Parish Registration

We welcome new members to our parish family!  Please register at the rectory during the week from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m, or pickup a registration form in the back of the church.

All current and new parishioners are encouraged to participate fully in both the spiritual and social life of St. John’s.  Masses are said weekdays at 6:30 am except Fridays, Saturday at 4:00 pm, and Sunday morning at 9 & 11:30 a.m.  Confessions are heard before the Saturday mass beginning at 3:15 pm.  Our church is handicapped accessible, and on-street parking is available as well as our parking lot behind the Rectory.

Our parish has many lifelong volunteers, and those who have recently joined our parish working together to support our parish family.  Please visit the Ministries & Organizations page of this website to become involved and see how your interests and talents can help sustain the life of your parish.

You can download a copy of the registration form here –  DownloadForm

Please notify the rectory if you are moving from the parish, or if you have changed your address or telephone number.

A Brief History of St. John the Baptist

The tenth oldest parish in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, St. John the Baptist Parish started in the small milltown of Manayunk founded by Jerome and Eulalia Keating.  In the winter of 1829-30 it is believed that the first Catholic Mass in our area was celebrated in the Keatings’ home, and Eulalia Keating was said to have held a weekly Sunday school for a dozen or so neighboring children.

Eventually when about 20 families were attending, Jerome Keating proposed the start of the parish and made a gift of the ground for the church and cemetery, which opened 1831. Our rapid growth of the church and beginning of a school became too small for the manufacturing town, calling for the building of a new cathedral-like church.  Our current church was designed by architect Patrick Charles Keely of New York, and built at a cost of $250,000 with help of the local community.

Over nearly two centuries, our parish has seen many changes, which included the openings (and closings) of our original church building, both a Boys and Girls’ High School, and Grade School, which most recently closed in 2006.  Through it all we have continued to welcome new parishioners through Baptism and the Sacraments to the St. John’s family, and many that stood through it all remain with our parish.  Many former school children are now alumni/ae,  parents and grandparents, and remain a vital part of continuing the spirit of St. John the Baptist.  We are thankful that God has blessed and kept us, and pray that He continue to guide all of us in Jesus’ name.

A printed, fully detailed history of our parish which includes historic photography of our parish beginnings, specific dates and changes in the Manayunk community, and the other area parishes in the community, is available for purchase at the Rectory and was printed during our 175th Jubilee in 2006.  Call 215.482.4600 for details.