Prior to 1927, Catholics in Marion had no church in which to worship. On occasion a priest would come to celebrate Mass in the home of Joseph DeFrank on West Union Street.
In June of 1927 the Reverend Leo Mondt was transferred from St. Elizabeth Church, East St. Louis to St. John the Baptist Church, West Frankfort to serve as assistant to the pastor, the Reverend Joseph A. Tragesser. He was also responsible for the pastoral care of the Catholics of Marion. At that time, St. Joseph Parish was a mission of St. John the Baptist Church. Shortly after his arrival to Southern Illinois, Father Mondt met with the Catholics of Marion. As a result of this meeting, arrangements were made to rent a small abandoned store building to use as a place of worship. On Sunday, June 26, 1927 the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was celebrated for the first time in the mission church – the mission of St. Joseph Church.
In August 1927, Father Mondt purchased six lots on West Boulevard Street for $2,950 and on August 23, 1927 ground was broken and construction began to build a church. The cornerstone laying took place on September 4, 1927. The address of the original church was 908 W. Boulevard St.
Despite the hardships endured, lack of labor and money, the Ku Klux Klan, gang wars and labor disputes, the structure began to take shape. When partially finished, a bomb explosion caused some damage on one side of the building and brought about additional hardship. When completed Bishop Henry Althoff, Bishop of Belleville, dedicated St. Joseph Church on December 11, 1927.
Among the first parishioners were: Mr. & Mrs. Dominic Alessi, Mrs. Clara Boatright, Mr. & Mrs. Joseph DeFrank, Mr. & Mrs. DeLeonardo, Mr. Ar Mrs. Leo Dingrando, Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Disalvo, Mr. & Mrs. Dominic Forella, Mr. & Mrs. Prank Geraci, Mrs. Alex Kelsey, Mr. & Mrs. Angelo Lattuca, Mr. & Mrs. Sam Lattuca, Mr. & Mrs. Timothy Meehan, A. A. Moore, Mr. & Mrs. Emil Moroni, Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Porto, Mr. & Mrs. Paul Russo, Mrs. A. (Mollie) Stein, Mr. & Mrs. Mathew Wahl, Mr. & Mrs. Harold Willenborg.
At the time of the dedication there was a choir, two Sunday school classes and an altar society. The first baby baptized in the church was John DeLeonardo; about thirty children received their First Holy Communion on February 5, 1928; on June 30, 1930 the first Confirmation was held.
After the transfer of Father Mondt, St. Joseph Church came under the direction of the Reverend Monsignor Robert DeGasperi of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, Herrin. The Reverend Paul Holthaus, the assistant to Monsignor DeGasperi, served St. Joseph Church.
In 1939 the parishioners of St. Joseph Church petitioned the bishop for a resident pastor and permission to build a rectory. The bishop approved; the construction of the rectory was completed in October, 1940.
On October 21, 1940, Bishop Althoff elevated St. Joseph Church from the status of a mission to that of a parish. Father Holthaus was appointed the first resident pastor.
During this time there was an interest in building a parochial school and a need to construct a parish hall. In 1950 construction was begun on the hall.
In January 1952, Father Holthaus was transferred to St. Martin of Tours Church. E. St. Louis. He was succeeded by the Reverend Bernard P. Mongan, who served a parish community which had grown to 420 members.
The Franciscan Sisters from St. Paul Church, Johnston City, provided religious instruction for the children of the parish. Father Mongan had hoped to build a parochial school.
During the late 1950’s as the parish continued to grow, there was a need for a larger church and ultimately to build a parish school. After much discussion and deliberation, St. Joseph Parish decided to purchase a plot of ground on North Russell Street consisting of 31.5 acres for approximately $30,000. With the acquisition of this land, the future needs of the growing parish could be met.
In 1959, Father Mongan was transferred to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, Herrin, and the Reverend Donald Lenzini served as administrator of the parish from January to June 1960, at which time the Trinitarian Fathers (the Order of the Most Holy Trinity) were appointed to St. Joseph Church.
