Original St. Francis Church constructed in 1936

On 7 October 1936 Bishop William Hafey of the Diocese of Raleigh dedicated the original St. Francis Church in Lenoir which was located on the corner of West College Ave. and Willow St. St. Francis had been established only 4 years earlier by the Franciscans of the Holy Name Province. Before the construction of the church Mass was offered for the faithful in the friary. Due to the growth of the parish a new church was constructed in 2000 which was dedicated by Bishop William Curlin, the third Bishop of Charlotte.