Wapakoneta, Ohio 45895

(419) 738-2115

Welcome to St. Joseph Parish Community in Wapakoneta. St. Joseph has a long and storied history and is happy to invite you to view its web pages. If you are visiting the area now or in the future, please know that you are welcome, and we invite you to share in the Mass celebrations with us. If you are moving to the Wapakoneta area, we look forward to your becoming an active member of the St. Joseph Parish Community.

If you have any questions, or require any specific information not found here, please feel free to contact us by e-mail, U.S. mail or by phone. Administrative and Staff member listings are available for both the Church and School.

A BRIEF HISTORY

The Catholic Community of Wapakoneta attended church at the Petersburg settlement six miles southeast of Wapakoneta until 1839, when they built their own frame church called St. Joseph on the southeast corner of Pearl and Blackhoof Streets in Wapakoneta, Ohio. St. Joseph Parish outgrew its church building of 1839, and a brick single-spired church was built in 1858, on the location of the current church. By the early 1900’s growth made it necessary to once again construct a larger church. In 1911, the current church pictured above with its twin steeples, was completed after 18 months of construction at a cost of $75,000.

Early Catholic leadership in Wapakoneta placed great value on the importance of education and the inclusion of religion within. Constructed on the current church site was the Parish School pictured below. With the construction of a new school in 1958, the old school has become a youth religious education center and serves the Parish today.

Current leadership continues to place great value and importance on Community and the ability to make church functions available to all parishioners. On May 1, 1999, the new Parish Life Center was dedicated (artist rendering below) and has become a center for a variety of gatherings by the Parish.

The Parish Life Center provides direct access from Church Mass celebrations, features a gathering center, full service kitchen, a Teen Center and an Adult Center. The facility also contains a Chapel for the Eucharistic Adoration Ministry.