About Our Parish
St. John the Evangelist Parish, in the Diocese of Arlington, is a growing Catholic faith community committed to living God's message as given to us by Jesus Christ. The parish strives to encourage Christian love, faith and peace. We call on all parish members to offer their unique gifts and talents to develop our liturgies, educational programs, spiritual activities, and community action activities.
In our life's journey, we endeavor to share our experience of Christ's love and mercy and to extend that experience to all sectors of the community through social concerns. In so doing, we form a haven where all are welcomed, all are challenged to proclaim and live the Gospel, and all are loved.
Parish History
St. John the Evangelist parish was established in 1874, although the original church was dedicated in 1861. From its opening until 1872, St John was a mission of Sacred Heart Cathedral in Richmond. Because of the distance involved, visits from priests were infrequent. St. John parishioners built a rectory in 1872. Two years later, Father Jim Dougherty became the parish’s first resident priest. From the time of Father Dougherty’s departure in the early 1880s until 1913, St. John was once again without a resident priest and circuit-riding priests visited the parish once or twice a month.
The post-World War II era brought growth to the area, and by the late 1950s St. John was outgrowing the old church building. The parish purchased property on Winchester St., where they erected a school in 1960 and five years later, a new church.
Benedictine sisters from Bristow initially staffed St. John the Evangelist school. In 1968, the Sisters of Notre Dame (Chardon, OH) replaced the Benedictine sisters. Today, lay people staff the 350-student school.
In 1965, St. John’s parish dedicated the current stone church. The church is located in a residential neighborhood and provides a beautiful setting for the several liturgies that are held daily and each weekend.
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