About St. John the Baptist · Engelberg, Arkansas
St. John the Baptist Church is a small Catholic mission parish located in the rural community of Engelberg in Randolph County, northeast Arkansas. It is one of the oldest Catholic congregations in the region, founded in 1886 by the Benedictine missionary Father Eugene John Weibel for German and Swiss-German immigrant families who had settled the fertile lands along Fourche du Mas and Current rivers. Today it is classified as a mission attended from St. Paul the Apostle Church in nearby Pocahontas and forms, together with St. Joseph the Worker Church in Corning, a three-parish cluster under the Diocese of Little Rock's North Delta Deanery.
- Established
- 1886
- Patron
- St. John the Baptist
- Rector
- Fr. Stephen Elser, PhL, VF
- Diocese
- Diocese of Little Rock (North Delta Deanery)
Why belong here
St. John the Baptist is a small, intimate rural mission where the same families have worshipped for more than 140 years, and visitors are welcomed into that heritage. Worshippers can attend a quiet weekday Mass on Thursday at noon followed by Eucharistic Adoration, gather on Sunday morning with the Rosary prayed 30 minutes before the 8 a.m. Mass, and receive the sacrament of Reconciliation before that Mass. As part of the St. Paul the Apostle cluster in Pocahontas, parishioners have access to the broader sacramental and faith-formation life of the mother parish while keeping the personal, close-knit character of a country chapel.
Mass times at St. John the Baptist
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 7:30 a.m.
Adoration times
- Thursday 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon (Noon)
- Sunday 30 minutes before Mass
St. John the Baptist Church — Mission at Engelberg
St. John the Baptist Church is a small Catholic mission parish in the rural community of Engelberg in Columbia Township, Randolph County, Arkansas. It belongs to the Diocese of Little Rock's North Delta Deanery and is currently attended from St. Paul the Apostle Church in nearby Pocahontas. Worship is celebrated in English on Sunday morning and Thursday noon, with Reconciliation before Sunday Mass and Eucharistic Adoration on Thursday morning.
- Type: Mission of St. Paul the Apostle, Pocahontas
- Deanery: North Delta Deanery
- Diocese: Diocese of Little Rock
- Sunday Mass: 8:00 a.m.
- Thursday Mass: 12:00 noon
- Holy Days: As announced
History & German-Catholic Origins
The parish was founded in 1886 by the Benedictine missionary Father Eugene John Weibel for the many German and Swiss-German Catholic families who had settled along the Fourche du Mas and Current rivers in the early 1880s. Local tradition names Isaac DeBow and Tony Weisenbach as especially influential in getting the church established. The rural parish flourished and soon outgrew its original building; Father A. G. Haeringer replaced it with the handsome church and school on the Engelberg property, and Father H. W. Nix added the native fieldstone rectory about 1939.
- Founded 1886 by Father Eugene John Weibel
- Built in Columbia Township, Randolph County
- Isaac DeBow and Tony Weisenbach helped establish the parish
- Father Haeringer built the later church and school
- Father H. W. Nix added the fieldstone rectory c. 1939
Pastor, Staff & Parish Office
The mission is served by the pastor of the three-church St. Paul cluster and a parish secretary who keeps local office hours on Thursday mornings. Day-to-day parish inquiries are also handled through St. Paul the Apostle Church in Pocahontas.
- Pastor: Fr. Stephen Elser, PhL, VF — [email protected]
- Secretary: Jane Smith — [email protected] — (870) 378-5052
- Cluster phone (St. Paul the Apostle, Pocahontas): (870) 892-3319
- Office Hours: Thursday 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon
Visiting Engelberg
Engelberg is a small rural community a few miles northeast of Pocahontas. Visitors wishing to attend Mass or the Thursday Adoration hour should consult the latest schedule via the Diocese of Little Rock parish page; the church's mailing address uses the Pocahontas postal route. Map and driving directions are available through the official DOLR parish page link.
- Location: 4650 Engelberg Rd., Engelberg, AR 72455
- Mailing: 4650 Engelberg Rd., Pocahontas, AR 72455
- Map & Directions available on the DOLR parish page
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Eugene John Weibel1886
Benedictine missionary from Switzerland; built the original St. John the Baptist church at Engelberg in Columbia Township for the many German Catholic families settled along Fourche du Mas and Current rivers.
- Fr. A. G. Haeringer
While pastor, built the handsome (replacement) church and school at Engelberg and provided a home for the teaching sisters on the parish grounds.
- Fr. H. W. Nixc. 1939
Added the native fieldstone rectory to the Engelberg parish property.
- Fr. Stephen Elser, PhL, VFpresent
Current pastor of the three-church cluster: St. Paul the Apostle in Pocahontas, St. John the Baptist in Engelberg, and St. Joseph the Worker in Corning.