The history of Saint Francis of Assisi Church, South Kingstown, dates by tangible records from the year 1850, when on January 19, according to an interesting and invaluable record of Mrs. Caroline Newbold Hazard, Holy Mass was first offered.  Mrs. Hazard writes; “Yesterday they had a priest to hold Mass in the wool room and all the Catholics in the neighborhood were highly delighted.  He stayed all night with us and seems to be a very amiable man.”  The Hazards were Quakers and lived in what is now Senator T.P. Hazard’s home.  The “wool room” is now the Dove and Distaff house.  According to all accounts, Father Hilary Tucker was the first priest ever to have celebrated the Holy Sacrifice in South County.