About St. Joseph · Barron, Wisconsin
St. Joseph Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish in Barron, Wisconsin, a small county-seat city in northwestern Wisconsin. It is part of the Diocese of Superior and one of four parishes in the SSPBAndJ Catholic Cluster Family, along with St. Peter in Cameron, St. Boniface in Chetek, and Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (ABVM) in Strickland. The parish offers a Saturday evening vigil Mass and a Wednesday morning Mass, supported by regular Eucharistic Adoration and a vibrant charismatic prayer community that meets on the parish grounds.
- Established
- 1941
- Patron
- St. Joseph
- Rector
- Rev. Mariadas Vallabhaneni
- Diocese
- Diocese of Superior
Why belong here
St. Joseph is the Sunday-eve and midweek spiritual home for Catholics in the Barron area, one of four parishes in the welcoming SSPBAndJ Cluster Family. The parish offers a Saturday 6:00 PM vigil Mass plus Wednesday 7:15 AM daily Mass, three hours of Eucharistic Adoration every Wednesday morning, and a thriving ecumenical charismatic prayer community — the Morning Star Prayer Group — meeting on site. Local faith formation for children, online giving, and active lay leadership (Council of Catholic Women, Knights of Columbus, prayer groups) make it a tight-knit faith family for Barron County.
Mass times at St. Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Wednesday: 6:45 AM – 7:15 AM (30 minutes before Mass)
- Saturday: 1st Saturday only, 9:00 AM – 9:30 AM
- Lenten Reconciliation: see cluster schedule (e.g., March 21 at 9:00 AM at St. Joseph)
Adoration times
- Wednesday: 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Parish Identity & History
St. Joseph Catholic Church sits at 827 East La Salle Avenue in Barron, the county seat of Barron County, Wisconsin. The parish's recorded Catholic mission history dates to the early twentieth century; by 1912 a diocesan reorganization placed Barron under St. Boniface in Chetek as a mission. In 1941, Barron separated to become its own independent parish. Beginning in 1994 the parish joined St. Peter in Cameron and the Chetek-area parishes in a formal cluster, with the pastor residing in Barron — a structure reflected in today's SSPBAndJ Catholic Cluster Family.
- Established as a mission under St. Boniface, Chetek (1912)
- Became an independent parish (1941)
- Pastoral residence for the cluster (1994–present)
- Today: part of the SSPBAndJ Catholic Cluster Family
Clergy & Staff
The parish is currently served by Rev. Mariadas Vallabhaneni as Supervising Pastor and Very Rev. John Gerritts as Sacramental Minister, with Deacon Michael Cullen assisting at the parish and as co-founder of the Morning Star Prayer Group. Patricia Gerber serves as Parish Director. The cluster administration office — phone 715-637-3255 and email [email protected] — is the central point of contact for all four parishes, including St. Joseph in Barron.
- Rev. Mariadas Vallabhaneni — Supervising Pastor
- Very Rev. John Gerritts — Sacramental Minister
- Deacon Michael Cullen
- Patricia Gerber — Parish Director
Mass & Worship Schedule
Within the SSPBAndJ cluster, St. Joseph in Barron hosts the Saturday evening Vigil Mass at 6:00 PM and a Wednesday morning Mass at 7:15 AM. Sunday Masses for cluster Catholics are at St. Peter (Cameron, 8:30 AM) and St. Boniface (Chetek, 10:30 AM); a Saturday vigil is also offered at ABVM in Strickland at 4:00 PM. Weekday Masses rotate across St. Peter (Tuesday 5:00 PM, Friday 8:00 AM), St. Joseph (Wednesday 7:15 AM), and St. Boniface (Thursday 8:30 AM).
- Saturday Vigil — 6:00 PM at St. Joseph
- Sunday — 8:30 AM St. Peter, 10:30 AM St. Boniface
- Wednesday — 7:15 AM at St. Joseph
- Saturday vigil also at ABVM, Strickland — 4:00 PM
Morning Star Prayer Group
The Morning Star Charismatic Prayer Group, founded by Deacon Michael Cullen and his wife Annette, generally meets on the second and fourth Mondays of each month from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM at St. Joseph in Barron. The gathering is ecumenical and combines praise, Bible study and prayer, with a 6:00 PM Rosary, a 6:30 PM prayer meeting, and 8:00 PM ministry of prayer. Prayer requests may be submitted to the cluster office by phone (715-637-3255) or via the website's Contact form.
- Meets 2nd & 4th Mondays, 6:00–8:30 PM
- 6:00 PM Rosary · 6:30 PM Prayer Meeting · 8:00 PM Ministry of Prayer
- Founded by Deacon Michael Cullen and Annette Cullen
Faith Formation & Religious Education
The SSPBAndJ cluster operates a shared faith formation program for children, with online registration available through the sspbandj.org website. Families from any of the four parishes — St. Peter, St. Boniface, ABVM, or St. Joseph — enroll through a single online form. The cluster also runs Little Jesus Ministry and the annual Extreme Faith Camp, a youth program highlighted on the cluster's homepage.
- Online Registration for Faith Formation
- Little Jesus Ministry
- Extreme Faith Camp (cluster-wide youth event)
Parish Life & Lay Organizations
St. Joseph parishioners participate in the cluster's lay organizations alongside their neighbors from the other three parishes. The Knights of Columbus Council #6754 meets the second Tuesday of each month, and the St. Boniface Council of Catholic Women holds monthly meetings and events like the annual Polka Dance, Picnic & Raffles. The Morning Star Prayer Group hosts ecumenical praise and prayer on the St. Joseph grounds. News and event announcements — including gatherings, devotions, and parish festivals — are published on the cluster homepage.
- Knights of Columbus Council #6754
- Council of Catholic Women
- Morning Star Prayer Group
Contact, Mailing Address & Giving
St. Joseph shares its mailing address and administration office with the SSPBAndJ cluster: 827 East La Salle Avenue, Barron, WI 54812. The cluster office phone is (715) 637-3255 and the email is [email protected]. Online giving for St. Joseph and the other cluster parishes is available through the cluster website, and inquiries about sacraments, faith formation, or volunteering can be sent through the site's Contact form.
- Address: 827 E LaSalle Ave, Barron, WI 54812
- Phone: (715) 637-3255
- Email: [email protected]
- Online Giving via sspbandj.org
Cluster Family & Diocese
St. Joseph is one of four parishes in the SSPBAndJ Catholic Cluster Family, a grouping within the Diocese of Superior that includes St. Peter in Cameron, St. Boniface in Chetek, and Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Strickland. The cluster's vision statement is 'We are Catholic. We are family. We are Centered on Christ' — a tagline that frames the shared Mass, formation, and outreach schedule coordinated across the four parishes.
- Cluster: SSPBAndJ Catholic Cluster Family
- Diocese: Diocese of Superior
- Sibling parishes: St. Peter (Cameron), St. Boniface (Chetek), ABVM (Strickland)
- Vision: 'We are Catholic. We are family. We are Centered on Christ.'
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Benedictine Fathers from Lisle, IL1912–c. mid-20th c.
Served St. Joseph as a mission of St. Boniface, Chetek after the 1912 diocesan reorganization.
- Multiple pastors after 19411941–1994
After Barron became its own parish in 1941, it was served by its own succession of resident priests.
- Resident pastor in Barron (with St. Peter and Chetek clustered)1994–
In 1994 St. Joseph and St. Peter were clustered with Chetek and served by a priest residing in Barron.