St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church (Defiance, Ohio) records

St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church began as a Station of Toledo in 1841. Their first church was built in the fall of 1844. The parish received their first resident pastor in November 1850. His name was Father Lois J. Filiere. When the parish received their resident pastor they became a Mission center. The parish served Napoleon, Poplar Ridge, Germaine Township, Delaware Bend, North Ridge, Hicksville, Archbold, Wauseon, Junction and Clarksville.

In 1856, the parish built their second church to accommodate the growing number of Catholics in the area.

In August of 1869, the number of catholic families in Defiance had grown to one hundred. It was decided by the Bishop of the Cleveland Diocese to split the parish into two separate churches. The new parish was called Our Lady of Perpetual Help. St. John was considered the German parish and the new parish was for the English speaking Catholics.

The present church was built in 1895 to serve the growing congregation. The previous church had been remodeled, but still did not meet the needs of the church.

Throughout the years the church served many Missions and Stations around Northwest Ohio.

Mossing, Lawrence A. S.T.D. History of the Diocese of Toledo. Northern Ohio - West Section Missionary and Parish History. Diocese of Toledo. Toledo, Ohio. 1985. Pages 59 - 65.