St. John the Baptist Catholic Parish sits at 625 Frame Road in Newburgh, Indiana, a river town that is the oldest community in Warrick County. Founded by fifteen families just before the Civil War, the parish has grown into a multi-building campus whose ministries reach into nearly every corner of the county: a K-8 school, a daily and Sunday Mass schedule, perpetual Eucharistic adoration, a thrift store, a community food pantry, a feeding program for food-insecure students, a sister-parish partnership in Haiti, and a working mausoleum and cemetery. More than 160 years after the first Mass was offered in a private home, the parish continues to organize its life around a single, plain-spoken mission.
The Mission in Three Lines
The welcome page of the parish sets out its purpose in three sentences that the entire parish has adopted:
- Be the heart of Jesus by sharing His mercy and love.
- Be the hands of Jesus by serving one another.
- Be the feet of Jesus by walking in others' shoes.
That threefold call shapes everything from the daily Mass schedule to the volunteers who sort donated clothing for the thrift store. Visitors are welcomed as part of a parish family that has been gathered, served, and sent for more than sixteen decades.
Mass and Reconciliation Schedule
The parish celebrates the Eucharist every day of the week except Monday, with weekend Masses that use spoken English and sung parts of the ordinary:
- Saturday Vigil: 5:00 p.m.
- Sunday: 7:00 a.m., 8:45 a.m., 11:00 a.m.
- Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday: 7:00 a.m.
- Thursday: 6:30 p.m.
- Saturday morning: 9:00 a.m.
Reconciliation is offered six days a week, with two Saturday windows to accommodate working and traveling Catholics:
- Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday: 6:30 to 6:55 a.m.
- Thursday: 5:30 to 6:15 p.m.
- Saturday: 8:15 to 8:55 a.m. and 4:00 to 4:45 p.m.
Special communal Reconciliation services are scheduled during Advent and Lent. Appointments outside the posted times are arranged through the parish office at 812-490-1000. Every Mass is live-streamed, and a recording of one weekend Mass is shared on Monday mornings for those unable to attend in person.
A Parish Older Than the Civil War
In its earliest years St. John the Baptist was known as the "Little church on the Ohio." The first Mass in Newburgh was celebrated in 1862 by Rev. Francis X. Kutassi, pastor of Holy Trinity Church in Evansville, who traveled the fourteen miles from the city to serve a small Catholic population. The congregation initially met at the home of Henry Weiss, located at the southeast corner of Market and West Jennings Street. A permanent brick church was built on a site across from the Weiss residence; members of the parish fired the brick themselves. Rev. Henry Hug, O.S.B., laid the cornerstone on September 22, 1865, and the church was dedicated in August 1866, measuring 45 by 20 feet and seating 125 worshippers.
Through the late nineteenth century the parish grew in members, furnishings, and land. An organ, chalice, and vestments were purchased under the first permanent pastor in 1874. A cemetery was acquired and graded in the early 1890s. A sacristy was added in 1893, financed in part by a bequest of $150 and completed under Rev. Charles J. Wagner. The parish passed through many short pastorates in its first fifty years, becoming at last a stable congregation under Rev. Francis Mellen, who arrived in February 1938 and made St. John the Baptist a full-time parish within the Diocese of Evansville. With Bishop Joseph Ritter's encouragement, Mellen opened a school in September 1940, enrolling 71 children in its first year.
By the early 1950s the original buildings could no longer hold the school and congregation. An eleven-acre site was chosen on Frame Road, and a new school was built in 1954, followed by a convent in 1956 and a new church in 1958. Bishop Henry J. Grimmelsman blessed the church with a Pontifical High Mass on Sunday, April 12, 1959. Growth continued through the 1960s and 1970s, with the addition of assistant pastors, a parish council, and a Religious Education program that swelled with public-school children seeking Catholic formation.
The most recent wave of building began in the late 1980s under Rev. Joseph L. Ziliak, who arrived in 1987. A parish-wide planning process projected the parish growing from roughly 3,576 members in 1980 to more than 5,200 by 2020. A capital campaign in early 1990 funded a new church large enough to seat 818 (with expansion possible to 1,200) along with meeting rooms, a Blessed Sacrament Chapel, a reconciliation room, a nursery, a sacristy and workroom, a lower-level assembly space, and renovated offices. The new church was dedicated in 1993. The lower level was blessed on November 23, 1997, and features three meeting rooms named Ruth and Naomi, Mary, and Joseph, with a kitchen and an elevator for accessibility. Two rose windows and shadow-box displays feature 150-year-old art glass brought from St. Henry Church in Caseyville, Illinois, cleaned and re-leaded by Sunburst Glass of Newburgh. In 2019 the parish completed a diocesan-wide capital campaign that funded a total renovation of the church.
