St. John the Evangelist Church (Cambridge, Massachusetts)

St. John the Evangelist Church
St. John the Evangelist Church
42°23′39.8″N 71°7′37.8″W / 42.394389°N 71.127167°W / 42.394389; -71.127167Coordinates: 42°23′39.8″N 71°7′37.8″W / 42.394389°N 71.127167°W / 42.394389; -71.127167
Location	2254 Massachusetts Ave Cambridge, Massachusetts
Country	United States
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Website	www.stjohncambridge.org
History
Founded	Parish split from St. Peter's: January 1, 1893 (1893-01-01)
Architecture
Status	Parish church
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	NRHP
Designated	1983
Architect(s)	Maginnis, Walsh & Sullivan
Style	Romanesque Revival
Groundbreaking	November 30, 1904
Completed	Early 1905
Administration
Archdiocese	Boston
Clergy
Pastor(s)	Rev. Charles E. Collins
Laity
Director of music	Michelle Deluise
Organist(s)	Daniel Lamoureux
St. John the Evangelist Church
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Built	1904
MPS	Cambridge MRA
NRHP Reference #	83000829
Added to NRHP	June 30, 1983

St. John the Evangelist is a historic Roman Catholic Church at 2270 Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The late Speaker of the House, "Tip" O'Neill, was a lifelong parishioner and graduated from St. John High School in 1931. His Requiem Mass was held in the church on January 10, 1994.

The church was built in 1904 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The architects, Maginnis, Walsh & Sullivan, won four gold medals from the American Institute of Architects. One was for St. John's.

Until the early 1890s North Cambridge and West Somerville were part of Saint Peter’s parish. Members from this section of the parish would travel long distances to attend Mass on Sunday. Because of rapidly growing industries and the growing number of immigrants, Father Flately, the pastor of St. Peter's Parish, worried that the young children would not get a proper Catholic education. In 1890, he purchased an acre of land on Spruce Street (now Rindge Avenue). On January 1, 1893 St. John's Parish became an independent parish and worshiped in a small wooden chapel on Rindge Avenue.

In 1898 the estate of the late Horatio Locke, on the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Hollis Street, was purchased for $18,000 as the site for the new church. The Locke house was moved to 8 Hollis Street and became the second rectory. In 1930 the third and present rectory was built of yellow brick at 2254 Massachusetts Avenue, on the site of the Woodbridge House, in Prance (Dutch) School Style with Moorish windows. Architect was William B. Colleary; builder was Walsh Brothers. The old rectory at 8 Hollis Street was razed. A monstrance made of gold, silver, diamonds and other precious stones, donated by parishioners, was used for a Holy Hour to begin the Holy Year in 1933. It was reputed to be the largest monstrance in the United States.