St. Francis Of Assisi Church

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From the first store front Mass offered on Oct. 1, 1871, for six Catholic families, to the opening of the first parish church in July 1881, to the bustling center of faith it is today, St. Francis Church has served the Bakersfield area well. The first building committee included its chairman, Col. Thomas Baker, A.R. Jackson, Julius Chester, Bakersfield’s first newspaperman, John C. Fremont’s scout, Alexis Godey and the storeowner Pablo Galtes. 

Their plans were completed ten years later in 1881, but a pastor for the new church was not named until 1884. The 1952 earthquake destroyed the 50-year-old church on Truxtun Avenue. Msgr. Patrick Leddy led the effort to build the church and rectory in use today. A new hall was added in 1996. Under native son and pastor, Fr. Craig Harrison, the parish today is growing rapidly in both attendance and property needed to better serve over 6,500 families for the glory of God.