The parish now numbers more than 1,600 families and continues to be served by a long list of pastors, associate pastors, and permanent deacons. Fr. Crispine Adongo, the current pastor, was assigned to St. John the Baptist in 2026.
The Sacraments at St. John
The parish celebrates all seven sacraments of the Catholic Church. Parents preparing for the Baptism of an infant contact the parish office and attend an instructional class; families are encouraged to celebrate Baptism after a scheduled Mass. First Reconciliation and First Eucharist are typically received in second grade, either through St. John the Baptist School or the parish Religious Education program, with First Communion Masses usually celebrated at the end of April or in early May.
The Sacrament of Confirmation is currently in a diocesan-wide transition under Bishop Joseph Siegel of Evansville. For the 2026-2027 school year, candidates in ninth and tenth grade will be prepared together and confirmed at a special liturgy on Saturday, February 20, 2027, at 1:00 p.m. Preparation sessions are held once or twice a month from September through early February.
Couples preparing for Marriage are asked to contact a priest or deacon at least six months before the desired wedding date, in keeping with the Diocese of Evansville's marriage policy. Preparation involves an assessment of communication and compatibility, faith commitment, participation in the Sponsor Couple program, and planning the ceremony itself. The Anointing of the Sick is administered on request for those seriously ill, facing major surgery, elderly, or near death, with a communal celebration held at certain times of the year. Funerals are coordinated through the parish office with the funeral home of the family's choosing.
Becoming Catholic and Adult Faith Formation
Adults who are unbaptized or baptized Christians seeking full communion with the Catholic Church enter the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA). The process generally culminates with the reception of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist at the Easter Vigil. Throughout the year the parish hosts TNT - Thursday Night Theology, a small-group study of the letters of Saint Paul to the Romans and the Galatians, with sessions from 7:15 to 8:15 p.m. in the Ruth and Naomi Room. The parish also subscribes to FORMED, a digital library of Catholic movies, Bible studies, audio content, e-books, and children's programming that is offered free to every parishioner.
Religious Education and Youth
Children in kindergarten through eighth grade who do not attend St. John the Baptist School are welcomed into the parish Religious Education program. Classes meet September through April: K-5 on Wednesdays from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. and grades 6-8 on Sundays from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m. The Office of Faith Formation also coordinates the preparation of children for First Reconciliation and First Eucharist.
Youth ministry at St. John the Baptist is organized by age. The 5/6th Grade group meets on Tuesday evenings, the 7/8th Grade group on Wednesday evenings, and the High School group on Sunday evenings, all of them at the St. Maria Goretti Youth House at 700 Frame Road, purchased by the parish in 2004 and dedicated on the saint's feast day, July 6, 2005. Adult leaders and chaperones are Safe Environment trained and background-checked in keeping with the Diocese of Evansville's youth protection policies.
Young adults ages 19 to 39, married or single, gather under the name "Rooted" for Bible studies, group dinners, weekend outings, and service projects. The Mother to Mother ministry provides a similar rhythm for women with young children, meeting on the first and third Thursdays of the month during the school year in the Ruth and Naomi Room, with on-site babysitting provided by Safe Environment certified sitters.
A Building Full of Music
Music is treated as essential to the liturgical life of the parish. James Lutz, the Director of Music and Liturgical Coordinator, oversees four ensembles:
- Adult Choir rehearses on Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. during the school year and sings at the 8:45 a.m. Sunday Mass and at special celebrations.
- High School Choir rehearses on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. and sings at the 11:00 a.m. Mass on the first, third, and fifth Sundays.
- Youth Choir is open to singers in grades four through eight and sings at the 11:00 a.m. Mass on the second Sunday of each month.
- Cantors and instrumentalists serve throughout the year.
All are welcome to join regardless of musical background. Past recorded music from the parish is available on the SJB Music Ministry YouTube channel.
