About St. Joseph · Apple River, Illinois
St. Joseph Parish is a small Roman Catholic parish in the village of Apple River in Jo Daviess County, northwestern Illinois, founded in 1868 and currently housed in a brick church dedicated in 1923 at 105 W. Webster Street. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Rockford (parish #004) and is now served as part of the Stagecoach Trail Catholic Parishes, a three-parish cluster that also includes St. Joseph in Lena and St. Ann in Warren, sharing a single pastor, Rev. Andrew Hernandez. With weekly Mass on Saturday evening and a Thursday morning Mass, along with the sacrament of Reconciliation before the vigil Mass, St. Joseph continues to be a quiet center of Catholic life for the rural communities along the historic Stagecoach Trail.
- Established
- 1868
- Patron
- St. Joseph
- Rector
- Rev. Andrew Hernandez
- Diocese
- Diocese of Rockford
Why belong here
St. Joseph offers the warmth of a small rural parish with a real sense of community along the historic Stagecoach Trail. Worshippers can attend a Saturday evening Mass, a Thursday morning Mass, or Sunday liturgy within the cluster, and they can receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation regularly before the vigil Mass. As part of the three-parish Stagecoach Trail Catholic Parishes collaboration, members share ministries and pastoral care with neighboring St. Joseph (Lena) and St. Ann (Warren) under Pastor Rev. Andrew Hernandez.
Mass times at St. Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 5:30 p.m. – 5:50 p.m. (also listed as 5:35–5:50 p.m. on some directories)
- Thursday: 8:30 a.m. (after morning Mass)
- Or by appointment
About St. Joseph Parish
St. Joseph Parish is the Catholic parish of the village of Apple River in Jo Daviess County, in the northwest corner of Illinois. Founded in 1868 and seated since 1923 in a brick church on Webster Street, the parish belongs to the Diocese of Rockford and today worships as part of the Stagecoach Trail Catholic Parishes alongside St. Joseph (Lena) and St. Ann (Warren). Its pastor is Rev. Andrew Hernandez.
- Founded 1868
- Diocese of Rockford parish #004
- Address: 105 W. Webster Street, Apple River, IL 61001
History of the Parish
St. Joseph Catholic Church in Apple River was established in 1868 to serve Catholic settlers in the Apple River area of Jo Daviess County, which lay along the old Stagecoach Trail between Galena and Lena. An 1878 county biographical record lists Fr. Joseph Kindekens as pastor of St. Joseph's, Apple River, placing the parish in the hands of resident clergy from very early on. The brick church that still serves as the parish home was dedicated in 1923 and has hosted generations of Catholic worshippers in the small village.
- Founded 1868
- 1878 pastor: Fr. Joseph Kindekens
- Current brick church dedicated 1923
Stagecoach Trail Catholic Parishes (Cluster)
St. Joseph (Apple River) is now part of the Stagecoach Trail Catholic Parishes, a three-parish collaboration that also includes St. Joseph in Lena (founded 1888, current church built 1938) and St. Ann in Warren. The three parishes share pastoral leadership under Rev. Andrew Hernandez, a priest ordained in the Philippines in 1997 who has served in the Diocese of Rockford since 2018 with prior assignments in Aurora, McHenry, and Crystal Lake. The cluster's joint mission is to express Catholic identity in joyful celebration of the sacraments and to share gifts across their rural communities.
- Cluster partner: St. Joseph, Lena (410 W. Lena St, Lena, IL 61048)
- Cluster partner: St. Ann, Warren (608 E Railroad St, Warren, IL 61087)
- Cluster pastor: Rev. Andrew Hernandez
- Rectory phone (Lena): (815) 369-1013
- Cluster secretary: Monica McGivney
Pastoral Leadership
The current pastor of St. Joseph (Apple River) is Rev. Andrew Hernandez, who leads the three Stagecoach Trail parishes from the Lena rectory. Earlier diocesan directory listings also show Rev. Andrew T. Skrobutt associated with the parish in past years.
- Rev. Andrew Hernandez — current pastor
- Rev. Andrew T. Skrobutt — listed in earlier parish directory entries
Mass & Sacrament Schedule
St. Joseph celebrates Mass on Thursday morning, Saturday evening, and Sunday morning. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is offered before the Saturday vigil Mass, and a brief Rosary is prayed in the church before Mass on Saturday as well. Confession is also available by appointment through the parish office.
- Thursday Mass: 8:00 a.m.
- Saturday Vigil Mass: 6:00 p.m.
- Sunday Mass: 7:30 a.m.
- Saturday Rosary: 5:30–5:45 p.m.
- Confession: Saturday 5:30–5:50 p.m. (also Thursday 8:30 a.m. after morning Mass); or by appointment
Contact & Location
The parish is located on Webster Street in the heart of Apple River, a small village in Jo Daviess County near the Illinois–Wisconsin border. The mailing address, phone, and email below connect parishioners and visitors with the parish office.
- Address: 105 W. Webster Street, Apple River, IL 61001
- Phone: (815) 745-2312
- Fax: (815) 745-2326
- Email: [email protected]
- Diocese page: http://www.rockforddiocese.org/parishes/parish-information/?parish=4
Apple River and the Stagecoach Trail
Apple River sits on the historic Stagecoach Trail, a 40-mile route through northern Jo Daviess County and western Stephenson County that connected Galena and Lena and was first marked out around 1827. The trail was part of the larger Galena–Chicago road and played a key role in the lead-mining era that brought settlers — including the Catholic families who later founded St. Joseph Parish — into the region in the mid-1800s.
- Stagecoach Trail route: Lena → Scales Mound → Apple River → Warren → Galena
- Trail originally developed in the 1830s