The city of Loveland was born in the mid 1800's, a small town and farming community near the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. In 1901, early church parishioners purchased three lots located at 5th and Grant in downtown Loveland. Two years later, in 1903, a Romanesque-style church was completed and named in honor of the Apostle and Evangelist, Saint John.
Over the next 50 years, the Catholic community grew steadily. Then, in 1951, the parish acquired a parcel of land in the far northwest region of Loveland. On May 1, 1957, the parish's long-awaited Catholic school was officially dedicated. The new 50 x 100 foot school gymnasium began serving as the temporary worship space for the rapidly growing parish. By the late 1960's, Saint John had already swelled from 500 families to 850.
In 1969, a new church was raised to accommodate the new parish members. Over the years since then, the church and school buildings have continued to expand, including building a new church foyer, remodeling the basement, adding a middle school, building a new school gym, library, cafeteria, tech lab, and music room, and building a perpetual adoration chapel.
In 2020 the parish began a remodel of the Sanctuary and foyer, construction of new parish offices, a new church hall, and a new rectory for our priests. The project was completed in August, 2021.
Today, as in the past, the parish continues to fulfill the vision of Catholic Faith established more than 100 years ago. Saint John provides a spiritual center where all come to worship God in Holy Mass, where we Baptize newborns, celebrate our children's First Communion, where young love begins a new life in Holy Matrimony and where we become the hands and means of God as we reach out in our ministries. At Saint John, people can grow together through a wide-range of personal and social activities, common beliefs, and values.
Today, Saint John the Evangelist Catholic Church is a parish of over 2,000 families in a geographic region that's growing at a rate of almost 10% per year. The pioneers who set Saint John in motion over a century ago had a vision to pass the Faith on to future generations and they succeeded in achieving their goal. We welcome you to the faith family of Saint John the Evangelist Catholic Church and hope that you will consider this your spiritual home.