Project 168: Perpetual Adoration
Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in the Holy Family Chapel is one of the most distinctive features of the parish. Known as "Project 168" for the 168 hours in a week, the program was adopted in the fall of 2021. The Holy Family Chapel, located on the south corner of the Church, was dedicated on November 1, 2021. More than 216 Adorers have signed up to cover recurring hours, though several slots remain open. Anyone is welcome to sign up for a regular hour or drop in to spend time in silent prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.
Schools on Campus
St. John the Baptist School serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade at 725 Frame Road, adjacent to the church. The school opened in 1940 with 71 students and was expanded in the 1950s and again in the late 1990s with four new classrooms, doubling the school kitchen, a library and media center, and a choral music room. An additional 26,508 square feet of academic, athletic, and community space was dedicated in 2002, including two kindergarten classrooms, a gym, locker rooms, a fitness and wrestling loft, and band and choral rooms. The school is led by Principal Katie Hubiak and Assistant Principal Ryan Schnarr.
St. John Kinder Kountry Pre-school occupies the former parish convent at the north end of the campus. The pre-school, which was renovated and modernized in 2021, now includes full-day enrichment programs for three-, four-, and five-year-olds.
Serving Newburgh and Beyond
The parish runs or houses several outreach ministries that have become anchors of service in Warrick County.
The Newburgh Area Food Pantry shares a building with Mother Teresa Treasures at the corner of Highway 662 and Frame Road. The pantry, started in the 1970s at Epworth United Methodist Church, moved to the parish campus on March 5, 2001, and now serves 130 to 140 families each month from Newburgh and Yankeetown. Volunteers stock not only food but also laundry detergent, cleaning supplies, hygiene items, and a Kid's Corner of baby supplies. The pantry operates Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. and on the last Thursday of the month from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m.
Mother Teresa Treasures is the parish thrift store that funds and supplements this work. Founded in November 2000 by Margaret and Bill Wallace, the store sells donated clothing, household items, furniture, and toys at modest prices. Around 65 to 90 volunteer shifts each week keep the store running, and proceeds underwrite the food pantry and gifts to local nonprofit organizations. The Fresh Start Program supplements the store by providing household necessities - bedding, dishes, appliances, and furniture - free of charge to those setting up a new home through social-service referrals. The thrift store is open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
The Backpack Program is a parish-wide effort that provides weekend food to food-insecure students at four local schools. Volunteers sort, pack, and distribute more than 150 blue bags of nutritional, shelf-stable food each week during the school year, with bags distributed discreetly in students' backpacks. The program is supported entirely by donations from parishioners and the surrounding community.
The Soup Kitchen ministry partners with St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Evansville, where the Saturday meal at 301 Southeast 1st Street is served from noon to 1:30 p.m. St. John the Baptist sends volunteers to work the first Saturday of every month, with odd months sponsored by the St. Vincent de Paul conference and even months by the parish Sharing Fund.
St. Vincent de Paul, a Catholic lay organization founded in Paris in 1833, maintains a parish conference at St. John the Baptist that meets on the third Monday of each month at 6:00 p.m. The conference funds direct assistance to neighbors in need, with monetary donations collected at the back of the Church and a small collection building behind the church accepting clothing and nonperishable items.
The Haiti Ministry has sponsored children at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Grand Bassin since 1985, through the Parish Twinning Program of the Americas. Semi-annual collections support both the sister parish and St. Dominique's Orphanage and School in Port-au-Prince. The ministry is recognized as one of the longest-running parish partnerships in the diocese.
The Foster Care Awareness and Support Ministry, working with the CarePortal platform, mobilizes parishioners to provide tangible help - beds, clothes, and supplies - to vulnerable children and foster families. The ministry hosts quarterly meetings on related topics.
Sleep in Heavenly Peace, while based at Holy Rosary Catholic Parish in Evansville, is supported locally by St. John the Baptist volunteers. The group meets the second Saturday of each month from 8:00 a.m. to noon to build beds for children in the area.
Social Justice Ministry works through organizations like CAJE - Congregations Acting for Justice and Empowerment - to address root causes of poverty alongside area congregations, advocating on affordable housing, literacy, and access to health care.
