[p. 971] pastor of St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church at Villa Maria, in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, is well known to the people of the county. He has held his present pastorate since 1881, and during the twenty-seven years which have since elapsed he has ever been found fighting valiantly for the supremacy of right and justice, and the uplift of the community, spiritually, morally and intellectually. The parochial institution over which he has Divine guidance is conducted by the Sisters of the Holy Humility of Mary, and is an old institution which has educated many who have attained prominence in the various walks in life. It was established some time prior to 1864 and until that date was in charge of Sisters of Charity, with headquarters at Cleveland, Ohio. In that year the Sisters of the Holy Humility of Mary came from France and assumed charge. Prior to the sisters of Charity, it was conducted by the Franciscan Brothers.
Rev. Nicholas J. Franche was born in the Province of Lorraine, France, June 2, 1851, and is a son of John D. and Marie (Sibille) Franche, natives of France and both now deceased. Father Franche received a classical and ecclesiastical education in the seminaries of his native land, and in 1874 came to America, where he was ordained in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1875, by Bishop Fitzgerald, now deceased, of Little Rock, Ark. His first charges were the Missions at South Thompson and Archibald, in Ohio, and he continued there some six years, at the end of which time he was called to his present pastorate. He has been a naturalized citizen of the United States since 1880, and although a Democrat in national politics, is of independent tendencies. He exerts a powerful influence in the community, and enjoys the love and respect of his fellow citizens regardless of any religious differences they may hold.
20th Century History of New Castle and Lawrence County Pennsylvania and Representative Citizens Hon. Aaron L. Hazen Richmond-Arnold Publishing Company, Chicago, Ill., 1908
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Updated: 11 Feb 2002