T-R FILE PHOTO Father Kyle Tietz, associate pastor at St. Mary’s, shows the Francis Fest crowd his juggling skills during last year’s celebration. The annual event returns this Sunday.

St. Francis of Assisi Parish has two events planned this week in honor of its namesake. On Friday, which is St. Francis’ feast day, people can come to a Blessing of Animals ceremony at 12:45 p.m. at St. Henry Field. Bring your pets for a blessing. On Sunday, the parish’s annual Francis Fest will take place at St. Mary Church Campus. Attendees can enjoy food, music, kids’ games, raffles, loteria (Mexican bingo) and more.

Francis Fest will kickoff at 10:30 a.m. with an outdoor Mass. Bring a chair. From noon to 4 p.m., Francis Fest activities will run, with the help of a dedicated team of volunteers.

“We do this as close as we can to St. Francis Day,” said coordinator Hilda Santamaria, who serves as Hispanic Ministry pastoral associate. “Planning starts in July.”

The event was previously known as Fiesta on First, but was renamed when St. Mary and St. Henry parishes unified, along with Immaculate Conception Oratory in Haverhill, to become St. Francis of Assisi Parish in 2019.

Food available for sale will include: pambazo sandwiches, enchiladas, burritos, walking tacos, tacos, pupusas, posole, loose meat sandwiches, popcorn, DQ blizzards, hot dogs, tamales and other goodies. For your sweet tooth, cake, cookies, churros, brownies, fruit cups, candy, frituras and more will be offered.

Cartoon characters will be available for photo ops, plus kids can enjoy games with prizes. Mexican bingo will also include prizes.

Parishioners and the community have donated raffle items. Raffle tickets are one dollar each and all youth will receive one free. There will be two raffles per hour. Must be present to win. The color of the raffle tickets will be changed each hour.

Associate Pastor Father Kyle Tietz will perform juggling, and there will be Hispanic musical groups performing throughout the day.

“The event is not so much a fundraiser, it’s more of a community gathering. Everybody’s welcome. You don’t have to be Catholic in order to attend,” Santamaria said.

Approximately 300 to 400 people partake each year.

Volunteers are always needed. Setup will start around 7 a.m. with cleanup beginning at 3:30 p.m.

Santamaria said that while St. Mary’s is the church with the large Hispanic demographic, the entire parish is diverse. About a year ago, she relocated to Marshalltown from Chicago to assume the role of Hispanic Ministry pastoral associate.

“I help the whole community. It’s not just for Catholics or parishioners. I help fill out forms. I help people that need translations. Everything is confidential. I’m a notary public. If I’m not able to help them, I help them find resources,” she noted. “One of the things I love about this job is that not every day is the same.”

To learn more about Francis Fest, or to sign up to volunteer, call the parish office at 641-752-6278.