The Moment We Decided to Turn St. Frances Into a Home

Every love story has a defining moment—the kind that shifts everything and sets a new course. For us, that moment came inside the quiet walls of St. Frances.

When we first purchased the chapel, we knew it was special. Its history, its grounds, its timeless beauty all pulled at our hearts. But there was a deeper pull, too—the kind that whispered not just preserve this place, but live within it.

The decision didn’t come in a boardroom or with a long list of pros and cons. It came in a still, almost sacred moment. We were standing inside, surrounded by worn pews and the echo of silence, when the thought landed: This isn’t just a venue—it could be a home. Not just a structure we cared for, but a place where life and love would unfold every single day.

We’ll never forget our first night here—just Rick, Dylan, and I. We rolled out air mattresses inside the chapel, surrounded by those centuries-old walls. As we lay there in the quiet, it struck us that maybe this was the very first time anyone had ever slept inside St. Frances. It felt surreal, as if history paused to welcome us in. Between the creaks of the floor and the stillness of the night, there was a sense of both peace and wonder. That night sealed it for us—St. Frances wasn’t just going to be cared for by us, it was going to be lived in.

Turning St. Frances into a home was about more than practicality. It was about connection. To live inside meant waking up with the light streaming through those same windows that once illuminated worshippers in 1845. It meant cooking dinner where echoes of hymns still lingered. It meant blending our family’s story into the very fabric of its history.

That decision carried weight. It was both exhilarating and humbling. To transform sacred walls into a home meant honoring what had been, while making space for what could be. It meant every nail, every brushstroke of paint, and every quiet night under its roof was part of both restoration and rebirth.

In that moment, we realized St. Frances wasn’t just a chapter in our journey—it was the setting. A home not only for us, but for love, legacy, and the countless stories yet to be written here.