At 752 Big Oak Road in Morrisville, in the Lower Makefield area, St. John the Evangelist Parish is a Roman Catholic community built around the Eucharist and known for the breadth of its parish life: three Sunday Masses, a weekday Mass, PREP religious education, FLAME youth ministry, liturgical service roles, and direct care for neighbors facing food insecurity, housing instability, illness, grief, and disability. Its mission joins a reverent sacramental life with education for children and adults, proclamation of the Gospel, and sharing of God's gifts. The parish explicitly welcomes longtime members, newcomers, returning Catholics, and people preparing to become Catholic.
Eucharist at the Center of Big Oak Road
St. John the Evangelist's worship is centered on the Mass.
- Saturday Vigil: 4:00 PM
- Sunday: 7:30, 9:30, and 11:30 AM
- Daily Mass: 8:00 AM from Monday through Saturday
- Holy days: 5:30 PM vigil, with Masses at 8:00 AM and 7:00 PM
The Mass is the central act of Catholic worship at the parish, and its celebration has two parts. In the Liturgy of the Word, the congregation hears Scripture, especially the Gospel. In the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the Church offers intentions, pains, joys, and petitions with bread and wine, then receives Christ's Body and Blood before being sent forth to proclaim the Good News. The parish teaches that the Risen Jesus is truly and substantially present in the Eucharist, describing this reality as transubstantiation.
First-time visitors are welcomed at the doors by greeters, whose work includes warm greetings, assistance with doors, coats, umbrellas, and parking, and sharing information about parish activities. Ushers seat people, take up the collections, and assist during Holy Communion. This ministry is especially attentive to first-time guests, large church functions, First Holy Communion, Confirmation, and holiday liturgies. The result is a worship setting centered on the liturgy while remaining attentive to people who have not yet become familiar with parish routines.
One Catholic Family in Lower Makefield
The parish defines its mission as a call to become ambassadors of Christ. Empowered by the Holy Spirit and transformed by the Eucharist into the Body of Christ, its people strive to welcome others into Christ's Church, live an active sacramental life, provide religious education for youth and adults, proclaim the Gospel, and share God's gifts for the good of others. That mission has a deliberately broad shape: it names spiritual support for youth, families, elderly people, and singles, as well as financial, spiritual, and material assistance to people outside the parish.
The parish extends a particular welcome to Catholics who are new to Lower Makefield, to people returning to the Church after a long absence, and to those who want to learn about becoming Catholic. Registration takes place through the parish office. The Order of Christian Initiation for Adults, or O.C.I.A., is the process for adults preparing for full membership through Baptism, Confirmation, and First Eucharist. The parish also welcomes people who want to strengthen their faith or become more active in the life of the Church.
The patron adds a distinct identity to the parish. St. John the Evangelist was one of the Twelve Apostles, the son of Zebedee and Salome and the brother of James. He was probably the youngest of the Twelve, the disciple whom Jesus loved, and one who remained at the foot of the cross. He was a pillar of the early Church, was exiled to Patmos, wrote three letters and the Book of Revelation, and later wrote his Gospel in Ephesus. His image is often depicted with an eagle, a symbol drawn from the soaring opening words of his Gospel.
Pastoral leadership at St. John
Deacon John Teson serves as Parish Life Director. Fathers Jacob John and Eugene Wilson are Pastoral Associates, and Father David Friel provides weekend assistance. Deacons Thomas Cusick and James E. Hartmann are parish deacons, with Hartmann retired. Kathy Ross directs the Parish Religious Education Program, David Tapp leads Parish Music Ministry, and Maria (Gdovin) Shadle directs Youth Ministry as well as parish communications and social media. These roles reflect a parish where sacramental leadership, formation, music, and communication are each given named attention.
PREP: Formation from the First Years of Faith
PREP is the Parish Religious Education Program, and preparation for the sacraments is built around it. First Penance is normally prepared for in second grade, and Confirmation is normally received in seventh grade through PREP. The parish also offers a Pre-Jordan class for parents preparing for a child's Baptism, with the class meeting on the second Sunday of each month at 1:00 PM. Sacramental preparation is thus presented not as a single event but as a path supported by parish teaching and family participation.
Adults have a parallel route through O.C.I.A. The process leads to full membership in the Catholic Church through the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and First Eucharist. Adult Faith Formation offers additional opportunities for learning, and the parish describes religious education for both youth and adults as a central part of its apostolic mission.
The parish presents its sacramental teaching explicitly. Baptism is the first sacrament, bringing eternal life through the washing away of Original Sin and making a person a member of the Catholic Church. Confirmation renews baptismal promises and gives a fuller awareness of the grace of the Holy Spirit through the anointing of chrism and the laying on of hands by the bishop. Eucharist is at the center of the Church's liturgical life. These teachings connect the classroom and parish preparation to the sacraments celebrated at the church.
