Before 1888, those of Catholic faith in Monaca (then called Phillipsburg) had to make their way to Rochester or Beaver, PA to attend Mass. To better serve these people of faith, the parish of  St. John the Baptist was founded and work was begun on a church in the autumn of 1888. The church was a mission of St. Cecilia Parish in Rochester, PA until 1891, when the first resident pastor was assigned to the parish in August of that year. The parish had a resident pastor until 1900. It then became a mission church of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish, Beaver, PA. Finally in 1907, the mission parish of St. John the Baptist was again assigned a resident pastor.   

Construction of the first church began in the Fall of 1888. (Photo: St. John Parish Archive)	The second church, formerly the Lyceum, was converted in May of 1913. (Photo: Diocesan Archive)

The cornerstone for the third and present day church was laid on May 4, 1930.
The church was dedicated on May 30, 1932. (Photo: Diocesan Archive)
 

The cornerstone for the parish school was laid in 1951.
The building was blessed on April 12, 1953.
 

A new wing was built onto the school in 1960 and bears the name  Msgr. Farri Hall. At the time of the addition, the wing contained four classrooms, a gymnasium and duck pin bowling alleys.

It was by the efforts of Msgr. Farri that the  Sisters of Divine Providence came to fill the role of teaching staff at the fledgeling school. A convent, which once stood on the corner of Virginia Avenue and 15th Street, was built in 1957 for their residence. 
 

This dedicated order of sisters staffed the school from 1951 through the 1990s. The parish community is deeply thankful for their years of service. With the departure of the sisters, the school was then totally staffed by lay teachers and personnel from throughout the area who would teach and perform the many administrative/staff duties.

On October 23, 1988 at 4:00 o'clock in the afternoon, the parishioners of St. John the Baptist celebrated the 100th aniversary of their parish in a Mass offered by then Bishop Donald W. Wuerl followed by a dinner reception.

Due to declining enrollment and mounting financial concerns, and with diocesan permission granted, on June 30, 2014 kindergarten thru grade 8 at  St. John the Baptist School came to a close. This was followed by the cessation of  St. John the Baptist Preschool in July of 2017. The parish is sincerely grateful for the tremendous dedication of all the teachers and staff members of  St. John the Baptist School throughout its history.

With vision for the future, in the Summer of 2014 the parish school was remodeled and assigned new purpose. Rededicated with the title of St. John the Baptist Pastoral Center, the building houses the parish offices, Faith Formation Center, CCD School of Religion, and Monsignor Farri Hall as well as the parish St. Vincent dePaul Society.

Bishop David Zubik on April 28, 2018, in his call to the Church of Pittsburgh under the On Mission for the Church Alive! initiative, announced that Saint John the Baptist, Monaca would join with the parishes of Saint Titus, Aliquippa; Saint Frances Cabrini, Center Township; and Our Lady of Fatima, Hopewell Township to form a parish grouping or cluster on October 15, 2018, and asked all to join in a journey to better fulfill the mission of Jesus and ensure vibrancy in every parish. 'MACH1 Parish Grouping' was the temporary name selected for the cluster by representatives from the four parishes and approved by the diocese.

In November 2020, the process of gathering parish name suggestions from parishioners for submission to the diocese was completed. On May 29, 2021, Bishop David Zubik officially announced the name of the future parish, made up of the then parishes of St. John the Baptist (Monaca), St. Titus (Aliquippa), St. Frances Cabrini (Center Township), and Our Lady of Fatima (Hopewell Township) and to be established on July 1, 2021, to be ‘Mary, Queen of Saints’.  Each church would retain its original patronal name.

The following is a listing of clergy who through our history were assigned to our parish:

Administrator/Pastor [assignment dates]
Fr. John F. Bauer [1887-1892]
Resided in Rochester, PA; mission parish church under St. Cecilia Church, Rochester, PA

Fr. Francis P. Ward [08/1891-08/1894]
Pastor-in-residence; Monaca at this time was called Philipsburg

Fr. Joseph Toner [08/1894-08/1897]
Resided in Monaca but served the Catholics in Monaca, Anderson Road, Aliquippa, Coraopolis and Imperial

Fr. Martin Hughes [08/1897-07/1900]
Resided in Coraopolis, PA; mission church under St. Joseph Church, Coraopolis, PA

Fr. Anthony Vogel [07/1900-04/1904]
Resided in Beaver, PA; mission church under Sts. Peter and Paul, Beaver, PA

Fr. Thomas P. Walsh [04/1904-08/1905]
Resided in Beaver; mission church under Sts. Peter and Paul, Beaver, PA

Fr. John P. Gallagher [08/1905-01/1906]
Resided in Beaver; mission church under Sts. Peter and Paul, Beaver, PA

All future priests assigned to St. John the Baptist Parish
 after this point in time reside in Monaca. 