The Trinitarian Fathers had been serving at St. Paul Church, Johnston City for several years and were being asked to serve as chaplains to the Veterans Administration Hospital and to the soon to be constructed Marion Federal Prison. Subsequently, the Most Reverend Albert R. Zuroweste, Bishop of Belleville, assigned them as chaplains to the hospital, to the prison and to St. Joseph Church.
In June 1960 the Reverend Aloysius Sylvester, O.SS.T, became the first Trinitarian Father to become pastor. Father Sylvester was pastor less than a year when he suffered a heart attack and was followed by the Reverend John Cedilot, O.SS.T, on April 10, 1961.
In the spring of 1962 Bishop Zuroweste gave approval for the construction of a new church and rectory. On July 25, 1962 contracts were signed, with an anticipated cost of $243,000. On December 8, 1963 Bishop Zuroweste dedicated the church as his first official act upon returning from Rome after attending the Vatican Council II.
The following Sunday, December 15, First Holy Communion was celebrated in the newly dedicated church. The first infant baptism in the church was Neal A. Luckett on December 15. Bishop Zuroweste conferred the Sacrament of Confirmation the following spring of April 26, 1964.
The completion of the new church provided the parishioners of St. Joseph Church a beautiful and spacious place to worship, but it did not solve the desire to provide Catholic education for the children of the parish. On July 14, 1965 Bishop Zuroweste gave permission for the Trinitarian Sisters of Velence, France, to establish a foundation in Marion, with the hope of establishing a Catholic school.
On January 18, 1966, Father Cedilot died in the chapel of newly constructed church. Although he had completed the mission of building a church, he died before realizing the dreams of building a school. After the death of Father Cedilot, the Reverend Marc Toal, O.SS.T. was appointed administrator of the parish until 1968.
The Trinitarian Sisters, who came for the purpose of opening and staffing a Catholic school, did not see the realization of this plan. During their years of ministry in the parish they provided for religious instruction for the parish children. They left Marion in May 1977.
On May 13, 1967, the Reverend Stephen J. Humphrey, a member of St. Joseph Church since his elementary school years, was ordained a priest for Diocese of Belleville by the Most Reverend Albert R. Zuroweste and celebrated his First Mass at St. Joseph Church.
The pastoral needs of the parishioners of St. Joseph Church were served by the ongoing ministry of the Trinitarian Fathers. The Reverend Raphael Hollis, O.SS.T., served as pastor from 1968 – 1969, followed by the Reverend Ignatius Estes, O.SS.T, 1969 – 1971, the Reverend Albert Burratto, O.SS.T. 1971 – 1978, the Reverend Edward Balestrieri, O.SS.T, 1978 – 1981. The Reverend Richard Filice, O.SS.T, served as administrator for less than a year and was followed by the Reverend Thomas N. Cerulo, O.SS.T, who wa installed as Pastor on August 26, 1981.
It was during Father Cerulo’s pastorate that the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) was initiated, the Pastoral Council expanded and lay leadership training was begun. St. Joseph Church became active in Project Manna, an emergency food pantry establish by the Marion Ministerial Alliance.
In 1981 the need for a Director of Religious Education (DRE) was filled by the Sister Bernita Wassinger, SSND (School Sister of Notre Dame) from St. Louis. In June 1982 Sister Martha Ann Schaefer SSND, succeeded Sister Bernita as Director of Religious Education.
On May 29, 1982 a devastating tornado struck Marion. The parish sponsored a Tornado Relief Fund with a goal of $30,000 to assist with the immediate needs of families affected by the disaster. The Knights of Columbus suffered the complete loss of their building, which had been located on the site of the former church. With the approval of the Most Reverend John N. Wurm, Bishop of Belleville. St. Joseph Church deeded four acres to the Knights of Columbus Council #6210 for the building of a new Knights of Columbus Hall.
In 1983 the St. Joseph Pastoral Council passed a resolution to build a parish center to accommodate the increased number of parishioners and the expansion of many programs. On May 15, 1983, ground breaking ceremonies for the New Family Life Center were held. The dedication of the Center took place on March 18, 1984.
