St. John’s turns 125

For 125 years, St. John’s the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church in Center Moriches has been inspired by their patrons with a mission to bring the light of Christ to a world in need.

“From the celebration of the Eucharist, we are sent forth to serve God and neighbor through ministries of formation, education and outreach,” their mission reads.

Originally a Catholic church in the parlor of an East Moriches home, to a wooden church in the same town, the church we all know today was built on Montauk Highway 125 years ago.

The church’s first Mass was celebrated on Aug. 1, 1897, although it was not a formal dedication because Bishop Charles McDonnell of the Brooklyn Diocese was in Europe at the time. The church was dedicated a year later on Aug. 7, 1897.

The church was built by architect R.L. Daus of Brooklyn, the president of the Brooklyn Institute Department of Architecture. Messrs. Stevenson and Company were the builders of the gothic building and originally had a seating capacity of 400, 82 feet long by 46 wide. The stained glass was manufactured by Hensleiter & Company, also from Brooklyn.

By 1914, Fr. John Donlan was in his fifth year as pastor when St. John’s was incorporated. At that time, the exterior was updated and a porch was added. Pastor Donlan then began a school building fund in 1920 and the school opened in 1926. The church continued to expand over the years with Fr. Thomas Scnlan, Fr. Stanislaus Kowalski and Fr. Andrew Klarmann.

 The church will also be holding an anniversary Mass in June with Bishop Robert J. Coyle, the vicar for the Eastern and Western Suffolk Vicariates.

HOURS

St. John’s has parish office rectory hours in the blue house on Ocean Avenue. This is where people can make appointments to meet priests, pick up a Mass card, drop off materials, and is usually the first stop at SJE. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. from Monday-Thursday and from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. from Friday to Sunday. The staff closes each day at noon for break.

CONTACT

For more information email rectory@sjecm.org. Or visit the office at 25 Ocean Avenue, Center Moriches. The office of Faith Formation is located in the Red Barn and can be reached at 631-878-0009 ext. 5. The parish Social Ministry is located in the Red Barn and can be reached at the same number but extension 4.