Church History

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St. Joseph Parish was founded in 1860. Originally founded by Irish Catholic laborers working on completing the North Missouri Railroad, it became a viable parish with the arrival of German immigrants in the 1870s.

They came at the urging of a Catholic priest who preached about the availability of good farmland in the area. The choice of a name for St. Joseph Parish was influenced by the fact that many homesteaders came from St. Joseph Parish in Westphalia, Missouri.

They brought an idea of utmost importance, their belief in Catholic education. The Catholic school became and is the backbone of parish life. St. Joseph School celebrated completing 125 years of Catholic education in 2010. 

The parish & school has fostered many vocations in the priesthood and religious life. It is especially honored to have been the training ground of Maryknoll Bishop Adolph Paschang, the "Little Bishop of Charity."