St. John the Baptist Church to celebrate 150th anniversary

St. John the Baptist Church – the church with the “golden steeple” – will celebrate the 150th anniversary of its dedication with a 4 p.m. Mass Dec. 3.

The historic church at 1139 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd – adjacent to I-10 in downtown New Orleans – currently operates under the jurisdiction of St. Patrick Parish.

The towering red brick church was dedicated on Jan. 7, 1872, and has withstood major damage from both Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Ida, said John Ciravolo, one of the team of volunteers that cares for the church.

Father Randy Roux, the chaplain at St. John the Baptist, celebrates two Masses each weekend – a 4 p.m. Vigil and a 9:15 a.m. Mass on Sunday. The church is also open for weddings and funerals.

“Those stained-glass windows just make you feel so good,” Ciravolo said.

The church’s website, www.goldensteeple.com, has many pictures and other historic details of the church.

Ciravolo said approximately 70 people attend the Saturday Vigil Mass and 60 attend the Sunday morning Mass.

The upcoming schedule of Masses at St. John the Baptist is as follows: Dec. 7, Immaculate Conception Vigil, 5 p.m.; Dec. 8, Feast of the Immaculate Conception, 8 a.m.; Dec. 10, 4 p.m. and Dec. 11, 9:15 a.m., Feast of St. Lucy, with veneration of her relic; Dec. 24, Christmas concert by Jacob Penick at 3:30 p.m., followed by the Christmas Vigil at 4 p.m.; Dec. 25, Christmas Mass at 9:15 a.m.; Dec. 31, Vigil of Mary, Mother of God, 4 p.m.; and Jan. 1, 2023, Mary Mother of God, 9:15 a.m.