Father John J. Loftus was born on the family homestead located on Lake Avenue in Danbury, in the year 1863. Little is known of his educational background or previous assignments, but it is known that he succeeded Father James H. O'Donnell as Pastor of Saint John's Church in Watertown, on May 24th 1902. Following the establishment of mission churches in Middlebury and Woodbury, Father Loftus would alternate between saying Mass on Sundays between the tow towns, traveling the rough distance in an uncovered horse-drawn buggy. Delia Bronson wrote that Father Loftus had a friend, Timothy Ahearn, who owned a meat market in town. Tim offered to take the good Father on his rounds in a recently purchased Model T Ford. The motor car was equipped with gas lights and Tim had to assure Father on more than one occasion that he would get to where he was going, on time, if he had a goodly supply of matches. It seems thaat the gas lamps were always going out.