Saint John the Baptist Church (Columbus, Ohio)

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Saint John the Baptist Church
St. John the Baptist, Columbus, OH, exterior FR.jpg
The exterior of St. John the Baptist in 2011.
Saint John the Baptist Church (Columbus, Ohio)
Saint John the Baptist Church
39°58′39″N82°59′26″W / 39.9774°N 82.9906°W / 39.9774; -82.9906
Location Italian Village,
Columbus, Ohio
Address168 East Lincoln Street
Columbus, Ohio, 43215
Denomination Catholic
Religious institute Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (1949-1991)
History
FoundedOctober 1896
Dedicated18 September 1898
Architecture
Architect David Riebel
Style Late Gothic Revival
Construction cost$12,000
Specifications
Capacity480
Length104 ft.
Width43 ft.
Tower height98 ft.
Administration
Diocese Diocese of Columbus
Parish Sacred Heart

Saint John the Baptist Church is a Catholic national parish church of the Diocese of Columbus located in the Italian Village neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. The congregation was founded in 1896 to serve Italian-American immigrants and initially met at St. Joseph Cathedral before the completion of the Late Gothic Revival church in 1898. [1] [2] The church was staffed by priests of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions from 1949 to 1991, and became a hub of Italian-American culture in central Ohio, founding and sponsoring the Columbus Italian Festival in 1980 as well as constructing an Italian Cultural Center in 1989. It has been jointly administered with Sacred Heart Church in nearby Victorian Village since 2022.

Contents

History

Founding

The first immigrants to reside in what is now Italian Village were Irish immigrants, who lived in the area from 1850 to around 1870, but began to move out of the area as they became more sucessful. In the 1890s, Italian-Americans began to move to the area from Milo-Grogan and Flytown, attracted by the plentiful jobs available in the area. These included the Jeffrey Manufacturing Company, Berry Brothers Bolt Works, and Kilbourne and Jacobs Manufacturing Co. [3] [4] In January of 1896, Fr. Alexander Cestelli, an Italian priest from Fiesole, was hired by Joseph Jessing to serve as a professor at the Pontifical College Josephinum, teaching Moral theology. Cestelli eventualy became interested in the spiritual welfare of Italian immigrants in Columbus, and by October of the same year, Bishop John Watterson asked Cestelli to take charge of the Italian Catholics of Columbus, who prior to this attended Mass at parishes throughout the city. [1] [5] [6] [7] Cestelli began saying Sunday Mass for Italian immigrants in the baptistery of St. Joseph Cathedral soon after, and continued to do so for two years. [8] As the baptistery chapel prominently features a stained-glass window depicting the Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, it is speculated that this lead to John the Baptist being selected as the patron for the church. [1]

Construction of current church

In late 1897, Cestelli purchased a plot of land at the intersection of Lincoln and Hamlet streets for $4700 and began working towards building a church for the community. Throughout the construction and early days of the new church, John Marzetti was a frequent benefactor to the parish, donating $6,000 for its construction and continuing to support the church after its completion, auctioning off a parcel of his land to fund its operation, and hosting fundraisers for its benefit at his home. [1] [9] [10] [11] [12] Ground was broken for the church building in the spring of 1898 and the cornerstone laid by Bishop Watterson on March 15. The brick Gothic Revival church was designed by Columbus architect David Riebel and cost $12,000. [13] The pulpit, altars, communion rails, and confessionals were all constructed by the Josephinum Church Furniture Company. [14] On September 18, 1898, Bishop Sebastiano Martinelli, the papal delegate to the United States, dedicated the completed church building. [15] A convent to the east of the church building was completed in August of 1899. [16] While most other parishes in the Columbus diocese at this time were territorial and established for specific geographic areas, St. John the Baptist was established as a national parish with no boundaries, instead serving all the Italian immigrants in Columbus. [1] [17] [18] As a result of this, since the parishoners were scattered throughout the city, a parochial school for St. John was never founded. [19]

