About St. John the Baptist Catholic Church · Clinton, Illinois
St. John the Baptist Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish in Clinton, Illinois, situated at 502 N. Monroe Street in DeWitt County. Founded in 1895, the parish is part of the Diocese of Peoria (Bloomington–Lincoln Vicariate) and serves the Catholic faithful of the Clinton community. As of May 31, 2025, the parish was merged with a neighboring Catholic community to form the new multi-site 'Our Lady of the Prairie Parish,' sharing pastoral leadership with Deacon Patrick J. Comfort and Father Thomas R. Szydlik, STL. The parish continues to celebrate weekend and weekday Masses, offer the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and host Eucharistic Adoration, maintaining its long-standing role as a place of worship, fellowship, and outreach in central Illinois.
- Established
- 1895
- Patron
- St. John the Baptist
- Rector
- Father Thomas R. Szydlik, STL
- Diocese
- Diocese of Peoria (Bloomington–Lincoln Vicariate)
Why belong here
St. John the Baptist is a long-established Catholic parish in the Diocese of Peoria that welcomes worshippers to a traditional schedule of weekend, weekday, and holy day Masses, along with regular opportunities for the Sacrament of Reconciliation and monthly Eucharistic Adoration. As part of the newly formed Our Lady of the Prairie Parish (established May 31, 2025), the community combines the heritage of Clinton's historic German-rooted Catholic congregation with renewed shared pastoral care. Parishioners benefit from a small-town faith community in which parishioners know one another, can easily access the sacraments, and participate in parish life and outreach to the broader Clinton area.
Mass times at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:20 pm – 4:50 pm
- 15 minutes before weekday Masses
- Upon request
Adoration times
- Following the 8:30 am Friday Mass on the last Friday of each month
Parish Identity & Diocese
St. John the Baptist Catholic Church is a parish of the Diocese of Peoria, located in the Bloomington–Lincoln Vicariate. The parish shares pastoral leadership and is one of the historic worship sites of the combined Our Lady of the Prairie Parish (established May 31, 2025). The parish is led by Father Thomas R. Szydlik, STL, with the assistance of Deacon Patrick J. Comfort (Senior Status).
- Diocese of Peoria
- Bloomington–Lincoln Vicariate
- Father Thomas R. Szydlik, STL — Pastor
- Deacon Patrick J. Comfort — Senior Status
Mass & Liturgical Schedule
The parish celebrates Mass on Saturday evenings and on Wednesdays and Fridays during the week, in English. A monthly Eucharistic Adoration hour follows the Friday Mass on the last Friday of each month. The current weekend Mass schedule is the Saturday Vigil at 5:00 pm; weekday Masses are Wednesday and Friday at 8:30 am.
- Saturday Vigil Mass — 5:00 pm
- Wednesday — 8:30 am
- Friday — 8:30 am
- Adoration following Friday Mass on the last Friday of the month
Parish History
St. John the Baptist Parish was officially established in 1895 to serve the Catholic population of Clinton, Illinois, in the Diocese of Peoria. For more than a century the parish has been a fixture of Catholic life in DeWitt County. On May 31, 2025 the Diocese of Peoria merged St. John the Baptist with neighboring Sacred Heart (Clinton) to create the combined 'Our Lady of the Prairie Parish,' preserving St. John the Baptist as a worship site at 502 N. Monroe Street.
- Parish founded 1895
- Long-serving Catholic parish of central Illinois / DeWitt County
- Merged into Our Lady of the Prairie Parish — May 31, 2025
- Worship site retained at 502 N. Monroe Street
Visit & Contact
Parishioners and visitors can reach the parish office by phone at (217) 935-3727 or by email at [email protected]. The parish keeps an active presence on Facebook under the page 'St. John's Catholic Church | Clinton IL.'
- Address: 502 N. Monroe Street, Clinton, IL 61727
- Phone: (217) 935-3727
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.clintonstjohns.org/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stjohnsclintonil/
Parish Communications & Online Presence
Beyond the parish website at clintonstjohns.org, the parish is reachable through a Yahoo email account and an active Facebook page, where Mass times, parish news, and event announcements are posted.
- Official website: http://www.clintonstjohns.org/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stjohnsclintonil/
- Email: [email protected]