Fr. Leonard J. Stenger [01/1906-01/1907]

Fr. Modesto Parolini [01/1907-07/1911]
Guided the building of the Lyceum which later became the second parish church.

Fr. Peter J. McKenna [07/1911-12/1912]

Fr. John Enright [01/1913-10/1922]
Purchased sections of land for use as a parish cemetery.
Converted the Lyceum into the second parish church. (The first church became a parish hall.)

Fr. John Canova [10/1922-11/1948]
Purchased the house that is the current parish rectory.
Guided the design and building of the third (present) parish church.
Assistants under Fr. Canova:

• Fr. James Paul Harvey

• Fr. Joseph R. Bryan
• Fr. Martin T. Connolly
• Fr. Francis K. Cronin
• Fr. Andrew J. Bjalobok
• Fr. John R. Charnoki
• Fr. John R. Haney

• Fr. John R. Haney
• Fr. John R. Chess
• Fr. Joseph J. Kleppner

• Fr. Joseph J. Kleppner
• Fr. David J. Jastrab
• Fr. Kenneth E. Myers
• Fr. David A. Driesch
• Fr. Jose Mattam

• Fr. Jose Mattam
• Fr. Frank M. Kurimsky
• Fr. Edward Sczmerda
• Fr. Nicholas Mastrangelo
• Fr. Robin Evanish

• Deacon Anthony Giordano [7/2011-10/14/18]

On October 15, 2018, as part of the initiative of On Mission for the Church Alive!,
 at the decision of Bishop David Zubick, the parish  of St. John the Baptist, Monaca
 along with the parishes of St. Titus, Aliquippa; St. Frances Cabrini, Center Township; Our Lady of Fatima, Hopewell Township
 were brought together to form a parish grouping. 
 First assignments to the newly-formed grouping were: 

Fr. Martin Bartel, O.S.B. (Administrator) [10/15/2018-7/5/20]
Assigned under Fr. Bartel:

• Fr. Thomas More Sikora, O.S.B. (Parochial Vicar)
• Fr. Joachim Morgan, O.S.B. (Parochial Vicar)
• Fr. Regis Alberth (In Residence)
• Fr. William Kohler (In Residence; d. 12/17/2019)
• Deacon Joseph Basko
• Deacon Robert Bittner

Upon the election of Fr. Martin Bartel as Archabbot of St. Vincent Archabbey, beginning on July 9, 2020, as part of the On Mission for the Church Alive! initiative and at their presentation and the decision of Bishop David Zubick, the following clergy assignments were made:

Fr. Jean-Luc Zadroga, O.S.B. (Administrator Pro Tem) [7/6/20-6/30/21]
Assigned under Fr. Zadroga:

• Fr. Canice McMullen, O.S.B. (Parochial Vicar)
• Fr. Joachim Morgan, O.S.B. (Parochial Vicar)
• Fr. Regis Alberth (In Residence; d. 1/5/21)
• Deacon Joseph Basko
• Deacon Robert Bittner

On May 29, 2021, Bishop David Zubik officially announced the name of the future parish to be established on July 1, 2021, to be that of ‘Mary, Queen of Saints’.  (Each church would retain its original patronal name.)  At their presentation of Benedictine Archabbot Martin Bartel of St. Vincent Archabbey and the decision of Bishop David Zubick, the following clergy assignments were made:

Fr. Jean-Luc Zadroga, O.S.B. (Administrator)
Assigned under Fr. Zadroga:

• Fr. Canice McMullen, O.S.B. (Parochial Vicar)
• Fr. Joachim Morgan, O.S.B. (Parochial Vicar)
• Deacon Joseph Basko
• Deacon Robert Bittner