History

The roots of St. John Guardian of Our Lady Parish were established in 1845 when the first
Catholic Mass was offered in Clintonville, a village in the Town of Lancaster, by Fr. Matthew Gibson of Worcester in the open air of a local field. Soon, he and Fr. John Boyce alternated celebrating Mass in local families’ homes approximately every six weeks at first, then, within a few years on a weely basis in a house provided by the Bigelow Carpet Mill.

In 1849, the first Catholic church in Clinton was begun on South Main Street and was dedicated St. John the Evangelist Church on October 4, 1850 under the direction of Fr. Boyce.  Of Fr. Boyce was written that "He was like the Good Shepherd, and ever true to the teachings of the Good Master.  His wonderful charity was unlimited and unceasing.  He wanted and kept nothing for himself. No one knew his good works, prommpted by the innate nobleness of his nature, and excuted so secretly that they found out, now and again, only by accident." Surely, Fr. Boyce heeded God's call to serve faithfully, inspired by the many sacrifices of the people of Clinton who gave far beyond their meager material goods to build something beautiful for God.   

The original church was replaced by a second church on Pleasant Street in 1869.  To accommodate the growing Catholic population, the current church on Union Street was constructed between 1875 and 1886 duringthe pastorate of Rev. Richard J. Patterson. The architect was Patrick Ford of Boston. The exterior architecture has beenidentified as Gothic Revival and Romanesque. It was built of Lancaster brick and adorned with Fitzwilliam granite trimmings. 

In the meantime, the people of Clinton were blessed with two additional parishes, Our Lady of the Rosary and St. Mary’s. After St. Mary’s Church suffered a catastrophic fire and required demolition, the Bishop declared that the new name of that church would honor Our Lady 
of Jasna Gora. The name of the Patron Saint
of Poland would respect the traditional devotion to Mary of that parish’s Polish-American congregation. 

At St. John, despite diligent upkeep by the congregation, much of the splendor of the magnificent building had dimmed by the 1990s. A comprehensive restoration project took place in the mid-
1990’s under the pastorate of Rev. Thomas V. Walsh. Work began first on the exterior windows and stone. The church was closed in September, 1997, to restore the interior, including statues, murals, and Stations of the Cross. It reopened with great ceremony in May, 1998.

In 2010, the three Catholic parishes merged and established one, single parish in the recently renovated St. John the Evangelist Church, centrally located in the town of Clinton and with sufficient
space to accommodate its residents. St. John Guardian of OurLady became the name of their new parish. This name honors the historic devotion of Catholics in Clinton to The Blessed VirginMary, the Mother of Jesus, and to Saint John the Evangelist.

Thus, a new parish family was established. We are blessed with the contining presence and devotion of many of the people who participated in the renovtion of St. John Church and in the unifcation of the parishes into one.  Joining them in faith and fellowship are many new residents of Clinton and surrounding towns including people who have settled in this beautiful area from elsewhere in the United States and other parts of the world. Today, Masses are celebrated in English, in Spanish, and in Portuguese as faith-filled families with roots in Latin America make St. John Guardian of Our Lady Parish their spiritual home. We are confident that God will continue to bless us as His children.