The Roberts family has been here since St. Francis of Assisi Parish began. They were active in the Church as a family and remain stalwart community members. When founded in 1983, the parish was an outgrowth of St. Raphael’s Catholic Church off Falls of the Neuse. Vicki Roberts, the family’s matriarch, remembers when they moved back to Raleigh after being away for a year: “Most Catholics in the area joined St. Raphael’s or Lourdes at the time. People had approached Bishop Gossman and were looking to build a Church in the North Raleigh area because the Research Triangle Park was driving growth.” The family has five children, and their oldest, Dr. Michele Casey and Dr. Lisa Roberts were in middle school when they moved back from Florida. They tried to get their daughters into Our Lady of Lourdes, but there was a waitlist, so they went to West Millbrook.
As Michele and Lisa entered high school, they joined their parents in being active in the St. Francis community. Their mother taught Faith Formation at Lourdes to 1st and 2nd graders and remains active in faith formation at St. Francis to this day, while their father, Roy Roberts, was on the Board as the parish was formed and served on the building committee. Lisa said, “By high school, Michele and I were very involved with the youth group. Michele was president, and I was president after she left for college.” Michele remembers, “That was when we had to set up the chairs every week for the Church service; we would have youth group meetings where the Sanctuary was.” The current “Founder’s Room” is where this first sanctuary was. “It was a highlight of my life, socially, being able to meet kids our age and hang out with them. We would learn what we could about our relationship with Jesus, but I just remember the community of it all. Having a leadership role was fun for me when planning our events.”
One of the early events they both remember was a youth group ski trip. “We did donut fundraisers after Mass and sold Christmas trees to raise money for ski trips,” says Lisa. Michele and Lisa would coordinate the ski trips, and they even rented a bus company to take them to Beech or Sugar Mountain. They both recalled a trip where the bus broke down, and they used hair dryers to defrost ‘part of the bus.’ Eventually, they could get the bus going and continue their trip. Lisa says that during her 2nd year as president, “Father David and the youth group adult advisor, Mary Morch, came to me, and we revamped the group, calling it the Catholic Youth Connection (CYC). We had representatives from all the major area high schools. It became more structured and more organized.” She adds, “The youth group was a good way to keep us connected to and through the Church. We didn’t do mission work or work at the food bank, but it built community and was a regular gathering of people enjoying spending time together. It is interesting to see where we started, where it is now, and how large and organized it is. It is very positive for me to see how it has matured as it should have, to be the impressive and well-run youth group the parish has today.”
Michele and Lisa still go to Church with their mother at St. Francis. “Mom is still active at Church,” says Michele, “she and I often attend Church. She is passionate about St. Francis because of the Franciscan simplicity and dedication to serving others; she loves St. Francis and is committed to staying active.” Part of this was due to how active the early priests, Fathers English and Hudak, were. Michele remembers them as being “around often and going on social events with us. Being in high school and having a friendly relationship with the priests was a blessing. Today, the parish is bigger, but in the beginning, you got to know the priests on a different level.” Part of that was because the community was forming all around them then. Vicki recalls the first masses at York School on Lynn Rd. and Creedmoor Baptist Church before building the first church on the property on Leesville where St. Francis is now. “We used to have services back in the woods, and parishioners brought their food to share. We watched the new ‘barn-inspired’ church being built with anticipation.” Lisa remembers having “Mass in the woods, with the rectory across the street. Sometimes, we would have gatherings of people in the house (rectory) spilling into the backyard and woods.” The parish and the youth group used the property even as the parishioners raised funds to construct the first church building. “We (the youth group) would have campouts in the woods where the church is now and bonfires.” The land was extraordinary and well-used from the beginning, and the lack of a building at the time didn’t keep the church from being formed there!
The Roberts family remains active because of their love for St. Francis and how much a part of their lives the community has been. “St. Francis has been such a big part of our family’s life,” says Lisa. “We have five kids in our family. We all went through our confirmations there, and the younger boys also had their first communion there. Michele and I had our marriage ceremonies at St. Francis, and all our children received their baptisms at the church. Of course, our dad’s funeral was there too. St. Francis has been a huge part of all the major sacraments for many of us in the family.” Michele’s children also attended The Franciscan School (TFS), with her oldest working as an engineer while her younger twins are still at North Carolina State getting their degrees. Michele says, “Graham and Jacob (her twins) went through TFS from beginning to end, and that experience was foundational. They received a great education and formation in their faith; even today, they attend church regularly.” Lisa’s family remains involved in various ministries at the parish: “My husband, Paul, and I, as well as our children, Sydney and Addison, serve as Hospitality Ministers at masses. Sydney also serves as an altar server, and Paul often assists the choir by playing the drums during Sunday mass. Michele and I have served as Medical Ministers for many years to assist parishioners who unexpectedly needed medical assistance at mass.”
Our founder families have a right to be proud of all they have built at St. Francis and how the “little church in the woods” has grown to be one of the largest parishes in the Diocese of Raleigh. That took hard work and dedication. The fact that so many families, like the Roberts, remain active and involved in welcoming new families and continuing their legacy at St. Francis speaks to how inspirational building a faith community can be. Today, we at St. Francis stand on the shoulders of our Founders; they were giants!
