About St. John the Baptist · Westport, Massachusetts
St. John the Baptist is a Roman Catholic parish in Westport, Massachusetts, part of the Diocese of Fall River. It is one of three historic Westport parishes that, together with Our Lady of Grace and St. George, have long shared ministry and worship as the Catholic Community of Westport. The parish church is located at 945 Main Road in the Central Village area and has served the local Catholic community since the early twentieth century. In June 2025 the parish was suppressed by Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha and merged with the other two Westport parishes to form the new Divine Mercy Parish, with Father Dariusz Kalinowski named its founding pastor; all three former church buildings continue in use as worship sites.
- Established
- 1913
- Patron
- St. John the Baptist
- Rector
- Rev. Fr. Dariusz Kalinowski
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Fall River
Why belong here
St. John the Baptist is a welcoming Catholic community rooted in the small-town coastal character of Westport. As one of three worship sites that together form the Catholic Community of Westport, the parish offers daily and weekend Mass, weekly confession, communion visits to the homebound, a parish Women's Guild that awards scholarships to graduating high-school seniors, and shared participation in seasonal devotions such as the Lenten Stations of the Cross, Tenebrae, and parish soup-and-sandwich suppers. Worshippers are drawn into a cooperative network of ministries across the three churches and into the life of the new Divine Mercy Parish.
Mass times at St. John the Baptist
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturdays 4:45 PM – 5:15 PM at St. John the Baptist
- Additional opportunities during Lent at the other Catholic Community of Westport churches
Adoration times
- Eucharistic Adoration held every Friday 9:30–10:30 AM at St. George Church (Catholic Community of Westport shared devotion)
Parish History
The Catholic community of Westport's Central Village worshipped in private homes, the Westport Factory Chapel, Grange Hall, and Westport Town Hall before laying the cornerstone of their own church. According to the Westport Historical Society, St. John the Baptist Church was built in 1913 and has served the area ever since. For most of its modern history the parish has been grouped with two neighboring Catholic churches — Our Lady of Grace (Sanford Road) and St. George (Highland Avenue) — in the Catholic Community of Westport.
- 1913: Church built in Central Village after years of worship in homes, the Westport Factory Chapel, Grange Hall, and Town Hall
- June 2024: Rev. Dariusz Kalinowski appointed pastor of all three Westport parishes
- May 24–25, 2025: Diocese of Fall River announces suppression of the three parishes
- June 20, 2025: St. John the Baptist formally suppressed; Divine Mercy Parish erected as successor
Suppression and the New Divine Mercy Parish
On June 20, 2025 the Diocese of Fall River formally suppressed St. John the Baptist along with Our Lady of Grace and St. George, and erected Divine Mercy Parish as a single new parish serving the whole town of Westport. Father Dariusz Kalinowski, who had been serving as pastor of all three former parishes, was named founding pastor. All three former church buildings — including St. John the Baptist at 945 Main Road — continue to be used as worship sites of the new parish.
- Decision announced at all Masses the weekend of May 24–25, 2025
- Decree published in The Anchor (diocesan paper) on June 6, 2025
- Father Dariusz Kalinowski installed as founding pastor of Divine Mercy Parish
- All properties, assets and financial obligations of the former parishes transferred to Divine Mercy Parish
Clergy and Staff
The parish is served by a small, dedicated pastoral team living within the Catholic Community of Westport. Father Dariusz Kalinowski, named founding pastor of Divine Mercy Parish in 2025, has served as pastor of the Westport parishes since June 5, 2024. He is assisted by two retired priests in residence, Fathers Paul Bernier and Mick McCullough, and by Deacon Timothy Flaherty.
- Rev. Fr. Dariusz Kalinowski — Pastor / Founding Pastor of Divine Mercy Parish
- Rev. Fr. Paul Bernier — Retired, In-Residence
- Rev. Fr. Mick McCullough — Retired, In-Residence
- Rev. Mr. Timothy Flaherty — Deacon
Ministries and Parish Life
St. John the Baptist's active lay community is anchored by the Women's Guild, which awards three $1,000 scholarships each year to graduating high-school seniors and hosts parish social events such as the St. Patrick's Day movie matinee "I Am Patrick" with Irish soda bread. Across the Catholic Community of Westport, parishioners serve as Eucharistic Ministers bringing Communion to the homebound, sponsor baptism and confirmation candidates, support the annual Catholic Appeal, and volunteer for the Lenten soup-and-sandwich suppers that follow Stations of the Cross.
- St. John the Baptist Women's Guild scholarship program
- Communion for the Homebound
- Sponsorship Certificate assistance for Godparents and Confirmation Sponsors
- Catholic Appeal participation
- Lenten Soup & Sandwich Meal volunteer team
- Disciple Maker Index (DMI) parish renewal survey
Sacraments
The parish office coordinates preparation and celebration of all the usual Catholic sacraments, working in cooperation with the other two churches of the Catholic Community of Westport.
- Baptism — by appointment only; arrangements through the parish office
- Marriage — at least six months' notice; arrangements through the parish office
- Reconciliation (Confession) — Saturdays 4:45–5:15 PM at St. John the Baptist; additional weekly opportunities at Our Lady of Grace and St. George
- First Communion and Confirmation — preparation through the Catholic Community of Westport faith-formation program
- Anointing of the Sick — contact the parish office
Seasonal Devotions and Holy Week
St. John the Baptist is a focal point of the community's Lenten and Holy Week observances, hosting Tenebrae on Wednesday of Holy Week and sharing Stations of the Cross with a soup-and-sandwich supper on alternating Fridays of Lent. The 2025 schedule placed the parish's Tenebrae service at 8:00 PM on April 16.
- Tenebrae: Meditation on the Seven Last Words of Christ — 8:00 PM, Wednesday of Holy Week at St. John the Baptist
- Stations of the Cross & Soup & Sandwich Meal — Fridays during Lent, 5:30 PM (rotating among the three churches)
- Passover Meal — Palm Sunday, 6:00 PM, Our Lady of Grace Parish Hall
- Eucharistic Adoration — Fridays 9:30–10:30 AM, St. George Church
- Bible Study — Wednesdays 7:00 PM, Our Lady of Grace Parish Center
Contact, Office, and Practical Information
The Catholic Community of Westport's central parish office is housed at the Our Lady of Grace Parish Hall, 569 Sanford Road, Westport, MA. Office hours are Monday–Thursday, 9:00 AM to 2:30 PM. The office may be reached at (508) 674-6271 or [email protected]. The individual parish (St. John the Baptist) can be reached directly at (508) 636-2251 or [email protected].
- Parish office: 569 Sanford Road, Westport, MA — (508) 674-6271 — [email protected]
- St. John the Baptist direct line: (508) 636-2251 — [email protected]
- Office hours: Monday–Thursday, 9:00 AM–2:30 PM
- Donation tax forms: call or email Cindy at [email protected]
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Peter R. Scheffer, Jr.until June 5, 2024
Pastor of all three Westport parishes (Our Lady of Grace, St. George, St. John the Baptist); reassigned June 5, 2024 to Pastor of Saint Joan of Arc Parish in Orleans.
- Rev. Dariusz KalinowskiJune 5, 2024 – present (now founding pastor of Divine Mercy Parish, erected June 20, 2025)
Previously Parochial Vicar of Santo Christo Parish in Fall River; became Pastor of the three Westport parishes June 5, 2024, then founding pastor of Divine Mercy Parish upon the suppression of the three former parishes.
- Rev. Leonard Hindsley
Listed as the parish priest in older Westport community pages; exact tenure not documented in current sources.