Parish History
In 1930 the Most Reverend John T. McNally established St. John the Baptist Parish in the Delta district, which had been part of St. Patrick Parish. The site purchased for the church and school in 1929 was an old orchard.
A separate school was built first in 1929, and the community worshipped there until 1942 when construction of the church began. Because of the war at the time, steel was impossible to obtain and so a temporary wooden structure was built. By the 1950s the parish had grown so large that a larger church was needed.
The present church was built in 1956 and dedicated on October 6, 1957. Its construction was made possible by the generosity of parishioners and the tireless labour of Father T.B. Traynor, who was pastor from 1933 until his death in 1960. The 1942 building was turned into a parish hall.
Father G.M. Ryan, St. John’s next pastor (1960-1976), brought to the growing community a strong sense of being together – a feeling that persists to the present day. In 1982, Father Dan Hinsperger altered the church to incorporate a daily Mass chapel and arranged the congregation on three sides of the altar rather than four.
The Parish has seen steady numbers of families and continues to be very active in outreach and community engagement.