About St. John the Apostle · Milford, Delaware
St. John the Apostle is a Roman Catholic parish in Milford, Delaware, in the Diocese of Wilmington. It ministers, together with its mission church of St. Bernadette in Harrington, to more than 1,550 households in lower Kent County and upper Sussex County. The parish was dedicated on June 26, 1910, and today offers Mass in English and Spanish, with weekly Eucharistic Adoration, an active Hispanic ministry, a religious-education program, a long-running annual German Oktoberfest, and a stable team of two priests and four deacons serving 200+ Hispanic families alongside the wider Catholic community.
- Established
- 1910
- Patron
- St. John the Apostle
- Rector
- Rev. Anthony Giamello
- Diocese
- Diocese of Wilmington
Why belong here
St. John the Apostle is a multi-ethnic parish of more than 1,550 households that puts worship and service side by side: it offers a full weekly schedule of Masses in English plus a Sunday Misa en Español, weekly Wednesday Eucharistic Adoration from noon to 7:00 PM, and Sacramental Confession every Saturday afternoon. The parish keeps people engaged through a faith-formation program for children, OCIA for adults entering the Church, a Knights of Columbus council, a St. Vincent de Paul Society, a Social Concerns / Food Pantry outreach, a Music Ministry and Altar Servers, plus its famous annual German Oktoberfest that draws the whole lower-Delaware community onto the church grounds each fall.
Mass times at St. John the Apostle
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday, 4:00 – 4:45 PM at St. John the Apostle
- Saturday, 3:15 – 3:45 PM at St. Bernadette, Harrington
- Or by appointment
Adoration times
- Wednesday, 12:00 noon – 7:00 PM at St. John the Apostle
Our Story — A Parish Rooted in Lower Delaware
Catholic life in southern Delaware goes back to the early 1700s, when Jesuit missionaries from Maryland said Mass in private homes. From 1808 priests from New Castle traveled into Kent and Sussex Counties; after the Diocese of Wilmington was created in 1870, the priests of Holy Cross in Dover assumed responsibility for the lower counties. Under their care — and until 1909 — Mass was offered only monthly at various locations in the Milford area.
Founding of St. John the Apostle (1909–1912)
On December 8, 1909, Captain George Mahon donated land on what is now Maple Avenue to the Bishop of Wilmington for a new church. Bishop John Monaghan dedicated St. John the Apostle on June 26, 1910, and for two years traveled by train from Wilmington to celebrate the Sunday Mass. The first resident pastor was assigned to St. John's in 1912.
A New Church in 1954 and a Mission in Harrington
After the growth spurred by Dover Air Force Base and local industry, St. John's outgrew the original building. In 1952, Mr. and Mrs. Irwin G. Burton donated land at the corner of Seabury Avenue and School Place, and the present church was dedicated on November 25, 1954. In the same period, the parishioners from Harrington who had been driving to Milford completed their own church — Saint Bernadette — dedicated September 6, 1953, which remains a mission of St. John the Apostle.
The Hispanic Ministry and Today (1980s–Present)
A Hispanic ministry was established in the mid-1980s to serve a growing population, and today several hundred families make up the parish's Hispanic community, with a weekly Misa en Español each Sunday afternoon and bilingual liturgies for holy days. In 1990 the parish launched its annual German Oktoberfest fundraiser; in 2005 a new Parish Hall opened, and in 2017 a new rectory was completed as part of the 'Sustaining Hope for the Future' Capital Campaign. The parish now supports about 1,552 households — 315 of which have joined since July 2016.
Clergy and Parish Staff
Two priests and four deacons serve St. John the Apostle together with its mission of St. Bernadette, supported by a small parish staff. The Coordinator of Religious Education (CRE) coordinates OCIA, the Christian Formation Committee, and parish religious-education programs.
- Rev. Anthony Giamello — Pastor
- Rev. Joseph Vangala ('Fr. Johnny') — Associate Pastor; serves the parish's Hispanic ministry and reaches roughly 200 Hispanic families, with Masses, confessions, hospital/hospice visits, and emergency last rites
- Deacon Scott Landis — Annulments contact
- Deacon John Molitor
- Deacon Nick Vasquez
- Judy Purcell — Coordinator of Religious Education (CRE); OCIA and religious education contact
- Darcee Impagliazzo — Parish Bookkeeper
- Vivian Alvarado — Parish Secretary
Parish Ministries and Organizations
The parish invites parishioners to share their time and talents through more than two dozen active ministries — from liturgical roles (altar servers, lectors, Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist, Music Ministry) to formation (religious education for both churches, Christian Formation Committee, Home Schoolers, OCIA) to outreach (St. Vincent de Paul Society, Social Concerns / Food Pantry, Pro Life, Bereavement Support Group). Service and fraternal organizations include the Knights of Columbus St. John's Council 3792 and St. Bernadette's Council 14137, plus a Knights of Columbus Auxiliary and the Rosary Altar Society. The parish website repeats the invitation: 'How will you use the talents God has bestowed on you?'
