About Saint Joseph · Bluffton, Indiana
Saint Joseph Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish in Bluffton, Indiana, belonging to the Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend. Founded in 1875, the parish has served the Wells County Catholic community for nearly 150 years, currently from its church at 1300 N. Main Street, dedicated in 1966 and expanded in 1999 to include religious education classrooms, a gym, and offices. The parish is led by Father David Violi (pastor since 2018) with Michelle Paxton serving as both Administrative Assistant and Director of Religious Education. It is a smaller, family-oriented parish that celebrates the traditional liturgies and devotions of the Latin (Roman) Rite, including weekday and Sunday Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, regular Confession, the Rosary, and Stations of the Cross, and reaches beyond itself through ministries such as the Prayer Chain, Religious Education, the Adult Choir, and the St. Vincent de Paul outreach.
- Established
- 1875
- Patron
- Saint Joseph
- Rector
- Father David Violi
- Diocese
- Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend
Why belong here
Saint Joseph is a small-town parish that takes its identity as a family seriously: weekday Mass with Eucharistic Adoration, multiple opportunities for Confession, the Rosary prayed before every Sunday Mass, a live-streamed liturgy for the homebound, and a parish-wide Prayer Chain that lifts up intentions by email and phone. Families raising children in the faith are served by Sunday-morning Religious Education (September–April) and by Father Violi's own Introduction to Theology classes for teens. The parish also extends care beyond itself through St. Vincent de Paul aid and a beautifully maintained section of Elm Grove Cemetery dedicated as the new St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery — the first new Catholic cemetery in the diocese in more than 50 years.
Mass times at Saint Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 8:30–9:00 AM
- Wednesday 6:00–6:45 PM (before the 7:00 PM Mass)
Adoration times
- Monday 7:00–8:00 AM
- Wednesday 6:00–6:45 PM (combined with Confession before the 7:00 PM Mass)
Parish History
St. Joseph Parish was founded in 1875 by faithful Catholic families who pooled their resources to form one big fellowship and family. The original sanctuary stood at 10 Cherry Street in downtown Bluffton; in time, through the generous donation of land by E. J. Schaeffer and his family, the parish moved to a more spacious outskirt and built the present church on North Main Street — dedicated in 1966. A 1999 remodeling and addition added Religious Education classrooms, a parish gym, and offices, modernizing the campus to serve the parish's vision of the Church as family. The history page also acknowledges the countless unnamed families who built and sustained the parish over 150 years.
- Founded 1875
- Original church at 10 Cherry Street, downtown Bluffton
- Land for new site donated by the E. J. Schaeffer family
- Present church built and dedicated in 1966 at 1300 N. Main Street
- 1999 remodeling and addition (Religious Education classrooms, gym, offices)
- Resident pastors serving since 1920
Pastor & Parish Staff
Father David Violi has served as pastor since June 2018, when Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades announced his assignment to St. Joseph. A native of the region, Father Violi is also known for personally teaching an Introduction to Theology class for teens. He is assisted by Michelle Paxton, who serves both as the parish's Administrative Assistant and as Director of Religious Education, and by Tammy Mechling, who coordinates the Prayer Chain Ministry.
- Fr. David Violi — Pastor (2018–present)
- Michelle Paxton — Administrative Assistant and Director of Religious Education
- Tammy Mechling — Prayer Chain coordinator
Religious Education
The goal of St. Joseph's Religious Education program is to create a strong learning environment for students and to bring students and their parents into a closer relationship with God. Classes meet Sunday mornings from 8:30 to 9:45 AM, September through April, using the classrooms added to the church in 1999. Michelle Paxton, Director of Religious Education, can be reached through the parish office.
- Sundays 8:30–9:45 AM, September–April
- Taught by dedicated catechists
- Contact: Michelle Paxton (Director of Religious Education)
- Phone: (260) 824-1380
Prayer Chain Ministry
The Prayer Chain is a ministry in which a 'chain' of parishioners constantly prays for those who ask for prayer — for any intention that one believes prayer will benefit. Personal privacy is protected: prayer intentions and the names of those prayed for are shared only as broadly as the requester wishes, and the chain is contacted by blind-carbon-copy email so no addresses are revealed. Tammy Mechling coordinates the chain, and the ministry is open to those without email — phone communication is also possible.
- Open to anyone with a prayer intention
- Privacy-protected 'Prayer Warriors' email chain
- Coordinator: Tammy Mechling
- Contact through Michelle Paxton: [email protected] or (260) 824-1380
- Phone participation available for those without email
St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery
On All Souls' Day (November 2), Father David Violi officially blessed the new St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery, an undeveloped section of Elm Grove Cemetery along IN-124 just outside Bluffton that has been set aside for the Catholic faithful. The undertaking was developed in cooperation with Thoma/Rich, Lemler Funeral Home (Jeff Lemler and Jaime Lemler) and Cemetery board member Bob Frantz. Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades wrote to parishioners expressing his enthusiasm for the project, which appears to be the first new Catholic cemetery in the Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend in more than 50 years. Father Violi has commissioned an altar and crucifixion scene at the center of the cemetery and plans to celebrate Mass there annually on All Souls' Day.
- Location: section of Elm Grove Cemetery along IN-124, outside Bluffton
- Blessed on All Souls' Day (November 2)
- First new Catholic cemetery in the Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend in over 50 years
- Commissioned altar and crucifixion scene at the cemetery's center
- Annual Mass on All Souls' Day planned
Contact, Hours & Live Stream
The parish office is open on the published schedule, and weekend and weekday Masses are live-streamed on the parish website for the homebound and traveling. Inquiries about sacraments, ministries, the Prayer Chain, Religious Education, and St. Vincent de Paul assistance are all routed through the parish office.
- Address: 1300 N. Main St., Bluffton, IN 46714
- Phone: (260) 824-1380
- Email: [email protected]
- Live Stream: stjosephchurchbluffton.org/live-stream
- Facebook: facebook.com/stjosephchurchbluffton
Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend
Saint Joseph Parish belongs to the Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend, a Latin-Rite diocese of the Catholic Church covering north-central and northeastern Indiana in the Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend, erected by Pope Pius IX on January 8, 1857. The current diocesan bishop is Kevin C. Rhoades, appointed in 2009 by Pope Benedict XVI. The diocese is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. Saint Joseph is listed in the official diocesan parish finder.
- Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend (Latin: Dioecesis Wayne Castrensis–South Bendensis)
- Established January 8, 1857
- Bishop: Kevin C. Rhoades (since 2009)
- Cathedral: Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Fort Wayne
- Co-Cathedral: St. Matthew Cathedral, South Bend
- Ecclesiastical Province: Archdiocese of Indianapolis
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Nicholas A. Keller1920–1926
First resident pastor
- Msgr. Charles F. Girardot1926–1929
- Msgr. John A. Bapst1929–1935
- Fr. Paul A. Anderson1935–1942
- Fr. Aloysius M. Phillips1942–1947
- Fr. Michael J. Kelner1947–1951
- Fr. John H. Roesler1951–1955
- Fr. Robert L. Traub1955–1968
- Msgr. James P. Conroy1968–1981
- Fr. Eugene A. Koers1981–1991
- Fr. Stephen E. Colchin1991–1997
- Fr. Lawrence A. Kramer1997–2003
- Fr. Dale A. Bauman2003–2009
- Fr. Francis C. Chukwuma2009–2013
- Msgr. Pius Ilechukwu2013–2018
- Fr. David Violi2018–present
Current pastor; assigned by Bishop Rhoades in May 2018