Knights of Columbus Council members meet on the first Tuesday of the month in the Joseph Room and host the annual Trivia Night and a Lenten Fish Fry co-sponsored with the Men's Club. The Men's Club meets on the third Tuesday of the month, beginning with Mass or a prayer service in the Church at 6:30 p.m. and continuing with dinner in the school cafeteria. The club funds service scholarships for young parishioners and hosts an annual Reverse Draw each August.
Fit Over Fifty offers a low-impact senior exercise program that began in 2004. Participants 50 and older meet on Tuesdays and Fridays from 8:00 to 9:15 a.m. in the School Arena and Center. Participants also help tutor younger students at the school.
Bereavement Support
The Bereavement Support Ministry has reached out to grieving families since 1989. Eight rotating teams of volunteers provide meals for funerals and for the family and friends who gather afterward. Companions on the Journey offers three dinner meetings a year with guest speakers who share their personal experience of loss, and the ministry sends cards and personal visits to parishioners who have lost a loved one. A Book of Remembrance and a candle in the narthex given to each family are part of the parish's tradition of remembrance, and a Mass on the Commemoration of All Souls is celebrated each November for those who died in the previous year.
Cemetery and Mausoleum
St. John the Baptist operates its own cemetery and two mausoleums adjacent to Rose Hill Cemetery in Newburgh. The cemetery is open to all Catholics, with non-Catholic family members allowed in order to keep families together. The Garden of Angels, dedicated in 1999, is a section of the cemetery set aside for miscarried and stillborn children and is decorated and tended for the parents and families who visit. The mausoleums contain 520 burial crypts and 260 cremation niches, and adjoining land was purchased in 2002 to extend burial space for roughly fifty more years at current rates of use. The Cemetery and Mausoleum Board, with President Chris Cooke, sets policies on layout, maintenance, security, sale of lots, and interment.
Parish Leadership and Staff
Pastor Fr. Crispine Adongo leads the parish along with four permanent deacons: Tony Schapker, Mark Thieman, Chris Bassler, and Phil Durcholz. The parish office at 625 Frame Road is staffed by Brian Mitchell, Director of Operations; Summer Wright, Communications, Marketing, and Ministry Coordinator; Laura Hedges, Administrative Assistant; Denise Middendorf, Accounting Coordinator; and Emily Kroeger, Environment and Wedding Coordinator. Faith Formation is led by Mary Grady, with Marty Horning coordinating Religious Education for K-8 and Olivia Phipps coordinating Youth Ministry. Music and Liturgy are directed by James Lutz.
Parish Pastoral Council President Kim Snyder, Finance Council President Brad Rust, and the staff coordinate the day-to-day life of the parish through the Parish Office. The parish family is also grounded by an active laity: more than 200 men and women have been inducted into the Bruté Society of the Diocese of Evansville from St. John the Baptist since 1992.
Joining and Giving
Parishioners and visitors can register through the parish office at 812-490-1000 or by completing a registration form. Visitors are not expected to put anything in the offering and may simply let the collection pass them by. Members of the parish are encouraged to tithe weekly, either by cash or check at Mass or through online giving. Direct debit, planned giving, and a Living Legacy Society for those who name the parish in their will or estate planning are also available. Some fifteen named endowments support the parish, school, cemetery, youth, music, technology, athletics, and social outreach. Sunday Mass intentions may be requested for loved ones, living or deceased.
Those who want to stay in touch can join the parish Flocknote group for parish updates or the Prayer Network for daily prayer intentions.
Worship and Practical Information
Visitors are asked to dress in whatever makes them comfortable. In summer months shorts, sandals, and a shirt are common, while others wear their Sunday best. Parking is available on all sides of the Church, with accessible parking outside the main doors near the bell arch and on the north side of the Church near the awning, which leads to the accessible entrance. The lower level and the various meeting rooms are reached by elevator. Visitors who do not normally receive Communion in the Catholic Church are invited to remain in their pews during the distribution, and the parish follows the guidelines of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops for the reception of Communion. The parish office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., closed for lunch from noon to 1:00 p.m. In June and July the office closes at noon on Fridays.
More than 160 years after fifteen families gathered on the bank of the Ohio, the parish that began as the "Little church on the Ohio" continues to gather its members for daily Mass, perpetual adoration, music that lifts the heart, and a long list of works that feed, teach, and accompany the people of Newburgh and beyond.