- Adoration
- Altar Servers
- Annulments (Deacon Scott Landis)
- Bereavement Support Group
- Baptismal Prep
- Church Art & Environment (St. John and St. Bernadette)
- Christian Formation Committee
- Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist
- Hispanic Ministry
- Home Schoolers (Cathy Riddle)
- Knights of Columbus Council 3792 — St. John's
- Knights of Columbus Council 14137 — St. Bernadette (John McCartney)
- Knights of Columbus Auxiliary — St. Bernadette
- Lectors
- Marriage Prep
- Music Ministry
- OCIA — Order of Christian Initiation of Adults
- Pro Life
- Religious Education — St. John ([email protected])
- Religious Education — St. Bernadette ([email protected])
- Rosary Altar Society
- Social Concerns / Food Pantry
- St. Vincent de Paul Society
- Women of Prayer (St. Bernadette, Jeannette Minner)
Sacraments
The parish offers the full sacramental life of the Catholic Church. Confession is heard Saturday afternoons at both church sites or by appointment; baptism, first Communion, marriage, and OCIA preparation are coordinated through the parish office; and anointing of the sick and last rites are handled — including emergencies — through the priests, with Fr. Johnny Laura Lazo focusing on Hispanic families and visiting hospitals, hospices, and nursing homes.
- Baptismal Preparation — contact the parish office
- First Communion preparation through Religious Education
- Confession — Saturday 4:00 PM at St. John's, 3:30 PM at St. Bernadette, or by appointment
- Marriage Preparation — contact the parish office
- OCIA (adult initiation) — contact Judith A. Purcell, CRE
- Annulments — contact Deacon Scott Landis
- Anointing of the Sick / last rites — emergency calls handled by the priests
Hispanic Ministry and Spanish-Language Mass
A Hispanic ministry has been a part of the parish since the mid-1980s and today serves several hundred families, mostly from Mexico and Guatemala. Associate Pastor Fr. Johnny Laura Lazo, originally assigned to St. John's as Associate Pastor and now back again since June 2019, celebrates a weekly Misa en Español each Sunday at 1:00 PM, hears Spanish confessions, visits the homebound and elderly, and accompanies Hispanic parishioners through the Sacraments, hospital visits, and emergencies. The parish is described locally as a 'multi-ethnic parish that has been providing for the spiritual needs of Catholics since 1910,' with over 200 Hispanic families specifically under Fr. Johnny's pastoral care.
German Oktoberfest — The Parish's Signature Fundraiser
Begun in 1990, the parish's annual German Oktoberfest has grown into a community-wide event that draws attendees from across Kent and Sussex Counties to the St. John the Apostle grounds on Seabury Avenue. By 2023 the parish celebrated its 30th annual Oktoberfest, with two days of live entertainment including The Funsters, Dave Betz and his German orchestra, the Enzian dancers, the McAleer School of Irish Dancing, and The Glass Onion. The celebration includes a 5K Run/Walk, an international food court (German, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Irish, plus American fare), a beer booth, an Oktoberfest raffle, and children's attractions such as face painting, hay rides, train rides, a petting zoo, and inflatables.
Buildings, Grounds, and Growth
The parish's physical campus reflects its growth over more than a century: the original 1910 church on Maple Avenue gave way to the present church at Seabury Avenue and School Place in 1954. A new Parish Hall was opened in 2005 to expand opportunities for parish and family life, and a new rectory was built adjacent to the church in 2017 as part of the 'Sustaining Hope for the Future' Capital Campaign. The grounds of St. John the Apostle remain the heart of community events — particularly Oktoberfest — each fall.
- 1910 original church on Maple Avenue (land donated by Captain George Mahon, 1909)
- 1954 present church on Seabury Ave. at School Place (land donated by Mr. and Mrs. Irwin G. Burton)
- 2005 Parish Hall opened
- 2017 new rectory built; groundbreaking March 2, 2017
Getting Involved — Welcome to St. John's and St. Bernadette's
The parish's welcome message frames community life plainly: 'Welcome to St. John the Apostle and St. Bernadette — 1,552 households strong, 315 of which have joined us since July 2016.' Parishioners are encouraged to join any of the listed ministries, register with the parish office, and celebrate Mass in English or Spanish. The parish is part of the Diocese of Wilmington and is supported by pastor Rev. Anthony Giamello, associate pastor Rev. Joseph Vangala, four deacons, and a small staff.
- Parish Office phone: (302) 422-5123
- Religious Education (St. John): [email protected] — Judy Purcell
- Religious Education (St. Bernadette): [email protected] — Judy Purcell
- Address: 506 Seabury Ave, Milford, DE 19963
- Website: stjohnsmilford.com
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Michael Daugherty1912 –
Named first resident pastor of St. John the Apostle two years after the church was dedicated in 1910 (per St. Michael the Archangel parish history referencing a 1977 interview).