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.  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 also download a copy of the registration form here –  DownloadForm

Also, 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 our Grade School, which closed in 2006.  Our community has changed, and is no longer comprised of mostly young, catholic families, but many of our children and their families, parents and now grandparents,  still remain.  Let God guide us as we continue to welcome new families and friends to our parish and spread the good news in the 21st century!

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.