About St. John The Baptist · Collegeville, Minnesota
St. John the Baptist Parish is a small Catholic Benedictine community in Collegeville, Minnesota, situated on the campus of Saint John's University in Stearns County and belonging to the Diocese of St. Cloud. The parish describes itself as 'a progressive Catholic Benedictine Community encountering Christ through Word, Sacrament, one another, nature and our thirst for a just world.' It has worshipped since 1875, when twenty-one German settler families petitioned Bishop Rupert Seidenbusch, OSB, to establish a distinct congregation served by the monks of Saint John's Abbey. Today the parish gathers at the St. John's Parish Center on Fruit Farm Road, joined in an Area Catholic Community with the Church of Saint Joseph, sharing a pastor (Fr. Brad Jenniges, OSB), a faith-formation team and a diocesan mission rooted in the Benedictine tradition.
- Established
- 1875
- Patron
- St. John the Baptist
- Rector
- Fr. Bradley (Brad) Jenniges, OSB
- Diocese
- Diocese of Saint Cloud
Why belong here
St. John the Baptist offers a small, intentional Catholic community set in the wooded, lakeside landscape of Saint John's University, with Sunday and Wednesday Mass celebrated in the St. John's Parish Center and outdoor Sunday Masses in summer near Stumpf Lake. The parish shares an Area Catholic Community with the Church of Saint Joseph, giving parishioners access to a wider faith-formation program, youth ministry, music and liturgy directors, social-justice projects and a vibrant parish life committee. Its Benedictine heritage — sustained for 150 years by the monks of Saint John's Abbey — shapes a warm, progressive spirituality that takes creation, hospitality and justice as seriously as the Eucharist.
Mass times at St. John The Baptist
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- By appointment (per the parish website)
- Sunday 7:45 AM – 8:15 AM (reported by Discover Mass; parish asks worshippers to confirm by phone)
Parish History & Heritage
St. John the Baptist Parish was canonically established on December 12, 1875, when twenty-one German immigrant farming families living around Saint John's Abbey asked Bishop Rupert Seidenbusch, OSB, for a parish of their own. The petition was granted the same day, and Abbot Alexius Edelbrock, OSB, appointed Prior Clement Staub, OSB, as the parish's first rector. From the beginning, the lay congregation worshipped alongside the Benedictine monks in the abbey church, and a cemetery was cleared on the hill a quarter-mile south of the monastery that first winter to serve as a burial ground distinct from the monastic plot. The parish has remained under Benedictine pastoral care ever since, and its story is told in the book Stones and Hills, published through the Saint John's University Archives. In January 2025, parishioner Peggy Roske gave a recorded presentation and PowerPoint — 'Parish History Part I' — recounting those beginnings, drawing on Chapter 1 of the parish history.
- Charter signed December 12, 1875 by 21 German Catholic families
- First pastor: Fr. Clement Staub, OSB (Prior Clement), January 1876
- Parish cemetery established on the hill south of Saint John's Abbey, winter 1875-76
- Stones and Hills — full parish history book, available through SJU Archives
- Parish History Part I — video and PowerPoint presentation by Peggy Roske, January 26, 2025
Benedictine Catholic Communities (Area Catholic Community)
In 2020, St. John the Baptist Parish joined with the Church of Saint Joseph (12 West Minnesota Street, Saint Joseph, MN) to form an 'Area Catholic Community' — a diocesan model that pools pastoral leadership, faith formation, liturgy and outreach between neighboring parishes while preserving each parish's identity. Today both parishes share one pastor, Fr. Brad Jenniges, OSB, and many staff roles, including the Faith Formation Coordinator, Business Manager and Liturgy & Music Director. The combined ministry is branded as the 'Benedictine Catholic Communities' and maintains its own web presence at benedictinecatholiccommunities.org.
- ACC formed in 2020 between St. John the Baptist (Collegeville) and Church of Saint Joseph
- Single ACC Parish/Advisory Council drawn from both parishes' advisory councils
- Shared staff including Fr. Brad Jenniges, OSB (Pastor), David Orzechowski (Liturgy & Music), Marian Bach (Faith Formation Director), Betty Larson, OSB (Pastoral Ministry), Thomas Biernacki (Youth Life Coordinator)
- Joint Social Justice & Ministry Committee across the two parishes
Parish Staff & Leadership
The parish is led by Fr. Bradley (Brad) Jenniges, OSB, pastor of the Benedictine Catholic Communities. Day-to-day operations are managed by Julie Ortloff (Business Manager), and faith formation is coordinated by Tess Koltes. Pastoral council representatives (2025) are Bob Mayers, Mike Quinlivan and Scott Wallner. Heidi Peternell and Dan Backes serve as parish trustees.
- Pastor: Fr. Brad Jenniges, OSB — [email protected], 320-363-7505 ext. 532
- Deacon: Matthew Ludick — 320-428-6139, [email protected]
- Business Manager: Julie Ortloff — [email protected], 320-492-2835
- Faith Formation Coordinator: Tess Koltes — [email protected], 320-250-6728
- Trustees: Heidi Peternell (320-761-9469) and Dan Backes (320-428-2895)
- Cemetery Manager: Josie Stang — 320-363-3434, [email protected]
Committees & Parish Councils
Parish life is organized through a set of standing committees — Advisory Council, Faith Formation & Liturgy, Parish Life, Social Justice & Ministry, Finance, and (until September 2024) Eucharistic Revival — most of which work jointly with the Church of Saint Joseph under the ACC model. The Advisory Council meets about eight times a year and additionally at ACC Council meetings; the Finance Council typically meets the second Wednesday of the month from 6:00–7:00 PM.
