The German Catholic congregation was first organized in 1853 by Rev. Casper Mueller. Services were first held in private homes, but during the ministry of Father Mueller, the former Grace Church, which had been moved to the site of the current parking area of "The Wayne Independent," was purchased on February 18, 1854. On December 4, 1859, the church, rectory, and a one-room school attached to the building was destroyed by fire. The present brick edifice, located on Church and Fifth Streets, was erected in 1860. In 1888, a brick rectory was added and later used as a convent in the 1920's. The recently canonized St. John Neumann (1811-1860), as Bishop of Philadelphia, rode horseback to this and other Wayne County parishes to confer the Sacrament of Confirmation. On September 10, 1968, St. Mary Magdalen Parish merged with St. John the Evangelist Parish. Historic Preservation Award given in 1999 to St.John's R.C. Parishfor the restoration of their bell & tower as well as in 2003 for the interior renovations of this property.

From 1993 through 2008 the Honesdale National Bank published an annual wall calendar, each featured 13 historic sites. The sites were chosen and researched by a committee of the historical society and artwork was commissioned to Judy Hunt and William Amptman by the bank.

This page was one month of the calendar and was made possible through the Wayne County Commissioners and a Tourism Promotion Committee’s Tourism Grant.