St. John the Baptist parish is the oldest Catholic community in Niagara County and one of the three oldest in Western New York. St. John’s began, as the city of Lockport began, with the construction of the Erie Barge Canal and a set of locks that would enable boats to navigate the Niagara Escarpment.
In 1816, the New York Legislature approved construction of a canal that would connect the Great Lakes to the Hudson River and ultimately the Atlantic Ocean. By 1821, it was decided to locate the new lock system in the primeval forest that is now Lockport.
A small army of over 1,200 workers came to the area to begin the construction project. Most of the workers were Irish immigrants who had arrived in New York City to seek a new life in America. By 1825, the project was complete and the canal opened for barge traffic.
Most of the workers left the area to work on other canals. But a new wave of Irish workers arrived in the then incorporated Village of Lockport to work in the businesses associated with the canal. By 1827, the Catholics of the area formed a community congregation in order to share their faith and the sacraments together. The pioneer congregation chose St. John the Baptist as their patron saint.
For several years, the congregation was served by missionary priests and celebrated their liturgies in barns, public buildings, and homes. After raising funds in the local community and receiving assistance from the Diocese of New York, the congregation was able to complete construction of its first church structure in 1834. The first Mass was celebrated in the original small stone church on Christmas, 1834 by the first pastor, Father Charles Managan.
Lockport and St. John’s grew steadily over the ensuing years as the “strap” railroad connected Lockport to Niagara Falls and the communities to the east. An influx of industry and a project for widening and deepening the canal brought the population of Lockport to over 6,000 by the late 1850’s. During this growth period the Diocese of Buffalo was established and a Vincentian priest, Father John Timon, was installed as the first bishop. One of Bishop Timon’s first activities was to conduct a two week retreat at St. John’s in Lockport, where he conferred the Sacrament of Confirmation on 319 Lockport Catholics, many of the them adults.
While he was in Lockport, Bishop Timon also started a St. Vincent de Paul Society to minister to the needs of the poor. The new Society received its charter in January, 1848, and consisted of 58 members, many of whose names are still familiar here at St. John's: Spalding, Hannigan, Archie, Whalen, Anderson, Kilroy, Dunn, Cos, Smith, Vizaro, McCarthy, Richards and Sullivan.
The original church structure had been doubled in size by 1860, but proved to be inadequate to serve the growing community. A plot of land was purchased at the corner of Caledonia and Church Streets in the north end of the village and a new and larger church was constructed and dedicated to St. John the Baptist on November 1, 1863.
The original structure, at 168 Chestnut Street, was closed for use as a church and turned over to the recently arrived Sisters of St. Mary of Namur for use as a parochial school for the area. The Sisters had begun their American ministry in the basement of St. John’s in the spring and now expanded the school facilities to meet the increasing demand for Catholic education.
By 1866, the new larger church also proved to be inadequate for the growing community and St. John’s returned to Chestnut Street to re-open its original structure for Masses. The new structure on Church and Caledonia Streets was rededicated under the patron, St. Patrick, thereby establishing a second Catholic parish in Lockport.
With the re-opening of the Chestnut Street building as a church, the Sisters of St. Mary were required to relocate, and moved their school facilities to barns and homes in the north end of the city, during the period that a school and convent were constructed at Church and Ontario Streets. This construction resulted in St. Joseph’s Academy, which evolved as a girl’s High School that maintained a very proud tradition for many generations.
St. John’s was reflecting the growth of Lockport generally. By the mid 1860’s the village had grown to over 11,000 people and many industries were flourishing as a result of canal traffic and available waterpower. In early 1865, the New York State legislature approved a bill designating the Village of Lockport as a city. The first city election was conducted on May 9,1865, resulting in the election of Benjamin Carpenter as the first mayor.
A succession of pastors followed Father Managan at St. John’s over the 40 years since the establishment of the parish in 1834. In 1874, Father Mathew Darcy began a pastorate that lasted 20 years. During this period the church was increased to its final size, gas fixtures replaced oil lamps and a school was erected immediately west of the church building.
In 1897, Father James Leddy became pastor and supervised many additional improvements including the installation of new pews and stained glass windows as well as conversion to electric lighting.