In the construction of the church, as well as the adjoining rectory, the parish incurred significant debt, and the offertory from parishoners was small. [20] [19] In 1900, Cestelli requested that St. John's be given a portion of Sacred Heart parish, (in which territory St. John's had been built) so as to increase the income to the Italian congregation, which both the diocese and the pastor of Sacred Heart denied. [21] The church property was held in Cestelli's name, the only parish priest of the Columbus diocese to hold church property in his own name at this time. The Italian priest was willing to relinquish the title of St. John to Bishop Henry Moeller only if Moeller would give him a pension. [9] In February of 1901, Cestelli gave both the keys and title to the church to Moeller and then left the Diocese. Due to the debts of the church, it was in danger of foreclosure, as the Diocese was unwilling to accept financial liability for the building. [22] [23] The congregation began to fundraise to save the church from foreclosure, with Moeller himself personally donating $100. [24]

The Dominican Sisters of the Sick Poor lived on the St. John campus from 1912 to 1987. Dominican Sisters of the Sick Poor.jpg
The Dominican Sisters of the Sick Poor lived on the St. John campus from 1912 to 1987.

Sovilla and Petrarca pastorates

Vittorio Sovilla, another Italian priest who had prior served Italians in Cincinnati, became the second pastor of St. John in March of 1901. [25] [1] He worked hard to pay down the outstanding debt, going door-to-door among his parishoners to collect offerings. [26] [19] Sovilla was a friend of St. Giovanni Battista Scalabrini, who visited St. John in 1901 and blessed an image of Our Lady of Pompei for the congregation. [27] [28] [29] Sovilla was stabbed in the parish rectory by a visitor seeking advice concerning a marriage in 1911 but recovered. [30] [31] The Dominican Sisters of the Sick Poor established their Columbus community at St. John's convent -- eventually renamed to St. Rose of Lima Convent -- in November of 1912. [32] [33] [34] Ongoing conflict between Fr. Sovilla and parishoners lead to his returning to Italy in 1913. [19]

The vacant pastorate was filled by Fr. Rocco Petrarca, another Italian born in Bordighera who had been serving in Springfield, Massachusets before coming to Columbus in August of 1913. [35] [36] [19] By this time, some Italian Catholics of Columbus had begun to settle in what would become San Margherita, attracted to the area by jobs in the stone quarries. Petrarca ministered to this community also, establishing a mission there that in 1922 became St. Margaret of Cortona, the namesake of the neighborhood. [37] [38] [39] Petrarca also celebrated the first Mass following the dedication of St. Margaret Church in August of 1922. [40]

An attempted burglary in 1945 was foiled by a homemade burglar alarm installed in the church by its pastor, who tinkered with electronics in his spare time. [41] [42] [43] Among the Catholic churches of Columbus, St. John lost the most parishoners in service during World War II, at 15. [44] [45] Petrarca's health began to decline and in 1947 had to leave the parish. Bishop Michael Ready attempted to close the parish, but the congregation resisted and in August of 1948, Ready gave care of the parish to the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions, abbreviated PIME. [46] Shortly after taking on the administration of St. John the Baptist, PIME also opened Saints Peter and Paul Seminary in Newark, Ohio. [47] [18]

Parishoners of Saint Margaret of Cortona Church -- founded from St. John the Baptist in 1922 -- process with a statue of St. Margaret. Festival Procession.jpg
Parishoners of Saint Margaret of Cortona Church -- founded from St. John the Baptist in 1922 -- process with a statue of St. Margaret.

