About St. John the Baptist · East Brookfield, Massachusetts
St. John the Baptist Parish was a close-knit Roman Catholic community in East Brookfield, Massachusetts, rooted in the missionary history of the Brookfields. Established as an independent parish in 1952 and anchored by its Blaine Avenue church dedicated in 1969, it served generations of parishioners with a spirit of family faith and local outreach. In June 2025, St. John the Baptist Parish was merged with St. Joseph Parish in North Brookfield and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish in West Brookfield to form the new Blessed Carlo Acutis Parish, and the St. John the Baptist church building was closed.
- Established
- 1952
- Patron
- St. John the Baptist
- Rector
- Fr. Joseph D. Rice (administrator at the time of the 2025 merger and closure)
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester
Why belong here
Known for its small-town warmth and strong intergenerational families, the parish offered a intimate setting for the sacramental life and local outreach in East Brookfield.
Mass times at St. John the Baptist
Weekly Mass schedule
History
St. John the Baptist Parish grew out of the missionary outreach to Catholics in the Brookfields, who were served by priests from neighboring towns from the mid-1800s. It became an independent parish on July 2, 1952, under its first pastor, Father Joseph H. Carey. Fund-raising for a permanent church was led by Father Thomas Lonergan, and Father Joseph A. Moynahan completed the project, dedicating the Blaine Avenue church on April 20, 1969. Bishop Bernard J. Flanagan was the main celebrant at the dedication.
Closure and Merger
In June 2025, Bishop Robert J. McManus decreed the merger of St. John the Baptist Parish in East Brookfield, St. Joseph Parish in North Brookfield, and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish in West Brookfield into a single new parish named Blessed Carlo Acutis Parish. The new parish worships at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in West Brookfield and St. Joseph Church in North Brookfield. Final Masses were celebrated at St. John the Baptist Church in East Brookfield and at St. Mary Church in Brookfield, and both church buildings were closed.