NEWARK — Since 1883, the current St. John the Baptist Church has stood at the corner of Main and Chapel streets. A roof replacement will keep the historic building in good shape for the foreseeable future.
Father Carlos Ochoa, the pastor of St. John’s-Holy Angels Parish, said earlier this summer that parish leaders have known for a few years that the slate needed to be replaced. Repairs had helped, but in the end just delayed the inevitable.
“The roof was so old that we had some water damage inside. At that point, we said we need to change to roof,” he said recently.
So, during the blistering days of early summer, workers ascended the building, which was consecrated in 1883 by Bishop Thomas A. Becker. It was severely damaged by fire in 1989, and a $600,000 restoration was completed three years later. St. John the Baptist was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, so the scope of any changes is limited. A new slate roof was to be installed.
Father Ochoa, who has been at the parish since 2013 as associate pastor, administrator and now pastor, said the parish raised about half a million dollars for the project.
“The cost of the roof was not cheap. It was expensive,” he said.
Charles Wyszynski, the parish director of maintenance, said in mid-August that the roof was nearing completion. A lightning rod was installed on Aug. 19, and the parish was still waiting on louvers for the bell tower. He said he found out just after he started at the parish around Christmas 2020 that the work needed to be done.
“My first introduction to the place was a roof leak at the chimney,” he said.
Wyszynski said when workers began removing the slate, they found a mixture of tin, tar, synthetic slate and other slate that had been used for patch jobs. Because of the church’s designation on the national register, they decided to go with slate for the replacement.
During the project, daily Mass has been at to Holy Angels, although two weekend Masses remained at St. John the Baptist. Father Ochoa said St. John’s draws close to 200 people per weekend, although the numbers were bigger before the coronavirus pandemic. Father Michael Preston recently arrived as an associate pastor.
St. John’s is not the official church of University of Delaware students, but some do visit, Father Ochoa said. Adoration in the morning draws some students, he explained.
Father Ochoa said he would like to add a handicap ramp, although with the historic-place designation, they are limited on the changes that can be made. Parking is also an issue; a lot behind the church has room for about 10 cars.
Father Ochoa was excited to get the roof replacement done.
“Something good for this building, it will be here for the next generations, for the future,” he said.
Once the roof is complete, parish officials will turn their attention to the interior. Wyszynski said the church will be cleaned and painted.
“We think we can probably open for daily Mass in there within the month,” he said.
Father Ochoa said the windows, which are nearly 60 years old, need repairs at a cost of approximately $120,000. Some money will be available through the sale of the slate from the original roof.
While the list is long, Father Ochoa sees the positive that will result.
“I’m excited. We have cleaning, painting, update some of the stuff. They’ll come in a new church,” he said. “It is like a legacy that we can give to the community. They have been so generous to us.”
That is because St. John the Baptist holds a special place in the hearts of local Catholics, he continued.
“They grow up here, they were baptized, they received sacraments, they were married. They love St. John’s.”
