St. Joseph, much like its patron saint, has never received much
publicity in over 140 years of serving the community. But for long-time
parishioners, the church and its towering steeples—the city’s tallest
twin spires—have been the center of a section still referred to as “The
Point” and “Butchertown.” Established in 1866, St. Joseph served
German-speaking families who worked in the numerous slaughterhouses and
butcher shops situated around the stockyards. German immigrant Catholics
had previously traveled to St. Martin or to St. Boniface, both distant
enough to be inconvenient.
Father Leopold Walterspiel was the first pastor; one of his first
tasks was to organize the St. Elizabeth Ladies Society—still active
today—to assist in raising funds for the first parish structure. This
red brick school and church combination was completed and dedicated in
1866. The Ursuline Sisters of Louisville staffed the school, which
opened in the fall of 1866 with 236 students in grades one through
eight. It educated St. Joseph’s children until 2003. Parishioners also
formed a number of clubs.
The congregation quickly outgrew the church. Father William Van der
Hagen, the second pastor, spearheaded the construction of an addition to
the church and a living space. To support the building program,
parishioners held a fair, the forerunner of today’s parish street
social. The renovations and additions were completed and blessed in
1871.
Franciscan Friars served St. Joseph from 1875 to 2002. The second
Franciscan pastor, Father Aloysius Kurtz, O.F.M., is considered the
“second founder”; he assisted the parish in wiping out its debt and in
building its Gothic-style church, consecrated in 1866. Father Aloysius
laid bricks alongside the workmen.
This fast-growing parish, approaching 1,100 parishioners, continues
to serve immigrants, now welcoming migrant Latino-Hispanics. A weekly
Mass celebrated in Spanish has replaced earlier German-language
liturgies. Still the center of Butchertown, the thriving parish responds
to the community’s changing needs.