PIME administration and Columbus Italian Festival

In 1957, the basement of the church building was remodeled to serve as a church hall. [48] [49] The church was the first to host a series of all-night Prayer vigils that eventually spread to other churches throughout the Columbus area in following years. [50] [51] [52] In 1980, Fr. Casto Marrapese oversaw the parish organizing the first Columbus Italian Festival, which attracted 8,000 people to the Ohio State Fairgrounds on September 1 and 2, requiring some attendees to be turned away. [53] [54] Marrapese stated the purpose of the festival was to allow Italian-Americans, their children, and their friends in Columbus a chance to experience Italian culture, as Italians in Columbus were losing their identity. [55] Proceeds from the festival also funded college scholarships for high school graduates from throughout the Columbus area, with $60,000 being raised in the festival's first 10 years. [56] [57]

Italian Cultural Center and merger with Sacred Heart

Saint John's as viewed from I-670. Saint John the Baptist Italian Catholic Church (Columbus, Ohio) - exterior and I-670.jpg
Saint John's as viewed from I-670.

Following the departure of the Dominican Sisters of the Sick Poor from St. Rose of Lima Convent next door to St. John in 1987, which had fallen into severe disrepair, St. John sought permission from the Italian Village commission to demolish the convent building to build an Italian cultural center and church hall in January 1988. The first two requests were denied but permission was granted for the third request in June, after the church agreed to reconstruct the old convent façade on the new building. [18] [58] The completed Italian Cultural Center was dedicated on October 29, 1989. [59] Casto Marrapese, the last PIME priest to serve as pastor of St. John, retired in 1991, and a diocesan priest of Columbus, Mario Serraglio, was appointed as pastor of the parish. [1]

Beginning in November 2022, St. John and Sacred Heart began to be served by the same pastor, an arrangement that has continued to the present. [60] [61] [62] The following year, the parish began to host meetings of La Prossima in the Italian Cultural Center, a group for young people of Italian descent in the Columbus area. [63]

Traditions

The parish has maintained the Italian tradition of distributing blessed bread on the feast of St. Anthony of Padua. [64] [65] [66] The church offers Italian language education courses, a custom that goes back to at least 1953. [67] [68]


