The next day [John the Baptist] saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. He is the one of whom I said, ‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me. I did not know him but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel.” John testified further saying, "I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from the sky and remain upon him. I did not know him but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the holy Spirit.' Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.”

John 1:29-34

     St. John the Baptist Catholic Church was established in August 2015—the newest Catholic church in the Diocese of Lubbock. Bishop Emeritus Plácido Rodríguez, the previous Bishop of Lubbock, saw the expansive growth in south Lubbock and commissioned a church to be built to serve that growing community.  

He then appointed Monsignor David Cruz as founding pastor for the burgeoning church.  For four years, the parish was nestled in the center of the Sun Ridge Shopping Center located at Indiana Avenue and 98th Street in Lubbock.

The Catholic parish began with 100 people attending one Sunday Mass, and attendance has grown to over 400 people each weekend. The parish will add a third Mass beginning September 8, celebrating Masses Saturdays at 5 p.m. and on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. 

St. John the Baptist Catholic Church dedicated its new parish building on Thursday, August 29, 2019. 

The 12,400 square-foot building will serve the church with a new worship area, office space, meeting space, and hospitality area. A seven foot tall statue of the “Welcoming Jesus” stands—and welcomes visitors and parishioners—on the west side of the building and can be seen from Indiana Avenue.

The new building provides space for worship of up to 450 person capacity. The master plan for the 12-acre property calls for the eventual construction of a church sanctuary at which time the new building will be repurposed for use as a parish hall.

“Like the patron Saint of the church,” Monsignor Cruz said, “the parish community will continue to work to imitate the four values and attributes of John the Baptist— joy, humility, courage and an unwavering love of Christ.” 

Over the past 4 years the parish developed a variety of organizations and ministries: Knights of Columbus, a Women’s Organization, GriefShare for those suffering a loss, bible studies for adults and a program for children and youth that meets every Wednesday night ministering to more than100 young people from Pre-K to High School.

“The selection of Saint John the Baptist as the patron saint of the parish will provide the new congregation a strong identity for many years to come,” said founding pastor Rev. Monsignor David Cruz.  "John’s  joy  for Christ in his life, even as an infant when he leapt in Elizabeth’s womb, marks a prime example for the type of joy each of us should seek in our relationship with Christ. As Pope Francis reminded us in his recent encyclical, joy makes the gospel accessible and more contagious when attracting believers.  Humility , which C.S. Lewis defined as “thinking not  less  of ourselves, but thinking of ourselves  less ”, is also an attribute that John embodied in his daily life. Additionally,  courage  is needed in today’s society, especially in a world that is constantly challenging our spiritual values and beliefs. As John took courage in proclaiming God’s word and practicing his ministry, the new parish looks to emulate his courage as we serve Christ in our own lives. Finally, Jesus said there is no greater  love  than to willingly laying down your own life for others. St. John the Baptist, who was imprisoned and martyred for doing God’s work, demonstrated his great love for God and Christ by laying down his own life,” explained Cruz.

He noted that the parish community will work to imitate the four values and attributes of John the Baptist - joy, humility, courage and an unwavering love of Christ. Each of these attributes offers a rich, spiritual foundation.

Canticle of Zechariah

Please pray for our parish:

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
for he has visited and brought redemption to his people.

He has raised up a horn for our salvation

within the house of David his servant,

even as he promised through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old:

salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us,

to show mercy to our fathers

and to be mindful of his holy covenant
and of the oath he swore to Abraham our father,
and to grant us that,
rescued from the hand of enemies,
without fear we might worship him
in holiness and righteousness
before him all our days.
And you, child, will be called prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,

to give his people knowledge of salvation

through the forgiveness of their sins,

because of the tender mercy of our God

by which the daybreak from on high will visit us

to shine on those who sit in darkness and death’s shadow,

to guide our feet into the path of peace.

Luke 1:68-79

In honor of our Patron Saint's Feast Days, below is a Novena to pray.

/documents/2016/6/Novena%20St.%20John%20the%20Baptist-2.pdf

What are Novenas?
From an article in MARIAN HELPER magazine, Fall 1993.

If you mention novenas, you're likely to get mixed reactions, with extremes at both ends of the scale.

Some view novenas as extraordinarily powerful prayers with guaranteed results — like a legal contract with God: if you fulfill the conditions, God grants your request.

Others feel that novenas are simply a waste of time — an outdated form of prayer practiced by overly pious people looking for spiritual magic.

As is often the case, neither extreme is accurate, though each reflects some truth. Making a novena is indeed a valid, powerful way to pray, but if misunderstood can become an act of superstition rather than prayer.

What It Is:

The word "novena" comes from the Latin meaning "nine each." It is a prayer or Holy Mass that is offered for nine consecutive days.

Scripturally, novenas take their origin from the nine days of prayer before Pentecost. After the Ascension, the apostles and disciples, in obedience to the Lord, gathered in the upper room and devoted themselves to constant prayer, together with Mary, the Mother of Jesus (Acts 1:4-5).

The nine days of prayer can also be considered as a representation of the nine months of Jesus in the womb of Mary. Like Jesus our Head, we His Body are also to be born of Mary and the Holy Spirit. The nine days of prayer were gestation prior to the birth of the Church on Pentecost. Since then, each novena can be considered as a time of gestation before a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

What It Is Not:

Over the centuries, the practice of making novenas grew in popularity, and inevitably, abuses developed like weeds in a garden.

One abuse is absolute guarantees of positive results. There are no absolute guarantees. Prayer must always be made according to the will of God. Even Christ Himself prayed, "Not my will, Father, but Yours be done."

We pray with trust that God will give us what He knows is best for us.

Another abuse is the guarantee that a particular novena will never fail if we publish the novena prayer. These mistaken ideas can often cause great confusion and lead to superstition.

Persistent Prayer

Novenas should be considered persistent prayer. Jesus exhorted us to continually ask, seek, and knock for what we need (Lk 11:10), and he gave us strong examples of the value of persistence in prayer — like the widow who kept pleading with the judge (Lk 18:1-8) and the man who woke his neighbor in the middle of the night to give him bread (Lk 11:5-9).

St. Faustina also gives us a powerful example of persistence in prayer. Novenas were an important and regular part of her spiritual life. She made novenas of different kinds and for various needs. For her they were times of intense and persevering prayer.

For us, too, novenas can be times of persevering prayer for special needs and of preparation for solemn feasts.

Novenas also can help us to focus our intentions so that we can more effectively give thanks for God's response to our needs — whatever they are — placing ever greater trust in the Lord Jesus.

Source Material: The Divine Mercy Website (http://www.thedivinemercy.org/message/devotions/whatarenovenas.php)

Learn how to make and pray the St. John the Baptist Chaplet, which uses scriptural passages to reflect on the life and death of our patron saint. 

Call the parish office to purchase your own chaplet!

St. John the Baptist Chaplet - How To Pray