- Advisory Council — 4 member representatives + pastor + 2 trustees + business manager
- Faith Formation & Liturgy Committee — Tess Koltes, coordinator
- Parish Life Committee — Heidi Peternell, chair (hospitality contact)
- Social Justice & Ministry Committee — Jean Didier, chair (320-333-6345)
- Finance Council — Brian Posch, chair
- Eucharistic Revival Committee — established 2022, disbanded September 2024
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Faith Formation at St. John the Baptist operates jointly with the Church of Saint Joseph under the Faith Formation & Liturgy Committee. Annual registration forms, lesson schedules and adult-speaker series are published each fall. Families register children for the parish's faith-formation year through Tess Koltes, Faith Formation Coordinator.
- 2025-26 Faith Formation Registration Form (posted on website)
- 2025-26 Faith Formation Lessons Schedule
- 2025-26 Adult Speakers Series
- Contact: Tess Koltes — 320-250-6728, [email protected]
Parish Life & Hospitality
The Parish Life Committee exists 'to establish and promote a sense of belonging among parishioners' and to provide 'opportunities for living out the communal dimensions of the gospel' through social, recreational and fellowship events. Sign-up sheets for hospitality help are posted on the parish center bulletin board.
- Parish Life chair: Heidi Peternell (320-761-9469, [email protected])
- Hospitality sign-up sheets on the Parish Center bulletin board
- Events listed on the parish Calendar and Parish Events pages
Social Justice & Outreach
The Social Justice and Ministry Committee keeps the parish aware of concerns for peace and social justice both within and beyond the ACC boundaries, 'providing information and promoting programs and projects which help parishioners think globally and act locally.' It is a joint committee with the Church of Saint Joseph. The parish has participated in the diocesan Eucharistic Revival movement in coordination with the Diocese of St. Cloud.
- Committee chair: Jean Didier — 320-333-6345 (previously Mike Quinlivan, Carol Jansky)
- Joint committee with Church of Saint Joseph
- Connected to diocesan Eucharistic Revival resources (stcdio.org/eucharistic-revival)
- Caring for the parish cemetery as an act of communal ministry
Sacraments & Pastoral Ministry
Reconciliation (Confession) is available by appointment through the parish office, and also commonly offered before Sunday Mass. Sacramental preparation for Baptism, Marriage, First Reconciliation, First Communion and Confirmation is coordinated through the ACC's shared Faith Formation Director (Marian Bach) and Pastoral Minister (Sister Betty Larson, OSB). Families and individuals should contact the parish office at 320-363-2569 to begin preparation.
- Reconciliation: by appointment (parish phone 320-363-2569)
- Faith Formation Director: Marian Bach — [email protected], ext. 533
- Pastoral Ministry: Sister Betty Larson, OSB — [email protected], ext. 534
- Cemetery inquiries: Josie Stang (Cemetery Manager), Dean Budde (Cemetery Information, 320-250-5412)
Cemetery
St. John the Baptist cares for its historic parish cemetery — the burial ground first cleared on the eastern slope of the hill about a quarter-mile south of Saint John's Abbey in the winter of 1875-76 as a separate section for lay parishioners. Inquiries about plots and care are handled through the parish's Cemetery Manager and Cemetery Information contact.
- Cemetery Manager: Josie Stang — 320-363-3434, [email protected]
- Cemetery Information contact: Dean Budde — 320-250-5412, [email protected]
- Cemetery originated 1875-76, separated from the monastic burial ground
Stewardship, Giving & Finance
The parish offers Online Giving and an ACH electronic-contribution option so that, even when circumstances prevent attending Mass, parishioners can continue supporting St. John the Baptist. The Finance Council — chaired by Brian Posch, with Treasurer Dan Backes — assists with all financial aspects of parish life including finances, fundraising and maintenance of buildings and grounds; it typically meets the second Wednesday of the month from 6:00–7:00 PM.
- Online Giving and recurring ACH contribution (ACH form posted on website)
- Finance Council Chair: Brian Posch
- Treasurer: Daniel Backes
- Finance Council meets second Wednesday, 6:00–7:00 PM
- New Parishioner Registration Form (2025) — email to [email protected]
Office, Visiting & Getting Involved
The parish office is typically open Tuesday through Thursday from 8:00 AM to noon (closed Monday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday). To meet with any staff member, call 320-363-2569 to set up an appointment. Newcomers are warmly invited to fill out the New Parishioner Registration Form and email it to [email protected], and to follow the parish on Facebook (sjtbparish) and YouTube for livestreamed Mass and event updates.
- Parish office hours: Tue–Thu 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
- Parish phone: 320-363-2569
- New Parishioner Registration Form 2025 — email [email protected]
- Facebook: facebook.com/sjtbparish
- YouTube livestream channel (search 'St. John the Baptist Parish Collegeville')
- Combined website: benedictinecatholiccommunities.org (shared ACC site)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Clement Staub, OSB (Prior Clement)1876
First pastor (rector) of the Collegeville congregation; appointed by Abbot Alexius Edelbrock, OSB, immediately after the parish was established on December 12, 1875. He organized the lay parish and oversaw the clearing of the parish cemetery on the hill south of the abbey that winter.