September 1, 1895 – Bishop Watterson laid the cornerstone of the current church. He returned on August 23, 1896, to consecrate the building.
1902 – Bishop Moeller returned a portion of the parish to the jurisdiction of Sacred Heart parish; and in 1905, the new parish of Holy Name was formed, removing from St. Francis all territory north of West 11th Avenue.
September 9, 1907 – A newly built school was opened and staffed by seven nuns of the Dominican Sisters of St. Mary of the Springs.
Between 1900 and 1913 – A new pipe organ was installed by the Barckhoff Organ Company of Pomeroy, OH.
1926 – The current rectory was built, replacing the original one built in 1893.
October 7, 1946 – The Golden Jubilee of the parish was celebrated.
1955 – The parish inaugurated a major remodeling program of the church basement, sacristy, and rectory.
1957 – The City of Columbus began its urban renewal south of the church. Over a third of the houses in the parish were torn down and the church lost over 250 families by the end of 1959.
1961 – The school was remodeled. By 1966, the urban renewal program in Columbus began to build 300 apartments south of the church.
1970 – The school was closed because of low enrollment, and in the same year, the school building was leased to the Franklin County Mental Health Department for classes.
December 8, 1973 – On this night, the school burned down.
1986 – The parish initiated a major renovation of the church,
social hall and rectory.
1995 – The Centennial of the Blessing of the church cornerstone was celebrated with a prayer service at Sacred Heart Church,
followed by a procession from there to St. Francis.
August, 24, 1996 – The Centennial of the Consecration of the Church was held. Bishop Griffin re-consecrated the church, and a brand new altar, ambo and tabernacle were dedicated. A reception and dinner dance were held after the service to complete the celebration.
April, 2000 – A state-of-the-art lighting system was installed
in the church building.
June 1, 2001 – The renovated Barckhoff organ was blessed within the context of a parish concert.
August 21, 2016 – 120th Anniversary celebration! The day was celebrated with Mass by Bishop Frederick F. Campbell with a luncheon reception following.
Capital Campaign 2017-2020 -- Major renovations of the historic Church building were needed. A highly successful Capital Campaign
"Honoring the Past, Serving the Present, Preserving God's Gift for the Future" raised over $292,000 to support the renovations.
September, 2017 -- Renovation of the stained glass windows took place.
The wooden frames were scraped & repainted, broken stained glass was repaired, and exterior window coverings were replaced.
January, 2019 -- As the Church interior renovation begins, the celebration of Mass moved into the Parish Hall for the duration. The renovation included refinishing of the wood floors, restoration of the pews, removal of radiator covers, plaster repair and repainting of the church interior.
The renovation was finished ahead of schedule and Mass was celebrated in the Church during Holy Week of 2019.
June 23, 2019 -- Bishop Robert J. Brennan, newly appointed to Columbus, celebrated Corpus Christi and First Communion Mass with us.
This was followed by a luncheon reception.
November & December, 2019-The leather bellows on the historic Barckhoff organ, which had come to the end of its lifespan, was replaced, along with several other minor repairs and a thorough cleaning
following the Church refurbishment.
August 2, 2022 - The Organ Historical Society featured the Barckhoff Organ in a concert at its 2022 National Convention held in Columbus, Ohio.
October 2, 2022 -- Bishop Earl Fernandes, newly appointed to Columbus, celebrated our Patronal Feast Day Mass with us.
This was followed by a luncheon reception.