Chester
The first reference to the Franciscans in Chester occurs in 1235 when the Bishop of Lincoln wrote to the bishop of Coventry and Lichfield (in whose diocese Chester then was), expressing his support for the intention of the Friars Minor to build a house in the city. It was not until 29th April 1875 that the present church. dedicated to St Francis, was opened.
A more detailed history.	Masses & Contacts	Parish Today

With a church and friary in being, the Franciscan mission in Chester could look forward to a stable existence. The parish covered all the western part of Chester and out into the rural areas on that side of the city. It was here that the first winds of change were felt with the building of Council housing on the Lache estate in the 1930s. The pace accelerated in the post-war period, with the result that in the 1950s and '60s many parishioners were moved out to new estates on the city's western fringe. New parishes were opened to meet their needs - St Theresa, Blacon (1959) and St Clare, Lache (1960), both of which were served by Capuchin Friars from St Francis in their early years, before being handed over to the Diocese of Shrewsbury.

The sub-standard housing which the estates replaced was demolished, being replaced mainly by commercial property. This has meant that the number of people living within the revised parish boundary is now very small, and the parish school had to be closed some years ago. Since the Second Vatican Council changes have been made in the layout of the church to bring it into Line with its teachings: the reordering has been carried out in a sympathetic manner.

	In the 1980s the 1876 friary building was disposed of (it became a hostel for homeless men) and the friars moved into a smaller modern building on the other side of the church. The church, however, attracts many people from outside the parish to its masses, on Sundays and perhaps even more during the week, and serves as a meeting place for several Catholic (and other) organisations which function on a city rather than a parish basis. More about the Parish Today
The major role of the church at the present time is not so much that of a parish church in the normal sense as that of a centre offering Franciscan spirituality at the heart of a busy commercial, administrative and tourist city.
Extracted from: "The Capuchins" - by Sebastian Holland O.F.M. Cap. ; and "Franciscans in Chester - A lookback over Seven Centuries" With additional comments by the current Friars

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