1951

Father John Garvey became pastor of St. John's. He was in ill-health and, during his pastorate, the population of St. John's remained about the same. The Lockridge and Navina missions were taken care of by the priest from Guthrie.

1953

Bishop McGuinness appointed Father William Swift pastor of St. John's with the prophetic directive to "buy property and build a new church because Edmond is going to grow". Father Swift purchased an entire block of land from 9th to 10th streets between Littler and Boulevard. The parish moved to that location in the spring of 1954. Some of then parishioners were opposed to the location because it was too far out of town and too large a piece of land.

This property included an old house which became the rectory and an old feed store which became the temporary church and parish hall. The feed store needed a lot of work before it could be used and the old church had to be torn down because the property was being sold. Parishioners worked hard on both projects.

1955

On May 22nd, Bishop McGuinness dedicated the new brick church of St. John's parish which was built on the west side of the property. He had secured financial help from the Extension Society to build the church. He and Father Swift felt that the church was 6 times larger than the parish would need. Little did they know that in 10 years it would be outgrown.
 

1958

John XXIII was elected pope, the Second Vatican Council was convened, and Victor J. Reed was appointed the fourth Bishop of Oklahoma. The impact of these three happenings on the church in Oklahoma was tremendous.

1959

The population of St. John's reached 280. During the decade of the fifties, Lockridge and Lavina were again under the care of the Edmond pastor. Due to deterioration and decrease in parishioners, St. Patrick's was closed. Sacred Heart church in Navina maintained its size and Father Benjamin Alt of Guthrie assisted Father Swift in the care of it.

Father William Nerin came to St. John's.

1960s

These years were a time of turmoil in the United States, in the Catholic Church, and in the diocese of Oklahoma. The same turmoil was reflected in Edmond in the parish of St. John the Baptist. The two pastors during the decade were supportive of the Vatican II changes and followed Bishop Reed's leadership in implementing those changes. They experimented with so many changes that St. John's was often referred to by other people in the diocese as the "experimental parish".

In his preaching and writings, Father Nerin tried to explain the value of, and the reasons for, the changes in the church. Some parishioners became so upset with the changes that they left the parish and attended Mass at some of the Oklahoma City churches who were slow in instituting changes and still held traditional type Masses. The vast majority of parishioners remained, but a division began to develop between those for changes and those against.

Father Nerin was an avid reader and provided reading materials for the parish. He started a Tuesday night meeting for adult parishioners to get together to discuss the development of the parish. A program to distribute food baskets and gifts to the poor at Christmas was developed. Parish religious education efforts included classes for grade school and high school students and adult discussion groups.

In the early 1960s, the parish bought some property close to campus to use as a Newman Center for college students. Located at 439 College Circle, it cost $15,500, of which the diocese paid $5,500 and the parish paid $10,000. The property had a large two-story, 11 room house and a one-story smaller house. The large house became the Newman Center with a lounge, classrooms, study rooms, chaplain's office and a room for lectures and parties. The Center was open to all students, Catholic and non-Catholic.

1965

The parish population increased to 590 and began to feel real growing pains. More changes in the liturgy were implemented, and the sanctuary was redecorated. A change in the crucifix over the altar created much controversy. At this same time, the parish hall (the old feed store) was nearing the end of its life and more space was needed.

1966

A parish annex to the church was approved and built and dedicated on November 5, 1966.

Father John Vrana succeeded Father Nerin. He was already known by the parishioners because he had substituted some for Father Nerin. In his first sermon, Father Vrana told the congregation that he would hold open meetings for them to express their concerns. Some parishioners did and the first meetings were very emotional.. Father Vrana's time at St. John's was a time of turbulence, struggle, and unrest. Some parishioners held him responsible for the upheaval created by the major changes in the church at that time. He was a controversial priest in a controversial time in parish and church history.

1968

Not everything that happened during Father Vrana's time at St. John's was negative. A director of religious education was hired and a parish Men's Committee was formed to determine parish needs.

In April, parish member Tom Boyer became the third parishioner to be ordained to the priesthood and to offer his first Mass at St. John's.

1969

Father Kastner was appointed pastor at St. John's. The parish was still small at this time and everyone worked and socialized together as one big happy family. The parish lived a simple life with a simple budget that met the needs but did not produce any surplus. The agricultural background of the parish was still evident as Masses were offered for a good harvest and Father Kastner went to various farms to bless the land, the crops, and the animals.