| Saint John Parish | |
| The History of Saint Johns | Our Church and Parish |
Saint John Parish Saint John Parish was established in 1946 by the Bishop Charles F. Buddy, who sent Father Patrick Linneman to what was then called the community of Encinitas, a then sparsely populated, unincorporated area of north San Diego County. Father Linneman was charged with forming a new parish by bringing together the Catholic families living in Cardiff by the Sea, Encinitas, and Leucadia. These families had previously been attending services at Saint James in Del Mar (now Solana Beach), and Saint Patricks in Carlsbad. Saint John parish was comprised of only 15 families in its beginning. These families attended services at the Encinitas Mortuary, located on Second Street, while Father Linneman made preparations to build a new church. An Army chapel was procured from Camp Collan, near La Jolla Junction, and was reconstructed on the parish grounds in Leucadia. | This new church had a capacity of 200 families, and by 1978 Saint John parish had grown to over 800 families. Monsignor Timothy Harnett joined the parish as pastor in 1979. Father Harnett and Monsignor Michael O'Connor then began their search for a new location to accomodate the growth of the parish, and finally settled on a new site on Encinitas Boulevard. Bishop Leo Maher blessed the grounds on September 9, 1984. Construction of the new church and school facilities began in April, 1987. The new church was completed in 1988. Our parish center and school and office buildings were completed in 1991. Saint John parish now has a population of over 2200 families in large part because of Monsignor Harnett's guidance until his retirement in 2006. Father Brian Corcoran became Saint John's pastor in 2007 and his enthusiastic efforts continue to grow our parish as families join us to enjoy spiritual community. |