St. Francis Parish Pastors

Rev. George P. Gallivan
1963-1967

Rev. Francis A.J. Doherty
1967-1971

Rev. John F. Pettie
1971-1976

Rev. Frederick E. Sweeney
1976-1987

Rev. James F. Power
1987-1993

Rev. Brian R. Kiely
1993-2001

Rev. Robert M. Blaney
2002-2007

Rev. Bob Connors
2007-Present

© 1996-2004
St. Francis Church
Dracut, MA
Parish History

The idea of a Saint Francis Parish was born when Father Francis L. Keenan, Pastor of St. Michael's Parish in Lowell, arranged for the purchase of an East Dracut schoolhouse. This small structure was to become a mission church to the three hundred Catholics in the Kenwood section of Dracut. The church was called St. Dominic's mission.

Our old Church on Methuen StreetIn time, the farmlands of East Dracut developed into a more residential setting. As more Catholic's moved into the area, they attended Mass at St. Dominic's, and the church began to form it's own identity. As a child matures and strikes out on it's own, so the mission church of St. Dominic matured and became a separate identity, known as Saint Francis Parish. The new parish was officially dedicated on February 12, 1963. Approximately 400 families made up it's population at that time.

Our new Church on Wheeler RoadFrom its very beginning, Saint Francis Parish was headed for expansion. Under the leadership of its first Pastor, Father George Gallivan, the parish had the vision to purchase a fifteen acre site at the crossroads of Wheeler and Old Parker Road in 1965. It is on this beautiful site that the parish population of over 1300 families saw their dreams become reality when our new Church and Parish Center was dedicated on May 5, 1996.