Parish History

History of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, Crestline, was the first parish in the world to be dedicated to the newly canonized Mother Cabrini in 1946. Ground was broken for a new church the following year. The Norman-style facility was completed on Thanksgiving Day 1947. At the time, the Crestline telephone directory had only two and a half pages!

In 1947 lifelong Baptists donated a statue of St. Cabrini whom they greatly admired. In 1970 a wing to provide more seating and facilities was added and the following year, a third parking area. In 1972 the church installed a 600 pound bell cased at the Picard Foundry in France. Among pastors, Fr. Thomas Briody served 22 years from 1946, and Fr. John Domas organized a Christian education program and invited two Sisters of Providence from Indiana to staff it.

Lay ministers have developed both within the parish as well as in Crestline's larger community. They include the formation of the Mother Cabrini Circle in 1985. Its members still take food, clothing and furnishing to poor Mexicans across the border. Parishioners are active members of the Crestline Ministerial Association as well as the Chamber of Commerce. They support the Gabriel project and pro-life activities. Since the great success of Renew 2000, volunteers are now embarking on a new door-to-door evangelization of the Crestline area.