Identity area
Type of entity
Corporate body
Authorized form of name
St. Francis of Assisi Parish (Logy Bay-Middle Cove-Outer Cove, N.L. : Catholic)
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
1917-
History
St. Francis of Assisi Parish, forming part of the Diocese of St. John's and encompassing the settlements of Outer Cove, Middle Cove, and Logy Bay (amalgamated as the Town of Logy Bay-Middle Cove-Outer Cove in 1986), was erected by Archbishop Edward P. Roche in 1917. Prior to the establishment of the parish, Outer Cove and Middle Cove formed part of Holy Trinity Parish (Torbay) while Logy Bay fell within the jurisdiction of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist Parish (St. John's). All three communities were served by visiting clergy.
Daniel O'Callaghan, first parish priest, oversaw the development of St. Francis of Assisi's infrastructure. The cornerstone for the first parish church, still in operation today, was laid in 1918 and the first mass was held in the new structure on 24 December 1919. During his tenure, Rev. O'Callaghan also supervised the construction of a parish school and presbytery.
Permission was granted from the Archdiocesan Building Projects Committee, in 1966, to begin construction on a new elementary school to replace the original school building. By this time, high school students generally attended Holy Heart and Gonzaga schools in St. John's. Today, St. Francis of Assisi School is no longer under church control as a result of denominational education reforms passed by the Provincial Government in 1997.
In 1989, the Recluse Sisters (Les Recluses Missionaires) established the Monastery of Mary, Mother of the Church in St. Francis of Assisi's original presbytery at the invitation of Archbishop Alphonsus L. Penney. The monastery was closed in 2001 because of a lack of vocations to the order. The Recluse Sisters were Newfoundland's first contemplative congregation and regularly made guest rooms available for private retreats in their monastery.; A Parish Council was established during the 1970s to aid the parish priest in the administration of his responsibilities and the parish's affairs. Committees reporting to the Parish Council have included Finance, Liturgy, Social Action, Men's, Women's, Youth, Religious Activities, and Cemetery.
Pastors who have served St. Francis of Assisi Parish since its inception in 1917 include: Daniel O'Callaghan (1917-1948); Robert A. St. John (1948-1968); Eric R. Lawlor, Parish Priest and later Administrator (1969-1970); David P. Morrissey (1970-1977); William K. Lawton (1977-1987); Francis Coady (1987-1993); J. Kevin McKenna (1993-1994); and John D. Hanton (1994- ).