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The St. Francis Ladies Guild is open to all women of the parish age 17 or older. Meetings are held on the first Tuesday of every month at 7:00 PM in the Library. The Guild is actively involved in church fund-raising projects. In the past they have helped the Youth Group as well as the Knights of Columbus in organizing functions for these groups and for the parish. The Ladies Guild has also established a scholarship for students attending the school. Our Ladies Guild Officers Anne Anctil, President Lisa Oberto, Vice President Cindy Ulrich, Treasurer Kim Cushing, Secretary
BYLAWS MEETING MINUTES (Click on month to view minutes) History of the Ladies Guild As some of you may or may not know the Ladies Guild has a long history with the parish of St. Francis. The original St. Francis Church was founded in 1903 and was located on Newbury St in Londonderry. At that time it was the mission church of the Blessed Sacrament Church which is located on Elm St. in Manchester. In February 1935, a group of ladies decided to start a mother-daughter organization whose purpose was to participate in various activities for the benefit of the parish and church. Thus, the SFOA Ladies Guild was born. The original membership was composed of about 40 to 50 dedicated women. Many of whom were still very active in the 1970’s. During the early 1940’s, the church moved from its original location to the Elms which is now part of the Highlander Inn at the airport. In the mid-forties, the brick church was built on Brown Avenue followed by a school and gym. Having this facility, the ladies guild expanded their activities to include fashion shows, spaghetti suppers, food sales, penny sales, and holiday dinners. The ladies guild also came to the aid of bereaved families by preparing luncheons to accommodate family and friends who came to pay last respects. In the mid-nineties, with the expansion of the airport, St. Francis was once again asked to relocate. In July, 2000, St. Francis opened its doors at our present location here in Litchfield. Thus, St. Francis was located in three different towns, Londonderry, Manchester, and now Litchfield. As always the Ladies Guild remains active in parish activities. Helping with the bake table at the penny sale, organizing fund raisers to provide altar vestments, providing a presence at our monthly masses, providing holy cards for the first communicants, sponsoring the annual Doris Segal blood drive, putting together a parish cookbook, organizing bread, pie and candy sales and in general helping out where and when we are needed by the parish. Last year, we introduced the first annual women’s retreat here at St. Francis. Check the bulletin or website for future retreats each spring.
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