About St. John the Baptist · Woodsfield, Ohio
St. John the Baptist is a Roman Catholic parish in Monroe County, Ohio, located on a hilltop north of the village of Miltonsburg on Miltonsburg-Calais Road (Mailing address: Woodsfield, OH 43793). Founded in 1841 by German Catholic settlers, it is one of the oldest Catholic congregations in Appalachian Ohio and is served today as part of a clustered Monroe County Catholic community that includes St. Sylvester in Woodsfield and the St. John Bosco Mission in Sardis. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Steubenville and is currently pastored by Fr. Timothy Davison, with Mass celebrated on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.
- Established
- 1841
- Patron
- St. John the Baptist
- Rector
- Fr. Timothy Davison
- Diocese
- Diocese of Steubenville
Why belong here
St. John the Baptist offers a small, country Catholic community rooted in 184 years of faith in Appalachian Ohio, with weekly Sunday Mass, weekday Mass on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and Sunday confessions before Mass. It shares the broader Monroe County Catholic life with neighboring St. Sylvester — including St. Sylvester Central Elementary school (PreK–8), Parish School of Religion / CCD classes, RCIA for adults preparing for Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist, a Catholic Youth Group, Knights of Columbus, and a parish cemetery. For Catholics in the Miltonsburg and Woodsfield area who want a traditional, rural parish with deep roots and a pastor who also serves the cluster, St. John the Baptist is the local home.
Mass times at St. John the Baptist
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 9:45 AM – 10:15 AM (before Mass)
Adoration times
- Tuesday 8:00 AM (Holy Hour before 9:00 AM Mass)
History of St. John the Baptist Parish
The parish was founded in 1841 by German Catholic settlers of Miltonsburg, who had arrived in the area a decade earlier. Its predecessor was an 1834 log church built by John Joseph Dorr at his own expense and dedicated to St. Joseph, blessed by Bishop Purcell in 1836. A brick church (56 by 36 feet) was completed in 1841–1842 on three acres donated by Marcus Yunkus; the project went forward even though Bishop Purcell himself urged the trustees against it until they had the money. The brick church served until 1902, when the present sandstone church — built 1900–1902 at a cost of $10,503.12 and dedicated debt-free by Bishop Henry Moeller of Columbus on June 8, 1902 — replaced it on the same hilltop site. From this Miltonsburg mother church, mission congregations were spun off across the county, including St. Sylvester in Woodsfield (1866) and what is now the St. John Bosco Mission in Sardis.
- 1831 — Four German families settle near Miltonsburg
- 1834 — John Joseph Dorr builds a log church on his farm, dedicated to St. Joseph
- July 19, 1836 — Bishop Purcell of Cincinnati blesses the log church (Catholic Telegraph, July 28, 1836)
- July 19, 1841 — Marcus Yunkus donates 3 acres on a hill north of Miltonsburg
- 1842 — Brick church built: 56 × 36 ft, 8 gothic-capped windows, ~$1,900
- March 1847 — Rev. John C. Kraemer arrives as first resident priest
- 1866 — Woodsfield Catholics organized as separate parish of St. Sylvester
- 1900 — Construction of the present sandstone church begins
- June 8, 1902 — Bishop Henry Moeller of Columbus dedicates the new church, debt-free ($10,503.12)
- July 3, 2000 – 2020 — Rev. David Gaydosik serves as pastor of Monroe County Catholic parishes
- September 2020 — Fr. Timothy Davison welcomed as new pastor of the Monroe County cluster
Parish Staff & Pastoral Team
St. John the Baptist is part of the Monroe County Catholic cluster served by one pastor, with shared office and religious-education staff. In an emergency when the pastor is out of town, neighboring parishes Assumption (Barnesville, Fr. Dave Cornett) and St. Stephen (Caldwell, Fr. Wayne Morris / Fr. Tom Nelson) provide sacramental coverage.
- Fr. Timothy Davison — Pastor (cell: 1-918-637-1774)
- Jennifer Winkler — Office Manager (740-472-0187)
- Rev. David Gaydosik — Pastor Emeritus (served 2000–2020)
- Emergency Sacramental Coverage: Fr. Dave Cornett (Assumption, Barnesville) 740-425-2181; Fr. Wayne Morris (St. Stephen, Caldwell) 740-732-4129
- Diocesan Vocation Director: Fr. Michael Gossett ([email protected])
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Religious education for the Monroe County cluster is coordinated across the parishes. Children in grades 1–8 not enrolled in the Catholic school attend the Parish School of Religion (PSR / CCD); adults preparing for full initiation into the Catholic Church participate in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA).
