About St. John the Evangelist · Valdosta, Georgia
St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church is a parish of the Diocese of Savannah serving Valdosta, Georgia, and a three-county area of roughly 1,400 square miles. The community of nearly 800 families worships at 800 Gornto Road in a sanctuary that seats over 750, and it is also home to St. John Catholic School (founded 1941 by the Sisters of St. Joseph), which now educates more than 200 students. In addition to its English Masses, the parish hosts the Spanish-language Misa and oversees the San José Mission in nearby Lake Park. The parish is led by Fr. Adam Kasela as pastor and Fr. Esteban Mallar as parochial vicar.
- Established
- 1927
- Patron
- St. John the Evangelist
- Rector
- Rev. Adam Kasela
- Diocese
- Diocese of Savannah
Why belong here
St. John the Evangelist offers a full sacramental life — daily and Sunday Masses in English plus a Spanish Mass, weekly confessions, and Eucharistic Adoration — all on a single, accessible campus just off I-75. Families can send their children to the parish school, where the Sisters of St. Joseph charism of love of God and neighbor continues in a Pre-K through middle school program. The parish reaches across a wide three-county region and even into Lake Park through the San José Mission, so newcomers moving to South Georgia will find a stable Catholic home, a school community, and ministries for every age.
Mass times at St. John the Evangelist
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Wednesday: 5:00 PM – 5:45 PM
- Saturday: 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM (no confessions on Holy Saturday)
Adoration times
- Monday: 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM (Spanish) — Third Monday of the month
- Wednesday: 4:00 PM – 5:45 PM
- Friday 4:00 PM through Saturday 4:00 PM — 24 hours in Room C (First Friday through First Saturday)
History of St. John the Evangelist
The parish dates to 1927, when its original church was built on Ashley Street in Valdosta. In 1941 the Sisters of St. Joseph founded St. John Catholic School, which began in an old hospital on Adair Street and moved to the current Gornto Road campus in 1959. A new convent was completed in 1960, and the present-day church on Gornto Road was consecrated in 1968. A parish center followed in 1992, and a major expansion in 2003 enlarged the sanctuary (now seating over 750) and added several school buildings. In November 2009, San José Mission in Lake Park was transferred to the parish, extending its ministry into the surrounding region.
- 1927 — Original church built on Ashley Street
- 1941 — School founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet
- 1959 — School moves to the Gornto Road campus
- 1960 — New convent completed
- 1968 — Current Gornto Road church consecrated
- 1992 — Parish center built
- 2003 — Sanctuary enlarged; new school buildings added
- 2009 — San José Mission (Lake Park) entrusted to the parish
Holy Days & Holy Week
The parish celebrates the major Holy Days of Obligation with multiple Masses, often including a bilingual celebration. On the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Aug 15), Masses are offered at 9:45 AM and 12:00 PM in English and at 6:00 PM bilingually at St. John, with a vigil Mass in Spanish the evening before at San José Mission in Lake Park. Holy Week includes a 7:00 PM Holy Thursday Mass followed by Adoration in the Parish Center until midnight, Good Friday Stations of the Cross at 3:00 PM and Living Stations in Spanish at 5:00 PM, the 7:00 PM Good Friday Liturgy with Veneration of the Cross, an 8:00 PM Easter Vigil, and Easter Sunday Masses at 7:30 AM, 9:00 AM, 12:00 PM, and 2:00 PM (Spanish).
- Jan 1 — Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
- Aug 14 — Assumption Vigil (Spanish, San José Mission, Lake Park, 7:00 PM)
- Aug 15 — Assumption (9:45 AM, 12:00 PM, 6:00 PM bilingual)
- Nov 1 — Mass offered at 10:00 AM (not a Holy Day of Obligation this year)
- Dec 8 — Immaculate Conception
- Dec 25 — Nativity of the Lord
- Holy Thursday 7:00 PM + Adoration until midnight
- Good Friday: 3:00 PM Stations; 5:00 PM Living Stations (Spanish); 7:00 PM Liturgy
- Easter Vigil 8:00 PM; Easter Sunday 7:30 / 9:00 AM / 12:00 PM / 2:00 PM (Spanish)
San José Mission, Lake Park
Since November 2009, St. John the Evangelist has had pastoral care of San José Mission in Lake Park, Georgia. The mission serves the Spanish-speaking Catholic community of the area and is the site of the Spanish Assumption vigil Mass each August 14. It is staffed by the parish clergy — Fr. Adam Kasela as pastor and Fr. Esteban Mallar as parochial vicar — under the Diocese of Savannah's Valdosta-Brunswick Deanery.
- Mission established under St. John's care: November 2009
- Spanish-language Assumption vigil Mass each August 14
- Located in Lake Park, GA (Lowndes County area)
St. John Catholic School
St. John the Evangelist Catholic School is a Pre-K through 8th-grade Catholic school on the parish campus, founded in 1941 by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. Today the school educates over 200 students and continues the Sisters' charism of developing in each student a spirit of profound love of God and the unity and reconciliation of neighbor with neighbor and neighbor with God. Students attend weekly School Mass (Wednesdays at 9:45 AM) and Holy Day Masses, dressed in uniform, and parents, parishioners, and visitors are warmly invited to join them.
- Founded 1941 by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet
- Preschool, Elementary, and Middle School programs
- Weekly School Mass on Wednesdays at 9:45 AM
- Sacramental preparation: First Reconciliation & First Holy Communion (2nd grade); Confirmation (8th grade)
- STEM Lab, Athletics, Counseling, Special Areas (Art, Music/Band, Spanish, Digital Arts, Library, P.E.)
- Home and School Association supporting fundraisers and community events
- Faith Formation integrated across the curriculum
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Faith Formation at St. John the Evangelist is woven through both the parish school and the parish's CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) program. Sacramental preparation begins in the home with parents and continues through the parish; the school and CCD collaborate to fully prepare students. Children in 2nd grade prepare for First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion, and 8th graders prepare for Confirmation. The school also administers the Assessment of Religious Curriculum (ARC) to students in kindergarten through 8th grade.
- First Reconciliation — 2nd grade
- First Holy Communion — 2nd grade
- Confirmation — 8th grade
- ARC religious curriculum assessment (K–8)
- CCD program partnering with the parish school
Clergy & Staff
The parish is led by Fr. Adam Kasela, who serves as pastor of both St. John the Evangelist in Valdosta and San José Mission in Lake Park. Fr. Esteban Mallar serves as parochial vicar for the same parishes. Both are priests of the Diocese of Savannah, listed in the diocese's official clergy directory under the Valdosta-Brunswick Deanery. Fr. Kasela additionally serves as Vocations Deanery Promoter for the Valdosta/Brunswick Deanery and as Campus Ministry Chaplain at Valdosta State University.
- Rev. Adam Kasela — Pastor (also Vocations Deanery Promoter, VSU Campus Ministry Chaplain)
- Rev. Esteban Mallar — Parochial Vicar
- Diocese of Savannah — Valdosta-Brunswick Deanery