Special to the Star-Herald
St. John’s Church was organized in the late 1860s.
The building was built in 1875 in the gothic revival style of batten and board construction and is the oldest church building in Presque Isle.
Most of the lovely stained glass windows, except those on the east wall, were designed and built by the Connick Stained Glass Co. of Boston, Mass., and illustrate key events in the life of Christ. An interesting and not well-known part of St. John’s history was the establishing of St. John’s School in 1883 in response to an educational need in the community.
St. John’s School got its start because the community needed a school to replace the Presque Isle Academy, which had been on the decline as an institution of higher learning.
Seeing that this was happening, the Trustees of the Presque Isle Academy “voted at a meeting in the spring of 1882 to turn over its property, as a gift, to any religious body that would take it and establish a first class school where scholars of both sexes could receive a thorough education and be fitted for college.”
According to the catalogue for the first year of the school, the program was set up as a five year program with the option of either a classical program or a business program.
Quotes or the full chapter by Richard Watson about the school is found in the church history, “History of St. John’s Episcopal Church, Presque Isle, Maine 1869-2004.”
St. John’s Church continues to meet local needs by supporting GIFT, Martha and Mary’s Soup Kitchen, the Girl Scouts, the Sister Mary O’Donnell Shelter for the Homeless and by being past covenant members with Habitat for Humanity.
In 1988, St. John’s Church joined with four other area Episcopal congregations to form the Aroostook Episcopal Cluster. Members of the parishes and missions include: St. Anne’s, Mars Hill; St. Luke’s, Caribou; St. Paul’s, Fort Fairfield; and Church of the Advent, Limestone. The cluster is served by one priest, the Rev. Dr. Robert Smith, Jr.
The phone number is 492-4211. The Sunday service of Holy Communion is at 10:30 a.m.