References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Pishtelli, Joseph (1998). Centennial History Of St. John The Baptist Italian Catholic Church, Columbus, Ohio.
  2. ↑ Darbee, Jeffrey T. (2008). The AIA guide to Columbus. Internet Archive. Athens, Ohio : Ohio University Press. ISBN   978-0-8214-1684-6.
  3. ↑ "Italian Village History". www.shortnorth.com. Retrieved 2025-11-17.
  4. ↑ Italian Village Guidelines for Rehabilitation and New Construction (PDF). The Italian Village Commission. 1990.
  5. ↑ "The Catholic Telegraph, Volume 66, Number 3, 21 January 1897: The Catholic Telegraph". The Catholic Telegraph. 21 January 1897.
  6. ↑ "The Catholic Columbian, Volume 22, Number 27, 3 July 1897: The Catholic Columbian". The Catholic Columbian. 3 July 1897 – via JSTOR.
  7. ↑ "The Catholic Columbian, Volume 29, Number 53, 31 December 1904: The Catholic Columbian". The Catholic Columbian. 31 December 1904.
  8. ↑ "The Catholic Columbian, Volume 22, Number 51, 18 December 1897: The Catholic Columbian". The Catholic Columbian. 18 December 1897.
  9. 1 2 "A Crisis in St. John's Parish which Bishop Moeller Has to Decide". The Columbus Dispatch . 18 October 1900.
  10. ↑ "Maccaroni Dinner Housewarming at the Italian Church Parsonage -- the New Chapel". The Columbus Dispatch . 1 December 1898.
  11. ↑ "Mr. Peter Merkle of East Broad street won the $1,200 lot on Euclid avenue offered by John Marzetti for the benefit of the new Italian Catholic church, St. John the Baptist. The drawing took place at the church on Sunday evening and refreshments were served while the Knights of St. George band furnished music". The Columbus Dispatch .
  12. ↑ "Italian Lawn Fete". The Columbus Dispatch . 16 September 1899. ITALIAN LAWN FETE A delightful affair in Italian circles was the lawn fete given last evening at the residence of Mr. John Marzetti 1100 North High street, for the beneft of the church of St. John the Baptist, of which Father Cestell is in charge. Refreshments were served and music and dancing enjoyed.
  13. ↑ "The Catholic Columbian, Volume 23, Number 21, 21 May 1898: The Catholic Columbian". The Catholic Columbian: 8. 21 May 1898.
  14. ↑ "Mr. Herman Allard. superintendent of the Church Furniture company at the Josephinum. will next week oversee the erection of the altars in the new italian church of St. John the Baptist. The pulpit, railings and confessionals will also be put in place. They are in Gothic style to correspond with the architecture of the church". The Columbus Dispatch . 10 September 1898.
  15. ↑ "St. John's Church Dedicated under Auspisious Circumstances". The Columbus Dispatch . 19 September 1898.
  16. ↑ "The residence which is being built for the Sisters. at St John the Baptist church, is now under roof. It is just east of the church and is being constructed of the same material as that of the church". The Columbus Dispatch . 12 August 1899.
  17. ↑ Mattingly, Herman (July 1987). "BOUNDARIES OF THE FRANKLIN COUNTY PARISHES AS ESTABLISHED BY BISHOP MOELLER IN 1903" (PDF). Barquilla de la Santa Maria BULLETIN of the Catholic Record Society- Diocese of Columbus.
  18. 1 2 3 Donald Schlegel (2001). Illustrated History Of The Diocese Of Columbus Donald Schlegel 2001.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 Catholic Church. Diocese of Columbus (Ohio) (1918). Diocese of Columbus : the history of fifty years, 1868-1918. Cornell University Library. Columbus, Ohio : [Diocese of Columbus].
  20. ↑ "Father Cestelli's Church Preparing to take Care of the Church Debt". The Columbus Dispatch . 31 December 1900.
  21. ↑ "FATHER EIS' PARISH EFFORT TO DIVIDE IT TO AID FATHER CESTELLI Former Vigorously Objects Meeting of the Diocesan Consultors Held Today". The Columbus Dispatch . 27 September 1900.
  22. ↑ "Father Cestelli Turns Over the Keys of St. John's the Baptist Church". The Columbus Dispatch . 7 February 1901.
  23. ↑ "PAYMENT OF INTEREST ON DEBT OF CHURCH OF ST JOHN THE BAPTIST Falls Due Neat Month If Not Paid Then, Foreclosure Threatens". The Columbus Dispatch . 8 February 1901.
  24. ↑ "DEBT ON THEIR CHURCH WILL BE PAID BY ITALIAN COMMUNITY. Church of St. John the Baptist to Be Saved From Sale Under the Hammer". The Columbus Dispatch . 25 February 1901.