FLAME and CYO: Faith Among Young People
FLAME Youth Ministry serves students in grades 7 through 12 and meets on Thursdays from 5:00 to 6:30 PM at St. John the Evangelist. It combines games, faith, friends, and fun, with an open invitation to new participants and to bring a friend. The mix gives the group both social and religious purposes without separating them.
CYO Athletics reaches a wider age range, from kindergarten through grade 12. Its four-part model combines athletics, social life, service, and spiritual activity. The program is organized into athletics, junior high, and high school, with interaction among those areas intended to build friendship, leadership, faith, and service. Together, FLAME and CYO show how the parish makes room for adolescents not only as recipients of religious education but as participants in worship, community, and concern for others.
Music, Readers, and Eucharistic Service
Music Ministry has a threefold purpose: serving and praising God with heart and voice, offering a loving environment for expressing faith, and helping the congregation experience a deeper and more joyful sense of worship through song. The choir rehearses on Thursday evenings from 7:00 to 8:30 PM in the church and also gathers 45 minutes before weekend and holiday Masses. Instrumental musicians are invited to join.
The Lectors proclaim the Sunday and holy-day Scriptures on a rotating basis. Their ministry emphasizes prayerful familiarity with the readings so that the Word of God is proclaimed respectfully, understandably, and meaningfully. Anyone who has received Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist may apply to serve.
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion assist the priest with the Body and Blood of Christ at Mass and also carry the Eucharist to people who cannot attend because of illness or disability. That includes the homebound and residents of nursing-home facilities served by the parish. Members normally serve for three years, though shorter or longer terms are possible, and they complete brief training.
Greeters and Ushers make the practical work of belonging visible at the entrance and throughout worship. Greeters welcome guests, help with coats and umbrellas, offer parking help, and explain parish activities. Ushers seat the congregation, take up collections, and assist people as they approach Holy Communion. The altar-server ministry is another named way to participate in the liturgical life of the church.
Meals, Visits, Grief Support, and Inclusion
Caring for Friends turns the parish's concern for homebound neighbors into a practical rhythm of food and companionship. Volunteers make home-cooked meals and deliver them on weekly visits, helping homebound people maintain independence and quality of life. A freezer in the Saint Gianna Room at the back of the church holds dinner trays for volunteers to fill. The work depends on both cooking and delivery, making hospitality a service that can be shared in concrete ways.
For families after a death, Funeral Liturgy Assistance offers support with planning the funeral liturgy and individual support for the bereaved. A member of the group contacts the family immediately after a death, reaches out again ten days after the funeral, and can refer families to other support groups. Training and materials help members bring comfort. The Seton Society for Bereavement is a separate grief-support group open to everyone, with confidential individual and group discussions.
Pastoral Care for the Disabled operates through a parish liaison who welcomes people with disabilities and their families, assists staff in ministry, helps the parish understand needs and gifts, and makes referrals to Catholic Social Services or the Archdiocese's Department for Pastoral Care for Persons with Disabilities. Sacramental preparation can also be arranged. The Archdiocese provides continuing consultation, training, information, and support for these responsibilities.
The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is offered to anyone struggling with illness. A priest anoints the forehead and hands while offering liturgical prayers. The parish emphasizes that physical healing may occur, but the sacrament also brings the deeper presence of God into human suffering. A parish priest or deacon can also provide preparation for confession and answer questions about end-of-life decisions and the Mass of Christian Burial. The Prayer Network adds another form of care by sharing parish prayer intentions weekly.
Food, Housing, Refugees, and the Work of Mercy
The third Sunday of each month brings a concrete parish response to emergency hardship. Nonperishable food is collected at every Mass, picked up Monday, and taken to a local food pantry, where volunteers sort and shelve it for distribution to individuals and families experiencing a layoff, accident, house fire, or similar crisis. The parish describes this support as a bridge until longer-term assistance becomes available.
Catholic Relief Services in Action carries the parish's concerns beyond the immediate area. The committee supports the Lenten Rice Bowl, prayer walks, and hands-on helping initiatives, while expressing a particular commitment to refugees. Its work is linked to Catholic Relief Services' mission of supporting poor and vulnerable communities overseas. Rice Bowl joins prayer, fasting, and almsgiving with projects addressing emergencies, hunger, sanitation, clean water, farming, and local livelihoods. The parish also participates in the national Catholic Relief Services campaign through which contributions support both international programs and hunger efforts in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
The Social Concerns Committee works through prayer, advocacy, stewardship, service, and collaboration. Its concerns include poverty, homelessness, disability, and injustice. Specific efforts include the parish Jesse Tree, help for families in transitional apartments, Code Blue, a women's prison ministry, inclusion of disabled members, and support for the mission of the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in El Salvador. The mixture shows the parish treating social action as part of its Catholic life rather than as a separate activity.
