Saint John, Coylesville

Parish History

St. John was founded in 1853.  However, the origin of the parish can be traced back to the arrival of Irish immigrants to Clearfield Township in 1798.  Coylesville itself was not founded until 1830. Until the establishment of St. Patrick parish in Sugar Creek in 1806, the Catholic settlers in Clearfield Township rarely saw a priest.  Once St. Patrick was founded, the pastor of that parish visited the area once a month and celebrated Mass in a private home.  The other weeks of the month, the residents would have to travel to Sugar Creek to attend Mass.

In 1840, land was purchased for the building of a church.  The construction of that church did not begin until 1853.  On August 15, 1853, the cornerstone for the new church was laid and the church was completed the next year.  In 1855, a resident pastor was assigned to St. John.

This church continues to serve the local Catholic community to this day.  Over the years, the original church has been remodeled and renovated.  In 1877, the 156 foot tower was added.  In 1895, the roof was rebuilt and the altars were installed.  The church was renovated again in 1943, in 1969 and 1976.

With the turn of the century, trends in the Diocese of Pittsburgh began to reveal a decline in Mass attendance and sacramental participation.  At the same time, the number of priests available for parish ministry also began to decline.

To address these challenges, Bishop David Zubik announced on April 12, 2015 a new diocesan initiative, On Mission for The Church Alive!, a consultative strategic planning process designed to foster viable, sustainable and vibrant parishes.  As part of this process, the Bishop, in consultation with the faithful, began to consider new models of parish life based on pastoral needs, financial and temporal resources and available clergy.

In 2018, following the period of consultation, parishes were grouped together and served by a single clergy team to eventually form one new parish.

During this transition period, St. John Parish remained an independent parish while sharing clergy and staff and eventually publishing a joint bulletin with the other parishes.   This ended on January 4, 2021 when St. John Parish merged with St. Joseph Parish, Cabot and St. Mary Assumption Parish, Herman to form the new St. Francis of Assisi Parish.  As part of the merger St. John Church remained open as part of the new parish.