By Mary Knapke

SPRINGFIELD DEANERY — Founded 125 years ago in Springfield’s Irish Hill neighborhood, St. Joseph continues to serve as home to a close-knit community of parishioners.

St. Joseph’s anniversary Mass will take place March 9 at 10:30 a.m. Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk will celebrate the Mass; concelebrants will be current pastor Father Dennis J. Caylor and former pastor Father Elmer W. Smith. A reception will follow in the parish center, where memorabilia of church history will be displayed. In addition, Dick Martin, a parishioner and retired graphic artist, created an artist’s rendering of the church, prints of which are for sale in commemoration of the anniversary.

Father Caylor, who was raised in St. Joseph parish, has been pastor of the community for seven years. For nearly 10 years he has also served as pastor of nearby St. Raphael, which is merged with St. Joseph.

"St. Joseph has always exhibited a strong sense of community. There is a strong sense of care and concern among the parishioners for each other," Father Caylor said. Although merging two parishes and sharing one pastor between them has presented challenges, "the people of both parishes have come together, and I believe we are a stronger faith community because of this process," he added. "The parish has a strong commitment in faith formation, evangelization, social justice and outreach."

The parish serves 450 families and more than 1,000 individuals in the Springfield area. Last year, six baptisms and seven weddings were celebrated. According to a history of the parish posted on its web site, Catholics began to settle in Clark County in the 1830s as they worked on construction of the National Road. St. Raphael was organized in 1849; three decades later, St. Raphael pastor Father William Sidley purchased land for the new St. Joseph parish community. St. Joseph’s School opened Oct. 8, 1883; Mass was held on the first floor of the building.

St. Joseph operated as a mission of St. Raphael until it became an independent parish in 1884. The current church was constructed over a few years and dedicated on Oct. 17, 1897. The original school building remained in use until 1970, when a new school was built. Following a consolidation of Catholic schools in Springfield, that building now serves as a parish center and home to a local Head Start program.

Recent renovations to church facilities include the installation of a slate roof and external copper works, completed last year. The project was made possible by a contribution from the Springfield Turner Foundation, to whom Father Caylor expressed the parish’s gratitude.

Norman Horstman has served as deacon of St. Joseph for nearly seven years. He cited the parish’s bereavement ministry and its "strong sense of the importance of families" as examples of its sense of community.

Deacon Horstman also commented on the strength of the parish community through the challenges of merging with another church. He recalled that in the midst of the process, a St. Joseph parishioner told him she felt sorry for other parishes, "because they do not get to go through this process."

"It made me realize that the difficulties of this world are opportunities to share together in the cross of Our Lord and Savior," Deacon Horstman said. "I think of that whenever I get to lead Stations of the Cross at St. Joseph, where the Catholic traditions, including Stations of the Cross each Friday of Lent, continue to be strong."

Melanie Oliver, a parishioner at St. Joseph for more than 40 years, works for the parish as assistant to the director of religious education. She works at St. Teresa of the Child Jesus in Springfield as director of religious education. Oliver has been active at St. Joseph in Bible study, Pre-Cana and Sunday school programs and on the Family Life board. She also worked with the parish after-school program for five years.

"St. Joseph’s has always been a very active church, with lots of ways for people to get involved and use their talents — whether it’s the parish festival or something like Precana, or just helping out at the school," she said. "There’s always been something great going on at St. Joe’s."

Dorothy MacLeod settled in Springfield after moving 20 times in four decades as part of a military family. She joined St. Joseph in 2001 and became active in the parish’s Bible study and RCIA programs, as well as Justice Action Mercy, an ecumenical organization in Clark County that works to empower disadvantaged populations.

"I love St. Joseph," MacLeod said. "I really feel comfortable there." She cited both the closeness of the community and the architectural beauty of the church as two aspects of the parish she especially appreciates. At St. Joseph, "it gives me a good feeling," she said. "I always look out and say, ‘this is my family.’ "