THELEAVEN.COM | VOL. 37,
NO. 3 | JULY 31, 2015
Samantha Romero, director of stewardship and development for St. John the Evangelist Parish in Lawrence, and Father Jeffrey Ernst, OFM Cap., pastor, stand outside the church. St. John was named best place to worship in Lawrence. PHOTO BY CAROLYN KABERLINE
SIMPLY THE BEST
St. John the Evangelist named Best Place to Worship in Lawrence By Carolyn Kaberline Special to The Leaven
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AW R E N C E — It’s been 156 years since St. John the Evangelist Parish was established here. Although the church has undergone a lot of changes in those years, one thing has remained the same: the love the
people have for their parish. Never has that been more apparent than when the parish was named “The Best Place of Worship” in this year’s Best of Lawrence voting, edging out a multitude of other churches of all denominations. “We didn’t even know there was such a category,” said Samantha Romero, director of stewardship and development for the parish,
“so we didn’t even know to publicize it to our congregation. We really expected some of the larger evangelical churches to win.” While the church is well known for its annual Mexican Fiesta and Octoberfest celebrations, Romero believes the church’s popularity comes from more than that. >> See “DIVERSITY” on page 15