  25. ↑ "The Catholic Columbian, Volume 26, Number 10, 9 March 1901: The Catholic Columbian". The Catholic Columbian. 9 March 1901.
  26. ↑ "The Catholic Columbian, Volume 32, Number 5, 2 February 1907: The Catholic Columbian". The Catholic Columbian. 2 February 1907.
  27. ↑ "Bishop Scalabrini will preach in Italian Catholic Church Monday Evening". The Columbus Dispatch . 5 October 1901.
  28. ↑ "Catholic News from the Diocese". The Columbus Dispatch . 19 December 1903.
  29. ↑ "The Catholic Columbian, Volume 31, Number 18, 5 May 1906: The Catholic Columbian". The Catholic Columbian. 5 May 1906.
  30. ↑ "UNKNOWN ITALIAN SINKS KNIFE INTO BACK OF PRIEST Father Sovilla Victim of Mysterious Attack in His Own Study". The Columbus Dispatch . 18 October 1911.
  31. ↑ "COLUMBUS ITALIANS ARE GUILTY, SAYS CHURCHES Announces That Arrests of Suspect in Father Sovilla Case Will Soon Be Made". The Columbus Dispatch . 20 October 1911.
  32. ↑ "The Catholic Columbian, Volume 37, Number 45, 8 November 1912: The Catholic Columbian". The Catholic Columbian. 8 November 1912.
  33. ↑ Catholic Church Diocese of Columbus (Ohio) (1953). Stars Shining In Ohio 1803 1953 and Forever.
  34. ↑ "May they never leave our city -- Dominican Sisters of the Sick Poor". The Catholic Times. 1962-09-21. p. 4. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  35. ↑ "Rocco Petrarca Obit 2". The Catholic Times. 1952-02-15. p. 2. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  36. ↑ "The Catholic Columbian, Volume 38, Number 37, 12 September 1913: The Catholic Columbian". The Catholic Columbian. 12 September 1913.
  37. ↑ Catholic Record Society of Columbus. Journal of the Catholic Record Society of Columbus - November 1991 - The story of St. Margaret of Cortona Parish.
  38. ↑ "Fiftieth Anniversaries Bring Celebrations". The Columbus Dispatch . 11 November 1948.
  39. ↑ "St. Margaret's Celebrates Feast Day of Its Saints". The Columbus Dispatch . 20 July 1940.
  40. ↑ "The Catholic Columbian, Volume 47, Number 34, 25 August 1922: The Catholic Columbian". The Catholic Columbian. 25 August 2022.
  41. ↑ "Home-Made Alarm Rouses Priest and Saves Church Fund". Detroit Free Press. 1945-10-27. p. 5. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  42. ↑ "Priest's Alarm Foil Burglar". The Charlotte News. 1945-10-26. p. 16. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  43. ↑ "Priest's Invention Protects His Church". The Bradenton Herald. 1945-10-26. p. 1. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  44. ↑ "Memorial Chapel at Cathedral Planned". The Columbus Dispatch . 12 January 1946.
  45. ↑ "Darkness Reflects Mother's Woe". The Columbus Dispatch . 28 November 1945. pp. 8A.
  46. ↑ Gheddo, Piero (1998). PIME in North America, fifty years : presence and impact. Internet Archive. Detroit, Mich. : PIME World Press. ISBN   978-0-09-642016-6.
  47. ↑ "New Seminary, 1st in U.S., Dedicated Here (Ss. Peter and Paul Seminary, Newark Ohio)". The Catholic Times. 1952-12-19. p. 2. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  48. ↑ "St. John Baptist Parish Hall to be Blessed". The Catholic Times. 1957-01-18. p. 2. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  49. ↑ "Church Hall Ready". The Columbus Dispatch . 19 January 1957. p. 7.
  50. ↑ "All-Night Vigil An all-night vigil of prayer in reparation for sins is planned tonight at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 750 Hamlet St., beginning with Mass at 9 p.m. Don Chellis, 751 S. Remington Rd., who announced the vigil, said monthly all-night vigils may be established in Columbus". The Columbus Dispatch . 1 February 1969. p. 7.
