St. John kicks off 150th anniversary celebration

St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church will commemorate the beginning of its 150th year as a parish Thursday, June 23, opening a yearlong celebration that will culminate on its sesquicentennial Thursday, June 24, 2017.

The weekend celebration will begin with a bilingual Mass at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 23, officiated by St. John's pastor, the Rev. Matthew Pratscher, at the church, 0S233 Church St., Winfield.

The Mass will be followed by a fire and fiesta featuring s'mores and tacos and music by a mariachi band. Then, on Friday, June 24, a Mass will begin at 7:30 a.m. to mark the Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist.

Rounding out the weekend will be a bilingual Mass at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, June 26, followed by the annual parish picnic.

In Winfield's early days, the majority of residents were German immigrants, many of whom were Catholics. They attended worship at the German mission church of St. Stephen at Gretna. However, the long-distance travel and rumors that a new church soon would be forming in nearby Wheaton caused a delegation to petition the Rev. James Duggan, bishop of Chicago, to establish a church in Winfield.

The bishop's approval brought prompt attention and it was in 1867 when DuPage County landowner Col. James Warren (founder of Warrenville) deeded an acre of land to Duggan for $1. The deed stipulated that a church be constructed, along with a dwelling for the priest and a schoolhouse.

A Benedictine priest, Father Corbinian, was assigned to serve the new mission. Although the place of worship remained German speaking until World War I, today St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church serves many diverse communities in the area.

Many celebratory events will occur throughout the jubilee year. For information, visit stjohnwinfield.org.