The history of St. Joseph dates back to 1916. Rooted in faith and a small family feel, our parish today is an increasingly active, vibrant and growing community comprised of over 900 households. Led by a dedicated pastor and parish staff and a strong corps of lay leaders and volunteers, there are an increasing number of ways that people of all ages and backgrounds are participating in the spiritual, educational, social and pastoral care ministries of our church. So while faces and facilities may have changed somewhat over the years, the most constant and critical attributes of St. Joseph have and will continue to remain the same, namely, our commitment to Christ, to one another and to the betterment of our Catholic and local community.

Strong in heritage with many second and third generation parish families, we are also now seeing and serving an increasing number of newcomers as the St. Cloud/Waite Park population growth continues our way. Projections show that our community will continue to grow with a percentage of these new residents being professed Catholics.

Our existing church, which has served us well over the years, is too small to meet our present and projected needs. Along with the growth of the Waite Park community, we must also plan for the future reality of a severe shortage of priests, which may lead to the consolidation of some parishes or, at the very least, the number of Masses that are now being offered. Additionally, Bishop Kinney has recommended that we go to three Masses on the weekends which leads to more space limitations. There are logistical, layout and maintenance problems with our church, too, that must be addressed.

To access our church from our school, children must cross the street, which can be dangerous. The worship space is long and narrow and most people are seated fairly far from the altar. This adversely affects visibility and participation in the liturgy. There is limited space for music ministry at the head of the church, and the reconciliation room is outdated and too small. Accessibility to the altar platform, lower level lunchroom and fellowship hall is also a problem. These areas are not easily accessible to our elderly and handicapped parishioners and visitors, a violation of code requirements and our own sense of social justice. Acoustics, lighting and ventilation in the church could also be dramatically improved. Finally, the cost of maintaining our church is becoming increasingly and excessively expensive. The stucco exterior requires constant repair. And poor insulation and leaking windows, which are original to the building and not very energy efficient, make our heating costs high.

In addition, the narthex area at the back of the church is unheated and too small. There is not sufficient room for people to gather before and after liturgies, weddings and funerals. This hampers our ability to keep people informed and create a more closely connected community.

The assessment by a structural engineer has concluded that it would not be a sound decision to remodel and/or add onto our current building. The reasons are numerous and varied and range from poor access for our senior citizens, water leaks into the Parish Center due to cracks in the foundation to literally having "bats in the belfry" which are a concern.

Parking, too, is a continuous problem and concern. There simply is not enough adequate, paved, off-street parking conveniently accessible to our various buildings for a parish of our present and projected size.

And so we find ourselves at somewhat of a crossroads, mindful and respectful of our heritage and at the same time, to paraphrase a phrase in our new parish logo, wanting and needing to "go forward on the road toward" the betterment of our faith family.

Our Plans

Our desire is to remain respectful of our past and retain the personal and small parish feel that is our unique appeal while preparing for our future and the inevitable changes that we face.

This has been something we have studied for some time. Many months of research and planning have gone into our work. We have consulted closely with our diocese, our architect, our resource development consultants and the leadership of our local community. We have received varied and valuable input from many members, our neighbors, parish staff, lay leaders and volunteers through many methods and meetings.

To address these needs we have developed a master plan, which has been met with an enthusiastic response. It involves addressing our needs in phases based on our priority needs and what we can feasibly expect to raise.

• The first phase of our Master Plan involves constructing a new church and gathering space on the southeast corner of our existing school lot, purchasing the land across from the railroad tracks, relocating the playground and paving this entire area for expanded parking.
  
  
• Our new church facility as it is currently planned, will include seating space on the main level for 900 people. Seating will be arranged in a semi-circular, gather-around-the-altar style, which is the most efficient, economical and effective way to assure sound acoustics and views, preserve intimacy and encourage the active involvement of the larger gathered assembly. A permanent and prominent baptismal font will be placed at the main entrance into the worship space. It will serve us in celebrating the sacrament of baptism and as a symbol that it is the rejuvenating waters of baptism that both welcomes us to and nourishes us in our ongoing journey of faith. Adequate spaces for music ministry and reconciliation are also included in the main body and floor of our new worship space. Additionally, a Blessed Sacrament Chapel that will be used for smaller services and for more intimate gatherings will complete the space.
  
  
• Extending from our new worship space will be a large narthex or gathering space. This new and needed space will enable people to congregate before and after Masses, funerals, wakes and weddings. It will aid in the dissemination of important parish information. And it will help to foster fellowship and facilitate the flow of traffic to and from our various facilities. Also included in this space will be handicapped accessible restrooms, a kitchenette for providing food service at the various parish gatherings, and a sacristy for preparation and priest vesting.
  
  
• Finally, our school playground will be relocated to allow for a new south parking lot, which will provide for at least 81 new parking spaces.