Saint John The Baptist Catholic Church – Monaca PA
Parish History (information derived from parish archive)
Before 1888, those of Catholic faith in Monaca (then called Phillipsburg) had to make their way to Rochester or Beaver, PA to attend Mass. To better serve these people of faith, St. John the Baptist was founded and work was begun on a church in the autumn of 1888. The church was a mission of St. Cecilia Parish in Rochester, PA, until 1891, when the first resident pastor was assigned to the parish in August of that year. The parish had a resident pastor until 1900. It then became a mission church of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish, Beaver, PA. Finally in 1907, the mission of St. John the Baptist again was assigned a resident pastor.
Construction of the first church
began in the Fall of 1888.
The second church, formerly the Lyceum,
was converted in May of 1913.
The first church building served the congregation until 1913. With the areas growth in population the existing structure was too small to meet the needs of the congregation. The parish lyceum, which had been built in 1910, was converted into a church and dedicated on August 3, 1913. This second church eventually proved inadequate space as well. Meanwhile, in the early 1920s land was purchased for use as a parish cemetery. On May 4, 1930, the cornerstone for a new church was laid and on May 30, 1932, the new church was dedicated. This beautiful structure built for the glory of God continues to serve the congregation of the parish.
