America's Largest Catholic Newspaper
With a parish registration of 2,500 families, St. John the Evangelist in Goshen touches a lot of lives in that historic Orange County village and its more recently developed environs.
“We’re the only Catholic church in Goshen,” said Father Thomas K. Dicks, the pastor for the last 10 years. “Churches aren’t too close together up here, and I’d say we probably get about 2,000 people for Mass every weekend.”
Established in 1837 in the heart of Goshen, which the pastor described as “a beautiful old…village of about 5,000 people,” the 175-year-old parish just completed a year of anniversary celebrations culminating with a Mass celebrated by Cardinal Dolan Sept. 15.
On that visit, the cardinal greeted a welcoming congregation of longtime parishioners whose roots in the area go back for generations as well as the families—including many New York City firefighters—who began moving in during a building boom in the 1990s when the parish enrollment doubled.
And the newcomers are still coming.
“Every week, there are one or two newcomers who register in the parish,” said Father Dicks, “and a lot of them are young families.”
St. John’s started as a worship community in 1820 when it was established as a mission church of St. Peter’s on Barclay Street in lower Manhattan, which is the oldest Catholic parish in New York state.
At first, St. John’s encompassed most of what is now Orange County along with parts of Rockland and Sullivan counties, a territory now covered by more than 20 parishes in Orange alone.
Masses were celebrated in homes and farmhouses in the parish’s first decade, until a church was built in 1847. Two years later, it got its first resident pastor, Father Stephen Ward, whose appointment meant that priests from Manhattan no longer had to travel to Goshen every week for Masses and sacraments.
A parish elementary school was established 150 years ago, followed in 1899 by St. John’s Academy, a high school staffed by the Sisters of Charity. Both schools operated in the building that later became a convent. Recently renovated, the convent building now houses parish and religious education offices.
The schools evolved as well. The high school became the Garr Institute in honor of a benefactor who funded construction of a new building, then was called St. John’s High School. In 1964, however, the high school was replaced by a new archdiocesan high school, John S. Burke Catholic High School, which continues to operate in the village.
The elementary school, now under the direction of a new principal, Sister Lucy Povilonis, O.P., has an enrollment of 225 students in kindergarten through grade eight.
Over the years, the schools have been served by the Sisters of Charity, the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary of New Windsor, and the Dominican Sisters of Blauvelt.
A religious education program under coordinator Cathy Fife serves about 900 students.
At the parish, Father Dicks is assisted by two parochial vicars: Msgr. Bayani Valenzuela, a Filipino priest, and Father Adaly Rosado Jr., who was ordained in 2011 and who has updated the parish website.
“All of the young priests are technologically advanced,” quipped the pastor.
Also serving the parish is Deacon Vincent Cookingham and a weekend associate, Father Joseph A. Komonchak, a retired professor in the religious studies department of The Catholic University of America and an author and lecturer.
St. John’s has seven weekend Masses, including one in Spanish, and a monthly Mass for Filipinos in the Tagalog language. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is available all day on First Fridays and every weekday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Active parish groups include a Respect Life Committee, the Knights of Columbus St. John’s Council, Catholic Daughters of the Americas, youth groups in English and Spanish, a Rosary Society and various prayer groups.
A parents guild is active in the school, and the parish sponsors sports programs for young people including CYO basketball.
And a parish picnic held in June, a tradition that goes back to 1870, remains one of the most popular annual events.
“It’s a very active parish,” Father Dicks said. “There are lots of young people, lots of kids, a lot of signs of life.”