In 1987 the Trinitarian congregation transferred Father Cerulo to Rome and the Reverend Wes Lamb, O.SS.T, a former associate pastor of St. Joseph Church and chaplain of the Marion Federal Prison was appointed pastor. On March 20, 1988, the 100th Anniversary of the Diocese of Belleville, a time capsule containing parish memorabilia, photographs, a parish directory and newspapers was buried in the front lawn of the church. A stone marker was placed over the capsule. The Most Reverend James Keleher, Bishop of Belleville officiated at the ceremony assisted by Father Lamb.
After seven years of ministry as Director of Religious Education Sister Martha Ann was transferred and began a ministry of hospital chaplaincy. Sister Anastasia Wehner, SSND, succeeded her as the Director of Religious Education.
In 1990 the Trinitarian Fathers (the Order of the Most Holy Trinity) decided to leave Southern Illinois and concentrate their ministry in the eastern part of the United States. After thirty years of ministry at St. Joseph Church the Trinitarian Fathers concluded their ministry and a Belleville diocesan priest, the Reverend Richard G. Mohr was appointed pastor by Bishop Keleher.
Father Mohr was installed as pastor in July 1990. While serving as pastor of the parish, Father Mohr also served as the Catholic chaplain at Veterans Administration Hospital and the Marion Federal Prison. During his pastorate the parish continued to grow and expand existing ministries and develop new ministries. It was during his pastorate that plans were made to renovate the church.
A capital campaign was conducted in 2004 to raise funds for needed repairs and improvements to the Family Life Center and the rectory and to make renovations and additions to the church.
At the direction of the Pastoral Council a parish Youth Ministry Commission was formed in 2001 to study and expand the youth ministry at St. Joseph Church.
In January 2002 Mr. Thomas Kadela was hired on a part time basis as St. Joseph Church Youth Minister, a position he held as a volunteer in 1996 The Youth Ministry Commission with Mr. Kadela have served the parish youth by providing numerous programs including mission trips to various parts of the country including Alaska in 2004 and an international mission trip to Australia in 2008; and in 2012 a mission trip to Quebec, Canada.
After 19 years of ministry at St. Joseph Church as Director of Religious Education and Pastoral Associate Sister Anastasia retired from her position at St. Joseph Church and continued her ministry at the Provincial Motherhouse of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, St. Louis.
In the summer of 2008 Mr. William Harper, a recent graduate of Aquinas Institute of Theology, St. Louis, was hired as Pastoral Associate, responsible for the faith formation of the parishioners including the Parish School of Religion (PSR), Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), Vacation Bible School, Pre-Cana Program, along with overseeing some the parish operations.
The residents of Marion experienced a devastating derecho on May 8, 2009. This storm caused extensive damage in the city and caused roof damage to the church and the Knights of Columbus Hall and caused the St. Joseph Church bell tower to collapse.
Upon his retirement as pastor of St Joseph Church, Father Mohr was succeeded by the Reverend Monsignor Thomas D. Flach. The Most Reverend Edward K. Braxton, Bishop of Belleville, appointed Monsignor Flach as pastor and he was installed as pastor on July 26, 2009. At the direction of the Pastoral Council and parishioners, the Building Committee worked with White and Borgononi Architects, Carbondale, to continue and finalize the designs of the church additions and renovations.
Morgan Commercial Builders, Murphysboro, were awarded the general contract for the renovation. The church was vacated after the 11:00am Mass on October 10, 2010, and the work was begun. On April 23, 2011, at the Easter Vigil the parishioners returned to worship in their newly renovated church.
On Easter Sunday at the 11:00am Mass, Allison Lou Ann Wright was the first infant to be baptized in the new baptismal font. A Mass of Thanksgiving celebrated by Monsignor Flach, followed by a “Renovation Celebration” reception was held on May 28. The new church doors and baptismal font were blessed by Bishop Braxton on June 18, 2011.
In the newly renovated church the Parish Family of St. Joseph Church will gather to worship and celebrate – to celebrate the abiding presence of God’s love and blessings; to rejoice in history and a future of hope.
(Extracted from a History of Saint Joseph Church, Marion, Illinois)