Notes & Insights (3)

It has been more than seventy years since his passing in 1948; a century since his appointment as the pastor of St. John the Baptist Church. A new arrival to this country as a seminarian, here to assist with shepherding the many immigrant Catholics coming to America at the turn of the last century, he served this, ‘his parish’, for 26 years beginning in 1922. Though many of our currrent parishioners may not readily realize or even actually know that Fr. John L. Canova’s influence is still present. It can be sensed every time one enters the Church of St. John the Baptist, having guided every aspect of its design and construction. As a historian for the Diocese of Pittsburgh and a true scholar, Fr. Canova’s church speaks volumes.

To accommodate his growing congregation, Father set his sights on building a third church to replace the congregation's second church, which was actually the former Lyceum converted into a place of worship. Planning began in the late 1920’s. Engaging the finest architect and artisans, despite the challenges of the Great Depression, the cornerstone was finally laid in 1930. Built and dedicated by 1932, the years that followed would bring the installation of masterful stained glass windows as well as inspired artistic carvings and decorative art. In the words of Jacob: “How awesome this place is! This is nothing else but the house of God, the gateway to heaven!” (Gen. 28:17)

In 1934 Fr. Canova purchased the house that is now the rectory. By 1945, as the struggles of World War II came to a close, Father and his flock rejoiced in paying off the church mortgage. But this time of rejoicing was not to last.  Sadly and shockingly, for both the congregation and the Diocese, Fr. Canova died while offering the final prayers at a funeral Mass on Monday, November 29, 1948 in his beloved church, at the foot of the main altar.

A person of humility, having lived the message of the patron saint of the church he loved and led, Fr. Canova was buried in the same church's cemetery.  A simple stone marks his grave.

Perhaps the next time while visiting the Church of Saint John the Baptist, looking a bit more closely than you may have in the past, remember in your prayers as well as offer thanks to God for Father John L. Canova and his edifying legacy.

The Church of St. John the Baptist, Monaca, Pennsylvania, as it looked in the early 1930's, prior to the the installation of stained glass windows and decorative wall paint.
(Photo: St. John the Baptist Church Archive)
 

(If you have a remembrance of or information about Fr. Canova that you would like to offer, please use the message box/contact form on the RECOLLECTIONS page. Also, if you have any photos of him, the parish church through the decades, or past parish events that you would like to share, email scans of them by clicking on Photo Share.)