- Parish School of Religion (PSR / CCD) — grades 1–8; contact: Eileen Ackerman, (740) 757-2481
- RCIA — adult preparation for Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist; coordinator: Mr. Joseph Long
- Catholic Youth Group — leader: Regina Knox
- St. Sylvester Central Elementary (PreK–8) — 119 Wayne Street, Woodsfield, OH; principal: Mrs. Robyn Guiler, (740) 472-0321; Preschool (740) 472-0420
Parish Hall & Facilities
The parish grounds include the 1902 sandstone church, its adjacent cemetery, and a parish hall available for rent for any occasion.
- St. John the Baptist Hall — available to rent; contact Jennifer Winkler at 740-472-0187 or 740-213-2430 to schedule
- Parish Cemetery — adjoining the church grounds; one of seven Catholic cemeteries maintained by the Monroe County cluster
Catholic Cemeteries of Monroe County
Seven Catholic cemeteries across Monroe County are maintained by the cluster of parishes to which St. John the Baptist belongs. Each cemetery has its own designated caretaker who handles plots, arrangements, and grounds care.
- St. Sylvester Cemetery, Woodsfield — Donald & Rita Biedenbach, (740) 472-1849
- St. John the Baptist Cemetery, Miltonsburg — Jason Weiss, (740) 472-1210
- Immaculate Conception Cemetery, Ozark — Jason Weiss, (740) 472-1210
- St. Joseph Cemetery & Chapel Hill, Burkhart Station — Russell Betts, (740) 567-3286
- St. Patrick's Cemetery, New Matamoras — parish office, (740) 472-0187
Sacraments
Information on celebrating the sacraments at St. John the Baptist is published in the parish bulletin and on the cluster website. Couples wishing to marry at the parish must first meet with the priest before any date can be reserved.
- Infant Baptism — contact the parish office at (740) 472-0187 to schedule
- Weddings — meet with the priest first; no date reserved until that meeting has taken place
- Pastoral Care of the Sick — call Fr. Timothy Davison at 1-918-637-1774 (families should notify the parish directly, as hospitals/care facilities typically do not)
- RCIA — for adults seeking Baptism, Confirmation, and/or Eucharist
- Funerals / Mass of Christian Burial — celebrated at the church, with burial in the parish cemetery when appropriate
Parish Life & Community
St. John the Baptist shares a parish bulletin, faith-formation staff, school, cemetery ministry, and parish councils with neighboring St. Sylvester in Woodsfield — a clustering born of declining population and fewer priests across Appalachian Ohio, but one that has kept traditional country-parish rhythms alive: weekly Mass, Sunday confessions, a Tuesday Holy Hour, and the small-knit community life that has defined this Monroe County congregation since 1841.
- Knights of Columbus — active in the Monroe County cluster
- Parish registration — new parishioners are always welcome; contact the parish office at (740) 472-0187 to register
- Diocesan Child Protection & Reporting of Abuse — Father James M. Dunfee, Vicar General, Diocese of Steubenville, (740) 282-3631; [email protected]
Visiting & Contact
St. John the Baptist sits on Miltonsburg-Calais Road (County Road 2W), north of the village of Miltonsburg, west of State Route 800 (reached via State Route 145). The parish office is shared with St. Sylvester and is located at 334 South Main Street, Woodsfield, OH 43793-1027, open Monday through Thursday, 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
- Parish Office: 334 South Main Street, Woodsfield, OH 43793-1027
- Phone: (740) 472-0187
- Church Phone: (740) 472-1019
- Office Hours: Monday–Thursday, 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
- Web: monroecountycatholic.org
- Email (Pastor): [email protected]
- Facebook: The Catholic Churches of Monroe County Ohio
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. John C. Kraemer1847 –
First resident priest stationed at Miltonsburg, arriving March 1847; previously the parish was a mission served from St. Dominic (Beaver) and other outlying stations.
- Rev. David GaydosikJuly 3, 2000 – 2020
Oversaw all Monroe County Catholic parishes (St. Sylvester, St. John the Baptist, St. John Bosco Mission) for twenty years.
- Fr. Timothy DavisonSeptember 2020 – present
Current pastor of the Monroe County Catholic parishes; welcomed to the cluster in September 2020.