St. Francis’ History
St. Francis was organized November 4, 1956, in the Benson Building in Gulf Breeze (current location of Dunkin Donuts and Sleep Mattress). This is also the site of the first service on January 6, 1957.
Some of the charter members are (L TO R) Front Row: Rev. Mike Bullen, Rita Bogan, Katie Warner, Janola Davis, Lottie Ellis; Second Row: Roger Warner, Jean Van Bergan, Alan Van Bergan, John Ellis, Dick Davis, Harriette Morrison, Stewart Morrison, Bishop Charles Duvall; Back Row: Les Bogan, Steve Bogan, Alice Davis.
St. Francis of Assisi Episcopal Church was organized on November 4, 1956 at a meeting in the Benson Building in Gulf Breeze, where the first service was conducted on January 6, 1957. The following September, The Rev. Walter E. Smith was appointed as the first Vicar of St. Francis, and services were held in an abandoned restaurant. Charter members Dick and Alice Davis recall that the first chalice used during Holy Eucharist was a peanut butter jar! Additional charter members of St. Francis include Les, Steve and Rita Bogan, Rev. Mike Bullen, Janola Davis, John and Lottie Ellis, Harriet and Stewart Morrison, Katie Warner, Jean and Alan VanBergan, and Roger Warner.
The Reverends Walter Smith, Stanley Bullock, Arnold Bush and Alvin Bullen served our parish as vicars from 1957 to 1975, at which time St. Francis became a parish. The Reverend Alvin Bullen served as the first Rector of St. Francis (1975 - 1982). Subsequent rectors include The Reverends Robert L. Williams (1982-1990), Mark DiCristina (1991-2000), George Morgan (2000-2002, Albert Pruitt (2002-2009), Massey Gentry (Interim Priest 2009-2010) and Christiana Olsen (2010-2015). St. Francis’ current rector, The Reverend Timothy Backus, was called to St. Francis in 2015.
The gift of the church property from Clive Jenkins enabled architects and fellow parishioners, Stewart Morrison and James Look, to begin work on the master plan for the church buildings. The educational building was dedicated March 8, 1959. Services were held in this building until the church itself was built and consecrated on March 27, 1968.
St. Francis has been blessed with very devoted and talented members who have and continue to generously contribute their time, talent and funds to improve the church grounds and buildings. Over time, new windows were installed in the church and the stained glass windows of St. Francis and St. Clare were moved to the Narthex. Marble was installed in the Sanctuary and new carpeting was installed in the aisles. Substantial renovation of the Parish Hall, construction of the Atrium and a welcoming new entrance connecting the educational building to the church were completed in mid-2005. More recently, in 2018, when the church organ became unrepairable, parishioners quickly pooled resources to purchase a new, majestic sounding organ. In 2019, St. Francis’ ECW (Episcopal Church Women) provided the income from fundraisers to renovate the outdated kitchen removing an old non-working dishwasher and installing a new dishwasher, replacing old steel counters with new counters to match existing counters, as well as installing new cabinets providing much needed storage space. This year when the COVID-19 pandemic swept the nation and forced churches to close, St. Francis began live streaming worship services on Facebook to keep parishioners connected to God and their Parish. In order to provide a high quality, live steam service, non-budgeted funds were needed to update St. Francis’ technology, and within a week, parishioners raised the funds needed. The ECW is presently using additional fundraising income to beautify and create a more serene atmosphere around St. Clare’s Altar which is located in the beautiful gardens of St. Francis.