St. John the Baptist Church

The History of St. John the Baptist Church

From the 100^th Anniversary of St. John the Baptist Parish souvenir booklet, the Rev. Emile Guilmette, S.M. wrote, “In any parish history, dates are important, names are important, buildings are important.  But in reading these dates and names and the history of the buildings, what emerges triumphant is the spirit of a people.  Buildings change, names change, but the spirit of a people, fueled with faith and love, remains.”
In the very early (1840) history of the Catholics of Brunswick, they were served by visiting priests from Augusta, Newfield, until becoming a Mission of Bath.  Mass was celebrated monthly in people’s homes until 1866 when they bought a Methodist Church on the corner of Federal and Franklin Streets.  Mass was said regularly until 1877.  As the number of French-Canadians came to work in the mills, they wanted their own church with a French-speaking priest.  And so, on January 1, 1877, the Mission of Brunswick became a parish, and the old Protestant Church was dedicated to St. John the Baptist.
The first three pastors were Diocesan priests (1877-1911), when in 1911, Bishop David Bacon put the parish in charge of the Marists Priests (Society of Mary), the Marists remained in charge for the 98 years (1911-2009-), with fifteen Marist Pastors serving, until St. John the Baptist became part of the cluster of churches of All Saints Parish.
As the number of parishioners grew more space was needed for worshiping and related activities.  A site on the corner of Pleasant and Union Streets was purchased, and almost immediately the erection of a new and much larger church began.  The cornerstone was laid in July 1882 and the spacious basement was ready for worship the following summer.  The church was completed in 1886 at a cost of $25,000.
When parishioners started to use (1883) the basement of the new church, the church on Federal and Franklin Streets because the first St. John’s School. And when the new church was completed, the basement then became the home of St. John’s School, and the old Methodist Church was sold. From 1883 until 1894, the school was taught by lay teachers, until the Sister (Dames de) of Sion were put in charge in 1894 lived on Oak Street and an overflow of students the school, caused the stables on Oak Street to be converted into a couple of classrooms (known as The Little School). The Sisters of Sion left in 1904 to be replaced by the Sisters of Mercy, and the convent/school on Oak Street was sold.  In 1915, the French-speaking Ursuline Nuns were placed in charge of St. John’s School, and they remained until 1998.  The school was then placed in charge by lay principals and teachers.
In 1888, seven acres of land on Pine Street was purchased for use as the Catholic Cemetery.  It was expanded several other times.
After the new church was completed and the school was on track, the parish was very vibrant especially for the Franco-Americans.  Most had left their homeland in Canada, mostly from the Province of Quebec, to build a better life for themselves in a foreign country.  They loved their church.  It wasn’t only a place to worship, it became a social life whey they could enjoy themselves, fund-raising for their church.  The pastors encouraged them to become American citizens.  Disputes between management of the textile mill and its workers was often solved by the Pastor.  They learned to speak English and assimilate themselves in the Brunswick/Topsham communities.  They loved their new country, and many men joined the military and fought during Worl War I and II.
All seemed to be going well until a devastating fire on April 12, 1912, destroyed their beautiful (wooden) church.  Their spirit was not undaunted.  With the request of the Bishop, the ruins of the church were cleared; the rectory was moved in the spot of the burned church.  The parish was finalizing plans to build a brand-new school behind the church.  Within a short period of time, construction of the new St. John the Baptist Church as well as the new St. John’s School started.
The foundations for the new church as well as the school were laid, and within a year March 16, 1913, the parishioners were attending mass in the newly completed basement.  The next day, the new school was dedicated and opened.  I took another 15 years for the superstructure of the church to be completed.  The blessing of the new completed church was dedicated and blessed on February 27, 1927, in the 50^th year of the Parish of St. John the Baptist.
In 1927, the Mission Church of St. Andew in Pejepscot was put in charge of the Marist priests.  Except for a short period of time, the Marists remained in charge until the church closed in 2009, when the All Saints Parish Cluster was formed.  In 1930, the English-speaking members of the parish petitioned Bishop J.G. Murray to have their own church.  St. Charles Borromeo Church was established on January 26, 1931.  Prior to 1933, a third floor to the school was added.
Much was accomplished while the Rev. William Dauphin, S.M. was Pastor from 1939-1948.  Even though the church had been completed, it was left very plain, undecorated.  With the encouragement of the parishioners, he hired an Italian artist to decorate the walks and ceilings of the church with elaborate designs.  The Stations of the Cross were replaced.  New lighting was installed.  Beautiful stained-glass windows replaced the pebble windows.  St. John’s Schol was partially destroyed by fire in 1943, and it had to be replaced.  The third floor was not rebuilt by order of the fire department, as well as the shortage of building materials.  In 1949, the ‘Red Brich School Annex’ was added to accommodate 2 classrooms.  The basement of the church continued to be the cafeteria for the school children, as well as a space for many banquets, plays, fund-raisers, etc. over the years.
Need for a new, safer, and healthier convent for the Ursuline nuns was deemed necessary by the Bishop.  Adjacent land to the church and school was purchased and construction on a new convent was started, and the new convent was completed in 1957.  The new, modern convent was home to 20 nuns.
While the Rev. Emile Guilmette, S. M. was pastor (1971-1978), he sold the Little Red School House Annex; the steeple of the church was repointed; sanctuary of the church was renovated; stained-glass windows were strengthened; carpeting was installed in the church; and new translucent windows were added to the school. The St. John’s Bazaar was initiated (Save the Steeple) in 1976.
In 1985, with the approval of the Parish Council, there was a swap of residence.  With the dwindling number of sisters (nuns) teaching at the school, and with the parish needing more offices and meeting spaces, it was decided that the sisters would move to the Rectory, and the Marist Priests would move into the Ursuline Convent.  St. John’s Parish Center was born.  In 1986, St. John the Baptist Church went through major rewiring, relighting, and a ventilation system.  A fire alarm detector system was also installed.  All these changes were done while the Rev. Roland Lajoie, S.M. was Pastor from 1981-1986.
In 1989, an elevator was added to the church.  In 1990, the Rev. Kenneth Thibodeau, S.M. became Pastor (1989-1997) and had the daunting job of replacing lost parish funds.  In spite of the huge loss, the parishioners rallied together, again, and were able to replace most of the lost funds.  In 1990 was the beginning of the (St. John) Alumni Homecoming Reunion Year, with many activities occurring in June.  This was the first time the Alumni had rallied around the school in a big way.
When the Rev. Walter Gaudreau, S.M. became Pastor (1997-2006), a Capital Campaign began in 1999 for needed repairs to the church (exterior & interior) etc.  In 2002, the parish celebrated its 125^th Anniversary, with month-long celebrations.  This was the start of the St. John the Baptist Parish Museum, on a smaller scale.  The Sacred Heart Chapel of Adoration was set up in the old convent/former rectory.  The Rev. Stephen Concannon became Administrator of the Parish from 2006-to 2009.
We are looking forward to celebrating our 150^th Anniversary in 2027.