Over 200 tons of debris were removed from the church, along with scrap metal that has been recycled, Schnipke said. Crews ...

The Fall River Diocese shut down the St. John the Baptist Church in November of 2012, attributing the closure decision to declining Mass attendance, $1.5 million worth of needed repairs, and ...

Saint John was dedicated on Dec. 29, 1872. In recognition of its 150th anniversary, the church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

St. John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, is one of only three people in history — after Jesus and Mary — whose birthday is celebrated in the Church’s liturgy.

St. John the Baptist parishioner Mike Fitzgerald told the Omaha-World-Herald the usual 8:30 a.m. Mass was called off. He remembered Gutgsell, who was at the church for 11 years, as a “very holy ...