  51. ↑ "All-Night Vigil Celebrates First Anniversary in City". The Columbus Dispatch . 7 February 1970. p. 7. The first anniversary of the monthly All-Night Eucharistic Vigil will be celebrated at St John the Baptist Catholic Church. 720 Hamlet St.. Saturday, beginning with a concelebrated Mass at 9 p.m. The schedule includes both private and group prayers. refreshment breaks. and ends with Mass at 5 a.m. Sunday. Those attending may stay the whole night or a few hours. FOLLOWING THE first vigil a year ago at St. John the Baptist Church, 12 other churches have held the vigil: St. Francis of Assisi. St Patrick, Holy Name. Our Lady of Victory. Christ the King, St. James, St. Agnes. Our Lady of Peace. St Michael, St. Agatha. St. Pius the X and Holy Spirit. A future vigil is scheduled for St. Joseph Cathedral on March 7-8. The officers of the All-Night Eucharistic Vigil are: Dan Columbra, lay director; Henry Houck, associate direc-tor: Miss Martha Smith. sec-retary: R. I. Davy. liturgical committee: Walter Houck. parish promotion: Mrs. R. I. Davy, mailing: Dick Sopha. usher: Mrs. Regis Lhoest. re-freshment: Mrs F. L. Daniel, publicity. and the Rev. James Wallers. clergy moderator.
  52. ↑ "Association Plans Vigil". The Columbus Dispatch . 2 February 1974. p. 6. The Eucharistic Vigil Association of the Diocese of Columbus will celebrate the fifth anniversary of its inception with an all-night vigil at St. John the Baptist Church, 720 Hamlet St. Saturday beginning with a Mass at 9 p.m. The night will be spent in prayer and meditation before the Blessed Sacra ment, and will conclude with a Mass at 5am Sunday.
  53. ↑ Kehres, Kevin (22 September 1980). "Overflow Crowd Celebrates Italian Heritage At Fest". The Columbus Dispatch . pp. 1B.
  54. ↑ "Columbus' first Italian Festival was so popular that visitors were turned away from the weekend celebration at the Lausche Building on the Ohio State Fairgrounds Page B-1". The Columbus Dispatch . 22 September 1980. pp. A2.
  55. ↑ "Italian Festival Set for Ohio Fairgrounds". The Columbus Dispatch . 6 September 1980. pp. A7. THE PURPOSE of the two-day event is to give Italians an opportunity to get together. "Everybody is searching for his identity," he said. Marrapese, noting that America is a melting pot of na-tionalities, said "Italians in Columbus are slowly losing their identity. This affair will give italians in Franklin County, their children and their friends a chance to enjoy our food, our music, and our culture."
  56. ↑ "THE ITALIAN Festival sponsored by St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 720 Hamlet St., has established a fund to encourage young people to further their educations. Five scholarships of $1,000 each will be awarded every year to worthy students graduating from various high schools in Franklin County. This year's recipients are: Thomas Bernardo, Westerville North; Julianne Pae-sano, DeSales; Daniel Polletta, St. Charles; Michael Meleca, Centennial, and Marisa Rotolo, Ready". The Columbus Dispatch . 25 September 1982. pp. A5.
  57. ↑ Stephens, Steve (13 September 1989). "BET YOUR BOOT! ITALIAN FEST A FUND-RAISER WITH ZEST". The Columbus Dispatch .
  58. ↑ Long, Jeff (22 June 1988). "ON THIRD TRY, CHURCH WINS OK TO TEAR DOWN OLD CONVENT". The Columbus Dispatch . pp. 1C.
  59. ↑ Long, Jeff (29 October 1989). "PRIEST SEES DREAM COME TRUE - ITALIAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER DEDICATION TODAY". The Columbus Dispatch . pp. 03D.
  60. ↑ "More priests from religious orders coming to diocese". The Catholic Times. Retrieved 2025-12-04.
  61. ↑ "Additional clergy assignments announced". The Catholic Times. Retrieved 2025-12-04.
  62. ↑ "Clergy assignments announced". The Catholic Times. Retrieved 2025-12-04.
  63. ↑ "Group brings together young adults with Italian roots". The Catholic Times. Retrieved 2025-12-04.
  64. ↑ "The Sisters of the Sick Poor and the Sisters of the Sacred Heart Convent will distribute 3000 loaves of bread before the altar in St. John the Baptist church this Sunday. Nobody hears about this group but fellows they carry on in good times as well as bad". The Columbus Dispatch . 12 June 1943. p. 2.
  65. ↑ "To Bless Bread at Annual Feast". The Columbus Dispatch . 15 June 1968. p. 7.
  66. ↑ "Tradition continues with St. Anthony feast day celebrations". The Catholic Times. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
  67. ↑ "Local Church to Sponsor Free Course in Italian". The Catholic Times. 1953-01-30. p. 1. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  68. ↑ "Italian Language Class". St. John the Baptist. Retrieved 2025-12-09.


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