A History of St. Francis In-The-Fields
Our building, located in Zionsville, Indiana.
In 1965 the women of the church organized the first of six very successful House Tours to raise money which was used to purchase land northwest of the Village. A small house that existed on the land was remodeled to serve as a chapel and the name St. Francis in the Fields was chosen. Construction of the nave of the church was begun in 1968, and first used on Palm Sunday, 1969. The "Little House" became the site of a nursery school.
In 1974 a classroom and nursery wing were completed and a kitchen was added and the two buildings connected in 1975. Growth and development in the village of Zionsville meant growth in church membership too. Between 1978 and 1980, St. Francis almost doubled in size, and first full-time Vicar was hired in 1979.
In 1984, the construction of another wing of kitchen, offices and parish hall was completed. In 1986, when the Rev. Sandra B. Michels was called as Vicar, St. Francis was still a mission congregation receiving financial support from the Diocese. Three years of financial independence are required before a mission can be admitted as a parish in the Diocese of Indianapolis. In the fall of 1994, all the requirements had been met, and Sandi became the first Rector of the new parish.
The most recent addition to our building included this beautiful patio.
Continued growth in Zionsville and St. Francis necessitated one more building program. In 1998, with a leap of faith, we finished construction of the beautiful new building you see today. In addition to a worship space that is more than twice the original size, it contains an enlarged reception area, enhanced educational space, a large parish hall, columbarium, and gardens. The Zionsville Boys and Girls Club facility, built on our property and leased to the organization for a nominal fee, has provided us with new ways to interact with and serve the needs of a growing community.
In the summer of 2001, St. Francis added a second full-time priest when The Rev. Todd A. Kleffman joined our growing staff. Todd served the community as Associate Rector until the summer of 2005, when he was called to serve as Rector of St. John's Episcopal Church in Crawfordsville.
In July of 2005, the Rev. Michael J. Galvin joined our clergy staff as Associate Rector. Mike had served as a seminary intern to St. Francis for two years prior and was able to step into his role quickly and served the parish well until he was called to serve as Rector of Holy Family Episcopal Church in Fishers, Indiana in June 2007.
The Rev. Jesse Abell joined St. Francis as Associate Rector, upon the departure of Father Galvin. Father Abell, faithfully served the parish through worship, pastoral care, chaplaincy to our youth programs and through many other duties.
The choir processing in at the beginning of the service.
With the retirement of Rev. Michels in 2009, after more than 22 years as the Rector of St. Francis, our congregation moved into a new phase. Under the leadership of Father Abell and our Interim Rector, Mother Kate Cullinane, St. Francis began an exciting time of self-discovery and renewal.
Our search committee worked efficiently, diligently and thoughtfully and identified Father C. Davies Reed as our next rector. He was installed on May 8, 2011. The St. Francis In-the-Fields ministry team continued to grow with the addition in 2016 of Associate Rector Mother Whitney Rice. Mother Whitney served at St. Francis until March of 2019, leaving to be closer to her family in Missouri.
In 2020, St. Francis was selected by the Diocese to participate in the Curacy Program, that places a newly ordained priest in a working congregation for two years. In 2020 we welcomed Fr. Allan Wallace as our first Curate. Fr. Allan was called to be the Rector for St. Paul’s, New Albany, the first Episcopal congregation in the state of Indiana. In 2022, St. Francis received another Curate, The Rev. Dr. Joél Muñoz, who then became Associate Rector in 2024.
The story of a congregation is so much more than just the story of building projects. The true foundation of a parish is not bricks and mortar. It is the people of the congregation who give of themselves, of their time, talent, treasure, energy, and devotion to the work of God.
