On June 2, 1960, Reverend E. Carl Lyon,
Assistant Pastor at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament, Chevy Chase, D.C., met with
His Eminence, Patrick Cardinal O’Boyle (then Archbishop). The Archbishop appointed Fr. Lyon to be the pastor of a new parish to be located
on 10 acres of land located in Springbrook. Over the next weeks, Fr. Lyon worked tirelessly get
the new parish, which was to be known as
St. John the Baptist, up and going.

He surveyed the property, purchased a home to be used as Rectory and arranged for
the basement of the Rectory to be finished as a Chapel, which would be used until
a Church could be built. St. John the Baptist Parish was officially founded on June 18, 1960 and, on the following morning, the first Mass was celebrated by Fr. Lyon in the
rectory Chapel. 275 people attended.

On Sunday, May 7, 1961, despite threatening weather, an outdoor Mass was held on
the grounds of St. John the Baptist and a ground-breaking ceremony was held.
By Christmas that same year, the Church building was complete. By 1962, the Church, Rectory and School were erected and in use. Additional buildings were added by
the second pastor, Rev. Francis G. Kazista: the Lyon Center in 1988 and the Visitation Chapel and Parish Center in 2001. The parish grew in membership — 2162 families, over 6,000 persons.

From its very beginning, St. John the Baptist Catholic Church & Community expresses 
a spirit of Christian community and ministerial outreach. Central to our Christian community life is the celebration of the Eucharist, Baptism and the other sacraments. Faith Formation in the Catholic tradition has been nurtured in St. John’s parochial school, and religious education for children, teens and adults. The parish participates in ecumenical activities along with other churches and synagogues in the Colesville, Maryland area.