Where Heritage & Hope Meet 

OUR HERITAGE
St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church was founded in 1837 making it the oldest Catholic Church in the city of Indianapolis. Located in the heart of downtown, St. John’s is a Beacon of Light to the city with the church’s historic spires standing prominently in the Indianapolis skyline. St. John’s serves as a witness to spiritual values in a secular world to a diverse community of parishioners, friends and visitors, including professionals working in the city, downtown residents, IUPUI students, convention and event attendees and our homeless neighbors. Our rich heritage includes:   
  • ​Formed Catholic Education in the City with both a Boys and Girls school,
    Service to those wounded in WWII with opening temporary hospitals to house soldiers wounded by the war,
    Housed the Tribunal and was the center for Diocesan work from 1878-1892,
    Hosted Super Bowl in 2012 welcoming thousands into the church, and 
    Suffered from an Arson Fire in 2013.
OUR HOPE
Over the past 10 years, St. John’s parish has grown from 211 families in 2010 to 1,502 families in 2019. We have welcomed 235 catechumens and candidates into the church and celebrated 530 weddings (including those scheduled through the end of 2020). We are a growing parish. Worship and celebration of the Sacraments form the core of parish life and gives us the grace for our light to shine outward in ministry. Parish ministries currently involve: 
  • Evangelization - hosts ministries such as Tap into the Spirit 
    Faith Formation - hosts bible studies to deepen our Catholic Faith 
    Discipleship- host fall series and quarterly meetings on forming ourselves as Missionary Disciples  
    Mens and Womens Groups- helps form men and women of the parish into the person God created them to be, in His image and likeness 
    Young Adult Ministry - helps build community and form young adults to be life long Catholics 
    Family Catechesis- helps to form our families as the domestic church 
    Small Group Book Studies- helps deepen our faith as well as build up community within the parish 
    Adoration - helps keep our community centered on Christ
    Haiti Ministry- helps serve the poorest of the poor in our sister parish in Haiti
    Garden Door Ministry-helps serve those in need locally in downtown Indianapolis

​As an active and growing parish, our facilities are in heavy daily use. We must ensure the health of our current facilities and plan for optimally suited spaces to support our growing church. For this purpose, we are launching Preserving our Heritage… Inspiring Hope – an initiative to raise $3.5 million in support of the following plans for St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church. We hope you will take the time to review these plans and consider a gift to this worthy initiative for our city, our Catholic community, and our parish family. 
Back to Capital Campaign Homepage