Knights of Columbus Council 7515 adds organized lay service. Its four guiding principles are charity, unity, fraternity, and patriotism, joined by service to the Church, support for members, and aid to people in need. Works include food drives, donations to soup kitchens and food pantries, support for the Special Olympics, and assistance for mothers who choose life for their babies.
Prayer, Fellowship, and Service Organizations
Prayer and fellowship take several forms at St. John the Evangelist. Women of the Word is a group for women who enjoy lively discussion of Catholic faith and want prayer companions. It meets on the third Saturday of each month beginning at 9:30 AM for prayer, guest speakers, discussion of a religious topic or book, and refreshments. A Men's Faith-Sharing Group provides another setting for men to discuss faith and support one another.
The Hospitality/Bakery Basket serves coffee and pastries after the 9:30 and 11:30 AM Masses on the first Sunday of each month in the Deacon James Hartmann Room. The monthly coffee gathering is presented as a practical expression of hospitality, a way to welcome new parishioners and share fellowship with current parishioners.
Pastoral governance also has a defined role. The Parish Pastoral Council is a consultative body that discerns the movement of the Holy Spirit, assists the pastor with pastoral planning, helps develop programs and services, and evaluates pastoral effectiveness. Recommendations are considered prayerfully and with communal wisdom, while final approval and implementation remain with the pastor.
A Sacramental Life from Baptism to Marriage
Baptisms are celebrated at St. John the Evangelist on the first and third Sundays of the month at 1:00 PM, after the 11:30 AM Mass. Parents participate in a Pre-Jordan class and arrange the celebration with the parish. A child may have a godfather or godmother, whose eligibility requires being at least sixteen, fully initiated in the Catholic faith, and a regular Sunday and holy-day Mass attendee. A married sponsor must have been married in the Catholic Church or with its approval, and a parent cannot serve as godparent to their own child.
For adults entering the Church, the Easter Vigil can bring Baptism, Confirmation, and First Eucharist together. Marriage liturgies are celebrated on Fridays and Saturdays, generally outside Lenten season. Couples begin the process at least six months ahead and complete Pre-Cana preparation. The parish's wedding ministry is explicitly tied to the sacramental covenant of the spouses and their role in forming future members of the Church.
Penance, or the Sacrament of Reconciliation, restores a person to closeness with God through contrition, confession, absolution, and commitment to Christian life. The seal of Confession means a priest may never reveal what is spoken. Preparation for First Penance begins in second grade through PREP.
The parish's understanding of Eucharist remains at the center of these sacramental paths. At Mass, the Word of God is proclaimed and the congregation is nourished by the Body and Blood of Christ. Its teaching identifies transubstantiation, prayer, and communion with the Church's sacramental life as central rather than optional dimensions of Catholic belief.
Finding the Parish on Big Oak Road
The parish is at 752 Big Oak Road in Morrisville, with the St. John the Evangelist School serving as a landmark near Makefield Road. Drivers coming from the north or south can use I-95 and Route 1, exit at Oxford Valley, turn toward Morrisville, and turn right on Big Oak Road at the second light, then continue beyond Makefield Road to the SJE Complex. From the east, the route uses I-195 west and I-29 north, followed by Route 13 toward Yardley and a left turn onto Big Oak Road. From the Newtown Bypass, drivers turn onto Stony Hill Road at Shady Brook Farm, follow it to Big Oak Road, and turn left into the complex. Coming over Scudder Falls Bridge leads to Taylorsville Road, North Main Street, and a right turn onto Makefield Road. More complete directions for the parish are available.
The parish office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Saturday and Sunday office hours are by appointment. The main parish number is 215-295-4102, the PREP office number is 215-295-9239, and the parish email is sjeoffices@stjohnpa.org. For those unable to attend in person, Mass is livestreamed on the parish's Facebook and YouTube channels and through the Boxcast app on Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Firestick. The Facebook stream appears two minutes before Mass begins, and the Boxcast search requires the full word Saint. The online missal provides the Mass texts for the day, and online giving is available. The parish also maintains a YouTube channel for its livestream.
The parish's schedule and ministries meet in a simple pattern: Mass and sacraments at the center, formation that carries people forward, service roles that make worship tangible, and care that reaches neighbors who need food, visits, advocacy, and companionship. That combination of Eucharistic worship, formation, care, and service defines St. John the Evangelist Parish on Big Oak Road.