St. Francis Church is moving closer to permanent closure, with more than $350,000 in needed repairs and thousands more in annual maintenance taxing parish coffers.

This story has been brought to you from behind the paywall thanks to Lindberg Furniture. If local news matters to you, please consider supporting the businesses that support local journalism.

The Rev. John Jacquel said a firm is seeking to acquire the property, although details of the potential transaction couldn’t be disclosed.

The development comes as the Diocese of Erie moves through the formal process of removing the church’s designation as a sacred space, a necessary step before the property can be sold or repurposed.

On Sept. 16, the diocese’s Presbyteral Council, an advisory body of priests, recommended that Bishop Lawrence Persico change the church’s status to allow for “secular but not sordid use.”

The designation would permit the building to serve a nonreligious purpose, provided that use is not contrary to the dignity of its former status as a church.

Jacquel said the decision reflects mounting financial pressures, declining population and a growing shortage of priests.

Repairs to the building, including replacement of the boiler, asbestos removal, parking lot work and security upgrades, are estimated at just more than $350,000. Annual maintenance costs total approximately $52,000.

The church also faces extensive repairs to its bathroom water system.

Those expenses have become increasingly difficult to justify as Bradford’s Catholic population declines and the diocese consolidates its resources.

St. Francis celebrated its last regular Mass in December 2024, after serving as the temporary worship site while renovations were underway at St. Bernard Church. Masses had moved to St. Francis after Easter that year before returning to St. Bernard upon completion of the project.

The parish celebrated the Feast of St. Francis on Oct. 4 and anticipates scheduling a final closing Mass, although no date has been established.

Jacquel said the parish expects to adapt a decommissioning ritual previously used at Our Mother of Perpetual Help Church in Lewis Run, when the time comes.

Era photo by Sara Furlong

Our Mother of Perpetual Help closed in 2023 as part of consolidation of parishes in the Bradford area. A special closing Mass included prayers throughout the church and an opportunity for parishioners to place their hands on the altar in farewell.

The building subsequently went up for sale and was purchased by Ignite Church, which now uses the former Catholic church at 35 Lafayette Ave. in Lewis Run for worship services.

The Ignite congregation, led by Pastor Greg Newkirk, previously met at the Lewis Run Volunteer Fire Hall before acquiring a permanent home in the former church — illustrating how church buildings can find new purpose while continuing to serve the community.

Before St. Francis can be marketed, Persico must issue a formal decree, followed by a 30-day period during which appeals may be filed.

A diocesan archivist, the Rev. Justin Pino of St. Leo Church in Ridgway, is scheduled to visit Oct. 22 to document the church’s sacred furnishings and historical features.

The parish has already relocated some sacred images, including representations of St. Francis from inside the sanctuary and outside near the Old Post Office.

Other religious furnishings, including the altar, large crucifix and stained-glass windows, will need new homes. Jacquel said the parish has access to an accredited warehouse near Canonsburg that facilitates the reuse of religious items in other churches.

He cited the transfer of the tabernacle from Our Mother of Perpetual Help to Queen of the World Church in St. Marys as an example of how sacred furnishings can continue serving Catholic communities.

Any proceeds from the eventual disposition of St. Francis would benefit the parish and St. Bernard Cemetery, which historically received support from both St. Francis and Our Mother of Perpetual Help.

Beyond the building itself, the closure represents another significant change in the city’s Catholic history.

In 2023, the Diocese of Erie announced the merger of St. Francis Parish into St. Bernard Parish, bringing Bradford’s Catholic community under a single parish. Our Mother of Perpetual Help had previously merged with St. Francis in 2017.

The consolidation followed years of declining population and parish participation. St. Bernard, established in 1876, had been divided into three parishes in 1946, creating St. Francis in Bradford and Our Mother of Perpetual Help in Lewis Run.

St. Francis Church was constructed in 1950 under the leadership of founding pastor Msgr. Carlton Ritchie and became a center of worship, religious education and community traditions, including pet blessings, Mardi Gras celebrations, the Fifty Plus Club and the Rosary Altar Society.

Jacquel emphasized the importance of preserving those traditions and opportunities for parishioners even as the physical church closes.

He also pointed to the changing realities of Catholic ministry in Bradford.

When he served in the city in 1983 and ’84, eight priests ministered to the community. More recently, that number stood at three. Soon, he expects a single priest to serve Bradford and surrounding communities, with responsibilities extending farther across McKean County.

“Personally, it’s a bit heartbreaking to see St. Francis close,” Jacquel said, “but our demographics have changed.”