What’s distinctive about your parish?
Our Franciscan connection and heritage is illuminated in our parish’s explicit mission, “Live the Gospel, celebrating our Franciscan spirituality in the midst of a diverse and ever-changing global culture.”
Home today to 8,000 parishioners, St. Francis of Assisi Church and School were born from a request made by U.S. Navy Chaplain Father Daniel J. Meehan, who in 1954 was stationed at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Triangle. After hearing Father Meehan’s proposal that a new parish be established to serve the hundreds of Catholic families in the area, Richmond Bishop Peter L. Ireton approved the purchase of 20 acres of land in Triangle, and soon the vision of a new parish became a reality. The church and school opened in 1957, with the Franciscan Friars of the Holy Name Province assigned to the parish.
Does your parish have a particular charism? Social ministry and education are our visible charisms.
St. Francis is home to many organizations serving parishioners, the community and society at large. Here are liturgical ministries and prayer and fellowship groups. Our other parish organizations include a Filipino ministry, an active order of Franciscan Seculars, a prison ministry and more. One special outreach program is St. Francis House, which assists low-income, disadvantaged families in the area. The director is Francia Salguero.
Beyond ministering to immigrants in our local community, St. Francis aims at becoming a vibrant and inclusive example of the body of Christ. We want to be a parish where the bond of shared faith transcends differences of race, culture, language, gender, social status and age. Here at St. Francis, we regard all parishioners as brothers and sisters.
What’s one unique thing visitors to your parish will see? Visitors often comment on the beauty of our church. Though it was built in 1972, it is traditional in appearance. The stained-glass windows come from a former church in Buffalo, N.Y. They are surrounded by beautiful stonework that gives the church a very Franciscan, natural look.
Tell us about the school. Sally A. Nicholson is the current principal of St. Francis of Assisi School, which educates children from pre-K through 8th grade.
The school’s mission is to “serve the community by providing a Christ-centered education in the Franciscan tradition, emphasizing standards of conduct and integrity while encouraging the child’s intellectual, emotional, social, and physical development.”
Such a large parish must require quite a staff. It does. We’re blessed to have Franciscan Father James Scullion as pastor. Besides serving in various parishes since his ordination in 1980, Father Scullion is a Scripture scholar and taught graduate theology for years. He is assisted by fellow Franciscan Fathers George Corrigan and Christopher Dunn, parochial vicars, and Deacon Michael Gomes. Father Corrigan formerly served as a nuclear engineer aboard a U.S. Navy submarine and as a lay missionary in Africa. Father Dunn is fluent in Spanish, ministers to both English and Spanish-speaking parishioners and was a missionary in Peru for many years.
We have many good men and women on our staff. Among these are Lisa Bongiorno, business manager; Lina Morales, receptionist; Elizabeth Brack, faith formation administrator; and Nicole Giraldi, director of music ministry.
What else might be helpful to know about your parish? Visitors to our website or to St. Francis itself will find a parish steeped in the Franciscan tradition of service and prayer, a regard for the dignity of each person, respect for the natural world, and the advancement of peace and justice. And as Father Scullion says, our parishioners come from all walks of life: growing families, young professionals, military families and personnel, retired folks, and people from a variety of cultures.
All are welcome at St. Francis.
Quick Facts
St. Francis of Assisi Church
18825 Fuller Heights Rd., Triangle
703-221-4044
Website: stfrncis.org
Pastor: Franciscan Father James Scullion
Parochial vicars: Franciscan Fathers George Corrigan and Christopher Dunn
Deacon: Michael Gomes
Mass Schedule: Sat. (vigil): 5:30 p.m.; Sun.: 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m. (Spanish), and 5:30 p.m.; Mon.-Fri.: 8:45 a.m.
Confession: Sat.: 4-5 p.m. or by appointment.
Year established: 1957
Total parishioners: 8,000
St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School
18825 Fuller Heights Rd., Triangle
703-221-3868
Pre-K to 8th grade
Student population: 230+
Principal: Sally A. Nicholson
