The Very Rev. Francis J. Gasparik, OFM Cap., is a New York City-born and bred individual who has been living in and serving the community in midtown Manhattan for the past twenty-seven years. From his diverse background as childcare worker, prison chaplain, hospital chaplain, youth minister, educator, and recruiter, Father Francis brought these experiences to bear upon his work at the Church of St. John the Baptist from 1991 to 2002. In 2002, he became the Province's foreign mission secretary and development director. As the former provincial minister (2011-2017) and a provincial councilor for twenty-one years, he has served as a member of the governing board for the Capuchin Province of St. Mary in the areas of property, finance, investments, fleet management, health care, recruitment, and policy making.
Internationally, he served on the Fundraising Committee and Commission for Economic International Solidarity of the General Minister. In the Archdiocese of New York, he has served as a member of the Pastors Advisory Council for the Development Efforts of the Archdiocese of New York, the Archdiocesan Realignment Advisory Panel, and the Priests’ Council under their Eminences Cardinals John O’Connor and Edward Egan in the areas of priests’ compensation, priests’ retirement, and outreach to those disenfranchised by the Church.
Father Francis became Special Adviser of the Chairman and CEO of the Saint Pio Foundation, starting from 2022.