Upon the death of Father Leddy, Father John Jacobs became pastor. During his pastorate the original school was torn down and was replaced by the brick and stone fireproof school that serves the community today for religious education offices, Church School Classes, meeting space for Alcoholics Anonymous, Al Anon, Onward and GED classes. The school building also houses Sister Helen's Food Pantry and a clothing center.
In the 1930’s the city of Lockport continued to grow, particularly to the east with the addition of the Carlisle Gardens and other residential developments.
Father Francis Clancy began the longest pastorate of the parish in October 1932. On Christmas Day of 1934, father Clancy celebrated a solemn High Mass to commemorate the first 100 years of the parish of St. John’s. Father Thomas Gaughan, an ordained son of a parish family, delivered the homily on that occasion.
During 1952, the priests’ rectory, adjacent to the church, which had become a neighborhood landmark with its pillared porch was torn down and replaced with the present modern two-story building.
On March 15, 1954, Pope Pius XII elevated Father Clancy to the rank of domestic prelate with the title of right reverend monsignor. Over 2,000 people in the local community attended a reception to show appreciation for the honor bestowed on the pastor of St. John’s.
During 1967, it became evident that the beloved ivy-covered walls of St. John’s which had stood for 133 years, had deteriorated to a point where they could no longer safely support a failing roof. After exhaustive review by engineers it was concluded that the original structure could not be restored and the church was demolished. Construction of a new church structure begun in 1968. During construction of the new church, services were held in De Sales High School and later in the basement of St. John’s school. Several neighboring churches also assisted the parish during this period.
In 1970, the structure was opened for service. Dove shaped and soaring in height above the altar, the church incorporates many of the features recommended since the Ecumenical Council-Vatican II. The altar is forward, facing the congregation and is nearly surrounded by pews, the farthest at a distance of 70 feet.
In 1970, due to changing demographics, such as the decline in religious vocations and a decline in student enrolment, the Catholic parishes of Lockport joined in forming the first consolidated Catholic elementary school in the Buffalo Diocese. The school was organized as the Lockport Catholic School. In the beginning of this joined arrangement, students from grades Kindergarten through 2 met at St. Mary’s school, students of grades 3 to 5 met at St. Patrick’s school, and grades 6 through 8 utilized St. John’s school.
In the late 1980’s, De Sales High School closed due to declining student population. In the early 90’s, it was recognized that the Lockport Catholic School would benefit from having all students and faculty at one site. With extensive community support and fundraising, the site of DeSales high school was renovated for the school and in the fall of 1994, classes were then conducted at the newly renamed “De Sales Catholic School”. The children of St. John’s parishioner’s account for about half of the students enrolled at De Sales Catholic school today.
In 2001, the parish purchased a former grocery store on the corner of Chestnut and McCollum Streets. This center houses the church’s lending library and serves as a meeting center for adult religious education programs and training sessions.
In July of 2002, Father Wangler retired and Father Joseph Gatto became the new pastor of St. John’s church. Father Dumphrey continued in his role as parochial vicar.
In the summer of 2004, the parish launched the Summer Festival of Faith with 72 events in a five week period. The following year, the Festival was expanded to include all 5 Lockport parishes and over 130 events.
In the fall of 2004, St. John's Capital Campaign began with a goal of $750,000. The Campaign surpassed its goal and raised over $1 million dollars. The money is being used for renovations of the church, the Outreach Center, the church hall, and other parish facilities.
In the fall of 2005, the white house on Ann Street behind the Outreach Center was demolished. The cost of repairing the heating system was prohibitive. The land was leveled. The house was the original site of Sister Helen's Pantry, which was moved into the Outreach Center building in 2004.
The history of a parish necessarily involves the story of its surroundings and the building and re-building of its house of worship – its church. But the heart of St. John’s has been blest with zealous and self-less priests, religious and members who have contributed much to each other, the City of Lockport and the Diocese of Buffalo. They have been-faith filled people who have established a treasured tradition and heritage.
The parish moves forward into the future with thanksgiving for those who have gone before and with a new dedication and commitment to make the community of St. John’s in the Body of Christ, worthy of His presence amongst us.
Msgr. John M. Duggan
Born: January 29, 1919 Died: January 17, 2006
Pastor of St. John the Baptist Church from 1968 until 1994