About St. Joseph · Ada, Minnesota
St. Joseph Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish in Ada, Minnesota, the county seat of Norman County in the Red River Valley. It is part of a three-parish cluster called the Norman County Catholic Churches, sharing clergy and a website with St. William in Twin Valley and Holy Family in Halstad, all within the Diocese of Crookston. The parish is located at 405 East Thorpe Avenue and serves the small farming community of Ada with Sunday Mass, weekday Masses, eucharistic adoration, and outreach to local care facilities. In recent years it has also begun offering a monthly Spanish Mass to minister to the growing number of Spanish-speaking families in the area.
- Patron
- St. Joseph
- Rector
- Fr. Raul Perez-Cobo
- Diocese
- Diocese of Crookston
Why belong here
St. Joseph's offers a warm, small-town Catholic community in the heart of Norman County, with a full weekly Mass schedule, daily eucharistic adoration on Thursdays, and a Friday celebration of the Sacrament of Penance. The parish is paired with two sister churches in Twin Valley and Halstad, giving the faithful access to three Sunday Mass locations in the cluster. It also reaches beyond its walls by bringing Mass to residents of local care communities such as Bridges Care Community, Halstad Living Center, Twin Valley Living Center, Ulen Living Center, and Valley View Manor, and it has begun offering a monthly Spanish Mass to serve new Hispanic families moving into the area.
Mass times at St. Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Friday: 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM
- Wednesday: 5:30 PM (October through April)
Adoration times
- Thursday: 7:00 AM – 9:00 AM (St. Joseph, Ada)
- Thursday: 4:00 PM – 10:00 PM (St. Joseph, Ada)
- Thursday: 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM (St. William, Twin Valley)
- Thursday: 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM (Holy Family, Halstad)
About St. Joseph Parish
St. Joseph Catholic Church serves the small farming community of Ada, the county seat of Norman County in Minnesota's Red River Valley. It is part of the Norman County Catholic Churches, a three-parish cluster that also includes St. William in Twin Valley and Holy Family in Halstad. The cluster shares a pastor, a website (nccatholicchurch.com), and a combined Mass schedule so that the faithful of the three small towns can worship at whichever church is most convenient. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Crookston.
Parish History
St. Joseph's in Ada grew with the Catholic homesteaders of Norman County in the era following the establishment of the Diocese of Crookston in 1909. As rural populations shrank and the number of active priests declined, the diocese combined St. Joseph's with the parishes in Twin Valley and Halstad into a single cluster served by one priest. Father Joseph DeCrans led the cluster from 2008 until his retirement in 2016 and continued to live at the Ada rectory until 2021; he passed away on September 19, 2024 at the age of 76. Father Patrick Sullivan followed him, retiring in early 2025.
- Father Joseph DeCrans served as pastor 2008–2016, then remained at the parish until 2021.
- Father Patrick Sullivan served until his retirement in early 2025.
- Father Raul Perez-Cobo was assigned as the new pastor in 2025.
Parish Cluster & Staff
St. Joseph's is pastored together with St. William (Twin Valley) and Holy Family (Halstad) under the name Norman County Catholic Churches. The current pastor, Father Raul Perez-Cobo, is a priest of the Diocese of Crookston who has served in the diocese for more than 20 years. He succeeded Father Patrick Sullivan in early 2025 and has begun adding a monthly Spanish Mass to the cluster's worship life in response to the growing Hispanic population in the region.
- Fr. Raul Perez-Cobo — current pastor (since 2025)
- Fr. Patrick Sullivan — pastor until retirement in 2025
- Fr. Joseph DeCrans — pastor 2008–2016
- Fr. Bill DeCrans — listed as a priest associated with the cluster
Spanish-Language Ministry
Responding to the steady increase of Spanish-speaking families and individuals moving into the Twin Valley area, the Norman County Catholic Churches launched a monthly Spanish Mass in 2023, with Father Raul Perez-Cobo as celebrant. The first announced date was Saturday, September 30, 2023 at 7:00 PM, and the parish plans to add more Spanish Masses as the community grows.
- Monthly Spanish Mass held at one of the three cluster churches
- Future dates announced on nccatholicchurch.com
Care-Community Outreach
A distinctive feature of St. Joseph's ministry is the regular celebration of Mass at five local care and living facilities, ensuring that elderly and homebound Catholics throughout Norman County can continue to receive the Eucharist and the support of their parish community.
- Bridges Care Community, Ada
- Valley View Manor, Ada (3rd Friday)
- Halstad Living Center, Halstad
- Twin Valley Living Center, Twin Valley
- Ulen Living Center, Ulen
Diocese of Crookston
St. Joseph's is one of 67 parishes in the Diocese of Crookston, a Roman Catholic diocese that covers 14 counties of northwestern Minnesota. The diocese was formally erected on December 31, 1909 by Pope Pius X, with territory taken from the Archdiocese of Saint Paul. Its mother church is the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Crookston. The current bishop is the Most Reverend Andrew H. Cozzens, installed on December 6, 2021.
- Diocese established: December 31, 1909
- First bishop: Timothy J. Corbett (1910–1938)
- Eighth and current bishop: Andrew H. Cozzens (since December 6, 2021)
- Cathedral: Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Crookston
Visit & Contact
Visitors and parishioners are warmly welcomed at St. Joseph Catholic Church. The parish office can be reached by phone at (218) 784-4131, and the latest schedule of Masses, confession times, adoration, and special events is published on the cluster website at nccatholicchurch.com.
- Address: 405 East Thorpe Avenue, Ada, MN 56510
- Phone: (218) 784-4131
- Website: nccatholicchurch.com
- Directions: on Highway 200 / East Thorpe Avenue between 4th St E and 5th St E
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Joseph DeCrans2008–2016
Pastored St. Joseph's with missions at St. William (Twin Valley) and Holy Family (Halstad); retired in 2016 and continued to reside at St. Joseph's until 2021; died September 19, 2024 at age 76.
- Fr. Patrick Sullivanuntil early 2025
Served the Norman County Catholic cluster; retired in 2025.
- Fr. Raul Perez-Cobo2025–present
Recently appointed pastor of the three-parish Norman County cluster; has served in the Diocese of Crookston for over 20 years; launched a monthly Spanish Mass in 2023.