About St. John the Baptist · West Frankfort, Illinois
St. John the Baptist is a Roman Catholic parish in West Frankfort, Illinois, established in 1916 in the Diocese of Belleville. The parish was founded to serve the fast-growing Catholic immigrant population drawn to West Frankfort by the early-twentieth-century coal boom, and it remains a community anchored by its historic red-brick church on East Main Street and its parish grade school. It is currently partnered with St. Aloysius–Sacred Heart in Royalton-Zeigler, sharing one administrator and a common parish website (stalsacredheart.org). The parish is administered by Rev. Eusebius C. Mbidoaka, Ph.D, STD, and offers weekend Mass in West Frankfort, weekday Mass on Thursdays, and Saturday/Thursday confessions.
- Established
- 1916
- Patron
- St. John the Baptist
- Rector
- Rev. Eusebius C. Mbidoaka, Ph.D, STD (Administrator)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Belleville
Why belong here
St. John the Baptist is a small, tightly-knit parish rooted in over a century of Catholic life in Franklin County, with a historic red-brick church, an attached grade school (St. John the Baptist Grade School), and the full rhythm of Catholic worship — Saturday Vigil and Sunday Mass, weekday Mass on Thursday, and regular Saturday and Thursday confessions. As a partnered parish with St. Aloysius–Sacred Heart in Royalton-Zeigler, it offers a caring, family-style community where newcomers are welcomed by an experienced priest-administrator and a long-serving parish staff.
Mass times at St. John the Baptist
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Thursday: 5:00 p.m. (before 5:30 p.m. Mass)
- Saturday: 4:20 p.m. (Diocese of Belleville directory); Discover Mass lists Saturday confessions 3:20–3:50 p.m. — or by appointment
Parish Identity & History
St. John the Baptist Parish was established in 1916 in West Frankfort, Franklin County, Illinois, in the Diocese of Belleville. Its founding came as the coal-mining boom drew large numbers of Catholic immigrants — particularly Italians, Poles, and Germans — to the region, and local families petitioned the diocese for a parish of their own. A red-brick church was soon built in the Midwestern Romanesque Revival style, complete with round-arched doorways, curved window openings, and a bell tower, and in 1921 a parish school was opened under the Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Today the parish is formally partnered with St. Aloysius–Sacred Heart in Royalton-Zeigler, sharing a single pastor and pastoral staff.
- Founded: 1916
- Diocese: Belleville
- Building: red-brick, Romanesque Revival, with bell tower
- Parish school opened: 1921 (Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help)
- Partnered parish: St. Aloysius–Sacred Heart, Royalton-Zeigler
Clergy & Staff
The parish is currently administered by Rev. Eusebius C. Mbidoaka, Ph.D, STD, who also serves as administrator of the partner parish of St. Aloysius–Sacred Heart in Royalton-Zeigler. An administrative assistant and child protection coordinator share the parish offices and can be reached through the main parish phone line.
- Administrator: Rev. Eusebius C. Mbidoaka, Ph.D, STD
- Administrative Assistant & Child Protection Coordinator (shared with St. Aloysius–Sacred Heart)
Parish School
St. John the Baptist Grade School has been part of parish life since 1921, when it opened under the care of the Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. It remains listed by the Diocese of Belleville as the parish school and is an important ministry of the parish community.
- School: St. John the Baptist Grade School
- Originally staffed by the Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help
- Located on the parish campus at 703 E. Main Street
Partnered Parish Collaboration
St. John the Baptist is partnered with St. Aloysius–Sacred Heart, Royalton-Zeigler. The two communities share a pastor/administrator and an administrative assistant/child protection coordinator, and they maintain a combined parish website at stalsacredheart.org. The partner parish was established in 1919 (St. Aloysius) and 1921 (Sacred Heart), and its Sacramental records are likewise preserved in the Diocese of Belleville archives.
- Partnered parish: St. Aloysius–Sacred Heart, Royalton-Zeigler
- Shared website: www.stalsacredheart.org
- Shared administrator: Rev. Eusebius C. Mbidoaka, Ph.D, STD
Sacraments
The parish celebrates the sacraments on the regular weekly schedule and is the contact point for Baptisms, Marriages, and other pastoral needs. Reconciliation is offered weekly on Thursday before Mass and on Saturday before/after the Vigil Mass, or by appointment.
- Baptism: contact parish office
- Marriage: contact parish office
- Reconciliation: Thursday 5:00 p.m., Saturday 4:20 p.m. (or by appointment)
- Eucharist: Saturday Vigil 4:00 p.m., Sunday 10:00 a.m., Thursday 5:30 p.m.
Visiting & Contact
The parish is located on East Main Street in West Frankfort, on the corner of Main and Locust Street, with the church, grade school, and parish offices sharing the same campus. The main parish phone number (618-932-2828) reaches both the parish staff and the partner parish in Royalton-Zeigler.
- Address: 703 E. Main Street, West Frankfort, IL 62896
- Phone: 618-932-2828
- Fax: 618-937-0200
- Website: www.stalsacredheart.org
- Facebook: facebook.com/stjohnschurchwf
Records & Archives
Sacramental records of St. John the Baptist Parish, West Frankfort, are preserved in the Diocese of Belleville archives for the period 1916–1957, alongside the records of neighboring Franklin County parishes such as St. Aloysius (Royalton, 1919), Sacred Heart (Zeigler, 1921), St. Joseph (Benton, 1916), and St. Andrew (Christopher, 1940).
- Diocese of Belleville parish records: 1916–1957
- Partner-parish records: St. Aloysius (1919–1956), Sacred Heart (1921–1956)