Centennial chapel added in 2015; large quartz grotto honoring St. Francis
Clergy & Staff
The parish is currently led by Pastor Rev. Juan Guido, who began serving July 1, 2022 and celebrated the parish centennial that same summer. He is assisted by Associate Pastors Rev. Nathan Ashburn and Rev. Emmanuel (Manny) Torres. Deacon Chris Dorer — the parish's centennial chairman, chief curator of the Little Italy History Museum and author of two books on the community's settlement — also serves as Christian Initiation and Religious Education Director. Dr. Lisa Petursson directs the Music Ministry. The parish is administered as a mission of Christ the King Catholic Church in Little Rock.
- Pastor: Rev. Juan Guido (since 2022)
- Associate: Rev. Nathan Ashburn
- Associate: Rev. Emmanuel (Manny) Torres
- Deacon & Christian Initiation Director: Dc. Chris Dorer
- Music Director: Dr. Lisa Petursson
Parish Ministries & Councils
St. Francis of Assisi's parish life is organized around a small set of devoted ministries. The Music Ministry, under Director Lisa Petursson, enriches the liturgy with voice and instrumental music for Mass and special Holy Days. The Altar Society — led by President Martha Starks, Vice President Kristy Eanes, Secretary Samantha Dorer and Treasurer Marie Rankin — meets quarterly to decorate the altar for Easter, Christmas and special feasts, maintain the church, and organize funeral meals. Parish Councils and the parish's Christian Initiation program round out the community's organized service to one another.
- Music Ministry — Director Lisa Petursson
- St. Francis of Assisi Altar Society — President Martha Starks
- Parish Councils
- Christian Initiation & Religious Education — Dc. Chris Dorer
Annual Italian Festival (Since 1927)
Since 1927 St. Francis parish has hosted the community's annual Italian Festival on its grounds every autumn — originally founded as the Grape Harvest Festival and now known simply as the Italian Festival. It attracts thousands each year from Arkansas and surrounding states (visitors regularly come from California, Illinois, Indiana and beyond). Members of the parish bake traditional Italian sweets in the weeks before, and on the day the parish serves nearly a hundred gallons of family-recipe spaghetti sauce over hundreds of pounds of spaghetti, accompanied by 850 pounds of Italian sausage from a long-held parish recipe. The festival remains the parish's main annual fundraiser. It is held on the first Sunday of October, following the morning Mass.
- Held every autumn since 1927 (originally the Grape Harvest Festival)
- Takes place the first Sunday of October, following the morning Mass
- ~100 gallons of spaghetti sauce + 850 pounds of Italian sausage
- Parish's main annual fundraiser
Mission Status & Contact
St. Francis of Assisi is a mission parish of Christ the King Catholic Church in Little Rock, which is why the mailing address and main phone line route through Christ the King at 4000 N. Rodney Parham Rd., Little Rock, AR 72212. The physical church stands at 33223 Highway 300 in Roland (Little Italy), AR 72135. Catholics wishing to register as parishioners are invited to mail a downloadable form (available on the parish website) to that mailing address.
- Mailing address: 4000 N. Rodney Parham Rd., Little Rock, AR 72212
- Physical address: 33223 Highway 300, Roland (Little Italy), AR 72135
- Phone: (501) 225-6774
- Pastor email: [email protected]
- Deacon email: [email protected]
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. J. P. Fischer1919
First priest to serve Little Italy before the parish was formally established
- Most Rev. Albert Fletcher1920–1923
St. John's Seminary professor; later the fourth Bishop of Little Rock (1947–1972)
- Rev. Paul Hatch1923
- Rev. William Kordsmeier1923–1925
- Rev. Otto Loeb1926
- Rev. Henry Nix1927–1931
- Rev. Msgr. Francis Allen1931–1937
- Rev. Lawrence Schaefer1937–1938
- Rev. George Carns1938
- Rev. Lawrence Maus1938–1947
- Rev. Msgr. Claiborne Lafferty1941–1942
- Rev. John J. Mulligan1942–1945
- Rev. Paul McLaughlin1945–1948
- Rev. Joseph Wenger1948–1950
- Rev. George Freyaldenhoven1951–1952
- Rev. William Kordsmeier1952
Second tenure
- Rev. John Roberson1952–1954
- Rev. William Wellman1954–1958
- Rev. Robert Dagwell1958–1964
- Rev. John Hlavacek1964–1974
Commissioned the 1969 church rebuilding to Vatican II norms
- Rev. Herman Paul Strassle1974–1976
- Rev. Henry Baltz1976
- Rev. James Savary1976–1982
- Rev. Joseph Correnti1982–1983
- Rev. Amos Enderlin1983–1986
- Rev. Edward Marley, CSSp1986–1988
- Rev. Robert Kepple1988–1989
- Rev. Donald Althoff1989–1990
- Rev. James West1990–1996
Commissioned the Alma Gipson paintings of St. Francis
- Rev. Richard Davis1996–2020
Long pastorate of 24 years
- Rev. Thomas J. Hart2020–2022
- Rev. Juan Guido2022–Present
Current pastor; began July 1, 2022