St. Francis Xavier Parish

09/07/2026

On Labor Day we honor in a special way Saint Joseph, the patron saint of laborers. St. Pope John Paul II said, "Saint Joseph was a just man, a tireless worker, the upright guardian of those entrusted to his care. May he always guard, protect and enlighten families."
Saint Joseph, pray for us.

09/03/2026

Sometimes you may be walking down St. Peter Street in Winooski and look up and think, "Those twin spires are so beautiful against that early September sky." So you take a picture and then you think, "I bet someone else might enjoy seeing those beautiful twin spires against this early September sky. " So you post the picture on the St. Francis Xavier Facebook so someone else can enjoy it. :)

09/02/2026

Thank you, St Francis Parishioners for your generous support for Father Paul’s Church Fundraiser for the Most Holy Name of Jesus Parish.
If you ordered a Chicken Curry Dinner, you will need to remember to pick it up on Thursday, September 3rd between 4:00 PM-5:00 PM at the Saint Francis Xavier School gym located at 5 St. Peter Street in Winooski.
If you did not pay yet please bring cash or check made out to Most Holy Name of Jesus

09/01/2026

It is always an honor to welcome Bishop John McDermott to Saint Francis Xavier Church. The Bishop celebrated a Mass for our school students on Monday and then spent time visiting the classrooms and wishing everyone well for the new school year.

08/30/2026

There is always a special joy that accompanies a baptism at St. Francis Xavier and that joy was quadrupled on Sunday when Fr. Yvon baptized four wonderful children of God after the 11:00 Mass. What terrific additions to our faith community!

08/29/2026

We are launching an effort to raise funds to refurbish and restore Mary's Grotto located between Saint Francis Xavier Church and School. We wanted to share some of the history of the Grotto and explain what the restoration process will involve:

Preserving Mary’s Grotto at Saint Francis Xavier
"In 1959, Sister Laure Gabrielle, Mother Superior at Our Lady of Providence Convent, was on a mission. She wanted a special spot on the St. Francis Xavier School and Parish grounds to honor the Virgin Mary. Monsignor George L’Ecuyer, St. Francis Xavier's pastor at that time, was in complete agreement and the two of them spearheaded the building of what is now Mary’s Grotto, located on the hill below the rectory.

At the time of the construction, parishioners and local businesses donated funds, materials, and labor. The children of St. Francis Xavier School brought in stones they collected to be part of the grotto. As Sister Laure said, “In years to come, many residents will be able to say ‘One of the stones in the shrine is mine,’” It’s true – many senior members of our parish recall bringing stones to school for this project. As one of the former students said, “We thought the angels built it because one day there was a pile of rocks, then there was the grotto.”

Sixty seven years later, it’s time to call upon the angels again! Mary’s Grotto, a place of prayer and peace for old and young alike, needs repairs to keep it standing strong for many decades to come. These repairs are estimated to cost $7,000. The work will include stripping the stucco off the back and applying an FSB coating, repointing the stone joints to make them flush, and applying a spray sealer to the top and all stone faces."

SFX Parish and School will be having a bottle drive competition to see which group can bring in the most returnable cans and bottles to go towards the restoration project. If you wish to make a donation other than with bottles and cans, contributions can be mailed to St. Francis Xavier Church, 3 St. Peter Street, Winooski, VT 05404 or by going on line at https://osvhub.com/sfx-church/giving/funds. Click on the Buildings and Grounds tab and note that the donation is for the Grotto. Thank you!

08/27/2026

08/23/2026

St. Francis Xavier Parish was honored to welcome Fr. Sahaya Paul for our weekend Masses. Fr. Paul is the Parochial Vicar & Director of Religious Education at Blessed Sacrament Parish in Stowe and Most Holy Name of Jesus Parish in Morrisville. Fr. Paul provided information on the efforts being made to build a new church for the Most Holy Name of Jesus (MHNJ) Parish to better serve their growing community needs. And Fr. Paul offered a unique fundraiser to parishioners – he’s making chicken curry dinners for donors!

If you are interested in learning more about these efforts, please click here: https://www.mostholynamevt.org/capital-campaign

There were also members of the MHNJ Parish present after the Masses at St. Francis Xavier selling raffle tickets for two beautiful quilts as part of the fundraising efforts. To purchase raffle tickets for the quilts you can email [email protected] or call the rectory: 802-888-3318.

08/17/2026

This is a fairly typical picture of the moment during Mass when members of the parish who have volunteered bring the gifts to the altar before the consecration. Also on the altar are the lectors, the eucharistic ministers, the altar servers, and the deacon -- all volunteers. Not seen in this picture, but present at the Mass, are the greeters, the individuals who take up the collection, those who toll the bell at the consecration, and those who tidy the church after each Mass -- all volunteers. There may also be members of the parish council or the facilities committee or the outreach committee or the finance committee present at the Mass -- all volunteers. We are blessed at St. Francis Xavier Parish to have so many in our community of believers who give of their time and talent to serve the Body of Christ. Thank you to all these good people.

08/15/2026

Historically, church bells were tolled to mark the death of a community member. When a certain sequence of bells was heard in a town, people would know a neighbor had passed and reach out to ask about the deceased. John Donne referenced this in his famous poem, "For Whom the Bells Toll":
"Each man's death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee."
These days at Saint Francis Xavier Parish, the church bells are most likely tolled to mark the moment of the consecration at Mass when Jesus becomes present on the altar. Jesus comes to comfort and save us all. So we can echo the words of John Donne in answer to the question of for whom the bell tolls, "It tolls for thee."