Our parish was established on August 26, 1969, formed from sections of two neighboring parishes - Incarnation and St. Charles. There were 30 suggested names for our parish and 815 votes cast.
St. Francis of Assisi received 514 votes and became our name on November 10, 1969.

According to the report in the Dayton Daily News of February 28, 1958, this property was the scene of the worst plane crash disaster in the history of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. On Monday, February 27, 1958, a B-50 bomber crashed and took the lives of the eleven men (nine military and two civilians) aboard. Eight minutes after takeoff and having reached an altitude of 5500 feet, the plane turned northeast, apparently trying to return to base. While attempting an emergency landing, the plane struck the ground in the corn field, continued several hundred yards and struck a house, destroying both the plane and the home. The house was vacant because the owner (Dr. O.C. Henderson's widow) was vacationing in Florida. The house sat approximately 20 yards in front of our present building.

Since it's inception our parish has been staffed by Franciscan Friars of St. John Baptist Province, head quartered in Cincinnati. Father Francis X. Hoffer was the first Pastor. Prior to building our present church, the Friars let us use the chapel at St. Leonard College.

The first Eucharistic Liturgy was celebrated in our church at 5:00pm on Saturday evening, January 4, 1975. Archbishop Joseph L. Bernardin officially blessed and dedicated our present facility on January 26, 1975.

Until the completion of the present Friary in January 1979, our Pastor resided in a small apartment in the Church. Those rooms are now used as offices. The South wing, presently used for CCD classes and meetings, was added in July of 1983 and dedicated in October of that year.

The new church was dedicated on March 27, 2004.