He was a son of New York City and a son of St. Francis of Assisi. Now he joins all of God’s children in heaven.

Fr. Francis Gasparik, through and through a Capuchin and a New Yorker, died on Nov. 12 at the age of 65. A fixture of midtown Manhattan, Father Francis was well known both among high society and the salt of the earth. Fittingly, his funeral was celebrated at the Church of St. John the Baptist, where he had been pastor for so many years.

Anyone who met Father Francis never could forget his outgoing personality, his booming voice, or his blunt manner of speaking. “He didn’t do dainty and demure,” said Fr. Michael Marigliano in his funeral homily. “But that was simply his manner … it was not his core. At his core, Francis was and is a disciple of Jesus.” Like those first disciples, each of them bold characters in their own right, Father Francis devoted his energy to spreading the kingdom of God. “And Francis was dedicated to that, with all the bombast and all the laughter,” said Father Michael.

He served the Province for 21 years on the provincial council, including his two terms as provincial minister from 2011 to 2017. In the 2000s he was the mission secretary and director of development. He had a hand in the administration of provincial properties, finances, investments, vehicles, health care, and policy. He also served the global Capuchin Order in fundraising for its Office of Economic Solidarity, which supports the growth of the Order in mission fields.

Within the Archdiocese of New York, Father Francis served on the presbyteral council under Cardinals John O’Connor and Edward Egan in the areas of priests’ compensation and retirement as well as outreach to the poor.

Born on July 7, 1958, Father Francis was the adopted son of Francis J. and Joan E. Gasparik. The Capuchins were to become his adoptive spiritual family. He entered the novitiate on Aug. 31, 1979, professed his solemn vows on Aug. 24, 1985, and was ordained to the priesthood on May 31, 1986.

“I wasn’t sure the priesthood was for me,” Father Francis told the New York Post in 2003. “I just wanted to give it a try and get it out of my system. I figured I’d be out of there in a year.”

In 1991, Father Francis began his first tenure as pastor of St. John the Baptist. He was faced with a church whose ceiling was collapsing and attendance was declining. He opened a parish thrift store and wrote to foundations, and with the funds he obtained from them, he repaired the church. To renew attendance, he promoted the Padre Pio Shrine, the Secular Franciscans, the Solanus Casey Guild, a charismatic prayer group, 12-step recovery groups, and an all-night vigil on the first Fridays of the month. He boosted the St. John Bread of Life Food Pantry, which came to feed hundreds of families weekly.

In 2013, while Father Francis was provincial minister, the Church of St. John the Baptist was merged with Holy Cross Church on West 42nd Street to become one parish. He took up residence at Holy Cross and later became the pastor of Holy Cross-St. John in 2017, a position he held until ill health required his resignation in March.

Father Francis was also director of St. Francis Food Pantries and Shelters, a network of food and service programs for the poor. He became special adviser of the chairman and CEO of the Saint Pio Foundation in 2022.