St. John Baptist de la Salle

St. John Baptist de la Salle Church was established on October 3, 1951, by the Archbishop of Washington, Patrick A. O'Boyle. The first pastor was the Right Reverend Monsignor John S. Spence who celebrated the first Mass on October 20, 1951. The cost of the new church was $356,833.61. The physical plant consisted of the church, a temporary rectory located on Burgess Drive, and fifteen acres of land. Work began almost immediately on a complex that included the construction of a ten room parish school, a convent, and a permanent rectory. In 1956, the last construction was started. When completed, the St. John Baptist de la Salle Parish complex consisted of the church, school, convent and rectory. The total costs amounted to $1,031,564.22.

The Reverend Monsignor James H. Brooks was appointed pastor in 1958, at which time, the parish debt was nearly a half-million dollars. The willingness of the parish families to honor the pledges made through a fundraising campaign attributed to this debt being paid in the mid-1960's. During Msgr. Brooks' administration the parish continued to grow and because of the tremendous growth, a portion of the parish was designated to become part of the new parish of St. Mark's.

IReverend Charlesn 1969, when Reverend Charles M. Wilk became pastor of St. John's Parish, the changes and reforms mandated by the Second Vatican Council were in progress. Reverend Wilk began a renovation program to meet these mandates which entailed the remodeling of the sanctuary and the church. During this renovation, the building grounds were improved and air- conditioning was installed. The Reverend Aldo P. Petrini continued the renovation program when he was assigned to the parish in 1971. He established the Parish Pastoral Advisory Council which added a new dimension to the spirit of cooperation and interest in the parish. A series of liturgical reforms were implemented. Father Petrini was especially noted for his ecumenical endeavors.

In September 1984, a new pastor, Reverend Monsignor Joaquin A. Bazan, was assigned to St. John's. Msgr. Bazan continued with the strong spiritual guidance and leadership to help develop the growth of a family of faith. The Parish Finance Council was implemented during his tenure.In September 1988, three acres of land, belonging to the church, was donated to help build a senior citizens complex, Rollingcrest Commons. This fulfilled a dream of many of the parishioners. James Cardinal Hickey, the former Archbishop of Washington, who was a distinguished parishioner of St. John's, was present at the Rollingcrest Commons ground
breaking ceremony. While St. John's parish has reached a milestone, many changes have taken place over the past fifty years.

Reverend Robert C. Richardson, assigned to the parish in December 1994, faced numerous challenges upon his arrival. The physical structures had deteriorated, and the number of registered members in the parish had declined. Recognizing the urgent needs of the parish, Fr. Richardson swiftly launched a fundraising campaign, calling on parish families to pledge financial support for renovations. The ongoing Fundraising Campaign provided additional resources, allowing him to move forward with much-needed improvements.

During his tenure, the office space of the rectory was remodeled, and two first-floor classrooms in the rectory were transformed into a conference room and a chapel. To better serve parishioners who could no longer climb the stairs to the main church, a chapel was constructed and completed in 1996. It was designated as "The Risen Christ Chapel," providing a more accessible space for worship.