We are a family of faith that carries on the
mission of Jesus Christ to offer praise and
worship to the Father, to form and be formed
in the image of Christ and to render loving
service to the Church, civic and world communities
in which we live.
We
welcome you to the website of Saint Joseph
Catholic Community! Our hope is that as you
browse our site, what will be noticeable
is that we are a multicultural parish that
attempts in as many ways as possible to proclaim,
to grow in, and to share the goodness and
kindness of God our Savior.
Father
Glen Sayers, S.D.S.
about our parish . . .
Saint Joseph Church was
established in 1950 by the Salvatorians as a mission
to the black community of Huntsville, Alabama. The
Beasley mansion was purchased for this purpose. Originally,
masses were celebrated in the Mission House; the first
mass was celebrated on September 14, 1952.
The Salvatorian sisters
opened the first Saint Joseph School on September 4,
1956 in two rooms of the mission house. This educational
facility has been fully accredited by the State of
Alabama since 1975, when it became the first parochial
school in Huntsville to attain that distinction.
In 1965, the school was
fully integrated. Today the enrollment is approximately
200 students, Kindergarten through Eighth grades.
In 1979, Saint Joseph
School was re-dedicated as the Holy Family School,
serving Saint Joseph and Saint Mary of the Visitation
Parishes. While the school is located on the campus
at Saint Joseph Church, it is subsidized by the two
parishes.
Also in 1979, Saint Joseph
Mission was established as a canonical parish of
the Birmingham Diocese and was renamed Saint Joseph
Catholic
Church.
Today the church is staffed
by Salvatorian Priests, Sisters, Lay Salvatorians,
and Lay People; these people coordinate several dozen
parishioners who offer their time and talent to build
up the community of Saint Joseph so that the community
in turn can reach out beyond itself in service.
From a humble beginning
of 12 families, the church has grown to approximately
550 families to date.
