St. John the Baptist (Diocese of Buffalo, Alden)

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St. John the Baptist
Dedication: St. John the Baptist
Type/Classification: Territorial Parish
Non-Parochial: No
Operated By: Diocesan clergy
Venerated Saints: None specified
Diocese: Diocese of Buffalo
Deanery: Beloved Disciples of Christ the Lord Family of Parishes
Address: 2021 Sandridge Rd., Alden, New York 14004-9725
City: Alden, NY
Subdivision: New York
Country: United States
County: Erie County
Website: Website
Founded: 1850
School: Yes
Email: None specified
AI Confidence: 8/10
Review Level: 0/5


St. John the Baptist is a territorial parish of the Diocese of Buffalo located in the town of Alden, New York, in Erie County. Dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, the parish serves a rural and suburban community east of the city of Buffalo and maintains an affiliated parish school.

Tracing its roots to missionary visits in the 1840s, the parish was formally established in 1850 and grew from a small frame church into the brick structure that has served the community since 1894. St. John the Baptist is now part of the diocese's Beloved Disciples of Christ the Lord Family of Parishes, formed as part of the Diocese of Buffalo's "Road to Renewal" restructuring.

The parish continues to describe itself, in its own mission statement, as "a faith filled Catholic Christian community which believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, in His Church and its teachings, under the direction of our spiritual leaders."[1]

History

According to the parish's own historical account, Redemptorist missionary priests stationed at St. Mary's Church in Buffalo—including a Father John Nepomucene Neumann—occasionally visited the Alden area between 1847 and 1850, celebrating Mass in local farmhouses; before that time, area Catholics traveled to Lancaster or Bennington, New York, to attend Mass.[1]

In the spring of 1850, under the direction of Father Serge de Schoulepnikoff, pastor of the Lancaster parish, land was purchased in Alden Center along present-day Sandridge Road, and construction began on a small frame church. The cornerstone was laid by Bishop John Timon, the first Bishop of Buffalo, on November 9, 1850. Priests from Lancaster served the fledgling congregation until a resident pastor, Father L. Nicodemus Neumann, arrived in 1854—an event the parish regards as its official founding. The first recorded baptism took place on March 5, 1854. A school was also built at the rear of the church around this time. The Alden area was then heavily settled by German immigrants, and German—not English—was the dominant language of parish life and preaching in the community's early decades.[1]

Between Father Neumann's arrival and the pastorate of Father Robert Mockel beginning in 1912, twenty-three priests served as pastor of St. John's, most for no more than two years; Father Peter Theis (1884–1894) and Father A. Bornefeld (1896–1908) were notable exceptions. The first parochial residence was built in 1860 under Father M. Schinabeck. In 1872, an addition was made to the original church building under Father F. X. Koefler to accommodate the growing congregation, and in 1882 a larger school was constructed north of the church under Father Gysen, staffed by the Sisters of St. Joseph, with an adjoining convent built across the street.[1]

The present rectory was built in 1889 during the pastorate of Father Peter Theis, who in 1893 began construction of the current brick church. Its cornerstone was laid on May 13, 1894, and the completed church was dedicated by Bishop Stephen V. Ryan of Buffalo on October 29, 1894.[1]

Under Father Robert Mockel, a new brick school building was constructed across the street from the church, completed in 1914 and including classrooms, a chapel, a lunchroom, an auditorium, a kitchen, bowling alleys, and club rooms. Around the same period, extensive landscaping work was undertaken, including a stone border around the church, rectory, and cemetery, and the cemetery's first Pieta shrine was erected. Additional cemetery land was purchased by Father Alfred Hagemaier in 1942, and the adjoining Sandman property was later acquired to create parking.[1]

Following World War II, parish growth prompted further building projects: the school's second-floor auditorium was converted to classrooms under Father Bertram Trautman, and in 1953 a new auditorium, additional classrooms, and lavatories were added. The rectory and church interior were also remodeled in the early 1950s, and Father Norbert Selzer was assigned as the parish's first assistant pastor. Continued school crowding led to the addition of eight classrooms, lavatories, and a new heating plant in 1958.[1]

Father Irwin Spahn, who arrived in 1959, oversaw further changes prompted by the Second Vatican Council, including the introduction of Saturday vigil Masses, lay lectors and eucharistic ministers, the celebration of Mass in English at an altar facing the congregation, and the formation of a Parish Council. The parish's religious education (CCD) program was also fully established during this period.[1]

Father Joseph Hassler arrived in 1979 and expanded the Parish Council to include representation from across the parish; he served until his death in 1986, after which Father David Griffin assumed pastoral leadership. The Sisters left the parish in 1990, and the former convent building was repurposed for youth ministry, becoming known as "The Rock" in 2002 before it was destroyed by fire on April 23, 2007. St. John's later became one of the first parishes in the Diocese of Buffalo to be led by a lay pastoral administrator, Deborah Brown, assisted by Sacramental Minister Father James Walter, who guided the parish through the COVID-19 pandemic. Following Brown's unexpected death in 2021, Father Daniel Serbicki became pastor with Father Patryk Sobczyk as parochial vicar. Under the Diocese of Buffalo's "Road to Renewal" reorganization, the parish joined the Fields of Grace Family of Parishes and later the Beloved Disciples of Christ the Lord Family of Parishes under Priest Moderator Monsignor Richard W. Siepka. In November 2024, Father Lukasz Kopala, a Priest in Solidum, took up residence in the parish rectory.[1]

St. John the Baptist School, which grew out of the schoolhouse established alongside the parish in the 1850s, was formally founded in 1853 and continues to serve students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, drawing families from Alden and several surrounding school districts.[2]

Special features

  • An active parish school serving students from Pre-K through eighth grade
  • A parish cemetery with landscaped grounds and a longstanding Pieta shrine
  • Membership in the Beloved Disciples of Christ the Lord Family of Parishes under the Diocese of Buffalo's Road to Renewal restructuring

Relics

According to established Catholic tradition, the main altar of a dedicated parish church customarily contains deposited relics. Specific information regarding relics housed at St. John the Baptist is not documented in available sources.

Architecture and Art

Exterior features

The present church is a brick structure begun in 1893 under Father Peter Theis, with its cornerstone laid on May 13, 1894, and the building dedicated by Bishop Stephen V. Ryan on October 29, 1894, replacing an earlier frame church dating to 1850.[1] Early twentieth-century improvements to the grounds included a stone border extending around the church, rectory, and cemetery.[1] Further exterior work, including expansion and paving of the parking lot, has been carried out in more recent years.[1]

Interior features

The church interior was remodeled in the early 1950s, and further renovations have taken place in subsequent decades.[1] Following the Second Vatican Council, the sanctuary was reordered so that Mass could be celebrated at an altar facing the congregation, a change introduced during the pastorate of Father Irwin Spahn.[1]

Stained Glass Windows

Specific details regarding the church's stained glass windows are not documented in available sources.

Statues and Sculptures

A Pieta shrine, the first of its kind on the parish grounds, was erected in the parish cemetery in the early twentieth century.[1] Details of statuary within the church itself are not documented in available sources.

Other Artwork

No further devotional artwork is documented in available sources.

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Media

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Related parishes

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External links

Social media

Official Social Media

References

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 "History". St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Alden, NY. https://www.stjohnalden.com/History. 
  2. ↑ "St. John the Baptist School (Alden, New York)". Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._John_The_Baptist_School_(Alden,_New_York). 
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