About St. Joseph Parish

Saint Joseph Parish, the only Catholic church in Marion, IA, embraces its members, both new and long-standing, and provides many opportunities for spiritual, social, and service enrichment. Approximately 6,500 members belonging to 2,000 households make up St. Joseph Parish. About 10 percent of the church’s members are “new faces” each year and almost as many have moved on to new locales, largely due to the movement of staffing at the area's largest employers.

The church is located at 1790 14th St., Marion, IA 52302 (map it) and can be reached by calling 319-377-4869 or emailing the secretary at stjoebulletin@qwestoffice.net. Office hours are Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Weekend Mass times are 4:30 p.m. Saturday and 7, 9, and 11 a.m. Sunday.

Early Beginnings
Catholic services were first held in Marion in the early 1850s when Father Edmonds came from Iowa City to offer Mass in the homes (usually log cabins) of the town’s early settlers. The small group of parishioners decided in 1867 to build a church, and two years later a 24’ by 50’ wooden structure was ready for use. Located on the corner of Third Avenue and Eighth Street, the church was named Saint Mary. With the coming of the railroad to Marion and a great influx of Irish families, the building soon became too small. In 1905 it was replaced by a larger brick structure located on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Tenth Street and was named Saint Joseph.

In the late 1930s and early 1940s the parish experienced rapid growth. Religious education classes overflowed from the chapel into the church and finally to the rectory kitchen where the housekeeper taught youngsters from the penny catechism and prepared them for the reception of the sacraments.

Moving to Today's Location
In 1947 Pastor Father T.J. McElliott, with Assistant Father Maurice Scanlon, purchased a residence located in the same block as the church, and that fall the church had an enrollment of 56. The enrollment doubled over the next seven years and in 1954, with Father William Blessington as administrator, a new school was built in the northeast section of town on the land donated by Alma Henderson. When the school opened that fall there were 151 students. Additional classrooms were added in 1960 and 1966. St. Joseph Catholic School serves students in grades preschool through eighth grade.  The school program offers daily instruction in the Catholic faith, as well as an excellent academic curriculum accredited by the State of Iowa.  St. Joseph students are involved in a variety of parish and school activities, including athletics, fine arts, and extracurricular programs.

The Religious Education program provides a comprehensive program of all students attending the public school system and is one of the largest and most successful in the archdiocese.

On February 15, 1976, the parish council voted to build a new church on the corner of Brockman Avenue and 14th Street. Ground was broken on November 14, 1976, the cornerstone was set June 26, 1977, the church was dedicated December 17, 1977 by Archbishop James J. Byrne. Fr. John Gallagher was pastor during the building of the new church.

Priests of St. Joseph
In their 142 years as a parish, the people of Saint Joseph have been served by: Fathers William Emmonds, Phillip Laurent, John Shields, Connor, Clement Lowrey, Richardson, John Brogram, Timothy Sullivan, T. Laffan, John Hartigan and P.M. Loughnane, T.J. Murtagh, Patrick Hogan, Maurice O’Callahan, John O’Donnell, T.J. McElliot, Claude Norton, Maurice Scanlon, William Blessington, J. David Pepper, James McBride, John Barnes, Mark McGovern, Justin Kane, Carl Manternach, Bernard Brady, John Casey, Martin Pfab, Thomas Kisting, John Gallaghher, John Ryan, Keith Birch, Robert Cooney, Robert Ferring, Joseph Hauer, John McDermott, Jerry Kopacek, David Ambrosy, Phillip Gibbs, John McClean, James Brokman, Michael Fitzgerald, Scott Boone, José Luis Comparán, Greg Bahl, and Rod Allers.

Native sons of the parish who have been ordained to the priesthood include: John R. Gallagher, Vincent Hatt, T. Don Collins, Leo Riley, and Tim Siegel.

The present pastor of Saint Joseph is Rev. John Gossman. Rev. Anthony Kruse is our associate pastor.